Actually in theory the higher bin can be dimmer. Cree claims a +–7% error in their flux binning. That’s about a bin worth of difference in the error margin. The higher bin is more likely to be a little brighter but it’s not certain that it is. That adds even more weight to your argument.
In a best/worst case scenario the XM-L T6 is at least as bright (318*0.93=296L) as the XP-G R5 (277*1.07=296 L)...and some people still had the impression the the XP-G was "brighter". This is why I think concentrating on bin alone is nothing more than a specification "trap"... especially newbies have to be warned, that they probably won't even see a difference on a T6 vs U2 XM-L in a normal every day usage. If I can get the U2 for the same price than the T6..... OK... I take it, but I would think twice about spending $5-10 more on a light just to have the latest and greatest on paper... as some premium brands charge for having the better bin. A driver can make a difference of more than 100% in efficiency and that's where you should look for efficiency in the first place. (see the link that I posted above)
You can argue all day how much horse power a car engine has to have..... 10 HP more or less, if the car is missing two wheels... the discussion is kind of pointless.
There’s so many issues involved and so many that want to quote classical mathematical calculations and yadda yadda yadda. I can’t remember all that stuff and find that in the end it’s all kind of mute anyway. I’m a photographer. Try to get a flash to put photo quality light on a spinning moving football 85 yds away. Is it going to be the same light you could put on it at 10’? Nope, not even close. Playing with our flashlights it’s a very similar deal. Distance eats light. Especially when you’ve got a high percentage of your light output being produced in a “cone” of light, in other words…spill. Shine the light into the night sky, how much does the beam spread? That’s why it doesn’t get a mile downrange. Now create a pencil beam thrower, what can you see when using it at 200 yds? 1 window of a house, with nothing peripheral? Depending on what/why you’re looking that’s everything or nothing at all. I find that most of the time I want to see it all, a broader spectrum of what’s to the sides as well as what’s downrange.
Just took a photography related test on color perception. Very interesting test. The experts claim that 1 in 12 men have some degree of colorblindness. As compared to 1 in 220 women. Interesting. What’s your favorite beam tint again? Everyone is raving about the “pure white light” of the Nichia 219. I don’t find that to be true at all. It’s a light brown or dirty color to me. All 6 that I have are similar, but not white. Granted, colors do look more vivid under the 219 than any of my Crees. To me.
So what it all boils down to is like Justin said, you go with what works for you. If that means learning where your own strengths and weaknesses are then finding the tools that fit your needs, then do the research or have fun experimenting til you find the magic. Then try to find the reflector that lets all your precious light go just where you want it without losing 30% of those hard earned lumens. Don’t forget the driver, the cells, the heatsink…that’s what’s so fun about this obsession, finding all the components that…when assembled…give the ultimate satisfaction!
The single word that applies best for me is one I see in Photography all the time…Compromise.
Seems to me that many of us have different preferences when it comes to the combination of flood and throw. My son - like many - enjoys a lot of flood with his throw. However the other night I was able to show him that excess flood can make it much more difficult to see a target in the distant throw zone.
My personal preference is generally for a small spill with throw (like the DST has). If I want flood, then I’m almost always working at much shorter ranges than where I am looking for throw.
Preferences can vary with the surrounding terrain and working distances, but I’ve noticed here on BLF that sometimes people are wowed by a more floody thrower than by brute throw - even to the extent that the terms are sometimes confused. The way different people react to aspherics is probably a good example.
As we gain experience, we tend to seed the differences - and hopefully learn to apply the differences to be the most useful for whatever or location, circumstance, and need. As we gain that experience, it is what helps us to know more about what we like and why - and also to know what to ask to help others.