Here is a video I put together comparing the three (currently available) throwers from Noctigon. - The KR1, the DM11, and the K1.
Note this comparison doesn’t cover the DM1.12, as the throw channel in that light is identical to the DM11.
This video is a more general comparison of the three different lights, with a discussion of the available LED options.
A couple things I wanted to note:
The Wurkkos TS30S is seen briefly in this video to show off the Luminus SBT90.2 - While I didn’t discuss this light in the video, it is one that I highly recommend as it offers the SBT90 while coming in at $70-90, depending on sale price. It’s an Anduril thrower with a FET+7135 driver that fits right in between the DM11 and K1 in terms of size, and I would recommend it over the K1 with that LED, as it has a much nicer form factor in my opinion.
Rather than the SBT90.2 in the DM11, I recommend the Emisar D4SV2 with 4x Osram CSLPM1 (W2) LEDs, as it will provide a very bright (5k+ lumens) and throwy (100kcd) beam with great neutral tint and 5700K color temp. It’s less expensive than any of the Noctigons with an SBT90.2. It will probably also be available in a boost driver variant.
This video doesn’t really go into the advantages of the boost driver. While it does offer better efficiency, in the case of these single-emitter lights the driver is tied to the choice of LED, so it’s not going to be a primary deciding factor for these lights. However if Hank ever offers a buck driver, things will change…
Beyond just this video, I wanted to put together a more thorough list of these lights’ actual specs, as measured by other reviewers. In the second post of this thread, I’m going to list the three lights and their specs which every LED option that I can find measurements for, with links to the respective reviews.
If you have any light/emitter combo not on the list and can take measurements, please contribute in the thread below! This will hopefully be helpful for anyone looking to compare the various lights with detailed info.
It would be helpful to note which ones are FET driven only versus those with Buck-Boost drivers and better efficiency.
Then there is the issue of intensity and light coverage. Kcd is a synthetic throw distance only isn't it? Is Cd/L an average intensity? Lumens are the raw light output but, usefulness depends on the head size and reflector performance.
Personally, I'm most interested in the flood area coverage and the intensity in the flood along with hot spot size and intensity. I hope that makes sense as I'm not looking for a throw monster or a Mule for flood specifically but, a more balanced light.
As I was looking at how the lights should stack up previously, although I was initially drawn to the B35AM, I started to suspect the XHP35 HI is the option I’d probably like the most. Your video further reinforces that.
If I pull the trigger, I think my eventual goal would be to swap in a 4500K, 90CRI variant. Since the original generation is out of production, hopefully the XHP35.2 HI doesn’t have any weird artifacts - I noticed it appears to have a visible gap between the dies.
You’re right, it would be helpful to add driver info to the list, I’ll start putting that together as well. One thing that was not discussed in the video is the fact that the linear drivers will be configured differently depending on the chosen LED; for example, the DM11 with XP-L HI, SST20, and W1 have a 5A driver, while the Osram W2 and SFT40 versions have a 7.5A driver.
Regarding your question of intensity vs light coverage, that is mostly addressed by the candela per lumen measurement - the more candela per lumen, the tighter the beam. However, that only really tells how how tight the hotspot of the beam is.
Another useful measurement that can help with this is beam angle, which describes the width in degrees of both the hotspot and the spill. This is definitely a useful measurement to have, but unfortunately it’s not very common in specsheets or reviews. I know Stephen Knight’s reviews have beam angles, I might start taking these measurements in my own reviews too since they’re pretty simple.
I don’t know this for sure, but I believe cd/l should have a direct relationship to beam angle, at least for the hotspot. I don’t know how that would be worked out though.
It’s been a year but I suppose I should actually link to the shirts from Jackson’s store: Noctigon, Emisar, JLHawaii808
Note that the Emisar D1K is the same as the KR1 performance-wise, just has a different form factor:
I have not tested the D1K, which will have the exact same reflector setup - the slightly higher max output provided by the 21700 cell may provide some extra throw with some LEDs such as the SBT90.2.
There are some new LED options that have been introduced since, which I will try to add into post #2 as I find testing info
