Yes I’m not buying FFL909MX either, not if SBT90.2 is available. BTW, Reddit “rumor” is that the specific Firefly SBT you bought, has a nice tint.
But… absolutely true, IMHO SBT90.2 is one of those LEDS that belong to the club of “don’t ask, it’s a super-thrower, just buy it, you’ll see what I mean.” T9R w/ FFL909MX is on sale for some ridiculous price but I don’t recommend it.
Ok I think I might have lied . I tend to like reflectors for thrower, partly because single TIR throwers, at least the couple that I have, tend to have a soft spill. I prefer a bright spill for more close up viewing, even in super-throwers like these.
Basically I like the T9R host functionally and also its striking look, probably more than the TIR replacement. With FFL909MX throw will be the highest among all the lights I have including the 2 Wurkkos SBT90.2’s. 59 bucks for a 1.5 kilometer thrower is hard to resist. Hmmm…
In case anyone is wondering why T9R reflector looks the way it does - it’s for the throw:
Amen to that, brother! What I do to avoid lending my lights:
Not having too many friends, and much less neighbors
Already gifted a light to each member of my family, so they don’t have an excuse to borrow mine
Saving the crappy battery-carrier lights I got from battery purchases, equipping them with alka-leaks, and having always one on hand for the rare times people ask me to borrow a light
The deed is done. T9R with FFL909MX 6500lm, 500kd, 1450m throw. With Lume driver and on sale for 59 bucks. I couldn’t resist. This one might be a little green but I’m used to my two greenish SBT90.2 Wurkkos TS30S’s. I do look the other way when super-throwers are involved. It’s not like I’ll be looking for red bougainvilla and R9 color rendition a kilometer away lol.
But mainly, I have seen that host for a long time and always wonder about the striking appearance. Now that I’ve experienced the superb build quality of the other 3 Fireflies (for those curious, IMHO truly “next level” and a joy to use), this purchase is a no brainer.
I am somewhat skeptical of the output+throw capabilities of the FFL909MX–while most SBT90.2 clones perform lower than the original, this one is claiming +25% more output and +25.2% more intensity (derived from claimed specs), suggesting that this new emitter has the same 9mm^2 die size as the SBT90.2, just with 25% more output. This is an extraordinary claim in need of extraordinary evidence. I hope that an independent test does check out the claimed numbers.
Good assessment. Battle royal coming! Albeit using my amateur equipment.
Head diameter is around 65 mm, much larger than TS30S ~50mm (1030m throw), and slightly larger than TS30S Pro ~60mm (1130m throw). No idea about reflector depths of the 3. Larger size might help with throw but we’ll see if it could even beat any of those 2.
I should stop watching this thread. Now because of this I had to buy one also even though it ended up ~89 CAD. Can’t wait to compare with the TS30S Pro. I don’t think it will be a wow, but still interesting.
Sorry you had to part with your hard earned money. It’s good that we both have SBT90.2 already so being among first owners of this new LED FFL909MX just makes the discovery process that much more fun. I talk a lot about tin-snob Nichia lights but super throwers like these are where I have fun.
I like reflector beam profile for my super-throwers so this T9R purchase is a no brainer at 60 bucks. Did you notice this part so you could be prepared for it, to paraphase: …To offer this exceptional price, clearance T9R flashlights will not include the default packaging box. Instead, each flashlight will be carefully wrapped …
With this LED I have now “hit for the cycle” with FFL: 351A, 505A, 707A, 909MX. This might have been flashlight-destiny after all LOL. Really looking forward to having this special super thrower toy. If it just ties the amazing SBT90.2’s performance I would be happy enough already.
Oh, I did not noticed the package condition note. I’m totally OK with this. I would click this option more often if available elsewhere for savings! I don’t care much about the boxes.
Beamshot of our soon-to-arrive toy, showing very good spill size and brightness. “Clever” photographers could 100% manipulate the spill brightness (by overexposing the shot) so I can’t tell for sure. But if it’s anywhere close to this I would be very happy. Super-throwers with pencil beam, tiny hotspot, AND no spill is a total deal breaker for me (personal preference, no right or wrong).
It looks to be on the green side but should be nothing new for us SBT90.2 owners LOL. Also here white balance of the shot could be manipulated so I can’t tell for sure until I have light in my hands.
No lumens measurement yet, but candelas at a measured 407k seem way better than the measured 359k for the T9R SBT90.2(!), and so would be the throw… also, comments seem to indicate the CCR/CRI/DUV/etc are about the same.
If these numbers are correct, FFL got themselves a helluva LED with the FFL909MX…
I will mesure lumens for sure. I will make turbo runtime with P45B to compare the TS30S Pro against this T9R. I never mesured high lumens/high candela host in my shoebox though. I hope not to burn anything!
I don’t have any setups for candela mesurements. I need to look into this.
Thanks. I was very concerned with poster’s comment “Beam is very focused with slight donut hole, visible even at 200-300m.” I asked him to post beamshot at closer distance and clarify distance. A donut hole at that distance is a major problem. So he’s clarified it’s like 150m and below is the beamshot.
I don’t see a donut hole, am I missing something? I do see a fried egg effect with yellow-green center surrounding by white rim, exactlly like what I see with Wurkkos TS30S.
In general donut hole is caused by (1) non-uniform light-emitting surface or (2) bad focus. Maybe you were just lucky enough to receive a sample with neither problem.
BTW, all cameras and displays have terrible, terrible dynamic range for beamshots, so lots of artifacts will be smoothed out, while nonexistent artifacts are introduced.