After some weeks of research, here and other pages, I finally settled in buying a Convoy M3-C 5000K. Having it available with XHP70.2 HD, XHP70.3 HI 70CRI, and XHP70.3 90CRI, I’m not sure if the loss in lumens is worth between 70 and 90CRI (4000 vs. 3000 lm, respectively). Since the sustained output of the 70CRI should be roughly 1300/1400lm, how would the 90CRI behave? What sustained lumen loss should I expect?
I’m using it mostly for night and outdoor walking/hiking during vacations, but since I’m buyng a larger model, I would like to have the most possible sustained lumens. However, although I’ve seen several photo comparisons, I never compared low/high CRI flashlighs in real scenarios, so not sure if it is going to be worth it.
It’s nice of you to join us, crocas!
Some people care about high CRI, and some people don’t care that much.
I would choose the XHP70.3 HI 70CRI because that one throws the furthest.
I know that high CRI is better than low CRI, but I care about throw and lumens more than high CRI.
I have 2 M3-C 5000K with the xhp70.2. Both of mine will run level 4 with no noticeable step down in the cooler temperature seasons. Only a slight step down in summer. The 70.2 is a nice balanced beam between flood and throw with no hot spot. I find hot spots distracting for walking and only use throwers once in a while. Sorry I can’t comment on the other two options. I find 5000k to be the most pleasing to my eye. Any warmer or cooler is also distracting to me. It’s all going to depend on your preferences.
I honestly wouldn’t get anything with XHP70.2 in it 2023. Technology ages like milk, and that’s tech from 2017.
The XHP70.3 is almost the exact same (very efficient) LED as the XHP70.2, but without the nasty tint shift. There is still a slight tint shift in the XHP70.3, but it’s a big improvement in the beam of your flashlight. Well worth the extra $2.
The debate should just be which version of the XHP70.3 you get, low CRI or high CRI.
Again, never noticed tint shift in the M3-C 70.2 outside. I think the design of the deep reflector and not being smooth helps or maybe I just am not seeing it but the beam is pleasing enough for me.
Thanks for the advice. I’m currently just wondering between 70 or 90 CRI. All runtime graphs I’ve seen are for the 70.2 with a 40% mode of sustained 1400-1500 lm. Since the provided 70.3 is dedomed (HI), I’m guessing it will run a little bit short of that and, hence, not sure if loosing some more output for CRI is worth it. It is my very first flashlight, so I never compared both scenarios.
You can always do what I do in situations like these: buy both, see the difference in person, and sell the one you like less. That way there is no lingering doubt if you should’ve gotten the other one. Think of the small amount of money you lost by reselling as a rental fee.
These questions have highly personal answers. For years I bought ~6500K lights because they have (normally) the highest output for a given LED type. I must say that I never worried about CRI at all and was perfectly happy with my lights.
More recently I sort of got swept up in the CCT/CRI hype and have bought several lights with lower CCT (4000 to 5000K) and higher CRI/RA numbers. Honestly I do like the more neutral white CCT beams a bit better because they “seem” to be easier on the eyes. CRI/RA numbers really are not that important to me. I just don’t see much of a difference unless I directly compare the lights on things with known colors in daylight.
Keep in mind, the 70.3 HI will give a bit more throw in a given reflector. If that is what you would like, the difference in lumens is not going to be enough to worry about. It will still likely put more light on a target at a distance.
Also remember that getting caught up in lumen differences can mislead you. For one, the difference between 300 and 4000 lumens is not that big when you consider how your eyes work. Short of testing or comparing beams directly, you probably won’t notice much difference. Besides, most of the peak numbers will only last for a short time. By the time things stabilize, most likely there will be little difference (not visible) in output (especially in the same light using the same reflectors, and driver and comparing the XHP70 leds.)
So with that in mind, ask yourself how you will use the light? If you want a bit more throw and want to see colors with better fidelity (you need to do photography, or hunt mushrooms or berries at night), get the 70.3 HI. The difference of (maybe) a few lumens once stabilized will not be noticeable. If you just have to see the biggest numbers in the ratings, get one of the 70.2 versions.
I personally would go with the 70.3 HI.
Thanks!! I really appreciate, is very nice to get as much input as possible. However, now, I’m just wondering between the 70 and 90 CRI versions of the 70.3HI. I’m very new in this flashlight realm but, regarding the output for my usage, I mostly consider the high/40% mode that holds 1400/1500lm for 60+ minutes (70.2). Since this is the dedomed version, I’m assuming it’s a little bit short of that, with slightly netter throw and, hence, close to that limit.
From all opinions I’ve gathered so far, and since my goal is mainly outdoors walking/hiking with no professional colorwise goals, I’m inclined to get the 70CRI version for a little more output.
All in all, not really considering the 70.2, just a debate between higher cri/lower lumens vs lower cri/higher lumens. Thanks!
My point is, without measuring equipment you will not be able to “see” the difference.
Any difference of +/- 200 lumens at a 1400 lumen baseline will not be detectable by your eyes.
If you don’t need high CRI (apparently you do not) just get the one that makes you feel good .
BTW, I was looking at a choice between XHP70.3 Hi R70 and XHP70.3 Hi R9050 and had two questions:
Does that correspond with the 70 vs 90 CRI choice here?
What kind of difference would there be between those at 3000K?
Yeah, I like it warm, at least until things get really brown in the fall. I often walk the fields at night, watch foxes or skunks from a safe distance, etc.
Yes. The “50” on 9050 indicates the minimum R9 (red) value.
The difference in output depends on the brightness BIN of the LEDs. The data is available in the datasheet.
For example the difference between N4 and K2 bin is 1710 vs 1200 lumens at binning conditions. N4 offers a 42% increase in ouput.
Thanks. Being technologically impaired and not knowing the BIN, which would be good for producing a large filed of light that is pleasing to the eyes and makes things look nice?
This holds in principle but I have some objections due to practical concerns:
Cree’s line of high CRI emitters tend to be very green compared to the 70CRI versions; the greeness desaturates colors and counteracts the effect of high CRI. You might find the 70CRI version to be actually more pleasing because of the better tint, which is much more noticeable than the CRI difference. For example: the 70CRI MT-G2 looks much better to me than the 90CRI LH351D. This might also be due to the next reason:
Cree’s 90CRI emitters have poor red rendering (a metric not taken into CRI calculation), which is essential for making warm colors look good. Cree does not give the R9 rating for its emitters–“R9050” is a crude guess by users, and Cree emitters are not guaranteed to attain an R9 of 50 (it is frequently lower).
You’ve really won the tint lottery with -0.0003 Duv! The 90CRI variant of the XHP50.3 tested by koef3 hit 0.0053, which is quite green even compared to bad bin SST20s. Looks like there is a lot of variance between different samples.
EDIT: was this a stock HI emitter or a sliced HD? The screenshot gives conflicting information. The sliced HDs generally perform MUCH better than stock HIs in tint.
