Oh, okay, the S21E likely was the same “state of tech” as available today. If you liked it, I’d order it in the same config again. SFT-40 is still a great LED.
My current favorite LED is the LHP531 in 4000 or 5000K, as it is extremely bright and efficient (by far the highest efficacy light in its size). It makes a rather wide floody beam.
IMO right now there is not too many worth trying.
- SFT-25R and the Osram with cryptic names (CULPM etc): Very throwy. They sacrifice brightness for long range focused beams.
- SFT-40: Higher brightness/efficacy than the ones above, still more of a focused LED but going into allrounder territory
- XHP50.3HI / SFT-70: Good allrounders. Not super focused or floody. Good efficacy
- LHP531: More floody, higher efficacy. Use this if you want as much light as possible and don’t need long lighting ranges.
- LHP73B / XHP70.3 HI: One step further towards efficacy and away from focused beams. These are super bright, but also very floody unless you have a larger lens to tame them. I think neither is available in S21 series, as they simply need larger flashlights to work well.
- 519A, B35AM: High CRI emitters. These (and the “R90” versions of XHP50.3/SFT-70) sacrifice brightness for good color reproduction. Makes it easier to differentiate different shades of color and materials.