Dale, I agree about the MT-G2 being a better way to go than the SST-90. I just haven't been able to get the TN31 driver to drive an MT-G2.
So since the only other big emitters I have that run closer to the xml Vf range are SST-90, SST-90 it will be in my TN31. At least until a better big 3ish Vf emitter comes out.
But, on the other hand, an SST-90 at 9 amps will throw a lot better than an MT-G2 will ever do. MT-G2 is fine for floody beams, but SST-90 would be better for throw. Total lumens, MT-G2, tighter spot, SST-90.
I just received my K50 and inspected it outdoors in the sunlight with a magnifying glass. The anodizing is a very close match everywhere on the light except for the metal ring just below the the control ring selector. I probably wouldn’t have noticed it unless I was inspecting it this closely.
I added some fresh cells and it works just as expected. More importantly, its everything that I had anticipated and Im looking forward to giving it a good workout this evening. The battery indicator at the tail is a nice touch.
Im sill blown away with everything included in the price. Again, thanks OL for putting this one together!
I tried the big emitters in a light, from MT-G2 to SST-90 and SBT-70 and SST-50. The Luminus emitters are not efficient. They produce a ton of heat in the higher amps and less lumens than we expect. The large die does not give them the throw you might expect either, not really a lot of difference between them and the big Cree offering. And both have a lot of artifacts in the hot spot. The Cree MT-G2 artifacts are kind of expected with all the tiny dies in there, but the artifacts in the SST-90 are odd, with just wires crossing the phosphor.
I do have a SBT-70 in an TangsFire ST2010 with the glass cover removed and it makes a nice defined hot spot, albeit on the larger side. Lumens are low for the amperage consumed.
Getting 3000+ lumens from the MT-G2 at 6A is a big plus, the same amperage to the Luminus big boys yields something under 1600 lumens. Disappointing. They make a nice tinted beam color, and they’re decent lights, but the additional heat is really a downer. I had a de-domed XM-L2 U2 in my TK61 making over 500Kcd at some 7.13A, the light wasn’t getting hot. I tried an SST-50 in it at 5.6A and it makes a lot of heat, without the throw or lumens. Pretty nice beam profile though. Thinking of dropping the bucks on another SBT-70 for the TK61, as I do like the unique appearance and the defined hot spot when the glass cover is removed.
Currently having 9 working MT-G2 lights, and 4 Luminus powered from the one SST-50, one SBT-70 and 2 SST-90, they do serve different purposes and have much different characteristics. The SST-90 holds the record for me for amperage pulled from a single cell, at 16A. Crazy stuff, that!
Mine's at a USPS center ~10 miles away. Where to next is anyone's guess. 
A true flashaholic would stalk the neighbourhood to locate and ambush the van(s).
Probably ~50-60 vans, headed who-knows-where. I had a package go from this facility to Tennessee, ~800 miles away. :Sp
I never thought of removing the glass on my sbt-70. Is it easy to do?
Hi George, the case is aluminum. Yeah I know… the anodizing is quite nice. :bigsmile:
I'm pretty sure this one would beat that number, though I haven't tested it yet.
I received my K50 V2 today and confirm that the anno color on the tube is mis matched from the anno on the body.
I emailed Bella, hope they send the new tube quick/…!!!???
I’ll grab some marshmallows!
PinkPanda, the metal window frame that the window is taped or glued to lifted off clean, window and all. Looks awesome and has a better defined hot spot, brighter seems to me like. I like it a lot in my TS2010.
Got a naked SST-50 doing 8.23A in my KT61 as of this evening. Working on getting it perfectly centered (or keeping it that way) before I can get numbers on it.
For anyone modding, consider Sugru. It’s an uncured Silicone that you can shape and place, takes a day to set up but then you’ve got a new centering base for your reflector that puts silicone between the contacts and your aluminum. Or you could put a nice grippy layer around the battery tube or any number of other uses. Comes in colors and you can mix your own color if you’re clever that way.
Can anyone do a test for me on their stock light?
Put in 4 (matched) Panasonic batteries at around 3,2-3,3V. Run the light on max output for a minute. Then check if the bottom of the battery carrier is hot.
Just curious how it is when its stock. I may have damaged mine due to modding. There is a lot of electronics in the back of the battery carrier.
This is kind of off topic, but given the conversation, how does a dedomed mtg2 compare vs an sst90?
I had an sst50 light a long while back, and it really didn't impress me much.
Difficult to de-dome an MT-G2 without pulling phosphor off the tiny dies.
Punch an 8mm hole in an old credit card to use as a cutting guide, that's just the right thickness to leave the minimum dome behind without getting into the phosphor layer.
^Really like that idea CC. I will try it next time I'm dedoming one.
Dedomed MT-G2 vs SST-90:
The character of the MT-G2 changes drastically with dedome. I like CC's idea. I usually just pick off the silicone while heating with a hot air gun. It stop when I think I will start pulling off phosphor. Always looks ugly when I do it, but it makes up for it in performance.
T90 with SST-90 at 9.5 amps got 71kcd for Bucket here.
Dedomed MT-G2 at 11.3 amps in same light got 198kcd for me here.
- Warms up tint and improved CRI nicely.
I think when we mod the amps way up, the driver will try to pull an incredibly high amt of amps from the cells when they are near depleted. Is this what you are suspecting as the cause?
If an "incredibly high amount of amps" is around 3A, then yes. Ill take the modding stuff in the modding thread.
Just want to see if anyone can test the stock light.
Can someone check on the stock light if the bottom of battery carrier becomes hot of you use some (panasonic) cells at around 3,3V on max brightness for a minute or two?