Full comparison with commentary and an interactive beamshot comparator is on my website:
Beamshots:
Runtime graph:
LHP73B vs XHP70.3:
While creating this comparison, I noticed that the LHP73B LED in High mode (after double-click, NOT turbo) shines almost identically to the XHP70.3 HI R70 LED.
It can be noticed that:
- XHP70.3 HI maintains High mode for 3 minutes 15 seconds, while LHP73B does so for 2 minutes 20 seconds.
- Both flashlights heat up at the same rate, but the LHP73B throttles at a lower temperature.
- LHP73B maintains a higher brightness, ~1480lm, while XHP70.3 maintains ~1220lm.
- the head temperature of the LHP73B during operation rises to a maximum of 60°C and stays there for 30 minutes until it step-downs due to low battery voltage, while the XHP70.3 temperature is generally lower, reaching the highest temp of 55°C at the end of the runtime.
- The LVP (low voltage protection) started kicking in for the LHP73B after 1 hour and 15 minutes, while for the XHP70.3 HI after 1 hour and 30 minutes. This is probably due to the higher sustained brightness of the LHP73B.
- After the brightness reduction, the LHP73B dropped to a higher brightness than the XHP70.3, at ~120lm (vs 30lm in the XHP70.3). In both cases, this is a brightness should still be useful for most simple tasks (e.g. illuminating the path ahead).
Taking these differences into account, as well as the additional Turbo mode in the LHP73B, the LHP73B looks like a more attractive choice, though it does not disqualify the XHP70.3 HI. Regardless of the choice, each LED provides a useful, powerful beam.
Individual runtimes:
