This list is meant to be a quick general guide to LEDs that are currently of interest in the world of flashlights.
Information comes from a mix of specsheets, tests here on BLF, and experience using these emitters.
*Output numbers given here are usually the maximum possible, not necessarily the output you’ll get in real-world flashlights.
USEFUL TERMS:
- Emitter: The component that produces light (Light-Emitting Diode in this case)
- Die: The actual light-emitting portion of an LED
- Phosphor: The yellowish layer seen on white emitters, this is layered on top of a blue LED and produces yellow/orange light, mixing and allowing for a true white LED.
- LES: Light-Emitting Surface, area (in mm^(2)) that actually shines to produce light. Smaller LES = more intensity per lumen.
- Thermal Pad: Small metal pads underneath the LED that dissipate heat, and act as electrical leads
- Dome: A silicone domelike lens on top of the die that increases output and produces a floodier beam
- Vf: Forward voltage, the voltage at which an LED is designed to operate (usually 3v, 6v or 12v)
- Package: The total size of the LED chip (in millimeters x millimeters)
- Footprint: For soldering purposes, the size/shape of the electrical pads underneath the LED, expressed as mm*mm (for example, a 5050 emitter is 5.0mm by 5.0mm) - this list is organized by LED footprint
- MCPCB: Copper or aluminum circuit board that allows the LED to be wired to the driver, and provides heatsinking
- DTP: Direct Thermal Path, an LED + PCB construction that allows for heat to be directly drawn from LED into host. Important for high-power flashlights
- Luminous Efficacy: The amount of light (Lumens) produced at a certain power level (Watts)
- CRI: Color-Rendering Index, or (basically) how well colors are rendered by a light source.
- Ra: Average of the rendered colors R1-R8 (specific industry-standard shades) - Interchangeable with CRI (ex: 80 CRI = Ra80). Each individual value is measured on a scale of 0-100, as is the total average.
- R9xxx: A specific shade of red used to calculate total Extended CRI (Re instead of Ra). LEDs have a difficult time rendering reds, so this specific value in very important when discussing total color-rendering capability. R9050 is good, R9080 is great.
- Temperature (CCT): Color-Correlated Temperature - how “warm” or “cool” the LED is, refers to the ratio of red to blue light in a white light source, measured in Kelvin (K)
- Tint (Delta-UV, Δuv or duv): the ratio of green to magenta in a white light source (negative is more magenta, positive is more green)
- Monochromatic: Light emitted within a single wavelength (color) of the electromagnetic spectrum, rather than having multiple wavelengths
- Broadband/Narrowband: In this case, when referring to colored LEDs that aren’t monochromatic - basically they produce a slightly wider range of colors
- LEP: Laser-excited Phosphor - white light produced by phosphor excited by a blue or UV laser, rather than a traditional LED. Very intense beam produced as a result.
MANUFACTURERS
Cree: American brand, manufacturing done in China. Long-time most popular brand for flashlights, and the benchmark against which others are usually compared. Usually aims for decent color and high output. Their emitters do tend to have green tints, some more than others. Popular emitters from Cree include the XP-L HD and XP-L HI, XP-L2, XM-L2, XHP35(HD/HI), XHP50(.2), and XHP70(.2).
Nichia: Japanese brand. Most popular for lower powered high-CRI emitters, such as the 219b series, loved for their beautiful tint and compatibility with XP footprints. Their 219Cs were popular for a little while before the rise of Samsung’s LH351 series, and later the 519A that offers excellent blend of output and color. Other Nichia emitters that enthusiasts use include the E21A, 144A, and Optisolis series.
Samsung: South Korean conglomerate that makes everything tech related, including LEDs. Pretty much the only Samsung emitters we use are in their LH351 series, particularly the LH351D. Depending on the bin the tint can be a bit green, but they’re high CRI and just as high output as a Cree XP-L, and also compatible with an XP footprint.
Luminus: Chinese owned (originally based in California), manufactures LEDs in China. In recent years they have produced many emitters popular for flashlights, with both high-CRI and high-power options. Many of their emitters are known to be very green in tint. The SST-20 is an XP footprint emitter that throws even further than the XP-L HI and is available in high CRI. The SFT40 is a small but powerful LED that produces a throwy beam, while the expensive SBT90.2 is large, extremely bright and throwy. Very common is the SST-40, which is pretty much a brighter XM-L2.
