Well, yes there's a gap, but for a good reason. XML's in budget lights limit out at 50-60 kcd at best because of typical T6 or U2 emitter offerings, on alum stars, plus relatively small reflectors up to 60 mm, usually limited to 3 amps, sometimes direct drive like the HD2010, but the T6 on alum kills it's potential, plus bad loss of amps in the tailcap. For example, you'll never find a copper star or AR lens in a budget light, even though it may not add much cost but the budget light makers have no incentive to push the limits, they can just claim 1,800 lumens no matter what crap they got in there.
The attention to detail, and size, to gain throw you'll find only in higher end offerings, like the Crelant 7G9 (other models), TN31, etc.
Well Tom just Built a Small Sun ZY-T08 for me that is now putting 200k OTF. We took them out tonight with intentions of doing some 500-600 meter beamshots but it is windy and kept blowing our target down and not to mention tons of crap in the air. We played around a little any way and it is very impressive to say the least. It also has a usable spill to boot. Tom turned this $24 light into one that will out throw even the mighty Tn31 so it can be done. I am sure he can chime in here and tell you what he did to it.
I can give you the basics. He put a dedomed XM-L2 U2 on a copper sink pad and drove it at 4.5 amps. He put a UCL/p lens on it an a solder wick mod on the t/c. It has a nice hot spot but the usable spill is what surprised me the most. It is a totally awesome light now.
De-domed XM-L2 U2 1A/1C/SinkPAD, 4.5A Nanjg (sandwhich style, original driver as contact board), solder wick in the tailcap springs, UCL/p lens, 22 gauge teflon (or silicone?) coated wire. Oh - also the SinkPAD was AS5'ed on a copper disc, epoxied to the pill top - extra copper heat sink there, and copper on the inside of the pill under the pill top.
It's basically what I did to mine, that I posted in a T08 thread, with the de-doming added, so results were right in line with what I got, de-doming made it a little more than double, or about double I believe. Think I got over 100 kcd in my non de-domed T08.
Details on my build are here: https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/16808, and the final posted throw # was 100 kcd with 2 Pana PD's. Probably higher with 2 Samsung INR 20R's. Also got Samsung 20Q's and they seems to be as good as the 20R's. Waiting on the 30A rated Sony's from FT.
Its a parallel battery setup -- please check the link above - lots of details/pics there on the T08.
Does the solder wick on the tailsprings make much difference? And is the difference only applicable to high current draw type situations, or could most lights benefit?
Just got a 170 lumens bump on a HD 2010 by wiring in that solder wick. There's factors though, I soldered the spring down better than what it was before, so maybe a difference on that alone? Maybe you could replace the stock spring with a better qual spring? But how do you really know a spring is high qual and better than the stock springs? What the seller says? The higher cost? Can you get an exact size replacement? So, probably easier to just wire the spring.
Also, on my original mod'ed HD2010, I noticed I could no longer get the high lumens, high throw #'s I used to get. Then yesterday, decided to take apart the tailcap to see what I did there as a reference - and there it was! The solder wick gave way and was all cramed up on the top of the spring! Mystery solved! That was before I did the solder wick in a better way. Early, I ran it outside the spring -- now I put it inside the spring. Also, to get rid of the solder flux in the wick, I am soaking it first in acetone -- this keeps the solder from running up/down the solder wick that sitffens it up.
get a convoy l2 and put an xp-g2 in there, its an instant step up on most xm-l throwers, I’m still waiting to get some xp-g sinkpads but I suspect that the xp-g2 will soon become the top dog for throwers, for example, check what the deft x is using.
If you follow toms examples for cutting circuit resistance to a minimum as they will help any light, stock or modded, sinkpad your xp-g2 and just take care mounting everything I highly doubt an xm-l/l2 will come close in throw.
My l2 build is very agricultural compared to toms work but the host is probably the best budget thrower platform you can lay your hands on, I’ve also read about a high amperage driver in the pipeline for exactly that host as the driver cavity is its only weakness.
I’ve found an a8 clone on ebay, tube screws straight into the defiant head and its about half the price of an a8, colours god awful but I bought it to mod for use in my work tools, as it takes a 17mm and 20mm star, that at least will be easy enough.
At about a hundred dollars the K40 is a quality light with no need to mod. Not quite 70 but not 150 either. I think it can take the slot directly before the BTU. There are crelant models at about 70k stock as well for a little less that can take up a slot before the K40.
