EDC-Light 3x XHP-35 HI NW (3x 26650/18650)

EDC-Light 3x XHP-35 HI NW

Summary:

Battery:

3x 26650 (18650 can be used, but no spacer was included)

Switch: Reverse Tailcap Clicky
Modes:

Turbo - Medium - Low

Mode Memory: Off-time (2 seconds).
LED Type: 3x XHP-35 HI NW
Lens: Glass
Reflector: Aluminum - Smooth
Price: $95
Provided by: CNQG

Function:

Standard reverse clicky switch operation.

Full click on. Half press for mode change. Turbo - Medium - Low. Full click to turn off the flashlight.

All throw measurements are lux values taken at 7ft and calculated back to 1 meter (Rounded to the nearest hundred). Estimated output (Lumen) values are calculated based on measurements obtained through a DIY 'pvc lumen tube' in an effort to achieve diffusion of dissimilar beam profiles. As such, these values should be taken as "rough approximations."

One of the bigger issues with the EDC-Light Triple XHP-50 was a very unstable driver. This has been fixed with the Triple XHP-35 version with a greatly improved driver. The turbo mode maintains the max output of ~4800lm for about 60 seconds then begins to gradually step down (during the next minute) to a 'High mode' of about 3650lm.

After the stepdown to 'high' the flashlight maintains the roughly 3650 lumens until the 60 minute point after which it drops out of regulation and hits the low voltage warning (LVW) at 65 minutes. The LVW, which is a constant slow flashing, can be ignored if one so desires by simply half pressing the tailcap switch.

This new driver allows the user to jump back up to turbo at any point during the life of the batteries.

At the 9 minute mark the temperature is 137°F at the hottest point in the head (A small fan was activated moments later and ran for the remainder of the test). Ideally the driver should have throttled back the output before this point, but that doesn't appear to be a function of this particular driver. Granted, this is a very poor situation for a flashlight to be operated in. The ambient temperature is 80°F with little to no air movement and the flashlight is head-standing on a piece of glass inside a PVC lumen tube. Normally a hand would be acting as both a heatsink and an early warning system of the flashlight potentially getting too hot.

Pictures:

If you're skimming around you might be having some Déjà vu. No I haven't gone insane and reviewed the same flashlight twice...

There's two!

They are practically identical except where it really matters as previously detailed above.

There are the three XHP-35 HI NW emitters.

These are the XHP-50 emitters from the previous sample.

The driver for those XHP-35 HI NW emitters.

Comparison:

I brought out my heavier hitters for a large variety of size, emitters, reflectors, throw, and output. Each is estimated above 2000 lumens with the BTU Shocker on the upper end with an estimated 4000lm+ output.


Convoy S2+ Triple XPG2 (11A DirectDrive), Roche M170, Quad LED + Handle, Maglite MTG2 (5A), Notorious HID, Nitecore TM16, BTU Shocker (XPL-HI, 5.7A DirectDrive), EDC-Light Triple XHP-50

I pulled the 3 other multi-well reflector lights for closer comparison.

Beamshots:

The first set is single emitter lights of varying outputs and with the Cometa and K50v2 having throw values similar to the EDC XHP-35 HI. The location is approximately 150 yards to the top of the tree.

The second set is a more fair output comparison between large multi-emitter flashlights.

EDC-Light Triple XHP-35 HI NW modes: Turbo - Medium - Low

Conclusion:

This EDC-Light 3x XHP-35 HI NW is a vast improvement over the previous XHP-50 sample I reviewed. This one did arrive with a similarly dirty lens and dirty threads; however, the finish is pristine, the reflector looks better, and the lens and threads are easily cleaned.

The primary improvement is the very stable and well regulated driver. This driver allows for a very high output and a re-accessible turbo mode. The downside of this high output is the amount of heat generated. Thus, this is not a flashlight to be placed on the ground or propped up and left on while in turbo or the high stepdown.

Overall, I think the EDC-Light Triple XHP-35 HI is a nice flashlight. It throws a lot of light a respectable distance downrange. Build quality is still great with the same integrated shelf and lots of mass to help deal with the heat.

What a beast….but EDC???

Thanks for the review.

Yes, thanks for the review!

