Review: SPARK SP6 (5 x XM-L T6 | 6 x 18650 / 12 x CR123A)

I like the video reviews. They answer questions the viewer hasn’t yet thought of or maybe wouldnt ask.

What type of lights will the spark compete with?

Thx guys! I'm a bit swamped ATM but will get to all your q's later when I get home.

Cheers,

Tim

It is an awesome looking light, I will never own it but that doesn’t mean I can’t look at it with lust in my heart :wink:

There are no direct competitors.

The nearest “competitor” in the budget light world would be the Trustfire X100. In stock form it more than matches the OTF output (actually it is able to maintain a significantly flatter output graph in max), modded with a UCLp and KD driver it should be able to match the throw and quite a fair bit of lumens (in the first 40 seconds or so actually surpass the throw).

TK70S or TK70 in shorty form? XTAR S1?

Think of a shorter TK70 with a little less throw but a much bigger wall of light for close up work.

Here’s a newbie question but im way to interested in an answer…Whats the “ideal” multi emitter
configuration for a performance minded thrower? I know there’s a lot of if’s, implications, and variables…

Wow! A bigger wall of light than a TK70.
Can’t wait to see that. :bigsmile:

I like this light but paying $400 is too much for me, maybe 2 kings strapped together should do it!


The diam (to the edge of the indent of the reflector and not the outter rim since I can't access it) is 73mm (2.87in). There are some minor "bubbles" on the reflector but these do not contribute to any weird artifacts that I can discern. While the bezel can be removed, I haven't been able to pop off the lens yet so I'm not sure, I'll give it another go later. The tint is definitely on the cool side with the hotspot a pale light green. The two whitewall shots I've posted (under Whitewall Hunting) is actually very close to what I see in real life.


Thx! Lux @ 1m is 47.4k but as mentioned in earlier reply, I don't think the beam has fully collimated at this distance. I read somewhere that lux has been measured above 85K.


So far yes, and strangely, even on lower modes as well based on initial testing. I still have quite a bit more testing to do including the lower setting runtimes so should have that up before the weekend is through.


The SP6 is unique in its emitter layout so the only way to compare is just against other large high-output multi emitter lights. Out of my collection, the XTAR S1 and TN30 come the closest in output and throw and size. The APEX 5T6, while also a 5 x XM-L light only pumps out approx. 2200 lms and 19K lux. The T60CS can also be considered in terms of output (2500lms) but not as good on throw (27.3K lux) and also nowhere near as large.

[quote=DarkSide] Here's a newbie question but im way to interested in an answer...Whats the "ideal" multi emitter configuration for a performance minded thrower? I know there's a lot of if's, implications, and variables... [/quote]
Actually not really... IMO, you simply can't defeat the laws of physics which dictates that with a "forward-firing" emitter, if one desires serious throw with a reflector, that said reflector be very deep and large in diam so as to collimate as much of the light from the emitter as possible. Despite being lower in output, the XTAR S1 can outthrow the SP6 (60.5K vs. 47.4K) due to its very deep tri-flector design. The unique implementation on the SP6 however does allow it to beat the TM11's highly vaunted wall-of-light with greater total output and easily over double the throw.

I do suspect though, that my sample is underperforming; the measurements thus far have not matched mfg claims or what others have measured. However, more testing to come! =o)

Nice review as usual turbo,thanks I have been watching this light for awhile and as cool as the concept is,I couldn't bring myself to lay out that kind of dough.I can't help but think how that tiny heatsink that the leds are mounted to can efficently get rid of that kind of heat.My question is how much does it sag on high within the first minute?Cool design though and beamshots should be awesome.

Would like to see some reviews of lower budget lights,with your style of photography, because they will look less budget then! :smiley:
As always, thanks for the review, and the wonderful pics

Another great review.

The initial “ramping” is strange for an LED light, no? I’ve always thought instant high was one of many advantages LEDs have over HID lights.

Based upon its performance here I can’t see any reason to choose the SP6 over the nearly 50% cheaper TN30….

BTW, how wide is the carrying strap? I’m trying to figure out what’s an optimal size for my TK70. I want to replace its OEM strap because it’s a bit too narrow.

All, UI section & chart now up.


It actually doesn't sag but rather slowly ramps up for the first minute or two. Check runtime section for details. I'll try to get outdoor shots over the weekend.


Thx! I have a few coming up. ;o)


It is peculiar but I suspect intentional. The TN30 features it as well and by design to protect the LED's and circuitry. I suspect the same can be said for the SP6 albeit it's not touted as a feature. The SP6 comes with six quality Panny cells and a charger so that should be factored into the equation as well but in the end, what is within budget for one is out for another and vice versa. Only one can justify ones needs based on that. The strap is just over 1.5" wide.

LOL :-)

Still working on the review but in the meanwhile here is a video deep dive of the reflector and emitter stalk as well as UI:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/Q6mIDiQSi4c

EDIT: And here's one covering heat testing:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/DBKcxqYUSGo

IMO, it should allay concerns re: heat issues w/the SP6 however, with the following caveats:

this test was easier on the SP6 because:
- the SP6 was pointed straight up and there was no lens covering the heat allowing it to escape better (however keep in mind that air is actually a very poor medium for thermal exchange)

this test was much harder on the SP6 because:
- there wasn't a use of a fan and the reflector (which is actually a substantial chunk of aluminum) was not in place to further help draw heat away from the stalk (and as we all know, aluminum is a very good medium for thermal exchange)

Between the two, I'm leaning towards the latter but I'd like to hear your opinions on this.

Strangely, there wasn't any thermal compound on the base of the reflector. Personally, I feel this would've further aided heat dissapation. Of course, this has got my curiosity piqued so I'll do some add'l testing in the future to see what the heat on the reflector is without any compound and then again after Arctic MX-4 compound is added.

More testing to come! ;o)

Cheers,
Tim

Thanks for all the work you are putting in to these reviews BB.

For some reason this light has gotten me interested although it is certainly outside my budget.

But I think that it is the fact that it is small for a 6*18650 battery light + it has great output although your numbers seem somewhat lower than what I see others report. And it looks great. Its like a floody light with great throw.

Tim, do you wear special goggles when doing your emitter testing?

I’m seeing spots from looking at the monitor - he must need to use welding goggles.

Thx guys! Bulk of Design/Features section now added (I'll wrap up battery carrier and charger next).

@indy - no, but I actually should. I was seeing spots for quite a long time after I made each video...

@ChiX - welding goggles wouldn't be a bad idea.

Is it possible to use this flashlight when charging it?