Osram: Osram is an old German lighting manufacturer. Only a few of their emitters are popular in the flashlight world; their Oslon series has a few emitters with long complicated names and very small dies. These LEDs are capable of high outputs, and their small emitting area makes them ideal in compact throwers. The Osconiq LEDs are used in a few lights as well.
Getian: Chinese manufacturer, relatively new in the world of flashlights. Their GT-FC40 LED has become very popular for being a high-CRI alternative to the XHP70. More LEDs may make their way into flashlights.
San’an Optoelectronics: Another Chinese manufacturer, new to the flashlight world with their extremely high-power SFS, SFN, and SFQ LEDs. The SFN55 in particular is capable of 10,000+ lumens. These are starting to become popular in lights that go for maximum possible output, though they are known to have poor greenish tint and low-CRI.
Philips Lumileds: The massive Dutch company Philips created Lumileds, known for their LUXEON line. No longer popular in enthusiast lights, but occasionally still found in lights from brands like Olight, Fenix, and Streamlight to name a few. They do produce high-power, high-CRI LEDs, but these aren’t seen in flashlights.
LatticePower: Pioneer and leader in Gallium-Nitride (GaN) on Silicon LED technology, based in China. Pretty rare in the world of flashlights but more emitters are appearing in popular models.
Guangdong Lumen Pioneer Opto Co, Ltd: Chinese company that appears to be the manufacturer for the emitters sold under the YinDing, LeiTang, Rayten, and FireFlyLite brands. Though all the aforementioned emitters come from the same place, it’s not confirmed that Lumenpioneer (LMP) is in fact producing these.
NiteLab: Chinese company under SYSMAX, sister to Nitecore. They have begun to offer several interesting multi-emitters that are available in many Nitecore lights.
Quick Quick Guide to the Most Popular LEDs: There’s a lot of stuff down below, so here’s what you should know about for 2024:
- Nichia 519a: The most popular LED, because it’s the best all-rounder. Small, 3V, bright, high-CRI, great coloration, and easy to dedome. Available in a wide range of temps. These have made most other options pretty much irrelevant.
- CREE XHP70: These remain the go-to for high-output lights due to their ability to take extreme high currents and their decent coloration. Available in HD (domed) or HI (flat) versions. (Current generation is 70.3, 2nd gen is still common)
- Luminus SFT40 3000K: A warm, high-CRI version of this very popular high-performance throwy emitter.
- FFL emitters: The new hottest LEDs, offered by FireFlyLight. Unique round dies, high output, high CRI, and super rosy tints. May be very popular amongst enthusiasts going forward. 351A competes with 519a, 505A competes with SFT40.
- Nichia 719a: This emitter was supposed to be cool, but proved underwhelming.
- Getian GTFC40: Still nice but now overshadowed by the XHP70.3HI, which is available in warmer variants and offers superior performance.
CREE:
3535 emitters:
-
XP-L HD: Domed, pretty typical when it comes to output, about 1200 lumens max. Very common. Largely superseded by LH351D
-
XP-L2: Domed, more phosphor area than the XP-L. A bit higher output, but worse tint. Not popular, but probably should be for it’s great efficiency in 70CRI version
-
XP-L HI: An XP-L without a dome. More throw, less tint shift. Still bright at 1200 lumens, great natural tint with CRI 80+ versions available in warm temps. Very popular, recently updated with flipchip version that has slightly better performance but worse tint
-
XP-G2: Smaller dome than XP-L, and smaller die. Less output too. Good for tiny multi-emitter lights.
-
XP-G3: Largerized XP-G, more phosphor, more lumens, worse tint. These are gross, nobody likes them.
-
XP-G4: Available in HD or HI versions, higher output and continues to have terrible coloration.
- XP-G4 Pro9: A variant using CREE’s “Pro9 Tech” which basically adds a ton of red phosphor to game the CRI system. Not popular per se, but worth a mention as these are not as good as specs would lead one to believe
-
XP-E2: Update to now-obsolete XR-E, the XP-E is notable for its many different unique colored variants. White version is unremarkable and uncompetitive; we only care about the colors
-
XP-P: Small, very intense emitters with good coloration and medium to high-CRI. A strong competitor to Osram’s Oslon emitters, but still not as popular
-
XHP35 (12v): Capable of high outputs. Available in a domed high-output (HD) or domeless high-intensity (HI) version. HI version is popular for its great tint and decently high CRI (often 80+), makes for an excellent warm thrower LED in 4000K. Recently discontinued but still very in-demand
-
XHP35.2 HI (3v, 6v, 12v): Update that offers higher output/efficiency and rosier tint at the expense of some CRI. I haven’t seen these around much as the colors aren’t as good as the previous version, especially on the 3v variant
5050 emitters:
- XM-L2 (3V): Similar to the XP-L, but in a slightly bigger form factor. Once extremely common for great balance of performance, decent color and cost. Recently updated by Cree, newer versions are extremely efficient and even brighter than before. Now mostly superseded by Luminus SST40 - however these may make a comeback with the new updates
- XHP50.2 (6v or 12v): A quad-die emitter. 6V or 12V depending on how you wire it. Fairly small but efficient and very bright and floody, up to 4,500 lumens. More phosphor, more light, worse tint than the previous generation. Lookout for the upcoming XHP50.3 HD that should be available in lights soon
- XHP50.3 HI (3v, 6v or 12v): A more efficient and domeless version of the XHP50 design, maintains very high output but with double the intensity. Supposedly available in warm white and 90+ CRI versions, should have better color than the domed version of the LED.
7070 (3v, 6v or 12v):
- XHP70.X: Large, super floody domed quad-die LED which is very efficient and capable of extremely high outputs (easily 4,000+ and up to 9,000 when pushed hard enough). Available in nice warm color temps, and 90+ CRI versions are available in exchange for less performance. Tint is fairly neutral, though these are notorious for dramatic color shifts in the beam, with warm greenish hotspots and cool rosy spill. Most common is the XHP70.2, offering better performance is the newer XHP70.3 HD
- XHP70.3 HI: Double the intensity of the domed version, likely with better tint. Very high output and warm white, 90+ CRI versions exist.
NICHIA
Tiny emitters (3v):
- E21A: This is a 2121 emitter with no dome, just straight phosphor. Better beam than a 219C, but not super bright. Extremely high-CRI, R9080, and neutral tint that mimics sunlight. E21A quads are now largely superseded by B35A lights
- E17A: Like the E21A, but 1717. Both of these emitters are available in a wide range of colors, from 1850K - 6500K, and E17a has some fun colors like Azure (432-590nm band).
3535 (3v):
- 219B: The connoisseur’s favorite. Not built for output, but they make beautiful beams and are available in high CRI, R9080. Known to have a very ‘rosy’ tint (negative duv), especially the SW45k bin. Small dome gives a balanced beam. Mostly superseded by 519a, though they are still considered the king of tint
- 219C: The successor to the 219B. Brighter, but the tint isn’t as good. Also available in high CRI. Largely superseded by Luminus SST20 and Samsung LH351D, which are brighter and high-CRI
- 219F: Basically another successor to 219C, not meaningfully different other than option for bins with R9080. Does not like being overdriven. Biggest point of interest is the super-warm 1800K version that is meant to replace sodium-vapor produced light.
- 519A: Very bright, R9080, pleasant neutral or rosy tint, and available in a wide range of color temps. Large dome and very floody, comparable to LH351D. Common footprint makes them easy to swap into other lights, and they are easily dedomed for more intensity and warmer + rosier tint. Everybody’s favorite LED, seen everywhere and for good reason. 519a-V1 is the newer and superior version.
3535 (6v):
- 719A: Flat emitter with two dies stacked on top of each other. Similar color to domeless 519a, higher output, slightly floodier due to larger die. Brighter but lower-CRI (R9050) than B35AM. Performance on these is underwhelming, they weren’t the XHP35HI killer many hoped for
3.65x3.65 (6v):
- B35AM: Four E21A dies, one of the brightest (~1300 lumens depending on CCT) and throwiest ultra-high CRI (R9080) emitters available. Very natural, sunlight-like tint. Footprint is a bit unconventional, being 3.65mm x 3.65mm, so it requires a unique MCPCB (no DTP available, limiting max output)
5050 (6v):
- 144A: Nichia’s answer to Cree’s XHP50. Different footprint though. Also no thermal pad, so they never really caught on. High-CRI but has strong tint-shift when used without diffusion. Armytek provides the Wizard C2 Pro with this emitter.
