I still use flashlights easily a dozen times daily, enter giveaways, browse the odd thread, give some li ion battery advice to newbies, recharge maybe a half dozen cells a week, but seem to miss a lot of the new developments in chips, lights, mods, lumens.
I just don’t post as much as i used to, not to say i got sick of it but life constraints and having learned so much the first couple years on BLF i just slowed down.
So how does one easily keep up on new developments without reading all the new threads?
Any hobby in regards to electronics, computers and semiconductors is time-consuming - there is so much happening and innovation is around every corner. I just learned how to reflow LEDs into my lights and now they are already outdated! Have to do it all over again… 
One does not simply browse BLF .gif
I had no idea the XP-G3 existed till a few weeks ago.
I'll be replacing the XP-G2 in my custom thrower flashlight with one, hopefully that will push it over 1M lux since right now I'm right on the edge :)
XPG3 sliced or dedomed does not have as high a luminance as dedomed XPG2 so it doesn’t throw as far. People have tried it and reported in djozz’s XPG3 test thread.
I think the biggest advantage for the G3’s is in durability being similar to MTG and having no bond wires.
90 CRI Nichia 219Cs are also out, and a 4000K flavor is been sold by a BLF member.
bought CREE XP-G3 R3 4000K 90+ CRI LEDs on NOCTIGON 3XP from MtnE and there is quite a rainbow of color on the outer ring of a spot optic. Been mentioned before but beware. Not too bad looking under an elliptical but it will be on the hot plate for a swap soon. Nichia high CRI do not have that effect.
There’s still the old faithfull i still update from time to time with stuff i catch, but it’s true, we can’t keep up with everything going on.
Thanks, I just went and read that.
I ordered an XP-L HI and will order an XP-G3 when available from mtn electronics and test them myself.
I think the much lower voltage and higher lumen output will help, but djozz showed the XP G3 was only 66% as intense as the XP G2 which makes very little sense with almost exactly the same size die.
Maybe it was just a bad LED he got or something, IDK.
I'll do my own tests and find out, LEDs are like less than $5 so buying multiple different ones and comparing them isn't a problem for me :)
Multiple people tried it and got similar results.
I think the only explanation is that the XPG3 loses a lot of lumens when it is dedomed.
The only thing is when new LEDs are released it hard to pick them out from existing chips.
Perhaps new ones should be on top, or month/year of release for new chips included?