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BR Wilkie Flashlights
Shopping for a new flashlight can often be confusing. But what about trying to make sense out of understanding what
type of LED the light is equipped with? This is where the best CREE LED comparison can help.
Read on to discover how to determine this when shopping for an LED flashlight.
Alphabet Soup
All this wonderful technology has created quite a challenge for consumers. It’s not enough for flashlight seekers that they
must understand terminologies that relate to lumens, battery types, run times etc… but trying to make sense of the LED
models themselves can be quite mind boggling!
Here a basic roll call of the XLamp LED models that CREE has
introduced over the last decade or so.
The flux bins are (more-or-less) brightness codes…in the form of a rating.
There’s no denying that flashlights have become brighter over the years. And although the reasoning behind the naming of
the codes means nothing to consumers, just try to remember that with each sequence of codes, the lights have added
more lumens!
An example of the flux bin codes that have accompanied the LED models (as noted earlier in the article) have had naming
references such as Q2, Q5, R2, L2, U2, T6, etc. These codes always follow the model number. Over the period, there have
been many combinations of bins assigned which have not become flashlight components. Below, are the combinations
which you are more likely to see, or have seen.
A light with this LED (if there’s still one in the clearance closet) will be several years old. Its highest lumen count will be
around 300, using lithium batteries. It WILL however have excellent throw! (enabling the beam to travel at a great
distance)
XP-E (R2)
Not much different than XR-E except for its size. Performance about equal.
XP-C (Q4)
If you should see a flashlight with this LED…pass on it. The XP-C is a low-power LED which offers a much lower maximum
drive current than others in the XP family. It’s also much cheaper to produce. It won’t offer a lot of lumens and is capable
of over-heating itself to death (causing permanent failure) due to the cheaper mounting material used in the assembly. On
the retail level, flashlights with this LED have been known to be sold at cost-conscious big-box stores. Check labeling
carefully!
The ‘G’ and ‘G2’ line feature a boost in lumens. The ‘G2’ offers up to 20% more than the ‘G’. This line also offers throwing
capability much closer to that of the older XR-E. Note that the size of the ‘G2’ is a tad smaller, producing a slightly smaller
beam.
XM-L (T6)/(U2)
Virtually all flashlights made today use an XM-L LED. This LED
produces a full-flood beam, with less throw than the XP-G. Total
lumen output for the original XM-L peaked at near 700.
Differences in the T6 and U2 flux bins include higher brightness.
The T6 cannot output more than 910-975 lumens. (*see note)
Meanwhile the U2 bin is 7% brighter than the T6. Overall beam
distance (throw) has increased since the XM-L. Both of the more
recent bins have less flood overall.
Part of what makes the XM-L visually distinctive, is its slightly An XM-L2 T6 LED
larger size and a six-line grid across the die.
XM-L2 U2/U3
Similar in size (5mm x 5mm) to the XM-L, the L2 has increased brightness by about 20%. It has also omitted the “grid”
found on the XM-L.
The T6 bin is present in both the XM-L & XM-L2 emitters. T6 output within the L2, peaks between 1044-1119 lumens.
The U3 bin has now appeared in many flashlights. Brightness has modestly increased again. Top output is 1193-1268.
XP-L/HI
Continued advances in LED technology made the XP-L LED available in the spring of 2014.
The XP-L is the same size die as the XM-L2, but it’s placed onto the smaller size board of the
older XP-G. Whereas the XP-G is king when it comes to “throwing” capabilities, the XP-L
doesn’t throw quite as far, but it makes up for it in brightness and the fact that it can be
driven at much higher currents.
About a year after its introduction, a “high intensity” version was released. This is now
known as XP-L HI. In some new flashlights, including Manker’s T01, you’ll find the “HI” LED. CREE XP-L HI
Their are various versions of it, and the T01’s brother (U11) features a “HI” in V5, which puts
its highest available output between 1176 and 1227. The T01 is 900 lumens, the U11 is
1050.
Something else to keep in mind, are the output estimates from CREE. In many flashlights, “out the front” lumens are less
that the given output which sometimes gets absorbed by the reflector. Some lights have better designed optics to
alleviate lost output.
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