SAMSUNG
3535 (3v)
- LH351D: Common XP footprint. Big die, large dome, very floody, high CRI, bright - excellent all-round LED. These beat out the XP-L2 when it comes to output. They tend to be about as green as 219C, if not a bit more (hence the nickname “dogfarts”). This varies from bin to bin but tends to be inconsistent. One of the few LEDs available in high-CRI cool white variants. Good but superseded by Nichia 519a which performs similarly, still a nice inexpensive option
LUMINUS
3535 (3v):
- SST20: Domed, small die. Cousin to Cree’s XP-G2, much throwier (more so than XP-L HI) and available in high CRI and many color temperatures. Low-CRI version is very bright and throws far, while the dimmer 95+ CRI version (4000K and below) is R9080. Known for weird yellowish-greenish tint, tends to be green at low currents, but bins are available with neutral or even negative duv. Very popular for its combination of performance, throw, color, and low price.
- SST20 660nm: This “deep red” variant of the SST20 produces a very interesting long-wavelength red beam that will appear very novel to most. May or may not be useful. The most popular red emitter for its price, performance, and wavelength. *Has 3030 soldering pads for some reason.
5050 (3v):
- SST40: Cousin to the XM-L2. Perfectly capable of being overdriven, up to about 9A. Easily capable of 2000+ lumens.
- SFT40: Essentially a domeless SST40, capable of 2000+ lumens while being very throwy. Great balanced thrower and performer. Available in a greenish 6500K, decent 5000K, or a high-CRI 3000K, with more temps on the way.
5050 (6v or 12v):
- SST70: Powerful domed LED, larger than SST40. Competes with XHP50.2, slightly throwier. Capable of ~4,500 lumens when driven hard. Very green at lower power.
- SFT70: Domeless, very throwy version of SST70. Now available in a high-CRI 3000K variant. Very comparable to XHP35HI and may be a popular replacement, expensive though.
11x10mm (3v):
- SBT90.2: Large and extremely power-hungry LED that can produce 5000+ lumens and is very throwy. Efficient but greenish at lower powers, this is an excellent high-performance LED - but comes at a steep cost.
OSRAM
3030 emitters (3v):
- KW CSLNM1.TG (White Flat): AKA W1 - 1mm^(2) emitting area. One of the best choices if you want compact throw.
- KW CSLPM1.TG: AKA W2 - 2mm^(2) emitting area. Less throwy but brighter than the 1mm version, it can be pushed very hard for extremely high output when used in multi-emitter lights. Only available in 5700K, low-CRI version with nice neutral tint.
3737 (3v):
- GW PUSTA1.PM: “Duris” series of LEDs, known as the P9 (Osram loves to make things hard apparently) - Smallish domed emitter with decently high output. Available in a range of CCTs, only really seen in cool white. Poor coloration, strong tint-shift. Brighter successor to the P8 (GW PUSRA1.PM), competes with XP-L HD with slightly better efficiency.
4040 emitters (3v):
- KW CULNM1.TG (Boost HL): Also 1mm^(2) emitting area, same as the 3030 version. Slightly brighter though, due to larger thermal pad that can sink more heat. Sometimes called W2.1, this emitter has recently been discontinued
- KW CULPM1.TG (Boost HX): Same 2mm^(2) die as the 3030 version. Also slightly higher max output due to larger thermal pad. Sometimes called W2.2
The Oslon emitters are also available in colored Red, Yellow/Amber, Green, and Blue versions.
View this page for more clarification on Oslon naming schemes, as flashlight manufacturers and hobbyists use a variety of names.
GETIAN
- GT-FC40: 7070, 12V. A large domeless LED with 16 dies, the FC40 is very high-CRI (95+, R9080) that produces 4000+ lumens when driven hard, and is relatively throwy compared to domed XHP70. Available in a range of color temps including a super-warm 1800K. Looks like a waffle. Was popular but now mostly outcompeted by XHP70.3 HI
SAN’AN
These emitters are fairly new to flashlights, and while pretty popular, I still do not know much about them. The naming schemes are confusing. These LEDs seem capable of incredibly high outputs when pushed very hard, especially notable at these low voltages, but these numbers may not be realistic in actual flashlights. Still, expect them to be popular for hardcore powerhouse and hotrod flashlights. More info in this comment.
