Yes JackCY, I’m seeing that in this comparison…and keep in mind that the XM-L2 is being driven at the max recommended by Cree while the XP-G2 is already doubled up, running right at 3A instead of 1.5A. So even doubled up, it’s barely doing a better job. It’ll be interesting to see how they both do when de-domed…
Hiking trail pics tonight. 
Then I move on to the de-domed phase. Hoping the MT-G2 tightens up enough to put some better light down the middle, we’ll see.
Lots of good info and images(hardly surprising). Needs to be stickeyed somewhere.
Hi-Res pics added to post 1 for clarification. Click the pic to see it larger in a new window. Click again from there to view at 2048px on the long side.
Thanks Scott, quite a bit to it as it turns out, but it’s fun seeing where it goes. I’ve found an improved walking trail a few minutes away that they recently built a foot bridge for, at the bridge there’s about a 160 yd range that looks promising. I’ll be going over this afternoon to see if I can use that for trail shots. Would be nice, as it’s only a few minutes away. The trail I had planned to go to is about a 30 minute drive one-way, would consume a lot of time and some gas monies to run back and forth taking shots. Either way, I should have some better real world usage shots tonight.
This is a fascinating thread….thanks Dale!
I’ve got a 3A XPG2 build (Convoy S2), a 3A XML2 build (Convoy S3) and would like to have a 4.1A~ MTG2 build (C12).
Hi DB. This is an interesting thread. I picked parking garage of the three, though football stadium looks good too. I'd like to find a place that has objects with known dimensions at known, round distances. Multiple objects at different distances would be great too.
BTW, your red barrel isn't too shabby for this for what it's worth.
Buck
I should’ve stuck to the shots of the red barrel at 97 yds. Went out to the lake at a boat ramp area, kid was running around and found a snail. Wife took a picture of said snail with her brand new for Christmas Motorola Ultra. Dropped it on concrete steps and shattered the Gorilla glass. Sometimes it just doesn’t pay to leave home…
I know the MAXToch SN-6X 2X wasn’t a fair curve ball, but I had it with me out there and was lighting up the opposite shoreline from 640-800 yds away even though the night wasn’t clean, slight mist, dust, bugs, lot of junk in the air.
768 yds in the yucky night air…
The shoreline behind that finger of land is over 800 yds away.
I will now de-dome the 2 smaller emitters, slice and dice the MT-G2. Then I’ll do more beamshots. I’ll try to get some subjects for the football field and see if I can find a large warehouse or parking garage to shoot. Will probably go ahead and get the standard red oil drum shots for posterity before modifying the lights any further. With the de-dome being next, then a power bump, quite a few more beamshots to get yet. Who knows? Maybe I’ll get lucky and have a deer wander into the picture out at the lake…
Hey Ruffles? I just got a second chopped AA MiniMag from Dan (TexasLumens) and will be stuffing an MT-G2 into it. I’ll be using a stock power level Qlite with the Zener mod and just ordered some 14250 cells to put a pair at a time in it. 
3 1/2” (90mm) with 1700 lumens? I’m trying, lol.
Sorry to here about the camera DBC. If it was not for us here it would not have happened. Fantastic thread though. Thanks and better luck with the rest of it.
Wasn’t my camera Steve, it was my wifes brand new smart phone. They have that large face made of gorilla glass, right? It fell on an angle at the 90 degree edge of a concrete step, shattered it. Wasn’t even at the shooting part of these 3 lights, I was done with that and was taking time to shoot the MAXToch across the lake. That extra time spent was, in retrospect, a costly decision. Maybe not in anything more than time though, as insurance should replace the phone…it’ll just take a lot of time getting a new one all set up like she had it.
Moral of the story? Be careful with your expensive micro electronics!
Hey Race, sometimes the numbers don’t actually point out the real world facts. While it would be indicative that the XM series would end up throwing further than the XP series, it just isn’t so. The XM’s flare out as the distance increases and the light just doesnt make it down range the same way. That additional spill gets wasted out in the field, the long range target stays dim. I build my HD2010 with the XM-L2 to start with. Then when I had an issue with the emitter I stuck an XP-G2 in it. The hot spot reached further, easily illuminating out to 610 yds because the lumens it did put out were more directed down range. I found the XP-G2 threw further at some 4.7A than the XM-L2 did at well over 5A.
Now, the question begs just where is the top end of each emitter? The XP-G2 is probably about to be done in up towards 5 while the XM-L2 can go on towards 9 and I’m thinking down range illumination won’t be much different when each is pushed to their limits, total area of illumination will easily be won by the bigger emitter.
Again though, for a beginner dropping a store bought combination into a DIY host, this comparison has more merit. For a mad modder, well, the limits are more about heat dispersal and battery current capability. Fun figuring it all out though, for sure.