...but, 3 x 26650 ≠ EDC.

Nice light!!!

Anyone notice how “EDC” lights seem to be getting bigger and bigger? :innocent:

Nice review… thanx! I woud not want to carry this big guy in my pocket. :slight_smile:

Isn’t EDC-Light.com a website of BLF-member Ric-CN? We all know from cnqualitygoods.com?
In that case EDC-Light is a brand name and not an indication that you can order a (very) deep pocket clip for it.

Yes Henk4u2 it says provided by CNQG so a link between Ric and brand EDC is not unlogical

Having the brand called EDC and then make these big monsters is actuality very funny IMHO.

I like the looks of this light
Thanks for sharing!

I’m disappointed in the performance of this. The light is quite large and expensive, but the output is not great. For this price, you start considering lights like the TM16GT, which is much smaller and lighter, but will throw further. If this were half the price, it would be interesting.

The TM16GT is shorter, lighter and if on par with my Tm16 then better overall quality; however it is a fair bit more expensive even after deep discounts and output is in the favor of the EDC.

TM16GT’s output, around 3600lm and 250kcd
EDC Triple XHP 35 HI 4800lm 205kcd.

With these high output lights 45kcd is pretty tough to see especially in person.

The GT output drops constantly being direct drive in turbo, this EDC holds a very respectable 3650lm for the duration of the battery life, but maintains a re-accessible turbo as well.

For under $100 I haven’t come across anything that really rivals the output of the EDC-Light Triple XHP-35 HI. The BTU Shocker II might do just that if it is offered with XHP-35 HI, but I expect it will be quite a bit more than $100.

I would argue that 25% increase in lux is MUCH more noticeable that 33% increase in lumens.

I like it any chance we could get a group buy on it?

Great light! But as a triple XHP-35 HI light I wish it can be driven harder - Probably 6000+ lumens and >350kcd on Turbo mode and that is one helluva light monster.

Maybe it is due to some technical limitations that the driver cannot be made to deliver high current or else it will be burnt… but maybe some driver experts in BLF can offer advice/design that can achieve such (which I believe is highly possible), or simply make the driver diameter bigger so that it can take some “tougher” components on it.

Don’t waste such a great host!

Wow iam glad you had betyer luck than i did i oredered about 2 years ago from cnq (RICK)their triple xhp 70 ersion actually 2 of them one for myself and one for my friend and they were totally fried right out if the box see post: new edc triple xhp70 not firing up and Vesture _of _blood had to rebuild both when he tolk th aprt from Rick therebwore held together with electrical tape

i have this light with a dd fet driver and 2each dedomed xpl v6’s if anyone is interested it is a neutral thrower i have a 3 mode on it id be willing to part with at a reasonable

It’s EDC if you’re a giant 25’ tall.

Hi guys:

I just got this light and only 2 LEDs light up at full brightness while the 3rd LED lights up but really dim, its way too expensive to send the light back for a replacement so I have decided to repair it myself. However I need to know what replacement driver to buy and where to get it. I can see that some of you have modded the light with a better driver, could you provide some details as to how and where to get the improved driver? I have basic soldering skills but not much knowledge about electronics. So whatever advice you can provide will be much appreciated.

Thanks.

Vesture of blood from adventure sport flashlights had to rebuild mine and my buddies light ,the same exact light from CNQG read new edc triple xhp70 not firing up

I don’t think I would consider buying anything produced or sold by ric / edc-light / cnqualitygoods company ever again.

I ordered a light from their edc-light.com website last year, paid with paypal. No order confirmation came. A week or two later I followed up with contact forms and via paypal, just to make sure my order was entered and was coming. I eventually found an email address “edc-light@vip.126.com” and sent an inquiry there. A few days later I received a message saying that:“It’s ok. We will ship out the order tomorrow. Thanks RIC”. I waited another month and reached out again but never received a response.

I ended up getting my money back through paypal, “Ric” never even attempted to dispute it or say that he shipped the light at all. It sure seemed to me that he took my money while never planning on shipping anything, hoping perhaps that I would leave it until after my paypal protection expired or something. One of the very few negative experiences I have buying items from Chinese vendors, I hope others can avoid being scammed by this company.

Yeah sounds very familiar with Ric