Does anyone still use SST20?

Other Types of Lights LED Light Bulbs
1

I did some amateur measurements today:
Sst20 FA3 from Hank
Sst20 FD2 from Simon
1 led under Carclo 10507 @250mA, 500mA and 1000mA. Measurement distance was 1m.
I measured with Opple and I kept the setup exactly the same between leds, so that nothing changed but the led and current.
Hank:
–1000mA, 3729K, DUV –0.0012
–500mA, 3722K, DUV –0.0008
–250mA, 3707K, DUV –0.0007
Simon:
–1000mA, 3849K, DUV –0.0001
–500mA, 3843K, DUV 0.0005
–250mA, 3819K, DUV 0.0001

CRI was in all cases ~96 +/-0.5
When before I ordered I askes from seller what bin would I get. But after these measurements seems like Hank has warmer bin or at least had 2 months ago.

Simons leds gave about 250 more lux @1A.
I also quickly tried FA3 from MTN Electronics and they were little over 3900K under same optics and little greener.

2

I mean, yes.

It’s still a great LED.

I still want a high CRI SFT-40 and especially SFT-20 though.

3

I actually don’t use SST20’s that much. I have one Convoy triple with them. Little too warm to my taste. I prefer ~4500K.

4

It’s still a great led for the 3030/3535 footprint. High output and great tint and cri in the FA4 bin. Only the E21A R9080 4500k looks nicer than that led.

5

I haven’t ever found FA4 bin that doesn’t come with flashlight.

6

I have a Emisar DT8 with the SST-20 4000k 95CRI. That is my favorite light even though I wish it was just a tad more neutral. It has great color rendering and puts out a tremendous amount of light. I have a Convoy S2+ with triple Nichia SW45K. The SW45K’s have to be my favorite emitter for color and tint. To my eyes, it is the perfect neutral color temp. But the amount of light from the DT8 keeps me going back to it. One day, I may get one made with the Nichia’s.

7

If I had it I would not get rid of it but I probably would not buy one today.

8

I keep using them in mods here and there, have bought several lights over the last year with them (mostly 4000K and 5000K). I think they’re a great emitter for upgrading old lights, too. As long as you seek out the good bins these emitters have a lot going for them. I feel the same about the LH351D but popular opinion of late seems to be downgrading those…have a feeling that most have only experienced less-desirable bins, though. I think the SST20 really comes to life behind an optic, and that wasn’t what I would have expected really. With reflectors, not every one is a good match for it.

9

I still use LH351D’s they are great when sliced to 1.1-1.0mm.

10

I still use and love LH351Ds as well. I use them as-is, sliced, or with Zircon filters, depending on the light and optic.

None of my 351D lights are as green as the one GT-FC40 light that I have, but people seem to love that emitter. People just go with the trends.

11

I have bought GT-FC40’s from Simon in 3 separate times. The ones that came first were good, second batch about 6 months later was green and lastly I bought M21F with one and it had neutral or slightly positive DUV with new green AR coating if Opple is to believe. Lots of variation.

12

I imagine I got a bunch of lights with SST20s, but fiicr which ones they are.

No nekkid ones for modding, though.

13

Yes, of course.
At present, there is no LED could achieve the same low price as the SST20 with high CRI>95

14

I agree with Terry, for the price it’s hard to beat. LH351D’s green doesn’t bug me as much as some, but when you put them side-by-side it’s glaring. SST20 is not perfect by any means but it’s a great budget emitter still in 2022.

15

Too green at anything other than high power. For photography, the wall’o’green from SST-20s is not useful.

16

In 4000k the right bin can be and is a thing of beauty. The output is fantastic and in a reflector they work very well. I have almost freed myself of all of the LH351D’s I have had and hated for a few years. Shaved the 351 is not bad, but I do not always want to go to that level of work. Now the 519a shows up and I may start swapping out SST20’s.

17

I have several.

18

The difference between really good bin SST-20s and the typical SST-20 is night and day.

Most 4000K 95 CRI SST-20s are disgustingly green. However, if you luck out and get the best bins there’s basically no green at all except at very low power. My best-bin SST-20s are substantially less green than any of my LH351Ds, including dog farts, sliced or not.

I still buy SST-20s, but finding a good bin is problematic. The FD2 bin from Kaidomain used to be really good. But then they must’ve used up their good reel and started a new one that’s far worse…. very green. Even though Kaidomain claims they’re still selling FD2.

I don’t have any 519as as I couldn’t find any source to buy them from. I’ve tried 219B, but I find the tint no better than the best SST-20s. I also dislike 219B as the output is far too low for how I like to use my lights. They just aren’t bright enough for me.

19

That’s the problem, finding good SST-20 bins. The vast majority are extremely green at lower currents, which is where I use my lights 90% of the time. I have some good ones from Kaidomain but they are the only SST-20s I’ve seen that are even acceptable to me, and sourcing good bins is really luck of the draw.

The other problem is the extreme tint shift from low to high currents. Even with the better bins, there is still significant tint shift, which makes them basically useless for photography purposes (a niche use case, but still worth mentioning).

20

Sofirn IF25A, FWAA, and 4 Wurkkos WKO1/O2’s. No regrets with any, and my favorite indoors low light emitter. Not a modder, so I don’t buy bare dies for swapping. Some are rosy, some yellowish, and all exhibit a bit of tint shift over their power spectrums, but it’s extremely subtle and IMO quite efficient in color rendering. There’s always something that comes along seemingly to steal its thunder (ie; Nichia 519A), but again I appreciate the SST-20 for its general versatility in the stock lights I have.

Thanks for the profile comparisons. Very interesting.