(There are some other threads on the subject, but I think they’re all at least two years old.)
My favorite emitter right now is the XHP70.3 HI.
It provides a lot of flood, some throw, a lot of lumens, and I think it’s pretty efficient.
It comes in 70 CRI and 90 CRI versions, and it comes in several tints.
What are your favorite emitters, and why? [2023 edition]
Been having a lot of fun with the Osram CSLNM1.TG as of late. It’s not a high CRI light, but there’s something special about it paired with a deep and wide reflector. Makes me love my L21B even more than the SFT40 version.
Still gotta be the MT-G2.
Even all the lights with the fancy-ass emitters like the SFTs and CSI.NYs and whatnot, every single time I grab my lights that have the MT-G2s, I just admire the creamy goodness, lack of nasty artifacts, and so on.
It’s like an old nasty-looking sweater that’s looking threadbare in places, but you slip it on and feel like you’re getting a soft whole-body hug from the thing.
MT-G2
Nice tint, great light distribution, plenty of brightness.
Mike
Which lights had the MT-G2, is that an older emitter?
Forgot which ones came with, but I got an Acebeam EC50v2 with a MT-G2 transplant.
Wonderfully simple UI, plus a MT-G2, it’s like the ideal light.
1. Nichia 519A
Still the king for me because of versatility:
2. Osram CSNLM1.14
Blue emitter, pretty monochromatic
Looks like a lightsaber when paired with a decent TIR
(check my profile pic)
I’m currently awaiting some round “yingding” emitters L50, and have high hopes for them. Paired with TIR or zoomie I think they have high potential.
I like high output, big Lumens so another vote for Xhp70.3 HI. I also like the Sbt90.2 as a close 2nd. Xhp50.3 HI third, followed by 519A.
Honorable mention for the round die leds provided you get one that’s NOT green since I love zoomies and they’re the perfect LED for them!
My vote is for sbt90.2
When you point one straight ahead of you, looks like you are entering the Holland tunnel.
Nothing really compares.
XP-L HI 4000k (previous gen), the 2850k 80cri version is pretty sweet too. Wish I’d gotten another light with those.
Acebeam K40M, great torch, I got one.
Also I have Thrunite TC20 I replaced ugly XHP70 with MT-G2
Mike
Hmm, I haven’t felt the need to buy any new lights in a minute, so I still have the same favorites.
MT-G2. Have a Fenix TK35UE with the MT-G2, and while I was underwhelmed by the light the first time I used it (it was brighter, but didn’t really outthrow the 200 lumen SureFire LX-2 I carried at the time), it’s become both my and my non-flashaholic wife’s favorite. It’s the light that gets grabbed when either of us goes outside after dark. It’s just a phenomenal LED.
SST-20. Favorite EDC LED. None of my lights with the SST-20 seem to be affected by the green that everyone hates, and it renders colors nicely without tinting everything pink.
SBT90.2. Honorable mention here just for the giggle factor. I’ve got other throwers that sustain their throw better as the SBT90.2 murders batteries, but I don’t think I trust anyone who doesn’t smile when you crank up a light with this LED.
Acebeam K40M looks like a 10 year old light. Interesting
Acebeam, Nitecore, Fenix, and maybe others made lights with this LED giing back 10 years.
This is a really old LED, like 2013 (someome correct me if I’m wrong). At the time it was revolutionary: a multi-die LES (a bit like the SFx leds), high output (well, for 2013) and could be had in very nice neutral white tints with high CRI without the chromatic aberrations or angular tint shift we get with the gen.2 xhp LEDs (although those are superior in just about every other way).
I find it interesting that some members prefer a ten year old LED even through there have been numerous improvements through the years.
Its interesting. They dont make them like they used to?
519A. Dedoming 2700K gives me a high quality 2200K emitter I can drop in basically any host. Not quite as nice as he warmest E19A/17A, but pretty close. Plus all the normal stuff people talk about.
3000K SFT40 has been pretty fun. Which my DM1.12 had that and 2700K 519A in it but idk if I really want to go through the process of emitter swapping that one lol
Edit: idk why I did this as a reply my b lol
Beautiful creamy white tint.
Imperceptible (if any) angular tint-shift.
Works beautifully in a reflector. (Ie, no fried-egg beam.)
No need to hide it behind a TIR lens to cover any sins.
Decently high output even if pushed.
SBT90.2 . It’s all about the throw.
I would say that’s because most of the improvements in those 10 years have been marginal at best. In the early LED days, every new generation brought huge gains in perceived brightness, and drivers quickly jumped in efficiency. Now, you mostly just get new “features” tacked on that aren’t necessarily value added with very little extra in the way of measurable performance. I love Anduril, but my favorite UIs of all time are Surefire’s gas pedal switch and 4/7s implementation of 2 customizable brightness levels depending on whether the head of the light was tight or loose. Both of those are from the early 2000s. The MT-G2 in my TK35 is very underdriven compared to other lights with the LED at only 1800 lumens, but it will light my whole back yard for hours with an absolutely beautiful beam. I’ve got a lot of the newer flamethrowers, but when it comes down to it that TK35 is still perfect for 99% of my needs.
Plus, twice the brightness, eg, from 1000lm to 2000lm, is only about a 30% increase in visual brightness, so each “leap” is almost underwhelming.