Do you turn green, swell up, rip your pants, and go on a killing rampage when that happens? 
For me it’s like adult diapers, it “depends”. Seriously my preference changes depending on what I’m using the light for. I grab a different light for different occasions. If I’m hoping to spot some deer at a couple hundred yards I’m taking a Cool white with me. If I’m walking around looking at my feet I’m taking a NW or Nichia 219. Looking under my desk for that dropped little doohickey I’ll probably go with NW just so my eyes don’t freak out. I like cool white for a clear night and longer distances and for things like working on my car or crawling around in a crawl space or attic.
I just bought a 20watt incan thrower for nights when it’s foggy or so that my depth perception is a little better. Cool white has a problem cutting through the fog and it’s hard to tell just how far away things really are. Neutral is a little better but still not optimal.
When I first discovered the world of LED flashlights, I was CW all the way. Why get a neutral when a CW will give extra lumens?
Many, many flashlights later, I am neutral all the way. In fact I have slowly been moving up the warmth scale one C at a time. I’m now finding that my once beloved CW lights irritate me. 3C tints just aren’t doing it for me anymore. I’m becoming a sworn 4C tint man, and have just built my first 5C, and am really enjoying it.
Driving the LED properly is a big factor. There’s a big difference between an incandescent bulb spilling a puddle of yellow light, and a warm LED being driven at its optimum performance, and really illuminating an area.
I have a bare XP-G 7B 3000k 90+ CRI emitter on the way from IS. I’m looking forward to see how it looks if I push it hard.
It’s quality over quantity, anytime!
The one on the right reminds me of sodium street lights. I think there’s more detail in the left hand picture although perhaps not in the centre as it’s too bright.
That is nice to hear! 
On paper… Why buy a 46-inch tv when you can get 60+ for the same price… They you check picture quality in real life… and go. ahh… Thats why… And then you buy the “smaller” tv, or buy an even more expenive larger tv… 
Seeing is believing! Quality over quantity!
Those who cant tell the difference… Lucky bastards! They can always go for quantity/lower price and be happy…
Try out high CRI and even NW will look dull. I didn’t believe it could make NW look so dull til I saw it myself.
i like NW.
even my username agrees.
I’m totally opposite, the CW pic looks pleasant to me, like a dentists office.
tint is mostly a matter of opinion and application
the small difference between tint bins is really negligible and not noticeable (brightness wise)… so it should not really be considered…. unless of course you need/want max 110% output
but that is my opinion
i prefer all tints honestly… i end up using cool white more than anything usually
A dentist office is pleasant???
I am a fan of neutral and warm tints. Old warm high CRI peak eiger is my EDC necklight. Been enjoying my new 7C roche lately. Putting together a 4C L2m currently.
Exactly. I love my neutrals outdoors, but, out in a boat at night a neutral doesn’t really help. I’ll take a CW narrow thrower to pick out reflectors on distant marker buoys. There is no warmth to cold water, rocks are dark and wet, and I want to get home safely.
In that case ouchy I think you are on to something.
I own several lights, both CW and NW. I find that, when walking through the park at night, the CW tends to make everything 2 dimensional (and pale-looking), whereas foliage etc. seems to have more depth and contrast to it when using NW. I know that it’s just personal preference, but that’s how things appear to me. Although the CW’s are always rated higher than the NW versions (in lumens), the neutral whites offer more detail (to my eyes) than the coolwhites. Comparing my lights side by side, NW is my choice 95% of the time.
These pictures show NW to not be that warm as the other pictures, and also the benefit of higher CRI (Nichia) which is slightly warmer at 4500K and in the middle of the NW range…
CW have lower CRI than NW…
Originally posted by ryansoh3 I believe:
The Nichia 219 4500K is my favorite tint, and even though they are 4500k they seem to be a little more on the “whiter” side then some of my 5000k XM-L/L2’s which seem to have a little more of a yellowish tint to them.
If CREE could get the same tint of the HIGH CRI Nichia 219 4500K in the XPG or XML, I would be quite happy :heart_eyes:
When I got my foursevens mini AA I decided to get NW version because so many forum people were raving about it.
It’s OK, but I think it looks really yellow. I’d prefer CW too.
I feel the same. Cree’s neutrals look kind of yellow-greenish compared to the Nichia (and the Luxeon Rebel). I wish Cree neutrals would have a little more red in them. They would look a little more natural that way.
CREE’s 3C tint (at least the XML2’s from Illumination Supply) have a tint very close to the Nichia’s, but their CRI is not nearly as good. The XML2’s that I have have a CCT of around 4750K
The 3C XM-L2’s I have used and have seen seem to have a yellowish/greenish tint to them compared to the Nichia 219 with the exception of one led that I have which has a lovely neutral pure white tint, close but the CRI is way off of course. Maybe Cree’s consistency is a little off from one led to another from the same reel?