3535 (3v):
- SFS-80: Comparable size to XP-L HI or CSLPM1, but much higher output; very bright (almost 2,000 lumens when pushed very hard), available in a 4000K 85 CRI version. *Marked as discontinued
- SFQ-43: Supposedly even brighter, appears to be the successor to the above LED. Very green tint.
5050 (3v):
- SFQ-55: Extremely bright, ~3k lumens for a 3v emitter, competes with XHP50.3 HI. High CCT and clean tint. Now on the 4th generation
- SFQ-60: Very bright, about 3,000 lumens. Competes with Cree XHP50, but lower Vf. Very high CCT, clean tint
- SFN-43: Extremely bright emitter, ~4,000 lumens, also competes with XHP50.2. Very high CCT.
7070 (3v)
- SFN-55.2: Smaller 9-die surface, about the size of the Cree XHP70.2. Small and flat surface means it’s pretty throwy and is extremely bright at ~8,000 lumens. Combination of size and output places it between the XHP70.2 and the SBT90.2. Available in a range of CCTs and CRI, large color variation depending on power level, generally quite greenish.
- SFN-60: Extremely bright, ~6k lumens. 6500K version has decent tint, and slightly green tint in 5500K version, but available in 3000K, high-CRI variant. Competitor to SBT90, brighter but less throw.
11x10mm (3v):
- SFH-55: Huge domeless LED with 16 dies, capable of well over 10,000 lumens when pushed hard enough. Cool white, clean tint. Large flat surface is somewhat floody. Easily swapped with SBT90.2, brighter but less throw
- SFH-43: Extremely bright, over 7K lumens, more throw than SFH-55. Nearly 7000K CCT and dead neutral tint.
- GT9090: Basically a cheap clone of the SBT90.2, slightly worse performance, very high CCT (~7000K), low-CRI, greenish tint. Definitely inferior to the SBT but it’s not crazy expensive!
11x11mm (3v):
- SFP-55: Massive 25-die surface, claiming 22,000 lumens from a single 3v LED! No detailed testing yet (most I’ve seen in a light is 15k lumens, still very impressive). Very cool white but decent tint.
16x16mm (3v, 6v, 12v)
- SFY-55: Monster emitter, 64 dies, max output around 20K-25K lumens. Also available in 3000K high-CRI. Awesome emitter but gigantic footprint makes it very niche
LUMILEDS
3535 (3v):
- LUXEON V2: It exists. Brighter than competing XP-G2/3, 70CRI and cool white.
- HL2X: Another domed emitter in this class with high-CRI options, moderately high output, and decent coloration. Most interesting is the 1800K 80CRI option
3737 (3v)
- LUXEON TX: High-efficiency small emitter, lower Vf than XP-G. Available in warm white, high-CRI variants, has decent tint but a strong blue spike. Used in many small Olights (i3E - i3T)
4040 (3v):
- LUXEON V: It also exists, I don’t think anyone cares about it though. 70 CRI, cool or neutral white, very bright ~2,400 lumens. Can take being overdriven without lasting damage. Somewhat better efficiency than SST40. Probably no reason to think about this one when the new XM-L2 exists
LATTICEPOWER
2323 (3v)
- CSP2323: The Chip-Scale Packaging emitter used in the Wurkkos TS10. Small, about the size of E21A, but brighter and very slightly worse color rendering.
3535 (3v)
- TN3535: Small domed emitter that competes directly with LH351D/519a. Available in high-CRI variants and is quite bright and floody, with a unique dome that is supposed to eliminate tint shift… which is still present. These likely won’t become popular amongst modders as 519a is still superior
7070 (6v):
- P70: Large flat LED that is throwy and very bright, comparable to domeless XHP70. About 6500K, up to 4k lumens when pushed hard. Used in Acebeam L35.
LUMENPIONEER (Maybe)
3535 (3v)
- FFL351A: Designed and offered by FireFlyLight, this domeless emitter is available in a range of temps with a CRI of 95. Brighter and throwier than the 519a, with very rosy tint.
- FFL350RD: Round-die emitter in a high-CRI 3500K, allows for more throw.
5050 (3v)
- FFL505A: Round-die emitter that competes with SFT40. High-CRI in a range of temps from 3500K to 6500K. Very rosy beam. This emitter is making big waves amongst hobbyists for its unique beam qualities and solid performance.
