Nichia B35AM vs GT FC40

Hello! I need some help deciding which LED to get in a Convoy M21B. I am trying to decide between the B35AM and the GT FC40. I know both LEDs are high CRI and both are more on the floody side, but could someone give me a quick run down of the pros and cons of them compared to each other? As far as brightness, efficiency, throw, tint, etc.

Also, I know that tint and color temp are just a matter of preference, but I would like to hear some peoples’ experiences with the different color temperatures, especially with these LEDs. I am thinking of getting the the B35AM in 2700K and the FC40 in 3000k, but most of my flashlights are around 5000k and the lowest I currently have is some SST-20s in 4000k, so I am not sure how I would like it. But, you never know until you try, right?

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  1. B35AM is one of the throwiest ultra-high-CRI LEDs. It has generally slightly higher CRI than FC40. FC40 is much more floody.
  2. The B35AM has better tint, especially at low CCTs (around 3000K). The FC40 is notoriously yellow/green at 3000K.
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The gt-fc40 is a real crapshoot in terms of tint, whereas the b35am is much more reliable. I much prefer the b35am for this reason, the 4000k fc40 I bought is horribly green

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For B35AM I would get the 18650 M1 model, imho 21700 is overkill for such a low current led.

Thanks guys! Sounds like B35 is the way to go. Also, I would probably prefer the 18650 version, but I want the to try the MAO coating. I couldn’t find the M1 with that.

I love over kill!! But really, unless one just cannot tolerate the minimally larger size of the light, the 21700 is just the better choice. For low draw the just the 5 Ah vs 3.5Ah capacity is well worth it. For me, I just don’t find the size difference to be significant.

BTW, I would pick the B35AM as well.

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I have a B35AM 4500K and a GT FC40 4000K.
I definitely like the tint of the B35AM better for sure.

The B35AM is in a M21A with a Green AR Coated Lens and the GT FC40 is in a S11 with a Magenta AR Coated Lens, so it’s not really an apples to apples comparison.

The first B35AM I had, had the most beautiful tint, I sold it to a buddy and built a 2nd one.
The first one definitely had better tint than the second one.
After replacing a Magenta AR Coated Lens with a Green AR Coated Lens, the tint was Much better.
So my suggestion is to ask for a Green AR Coated Lens in the Order Notes just to be safe!

I currently have a SFN55.2 in my M21B and I’m seriously considering swapping the Emitter and driver with my S11 just to try out the GT FC40 in a different host with a Green AR Coated Lens.

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Well… I was gonna say fc40 hands down but I guess I just won the tint lottery with mine

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