One (small) gap in the market is a super sustainable small form factor light.
I’d be interested in a 4x XHP70.2 with an efficient boost/buck driver and with the emitters under driven. The emitters should be driven only within the 200 lumen/watt efficiency range. A sustainable 2000 lumens at 10W for a single 21700 cell light sounds nice.
It would even nicer if someone could design an optic to create a nice beam from 4x XHP70.2. Although, it would require a pretty unconventional shape.
I would guess your next step in progression would be a soda can size thrower. Have you considered a Convoy 4X18A Cree XHP70.2 ? HERE
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Or at Neals Gadgets HERE
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I have the 90.2 version, but the run time is short, the 70.2 version is better. If you get the 4K version the CRI should be higher and the price is cheaper.
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I have the Convoy 3×21A and its a marvelous light, Tremendous power and sustained output. Takes standard 21700 batteries, not that proprietary nonsense. At $65, its a no brainer.
I did not include driver efficiency as parameter because even the FET drivers without 7135-bank are in most modes sufficiently efficient, the difference with nice current regulated buck-drivers is often not more than 10, but agreed that is a factor too. In the worst case design the FET in fully open mode drives the leds right at their max (I do not consider this a well-designed flashlight) and is then PWMed to 30 to reach max sustainable lumens.
This is very interesting to me in that efficiency by definition should be a critical factor to this. However, the least efficient LED light that I have can sustain about 1k lumen for hours on end and not even get very warm to the touch. Roughly 76 lumen per Watt. However, that is not a flashlight — it is an under counter light. No idea how many LEDs it has but certainly at least dozens. These LEDs are laid out over about 62 X 600 mm. Don’t think there is a way to do anything like this with a flashlight. Must be just too expensive to use more efficient LEDs in the under counter lights. Should be closer to 6 watt rather than 13 but apparently, getting the efficiency out of counter lights would be just too expensive to justify.
When I received my unit, I conducted a ~35min test run. Judging by eye, I set the brightness to a level which corresponded to ~70%(again judging by eye) of the brightness of my BLF SP36 LH351D 5000k when on TURBO. Head temperature stabilized and didn’t exceed 59,3°C(measured with pyrometer), body temperature stabilized at 54,5°C and didn’t exceed that. No step-down during this test.When I received the light, I calibrated the temperature sensor and set the thermal limit to 70°C.
I know it’s not very scientific, but for me it somewhat confirmed the impressive performance showed/stated in zeroair’s review.
If I need several thousand lumens to be sustained, my go-to lights are either my Trustfire TR-J20 or my favorite, the Trustfire TR-S700
Both are heavy lights as seen from some of the specs for the TR-S700 below, but a great deal of heat sinking is necessary to shed all the heat.
The lumens listed for the TR-S700 are actual too.
Model : TR-S700;
Dimensions : length 195 mm * 90 mm diameter ;
Weight: 1278 g;
The light source (LED ): 7xCree XM-L;
The maximum luminous flux of 3800 lumens