The 15 watt issue? With the MT-G2 it’s a bit more complicated isn’t it? 2 cells with voltage sag, higher Vf, guess I’d just have to do a bit more math. Would I still go with a direct tail cap amperage x the actual battery voltage to determine the wattage? Approximating that, this MT-G2 is already seeing some 3.74A at the emitter, right? Not sure I know what I need to know in order to set up each light at 15 watts…
Those trail images really indicate to me that focus trumps lumens when looking for throw but nothing beats lumens for sheer illumination. Nice work.
I think the MT-G2 in med or low would be a great choice for working under the dash, crawling under the car, going up the attic or under the crawlspace. In close quarters a hot spot of almost any kind is just too intense. The wide flood of light from the MT-G2 is ideal in a lot of situations, powered down or full out blasting.
In a flashlight I consider the top end of the XP-G2 to be 5A, and XM-l2 to be 6,5-7A. Both can survive at higher currents with the correct driver and cooling, but its hard to say anything for sure when it comes to emitter life. There is not that much to gain above those currents anyway. Either way, no need to worry about these those things in a single cell C8.
Running XP-G2 at 2,9A, XML-2 at 3A and MT-G2 at 1,7A would roughly give you the same energy consumption. But I would much rather see you do some aluminium vs copper pill tests than bother with similar energy tests. ;) Copper pill vs alu pill is something many would be interested in seeing.
Currently your trail beamshots favor floody beams due to the location, focal length and where most lights are aimed. Would be nice to see some shots that showed throw better too.
Otherwise, keep up the good work. :)
I plan to get my standard beamshots tonight, with the red oil drum at 97 yds. Then I’ll be de-doming. I might still try to get lumens and lux readings with lumens drop and heat with the stock aluminum pills. Will see what I have by way of materials and drivers. Can take the drivers out of all 3 of these, but not the star/emitter in the 2 that are re-flowed. Not sure if I have another XP footprint 16mm star. Will look into it.
Throw should be apparent on the football field, but will also be apparent in tonights shots.
Lot of variables, aren’t there?
Its apparent, but its not that easy to judge well due to the following.
- Wide angle shots
- Lights are pointed downwards at the ground
- The main thing to light up is the white bars/goal, which will easily reflect light. Its not hard to judge the difference in throw just by the light reflected from those.
- Stadium at the end is kinda lit.
Id say you stadium shots are best suited to show flood as well.
Hmmm, I see what you’re saying and raise you these facts…
Indeed I shot at 28mm to show the beam profile. Figured the high definition pic would allow looking at the end zone. Not exactly considered wide angle, but a bit wider than what the eye sees.
Lights are pointed directly at the opposing goal post. They were in a carrier on top of a tripod. I adjusted the hot spot to center on the goal post before taking the 1st shot, then locked down the video plate on the tripod. The carrier is a split tube, with velcro wrapping around it to secure the light.
The only lights showing behind the goal post are at a building that is 264 yds away from that opposite goal post (about 380 yds from the C8’s). There were some lights to the right, at the field house. Was very dark, surprisingly so, I couldn’t believe the gates were open with no lights on. 9:30 at night, the light situation was better than I’d hoped for. Looked at 2 other towns football fields and couldn’t get easy access.
I raised the tripod carrier to a height of about 6’4” for these shots, had to lower it for the attempted side shots that didn’t turn out as my wife was running the lights and she’s only 5’ tall.
So, with the lights actually over my head and adjusted to hit the center of the vertical goal post at the opposite end of the field, not sure how I can keep them from appearing to point down. As the light travels and the hot spot grows, there will be more on the ground under the line of the beam. Unavoidable. At this point, they’re just not real suited for throw. Will be getting those 97 yd shots tonight, then de-doming tomorrow. Then we’ll see what kind of difference that makes. I know it typically drops lumens output, but tightens the beam. So it’ll be interesting to see what the final result is with power the same as it was for these, then bumped. After testing the de-doming, the plan is to stack 4 chips on each driver (12 total) then start over with the testing. Should be in the 4.4A neighborhood with losses accounted for. Depending on how the lights show up in the numbers, heat and such, I may add up to 4 more chips (16 total) to the ones that can take it.
Up to this point, with the possible exception of the copper pills, these are all set up pretty much as one would buy them, if all 3 emitters were available in a C8. Starting tomorrow, they go into “modded” territory.
Wow, nice work Dale! Impressive. Been following the comments and all the follow-up details, along with spreadsheet of all the stats. The 1,700 lumens is nice in a C8 for the MT-G2, but the measured heat shows the consequences, and of course the shortened runtime.
For debate between kcd and range, it is what it is - it's math and definitions the industry decided to go with. I just try to be clear of what stat I refer to: specifically calling it "kcd" or calling it "throw distance".
Appreciate it. Anyplace I should be doing anything different? Or additional?
Nice beam shots Dale! Thanks!!!
I have a light in the works for a gent that doesn't care much what I use in it... I may have to try that MT-G2 this time. I think that should make about anyone happy. I usually go with the XML or L2 but I like that MT-G2!!
Again... nice comparisons and great beam shots, Thanks for sharing. Dan.
Last beamshot comparison. Great location and comparison sets!