Review: Kaidomain KD C12 XPL HI

Thanks for this review. I enjoyed it and it gives clear perspective on the performance.

Thanks.Being only my second review I’m gradually improving the measurement techniques and presentation.

I forgot to mention that I prefer the mode spacing on the C12

1. C12 Lo 5% > Med 30% > Hi 100%
2 C8 Lo 2% > Med 35% > Hi 100%

Any thoughts on which is prefered for a 3 mode torch?

Nice comparison Rolz. The mode preference question is an open can of worms. Its an individual thing.

Thanks

Judging by discussions elsewhere some favor very low modes. I personally don’t find them too useful

I still need to fine tune my review skills. I found producing a review takes much effort, but it’s an an interesting process as you learn more about the torches and batteries.

Taking outdoor shots was slightly more effort than I expected. I could hear a person walking on a path not too far behind me whilst I was setting up. He stopped which caused me to turn around. He then said in his Irish voice “Sorry to ask, but what is it that you are up to?”. I told him I was reviewing a torch and then he continued on his way.

Great review!!!

Thanks I appreciate the feedback :-). Still some fine tuning required in presentation and content, but I’m still developing my skills.

Always had a soft spot for the C12 and then they went to s__t. Good to see the resurgence with even a better pill. Thank you for doing this review thread. :)

Glad you appreciated it. It’s a good torch, not quite the same performance of a similarly spec’d C8. The only difference being the driver and host design. It would be considered one of the best C12 torches available. Although they’ve been around for years, it’s still a good choice for the budget minded.

I have a couple of C12s and they worked well for me. Love the better heatsinking potential over that of a C8. I think this particular reflector in your C12 isn’t very suitable for the XPL-HI - the LED sits too far down below the reflector opening and quite a bit of the light never hit the reflector.

Very nice review. Maybe I am wrong but I get the feeling that you have a lot of sympathy for the C12, but it ultimately loses the battle on account of the hard data.
Talking about data: adding the temperature might offer a new perspective for those who are seeking a host that keeps his head cool.

Thanks for the review!

-Chuck

Another great review Rolz, thank you!

It surprises me that the output difference between the C8 and the C12 can be that much. I mean they both have the same driving current, tested with the same sets of batteries, same emitter, same reflector diameter and textures - basically you just interchanged the reflector between them while doing the comparisons, right? And I always thought that the C12 is exactly the C8 only with more fins… so what am I missing here?

Don’t they use different ‘make’ drivers?

I was thinking that I might want a C12, but after seeing this I’m leaning towards the C8.

Sort it out for me boys… I got more time than money :frowning:

Thanks,
-Chuck

Just throwing this out there as a possibility. The C12 could be measuring not as good due to the copper base, brass pill, excellent heat sinking, and not enough current to get the emitter up to a temp it is happiest at.

Cooler is better for longevity, but some heat is needed for best performance.

The C12 is meant to be hot rodded. It is the one you get (over the C8) if you want to have some fun and go DD.

Awesome. Thank you. Think I’ll go order me a c8 now haha

What? Sorry I’m really confused…

EDIT: I also believe that the copper base is not anything like DTP, so the heat dissipation could be still quite poor regardless if the substrate is made of copper or aluminium.

I expected that the C12 would score light results on par with the C8, but it came up short. The C8 is clearly a better performer.

The OP reflector supplied with the torch worked ok. In my results I also included a table where I list the figures for a SMO reflector for the C12. I replaced the supplied OP reflector with a SMO from another C12 I have (XML2) but found it didn’t fit perfectly. The reflector wasn’t a tight fit. Good enough to get decent results but not ideal. I’m sure the KD model with a SMO would overcome this issue.

bibihang wrote:

What? Sorry I’m really confused…

EDIT: I also believe that the copper base is not anything like DTP, so the heat dissipation could be still quite poor regardless if the substrate is made of copper or aluminium.

Give the following djozz thread a read (link in picture). The copper base with dialetic layer does pretty darn good in that testing.

With that being said, I could be completely wrong about it being a possibility.