- YinDing “Round LED”: a flat LED with a circular (rather than square) die, very bright and impressive throw that competes with Osram throwers. Round die allows for nice beam pattern, with the brighter version having terrible low-CRI greenish color. Available in 3000K variants, and newer model with a glass covering. Nice beam due to round die, but poor efficiency and low max current compared to XHP35 HI and XP-L HI
- The many variants here are quite confusing due to their poor documentation:
- 3000K “egg” 90CRI
- 3000K “egg” 70CRI
- 3000K “gold” 70CRI
- Glass version - newer model that performs basically the same
- The many variants here are quite confusing due to their poor documentation:
- YinDing “5050 Glass”: Same LED chip, with a glass covering (but not the same as the above!) and offering CRI of 95 at a CCT of 6500K. *The varieties are getting very confusing given the poor documentation around their origin. koef3 on BLF states these chips are likely made by San’an.
- LeiTang 5050 Round: Another round die emitter, with a unique silica protector over the die. Greenish and ugly, good efficiency. Used in some Olight throwers.
- Rayten 5050 Round: Yet another similar flat emitter with round die. It exists and everybody talks about it but I’ve never seen it actually tested or used.
- LMP W5050SQ3: Another round-die emitter of the same type, 3000K 70CRI. Visibly more akin to FFL emitters than the YinDing offerings due to the white silicone layer, as opposed to the glass. Offered by Convoy, produces tighter beam than SFT40 and cleaner with the round die, but inferior performance-wise to the 3000K Luminus emitter.
NITELAB
- UHi: This emitter appears basically the same as the many round-die emitters above, with an emphasis on high output. Decent coloration and very low CRI (under 60!)
- UHi 20: 4040
- UHi 40: 5050
- 10, 50, and 100 - not sure what these are
- UHe: More traditional square-die that offers high output. Used in conjunction with the UHi emitters for the “MAX” LEDs offered in some lights.
- MAX: Interesting array that combines a central UHi with several smaller UHe dies to create a super bright emitter that can shift between flood and throw. Nitecore claims this is revolutionary but don’t expect it to be widely adopted…
MISCELLANEOUS LEDS
5mm
- Yuji 5mm LED - Classic 5mm through-hole LED design. High-CRI, available in a variety of color temps.
FUTURE LEDS
Emitters that have gotten a lot of talk, but either aren’t available or haven’t been used in lights yet.
3535
- Nichia 219c-V2 - Factory domeless 219c that offers high-CRI throw in a common package.
- Luminus SFT20 - Domeless SST20, very intense high-CRI thrower.
- Luminus SST12 - Essentially a round-die version of the SST20, high-CRI options in multiple CCTs available. Throwier and cleaner beam than SST20.
5050
- Rayten 5050 Quad (3v) - A custom emitter ordered for enthusiasts, hasn’t materialized yet. High-CRI R9070, ~4500K thrower with quad dies in a low-voltage design, should offer great throw as an alternative to the SFT40.
- CREE XM-L2 Flipchip (3v) - An updated version that offers superior performance, slightly different coloration as a result.
CREE XF-L Series: A line of 6v emitters from Cree designed specifically for flashlights/portable lighting; large domed multi-die surface that can produce extremely high outputs. 80CRI available for the smallest emitter. Looks like they will be cool white with mediocre coloration based on the datasheet. Cree provides a “Turbo mode luminous flux” rating.
- XFL05K: 7070, 70CRI and 80CRI options. 6,800 lumen turbo rating.
- XFL08K and XFL10K: 10mmx10mm, 70CRI, 12k and 15k lumen ratings
If I’ve missed anything or made any mistakes, please let me know below! I will also be working on a list of less common/popular emitters, and I have a spreadsheet with a list of actual specs and links to tests and specsheets.
This is an updated list originally created by u/Virisenox_ on Reddit, ported here because it’s a better place for long-term posts. This is the current Reddit version of the post: https://www.reddit.com/r/flashlight/comments/1cmik86/quick_guide_to_popular_leds_2024/?sort=confidence
For a more detailed look at many of these emitters, check out this excellent Reddit post by u/alumenum
Looking forward to reading the list of uncommon/unpopular emitters, and seeing the spreadsheet.
