I’ve looked through every review I can find and can’t seem to uncover how many kcd to expect from an HD2010. Thinking about this one from Tmart: http://www.tmart.com/UItraFire-CREE-XM-LT6-8W-1300-Lumen-5-Mode-LED-Flashlight-Gray_p135765.html
Or would the black one be any better?: http://www.tmart.com/UItraFire-CREE-XM-LT6-8W-1300-Lumen-5-Mode-LED-Flashlight-Black_p135768.html
Thank you, wonderful BLFers!!
39,800 lux at one meter totally stock. Just under a FF or TF STL-V2(6) at 48,000 to 53,000.
I have the one from Tmart. They peform the same to me (I’ve had 3 of them, the first 2 were defective!)
I’m maybe interested in one of these as well. So, you say the FandyFire then the TrustFire versions have more lux? But, you can’t really tell the difference looking at them in real life?
Thanks!
Thanks RJ! Right after I posted this I found a review at Tmart saying it was 58k with a TF 26650 in it. That sounds pretty optimistic.
Edit: This review ^ was - By: horst.the.worst from:Krautland
Edit 2: It was by Tom E!
The second one I had was more neutral in tint and maybe a touch less bright, but the other two were the same; 830 lumens and CW in tint. Some said the Lightscastle Fandyfire was every bit as good, even though it is advertized at 600 lumens, but I’ve not heard of any one being actually brighter.
I think I know the review you are talking about, and it’s not accurate, as I run mine on 26650 and it’s clearly behind the STL-V2, though no slouch for sure. I’ve noticed some reviewers can be 10,000 or more plus or minus what it is on a given light. It’s generally a good idea to go with the least pleasing lux or lumen number rather than the one that would make us most happy. lol
Oh shoot, I read that wrong, the review was by Tom E!!
The reviewer’s name is ABOVE the review! My mistake!
Tom E? He knows his stuff for sure, but I’ve never seen a stock non-de-domed HD2010 hit those numbers.
The lux on mine was about 38-39k when measured at exactly 1 meter. When measured at longer distance like 5 meters or greater and calculated back it measured between 48.5 and 50k. Maybe that’s why the numbers are differing in posts?
I’m also confused on lux readings being posted. At least there should be a standard way of measurement.
Looks like reading at 1 meter is the easiest one and no need to measure back at 1meter? What’s the reason for taking readings other than 1meter for comparison?
I learned the hard way that some lights don't focus completely until after 1m.
Now I measure at 1m, 2m, 3m, 4m, and 5m then convert to 1m and take an average. 
OK. Maybe two postings: KLux at 1m and
KLux at 1m calculated from x - meters
Throwers require longer distances for the beam to collimate. Some of our more serious throwers like my dedomed TN31 or my brothers modded shocker take about 10M to fully collimate. Distances over that are consistant with what we found at 10.
I measure mine at 15 feet (five meters). Stock was 27k. Just put an L2 in and now have 41k. Highly recommended. Those L2s are picky emitters with existing drivers though. Some actually put out less than the existing T6s, but others like the 2010 really take off.
Why does everyone get in so close on their lux measurements? You would never use the light that close, or am I missing the point as always?
I remember your thread about those darned XML2s and how they weren’t making your lights brighter. Glad they work well in the HD! Did you do other mods in addition to the emitter swap?
I think the 1m thing is the industry standard, but it doesn’t work so well for throwers apparently.
>>>>>>Did you do other mods in addition to the emitter swap?
Yes, but it seems quite a few of these lights take weird-sized drivers or emitters or other issues that prevent an easy mod.
I think THINK the key is that the L2 needs more than 2.8 amps to really do much, at least it does with the lights I have modded. Of course, you also have to figure in there the “who knows” factor about the emitter itself, as in “who knows” whether it’s really an L2 or not. (the lck-led L2s I got seem reasonably white; the fasttech 21mm-star L2s seem greenish.)
Last night I did a SkyRay A0 clone. Stock is 21k lux at 15 feet. Figured it was the perfect candidate because the driver was only like 1.7 amps. Wrong again.
The A0 clone with the L2 emitter (from fasttech) and a 2/5 2.8 driver, also from fasttech. Result? Exactly the same as stock. Well maybe 22-24k for an insignificant couple minutes. Then it settles down to 21k.
Why are they the same? You got me. Because ……
A few days ago, I did a Uniquefire C108. Stock = about 14k. That zoomed up to 21k with the L2 with the stock 2.5 a driver.
In the Home Depot super thrower with a 5-amp driver, I get like 42k with a U3 but 62k+ with an L2, so it really shines (pun intended) as the amps go up. But in the 2 amp - 3 amp range, it seems you can’t tell if it will make a difference until you do the mod.
And yes as someone said in some thread, the L2 does not seem to produce as tight a spot as the T6, at least the 10 or so I have tried. And it definitely sucks the battery down faster.
But as always, YMMV. Hope this helps.
We just need a standard way to measure lux so we are all on the same page.
I think Lux at 1m is useful for a quick comparison for the same lights.
You can always provide kcd measured at distance for a particular light.
Here’s a related topic from DrJones: lux, candela - proper terminology
>>>>color of the LED’s substrate, not color of the star
Yes, you’re completely right. I should have said something like “who knows if they’re from the bottom of the bin?”
Actually (COMPLETELY off topic — sorry), has anyone else noticed this? If you put an L2 in a zoomer, the zoom-in of the emitter looks different than an T6. It has rows of +DOTS+, not the lattice work like the T6s … At least that is the case with two L2s I put in zoomers. So that’s another way to tell an L2 from a T6 I would imagine, unless my “dotty” L2s were unrepresentative for some odd reason.