Well, I bought 18sixfifty’s UF-V3 with a dedomed XP-G2 in it! Should be a thrower for sure.
Still finding the C8 comparisons fascinating, any more data, opinions, etc.?
I own the lightmalls C8 with XM-L U3 and the Xin TD V4 with an XM-L2. On start up the lights have very similar power, both starting about 930 lumens. Like Tom said the Xin Td has much better regulation and only drops 17 lumens in 30 seconds. The Lightmalls C8 however drops to 835 lumens in 30 seconds. Almost 100 lumens. Both are very bright but I trust the Xin TD a lot more for longevity.
Are the C8 and C12 bodies interchangeable? Is there a 2 cell version of this light? It looks like a SWEET MT-G2 host!
Thanks! This is the kind of real-world comparison I was hoping to generate.
How are you measuring the lumen drop?
light box I would guess, it reiterates what I was saying above, if you just wish to click on, amaze mates, click off go direct drive.
If you want to use the light, go regulated, my c8 upgrade build uses one of the good v10 drivers from intloutdoor and an xm-l2 its fairly impressive and with a nw emitter in an op reflector, gives a lovely usable light.
bright? yeah its “enough” useful? dammed straight it is.
Yes a light box. We test all of our lights in our pvc light box…
Personally I like the c8’s and I am not a modder Ive read Captain Chris Zhous reviews if the lightmalls c8xmlu2 and had to get the updated xmlu3 which was pretty darn bright so then I here about the xml2 I had to have it, I don’t have a lumen or lux meter but with my naked eyes I can’t see any difference I have a drop P60 xml2 fro. Lightmalls on order but I love this topic and hearing more informed members opinions and I always go apes when I hear what kind of numbers Tom E turns out from his modded lights , the man has made some flame throwers :party: great topic!
I’ve heard similar stories…that the XM-L2 U2 wasn’t a noticeable upgrade from the XM-L U3. Doesn’t the L2 need to be driven harder to see a difference?
No, its obviously better ! But the difference come from different unknown drivers and maybe false led bin (hard to tell the difference and its easy to lie).
By the way I just ordered a custom made C12 with XM-L2 U3 and 3 modes. :heart_eyes:
your talking a maximum increase of 20%
best case scenario, and xm-l2’s do seem harder to drive hard, the driver I’m on about above does 3.7a on an xm-l u2 but only pulls 3.3a on an xm-l2, I’d need to carry out as many resistance mods as possible and buy low resistance Panasonic cells to eek out that last bit. For the lights usage, and do bare in mind, I really do use many of the lights I build, I’m happy as is.
Now if you get a direct driven xm-l u2/u3 and then compare to a regulated xm-l2, no, I don’t think you will visibly see much difference, you could however, measure a difference with the appropriate equipment.
In all honesty I struggle to see a difference between my xm-l4c edc tube @ 2.6a and my xm-l4c d5 host at 3.1a, and there we are comparing the same emitter in a little tube then in a bigger reflector, driven harder, now consider all things are equal, same sized light, same cells, same driver, same lense, same reflector but xm-l u2 at 3a (1000 ish emitter lumens) and xm-l2 u2 at 3a (1100 ish emitter lumens) do you honestly believe you will be able to see that 100 ish lumens in a 1000 lumen beam?
This is why I dont sweat it too much, I’ve built many lights recently, all using an xm-l 4c from fasttech, it gives a nice tint and the emitter is cheap, I use a few, I’ve sold/gifted a few and everyone who has received one has been impressed, why? Because, compared to what they are used too, they are dammed bright, probably 500 - 600 lumens out the front, and compared to the led torches they have seen before, they have a very nice pleasant tannish tint, much closer to an incan tint people my age and older are used to, and with orange peel reflectors, they give a very nice smooth useful pleasant beam. Again, these torches are used, not shelf Queens or what we consider wow lights.
What I am saying is, consider the usage you will put the light to, then try to work out what will give you the best fit to that specification for the best price.
Many like the lightmalls c8/c12, I believe they are direct driven drivers but I do not own any of them myself, and as I say, I dont honestly believe anyone could pick out an xm-l u2 over an xm-l2 u2, all other things (tint, driver, switch,cell,reflector etc) I think most of it is a placebo effect - I’ve been told its brighter, therefore it is……
The same point has also been made many times before, you are told you get an xm-l u2 in a budget light, but how do you really know? Someone could get a u2, the next person gets a t4 for all we know, I think this may be the key to the lightmalls c8/c12’s, they actually really do get consistent u2’s with a consistent white cool white tint, this will always look “brighter”, even if it isn’t, they also probably use a good reflector that is focused well so you get a tight clean hotspot, again, this makes the light appear brighter.
