For anyone else needing Genuine Cree LEDs here are some options. These links navigate directly to the XM-L2 model.
1) Mountain Electronics [small company, BLF favorite]
2) Mouser Electronics [huge company, mind blowing inventory]
3) Digikey Electronics [similar to Mouser]
If anyone else knows some, let’s share here.
4) Intl Outdoor Store
5) FastTech
6) LED DNA
7) LCK LED
8] Cutter Electronics
The problem with suppliers like mouser and digikey is that they don’t give you a particular tint. Just a Kelvin number or range.
There are so many……
Fasttech
Led dna
Lck led
Are my main sources (after Mtn and Intl)
Cutter Electronics.
Maybe Joshk can compile all the reliable sources as suggested by the members in the OP if that is the purpose of making this thread.
I’m not saying that Fasttech is intended to cheat us (in fact FT is one of my favourite go to sellers), but Fasttech is a huge company with various types of product and they are not really specializing in flashlight and LED products (unlike Richard and Hank from IOS, who really know their stuff), so I’m afraid that there is a chance these disgusting latticebright LED’s will slip into Fasttech’s inventory without them knowing.
MTN & IOS are my two top sellers now for getting real genuine Cree emitters.
As for the ultra-budget lights, its a lottery now to get any genuine Cree emitters in these lights, as the nauseating Latticebright fakes seemed to have taken over that market to replace any Cree emitters. the only lights i feel save buying that will come with Cree emitters are the Brand names, ( Olight, Fenix,Nitcore, Sunwayman, Lumintop, 4sevens, Acebeam, etc.) 95% of the crapfire lights from most of the sellers will likely have Latticecrap LEDs in them.
The overseas sellers will have make some major changes to their selling policies, products, and light specification/descriptions to earn back my trust to expect to buy any budget-lights with real Cree emitters in them. (not likely to happen.)
To be clear, I understood the question to be about bare emitters, not emitters inside of lights. I don’t recall anyone trying to pass bare fakes as genuine cree
I don’t think bare LEDs are often fake either, this list would be more for someone that got a budget light and it had a shitty LED they want to upgrade.
What is IOS?
Done.
Thanks for compiling this for us!
No problem. Members probably already know all these vendors, but new members or even Google users will probably get a lot of value from it.
Leddna and lck-led are DEFINATELY not trusted companies for me, especialy when talking about emitters and their model/bin/tint
Also beware of Element14/Farnell/NewArk - their emitters are good, but they have VERY cunny trade policy…how does it sound 30$ for the shipping and 180$ for handling(!!!) 28 cob chips?
Leading ones you already mentioned, for EU:
Arrow
Mouser
TME
Ledrise
I know some people have been skeptical of their bins, but I have not heard any report that they aren’t genuine Cree at least.
FWIW, I have full confidence in them, so far I have no reason not to.
I got palmed off with a latticebright from fasttech.
I order sometimes from RS-Online (for business clients) to my company address.
-No customs duties, (Delivered Duty Paid)
-No shipping charge
The have Cree, Osram, Lumileds, etc.
As example: XHP50G2, 5000k, CRI90: item number: 134-6739