Agreed, and I am buying several other lights anyway. Plus it maybe more fun and rewarding to just mod this one myself!
Is that what needs done to mod it with XM-L2 T6 3C, as you mentioned you will be doing?
Or is there somewhere I can just buy just an XM-L2 T6 3C (or XM-L2 T6 4C) for this light that’s already mounted on a star?
That one would work also but, as JackCY mentioned, maximal LED MCPCB (that is a led "star" size although it is not a star but rather circle :)) is 15.2mm so you would have to shave about 0,8mm in diameter with a nail file for example which is still easier than reflowing it.
It is not hard to do a reflow but you definitely want to practice first with some non essential and preferably dead emitters and if it didnt work no loss there.
Thanks, I’m thinking now for the latest and greatest I’m going to want a XML2 or U3 in NW.
Now I’m on the hunt for an XML2 3C/4C (or XML U2 3C/4C) pre mounted on a 16mm board, but so far I haven’t found any.
Been off-line for a while, just noticed this.
Very thorough review, thanks! 8)
I’ve just figured out my phone camera so I can do some comparison shots.
I can tell you that having just built a convoy l2 with a nw xp-g2, it easily blows my fandyfire stl-v6 out of the water.
I can post a side by side white wall shot though.
xp-g2 on the left, fandyfire on the right
Here’s an outdoor beam shot that also shows the spill, I love this light to bits.
I’ll try and get some shots of my xp-g2 uf-v3 vs trustfire t1 xm-l, thats a true 2a 40mm vs 3a 50mm comparison. I can tell you though that the uf-v3 throws crazily for such a convenient sized light.
No U3 in NW, only T6. As are XM-L2 in T6 NW.
XM-L2 T6 3C is on IS, maybe somewhere else but who knows.
Haven’t seen them in a shop mounted. Unless you mean to pay some ridiculous price, then I found some before. There are threads about XM-L2s so check them.
As far as tint goes, forget neutral tints, they wash out everything as much as cold tints do, maybe a bit better but still it’s like shining a narrow spectrum light.
Get something high CRI if you want a nice looking output. Neutral tint won’t save it with a poor CRI.
gords1001: yep it’s best to supply what sort of reflector the light has and how big is the reflector.
The thing with C20 as with many other small lights is that the reflector is hybrid and is made to yellow out the beam, not concentrate as much as it can into the hotspot.
Where as something like my Keygos M10 with 40mm reflector is made to make a tiny hotspot. So I’m thinking of comparing XM-L2 T6 3C at 3.5A vs XP-G2 R5 3D at 2.1A or 2.45A with the M10 40mm reflector. Maybe some other too while at it but I doubt the C20 or any small light will make a small hotspot, it’s smaller than XM-L but not tiny as with big reflectors that are made to throw.
Thanks for the reply and info about the emitters.
With the high CRI emitter that seems to be a buzz on here lately (nichia 219) I keep reading how the output is much lower compared to XML/XPG. I’m planning on either buying a different light already equipped with N219 (L2 L10 or Eo3) or building one from host or trying an emitter swap on a different light, just to see what the nichia 219 is like.
But for this C20 I do not want to lose much output. What I’m going after is what I see when I go outside and shine my Eo3 XML NW along side of this C20. They both appear to have the same output but the colors of the objects/area being illuminated with the NW Eo3 appear more natural and provide better visibility whereas the C20 CW seems to have less visibility of the object due to a bright white wash effect (I guess that’s what you mean by wash out)
I suppose then the NW XML in my Eo3 has a higher CRI than the CW XML in the C20., but I’m not sure it is considered “High” CRI. Maybe I will be happy with a T6 NW into the C20 (if I don’t just leave it alone and move on for now).
Did you ever get the XM-L2 T6 3C reflow/swapped in to your C20? (3C is neutral tint correct?)
nice reviews, do not know much about C20, but seems a great light.
