Becomes an essay when people contribute to the thread , and maybe some poetic license .
I mentioned this elsewhere, but it's useful information -- if you're not happy with a cool white XM-L, try using a Lee Filters #774: Soft Amber Key 1. You can simply cut a circle the right size from a Lee sample book, and place it behind the lens. This filter has a slight frosting, so if colors or artefacts continue to stick out, it will diffuse them a bit. It rendered my Manafont Ultrafire XM-L pretty much neutral -- there's a slight bit of green in the corona, and magenta in the spill, but it's more than acceptable.
(I've experimented with everything. This filter gets me closest to the neutral XM-L in my Balder SE-1.)
I think you can still get a sample book free if you contact Lee Filters; otherwise you can order the "Designers Edition" here for $3.50:
http://goknight.com/lee-filters-swatch-book-designers-edition/
fair enough, and i agree with all of your points. i still like throwers, and less bright emitters for smaller AA lights, but i primarily like LUMENS, and in medium/small, easy to carry lights, nothing beats a well driven xm-l. just my two cents of course.
I like the XM-L better, regardless of application. Even though it may require a larger reflector for example, I still prefer it to throwers with other emitters. Having said that, whenerver I doubt XR-E performance, I break out my little used MPP 1 to remind me just how bright the surface of an emitter can get.
Damn, that thing can throw.
Foy
that's one of the reasons i like smaller die emitters. color is usually way more consistent across the entire beam. i can always slap a diffuser on it if i need flood.
i'd probably feel differently if i needed big lumens, but i rarely really need more than 200 for the stuff that i do.