To give an example, I removed a claimed xm-l u2 driven at 2.5a from a uf-v3 and fitted an xp-g2 of a known tint bin from a trusted supplier (off the top of my head, say 1a, it is a very very clean clinical cool white) using the same driver and cell and reflector, it now draws 2a due to the electrical mystics in differing emitter vf’s vs resistance, the xp-g2, due to its tighter hot spot and very cool white tint, is consistently claimed to be the brightest of my demo lights, even over the over drive xm-l2 I mentioned above, why? Because of that tight, intense hotspot vs a smooth defused op reflectored beam. The difference is significant too, say roughly 500 lumen AT BEST for the xp-g2 compared to close to 1000 lumen for the xm-l2 nw…….that, is how accurate your eyeball is at picking the brightest.
And just to be clear, the uf-v3 uses the same diameter reflector and lense as a c8, just its much much better designed, get a hot driver in one and a good emitter and I do believe it’ll leave many c8’s behind, just because of that reflector.
That C12 should be brutally intense!
I am slowly testing all my lights with my new luxometer, but so far the LM L2 is by far the brightest C8 (or C8 clone). And I have modded many C8s to make them brighter, but the L2 still takes the cake.
LM L2 = 23k lux spot; 130k bounce (in my tiny test bathroom).
Some others:
C108 stock (c8 clone) 12 (18 with U3)
Kai U3 — 17k
Ke5 (C8 clone) — 18k (but quickly ramps down to about 16k)
Convoy C8 w/U3 and nu reflector — 12
C10 (U3 mod) — 11
Home Depot Super thrower with 4A driver and L2 (and other mods) on one 18650 = 50k (that’s right — 50k)
I have done a bunch of other C8s — mostly ultrafire whatever that means — and they run from 11k to 13k or so. A very few make it to 16k.
Hope this helps.
How does a light box work? I thought it took some sort of sphere to measure lumens?
brted made a light tube out of 3 or more pvc elbows, the idea is that the beam is “integrated” without any part of the hotspot hitting the light meter sensor, then you use a conversion sum to give you lumens vs lux, in theory a sphere is the best shape, but it does seem you can get consistent comparable results using some pvc drain tube elbows.
I personally like the eyeball method - yep, that’s danged bright, yep that’s floody/throwy…… :bigsmile:
+1 Myself as well, but Mrs D gets her feathers ruffled when I shine it in her eyes… Lumens are measured by how long it takes her to stop running into furniture…
lol, I pity mrs d in that case.
mrs g just barely tolerates any of it tbh, think I managed to out do myself earlier, I’d decided to have a shave as the beard was getting a bit neanderthal, anyway she walked into the bathroom to find me “testing” how sharp one of my new blades was……mick dundee style, I think she thinks I’ve gone completely bat shit crazy tbh
>>>>Lumens are measured by how long it takes her to stop running into furniture…
Bo hahahahah.
I had a buck for every time the wife yells “DON’T SHINE THAT LIGHT IN MY FACE,” I would be a rich man.
Seriously though it would be great if someone came up with plans for a simple lumen-measuring device (PVC pipes or whatever) that we could all build from readily available materials. Then we could all get the same readings, or thereabouts.
[quote=Ubehebe]
>>>>Lumens are measured by how long it takes her to stop running into furniture…
Bo hahahahah.
I had a buck for every time the wife yells “DON’T SHINE THAT LIGHT IN MY FACE,” I would be a rich man.
Seriously though it would be great if someone came up with plans for a simple lumen-measuring device (PVC pipes or whatever) that we could all build from readily available materials. Then we could all get the same readings, or thereabouts.[/quot
My brother, Tom & Turbo BB all use light boxes made from 4” pvc p-traps. Cheap, easy to make, parts readily available to most people. Pretty easy to figure your multiplier too. Just test a few ansi lights with known lumen values and figure from there.
Now THAT’s funny!!!
Ubehebe, does LM L2 mean Light Mall’s XM-L2 version of the C8? Just trying to keep it clear in my fuzzy mind. Thanks for your most informative post!