Not yet, my FT shipment got delayed for 10days in HK. I could do it, but I want to wait for the solder paste so I can learn to use it before doing the triple nichia with it.
Could be here today or tomorrow, then I can make more comparisons.
XM-L 1x is like CRI 60-65?
3x is CRI 70-75?
Nichia 219 is CRI 90+ in the B10 bin at 4500°K from IS. There is one with more output elsewhere, colder tint and more output, lower CRI.
No XP-G2 tests anymore, my only XP-G2 is ruined.
Ripped the wires and partly dedomed it while screwing on a new TIR optic in Tank007 E09 on the XP-G2.
Dedomed it but it’s unrepairable even though it still shines when powered.
That still outputs light? There are no bond wires left… how can it light up?
I have a trustfire t2 that kind of refutes that, its only an xp-g r4 4c at 1.7a but it still throws fairly well for such a small reflector (21mm if I remember correctly).
in my above photos, the xp-g2 is in a 60 ish mm reflector so it is to be fair, one of the largest you’ll find in a torch, I just feel that there’s no way an xm-l will out throw an xp-g2 in any reflector.
For a close up floody light though, in an op reflector, at low current, thats where I find an xm-l usefull. 
Supply power directly to the positive posts. Yes the wires are almost impossible if not impossible to repair 
I’ve tried, but it short circuits with the negative since the solder tends to go down as well and connect the post and wire to the tiny negative part under the emitter before the positive starts. Too bad they did not remove that negative there.
And it’s really tiny, so it’s basically impossible to work on it to somehow remove or cover the tiny negative part. There is copper under the “silver” finish if I saw correctly when scraping it with a precision knife.
From my use of lights I found that I don’t need throw. So if I have only one throwy light it’s enough for me. I need to see what’s in front of me or to light up something up close and not blind myself, not really see what’s 100+ meters away in bright light.
Did anyone saw this reflector for sale somewhere, glass also?
Nope. Definitely not the coated version of the glass.
Reflector, dunno, try FastTech?
But I doubt it.
Anyway, it’s not a big difference from Xiaozhi 20mm reflector. It’s not like 20mm vs 40mm reflector, it’s 20 vs 23mm, C20 is deeper a bit so the beam is not as wide (less spill) as far as I remember.
As far as replacements go, you’re likely to be out of luck to find them. That’s the downside of C20/7G3CS.
Did I already say I use it on a bike? If not, yes it fits with those silicone flashlight holders on a bike, use it when running outside as well when it gets dark. Though more out of necessity, I would like more spill for running.
I am building something and this reflector would sit in that project like a butt on a toilet :D
22mm wide would be perfect and I would like to have better throw (need deeper reflector)
or TIR like 22mm x 8° !
What are you building? I would like to build something too but the casing around it is a problem to get cheaply :~ Or to make without special tools.
Most TIRs are 21-22mm because the holder takes the additional space.
10 degree XM-L
Or on eBay.
Carclo is not bad either but only IS has it. And it’s not that narrow.
No deep reflectors anywhere in any size. Only the most common versions but not the deep versions. No 20-25mm reflectors either. Because it’s rare in flashlights.
one awesome bike light with 2 x XML2-U2 @ 6A :P
I will try to contact FT or LightsCastle and request if they could contact manufacturer and obtain about 5-10 sets (reflector + glass) for me :)
UF C20, just doing some measurements while the driver is out, can’t measure driver in current since I soldered the wires, only led is not soldered.
LED current (XM-L2 T6 3C):
So yes it’s a tiny bit lower than my estimation for the original XM-L U2 1C.
I’m now going to try and lower the input resistance, I can tell you right now, those 2 R180 resistors are very hot, the hottest part of the driver since all that current is going through them. I’ll add some other resistors if I have them or just plain short circuit them and see what’s the max output.
The next warm part on opposite side the 3 pin tranzistor or what’s that next to the battery plus.
Touching the capacitor next to the R180s causes the light to dim a little.