>>>>Zoomies always show a projection of the die surface, when focused.
Yes, yes, but the emitter projection of the L2 looks much different than the T6. Instead of a latticework (don’t know how else to describe it) in the T6, the L2 has tiny dots in tiny squares. Six dots across by six dots down. I’ll see if I can post a picture later.
I only have my phone here which takes awful pictures, but here you can see the dots in the L2 emitter when used in a zoomer. Looks mucho different than the zoomed image of a T6 emitter.
Maybe luvlites would like to step in and tell everybody they are wrong again 
LOL
It's all good -- that black one I posted the review on from TMART was a "hot" HD2010 - best I've tested, and I've been through quite a few of them. My distance testing is 4.3 meters, so if anything, I'm under quoting... The amps were pretty high - 26650 cells can get crazy in a direct drive HD2010. The trick with HD2010's is to not tighten down the pill - back it off from being tight by a turn or 2. Emitter fits better into the reflector, more throw, more lumens.
>>>>>The trick with HD2010’s is to not tighten down the pill - back it off from being tight by a turn or 2
Absolutely. It focuses the spot better.
What brand of 26650s are you using in the 2010? I just can’t get good numbers with anything protected. I get the best output in the 2010 (according to the lux meter) with unprotected pink 2600 samsungs (my new favorite battery) or Panasonic 2900s or Sanyo 2800s. Does better even than higher power panasonics and samsungs.
I believe my 2010 came from tmart, but WAY back when tmart just started. I bought it before I even finished reading the first review here on BLF, so I beleive it had to one of the first ones …. Then soon after the complaints started about people getting duds and bad ones.
I’m not sure if you have rounded up your measurements but 15 feet is 4.572 meters. This would make a fair difference if comparing to another persons readings.
>>>>I’m not sure if you have rounded up your measurements but 15 feet is 4.572 meters.
15 feet is what I meaure my lux readings at in a lightless room (garage) from a taped mark on the floor to a wall.
It’s my meter conversion that is off. I always think of it as three feet, but I guess it isn’t.
Being in one of the few countries that doesn’t use the same measuring system as everyone else on the planet has its disadvantages in spatial visualization. ;–0 If someone put a gun to my head and asked me how many mm are in an inch, I would have to take the bullet because I have absolutely no idea. Sorry for the disinformation.
Don’t forget to add a piece of copper desoldering braid in the tail-cap spring. In the HD2010, I gained maybe 5. In the Home Depot Super Thrower, I gained like 10. Well worth the 5 minutes.
Thanks Ubehebe, nice to know. I’d like to do this on my DST. Don’t have a HD2010 yet but gonna get one of those too.
Does the HD2010 have the potential to throw as well as the DST…hopefully with more lumens as well?
The HD2010 has an amazin reflector, very similar though to the SS T08 and maybe other lights in that same size. The DST's reflector is even bigger so should have more potential, but a fully mod'ed HD2010 does like 95-100 kcd w/dome, 200 kcd or so de-domed, and think I get in the 1,300's, maybe 1,400, for lumens w/dome.
So, as long as you don’t dedome, it won’t turn into a pencil-beam? Really, 1200 lumens and 60000 cd would be fine with me, if it would throw a C8-style beam.
No pencil beams from a HD2010 with an XM-L2, even when de-domed -- can't happen... I like de-domed XM-L2's in a HD2010 or SS T08 if you don't mind losing the lumens, and don't mind the neutral tint.
I don’t think i’ve ever seen a pencil beam from an XML (2) before.
Even aspherics with relatively large heads.
I agree with that. I don’t know about with aspherics, but I’ve put dedomed XM-L (not XM-L2 yet) emitters in several of my lights, including a T08 (stock other than dedoming emitter) and a FandyFire STL-V6 (direct drive, dedomed XM-L), and about doubled the lux readings (to ~60Klux and ~120Klux), and the beams are not “pencil beams” in either of them.
Why don’t you see the beam of dedomed HD2010 for yourself?
Ultrafire HD2010 vs Thrunite TN31 posting #25 (this one is not complete dedome though, so not the highest lux you get out of it.)
One thing I noticed about dedomed lights is that the beam seems hollow as closer distance and focus better farther away.
This may be off some help. I have compared the above lights in this thread. Cheers.
There’s no way I can compete with that MONSTER super-bad HD ST build, but I got my HDST up to about 65k lux at 15 feet with a fasttech 5-amp driver and an L2, powered by one unprotected 2800 Sanyo or 2600 Samsung pink 18650, with a glass lens and copper braid added to the springs. It is ridiculously bright and by far the brightest single-emitter light I have. Nothing comes close.
An L2 with the existing driver in the HD2010 with coppered springs gives me a solid 41k at 15 feet, up from the stock 26k lux. The beam is a little less tight with the L2, but certainly wouldn’t make me go back to a T6. Just adding the L2 and putting copper braid in the springs made a HUGE difference. I could change out the driver, but quite frankly a light that bright has limited uses for me. The low in the HDST is too bright for walking. The HD2010 with the L2 is ALMOST too bright on low for general walking in the desert. It burns my eyes up because of the really hot spot. I will definitely keep the HDST. It’s great for “oooohs and ahhhs” and really cuts the dark like nothing else, but the HD2010 is more of a usable brightness at 41k. Really bright but not too bright, if that makes sense.
Hope this helps!
So what I’m hearing is…a stock HD2010 is barely stronger than a good C8?
Hhmm, dunno bout that - certainly not with a decent cell in a EAST-092 HD2010, but maybe an EAST-092 C8 could be better with a good cell than a HD2010 with a bad cell. A fully mod'ed HD2010 is twice the kcd of a fully mod'ed C8, and brighter in lumens, but not by a whole lot, maybe 100-150 lumens. However, you can run a KK ICR in a fully mod'ed HD2010 which is a much better option than a 18650, for both consistent low resistance and runtime. And of course, you can't even compare the heat sinking of an HD2010 to any C8, mod'ed or otherwise.