LHP531 vs. SFT70 - a quick comparison [sorry, no pics this time]

Intro

I received my new Convoy flashlight today! :grin:
It was actually delivered yesterday, but my family didn’t get the mail 'til today.

This is the new one:

This is the old one, and I’ll be comparing the two…

Firstly, I like the black color more than the silver.
The silver one looks like it’s made of plastic, but then again my sister likes the silver.
I wish the M21E came in blue, green, or tan, but I don’t think that’s a very high priority for Simon.

Emitters Compared

I’ll refer to the two flashlights by their emitters because from now on (in this post), I’ll just be comparing the two emitters.
There’s the 4000K LHP531 and the 5000K SFT70.
They’re both low CRI (~70 CRI).
It’s not a perfect comparison because 5000K is a bit brighter than 4000K (with all other variables the same.)
That said, my favorite color temperature used to be 2700K or 3000K, but now it’s 4000K.
I now think that 2700K or 3000K is a bit too warm for me. :man_shrugging:

The 4000K LHP531 is significantly brighter and floodier than the 5000K SFT70.
The 5000K SFT70 is a bit throwier than the 4000K LHP531.
Part of the reason that the difference in throw isn’t very much is that the 4000K LHP531 is much brighter, thus extending the throw with higher output.

Conclusion

If you’re happy with low (~70) CRI, then in my opinion, the LHP531 is better overall for an all-rounder LED than the SFT70 (based on my quick analysis of flood, throw, and output.)
If you prefer high CRI, then choose another emitter (perhaps the SFT70) for an all-rounder because the LHP531 doesn’t come in high CRI.
(The 3000K SFT70 is high CRI.)

Not only that, but the LHP531 comes in more tints and is cheaper than the SFT70.
Having said all of that, it’s no surprise that my favorite emitter is now the LHP531.
I like to have some throw, some flood, and plenty of output.
I also choose low (~70) CRI over high CRI because low CRI is brighter, produces less heat, throws further, and has longer runtime (at the same lumen levels.) :+1:

6 Thanks

With the LHP531 I learned quickly, that CRI isn’t everything, but DUV is also a very important thing to look at.
I love high CRI LEDs, but I also love the low-DUV LHP531 6500 and 5000K

LHP531 vs. SFT70 as an allrounder - the LHP531 is a 3V LED and therefore way easier to drive than the 6V SFT70.

2 Thanks

Good to know! :slightly_smiling_face:
Is that partly why the LHP531 is more efficacious than the SFT70? :thinking:

I have Convoy M2 XHP50.3 HI 6500K 8A driver, and M1 LHP531 6500K 10Adriver ;
Comparing the two in 10% mode, the LHP looks slightly warmer, reminds me to the XP-L HI in my Sofirn SP31v2 and Sofirn C8T (5700-ish ?)

I also put LHP73B 5000K, 20A driver in my M21B, the tint is far more superior than the SFT70 6500k which contains lots of ‘green’
Cheers :flashlight:

2 Thanks

No. That’s simply because it has more chips (each is driven less and therefore is more efficient) and more efficient chips. It also has much larger light emitting surface which usually means higher efficiency.

2 Thanks

Thanks for your reply.
I clearly am still learning about emitters and flashlights on a regular basis. :+1: