the most loved emitter

[LEDninja]

XP-G ANSI 7 tint.
4sevens Quark MiNi AA WARMS; 4sevens Preon 2 WARMS.

-

Before I got those recent lights Lumileds LuxIII WD tint.
Elektrolumens My Little Friend.

 

[kaichu dento]

So either everyone is getting the reflector wrong, even Nitecore to an extent, or Cree rings are just the nature of the xr-e beast. I'd go with the former because all the single die lambertian style full dome emitters tend to not have rings even on generic smooth reflectors, this is true for SSC P4, Luxeon's I-III, and Rebel's. The only trouble you face with these is poor focus so you get limited throw but they still don't show rings.

I don't think you read my post in full - I'm carrying two Draco's and an EZAAw every day and they have no rings. Perfect beam patterns for my tastes with a nice fat hotspot and well lit flood with the Draco's and a punchy throwier beam with the EZAAw.

Every light that I've seen exhibiting rings with the XR-E has had the retaining ring showing in full. On lights with no rings you'll see only the inner edge of the retaining ring and that is the mistake that almost everyone made at first, was to think too rigidly and running the reflector down to the outside of the retaining ring, instead of to the top of it, where it allows no rings to be generated.

I've had other lights with no rings from the XR-E as well, but can't think of which ones. Go look at a Draco/Drake or any of the EZ series to see how smooth the XR-E can be.

 

[Gatsby]

Im sure this thread will be over run with all the new stuff, but I really loved the Luxeon 3 Especially with a McGizmo Reflector. Just a Perfect beam that I have not seen with any cree or SSC Offerings. Before all the Neutral and Warm hoopla, a WO Tinted Lux 3 Was fantastic.

-Bobby

You know the LuxIII was the first one I thought of as well. I pulled out my LuxIII Peak Pacific and it has a great beam, smooth output, nice color, despite a smooth reflector. My old LuxIII HDS EDC lights were awesome (admittedly I had GT versions) as well - fantastic beam quality.

 

[Gatsby]

I also have had great experiences with SSC P4 emitters as number 2 - several Litefluxes (LF5 and LF2, still have the LF2), Novatac 85P and 120P. All were great beams with a nice mix of throw and flood.

 

[qwertyydude]

I have xr-e lights with only the dome showing, they have smooth relectors and still show ringing, they are less pronounced but they are still there and obviously visible on a white wall. The problem is looking through the dome at oblique angles you can see the silver ring on the inside of the led. This will reflect light from the chip and with smooth reflectors that will project as a ring on the outside. There's no way to avoid it. So even getting rid of outside visible sources of rings you still have an inside visible source.

 

[B0wz3r]

I'm carrying two Draco's and an EZAAw every day and they have no rings. Perfect beam patterns for my tastes with a nice fat hotspot and well lit flood with the Draco's and a punchy throwier beam with the EZAAw.

+1 and the EZAAw... great little light. Mine lived on my keychain for about a year until I got my SC50w+, and I gifted the EZ to my wife for her keychain. Now I'm starting to miss the little guy tho... :sigh:

 

[Kestrel]

The XP-G - its efficiency increase and increasing popularity in triple configurations are clinchers for me. It's not meant to be driven extremely hard or to provide the highest surface brightness, but it's an excellent all-around performer.

I just had to post this after reading that the XP-G got a mention in the 'most hated emitter' thread.

Im sure this thread will be over run with all the new stuff [...]

A very valid point, but the XP-G LED is the first time that I've delayed a significant number of LED purchases / light upgrades in anticipation of a new release.

XP-G's are now in my SF C3 (triple), my SF C2 (triple), and my SF D3 (M31) - the lights of mine that are the easiest to upgrade. (The lights that are more difficult to upgrade will have to wait for the XM-L.)

 

[kaichu dento]

I have xr-e lights with only the dome showing, they have smooth relectors and still show ringing, they are less pronounced but they are still there and obviously visible on a white wall. The problem is looking through the dome at oblique angles you can see the silver ring on the inside of the led. This will reflect light from the chip and with smooth reflectors that will project as a ring on the outside. There's no way to avoid it. So even getting rid of outside visible sources of rings you still have an inside visible source.

You seem a bit overly disgruntled at the poor XR-E, and I have no problem with that, but it would be nice if you could at least admit that the inherent problems with it are rectifiable so that others reading the thread can understand that it just needs to be used with caution and that rings are not a foregone conclusion.

There is a way to avoid it and I described it in my last post - the reflector has to match up properly. Regardless of your focus on the XR-E as imperfect, it is capable of producing ring-free beam patterns if you have a reflector that is properly matched to it.

 

[Darvis]

SST-50 here.

So bright, so floody, so compact in a Surefire host... and best of all, a cool white SST-50 is really wonder bread white and not some tinge of blue or green or salmon/warm.

 

[Sparky's Magic]

MC-E in my DBS has a perfect beam!
No rings, no cross, great tint, magnificent flood and cool running.
I'm sure the redesigned reflector (Dereelight) has played a large part in quality of the beam. :twothumbs

 

[KingCanada]

The XR-E beams are my favorite. Just picture the beam from a OP Romisen or a cheap OP DX drop in. No rings, just a fuzzy spot with good side spill.

 

[Jash]

Reflectors, optics and lenses have a big part to play in how we percieve the light being emitted from our leds. Then the leds themselves have varying properties within the same make as the 'tint lottery' guarantees that one led will have you singing praises and the next will have you going for the bin (trash can).

XR-E's have been my least favourite. It's a mix of XP-E's, XP-G's, MC-E's and an SST-50. I like them all for different reasons and it's more a combination of reflector design and tint that makes me like or not like an led.

Can't really say I have a favourite, they all do different things and that's why I chose them. It's like saying which of your children do you love the most, as anyone knows, that is not a question you can answer.

 

[DM51]

Wrong forum... moving it to LED.

 

[HarryN]

My all time favorite - Lumileds Lux V XWOS bin. Perfect Vf for a 2 cell light, and perfectly matched Vf die sets. It was made in 2S2P for those unfamiliar with this LED.

The WO remains my favorite tint, although I admit to liking the newer higher spectral content (not lower CCT) of modern LEDs.

Toughest LED - K2. What a pickup truck.

I am starting to really like Rebels as well, now that I figured out how to take advantage of some of their interesting design features.

 

[Curt R]

For beam quality, the Peak Logan with the Cree XPG-R5 in 1D tint using a solid plastic optic.
For throw, the Peak SR450 also with the Cree XPG-R5 LED using the Phoenix 58 mm solid Nickel reflector.

Curt

 

[kaichu dento]

I also have had great experiences with SSC P4 emitters as number 2 - several Litefluxes (LF5 and LF2, still have the LF2), Novatac 85P and 120P. All were great beams with a nice mix of throw and flood.

Reflectors, optics and lenses have a big part to play in how we percieve the light being emitted from our leds. Then the leds themselves have varying properties within the same make as the 'tint lottery' guarantees that one led will have you singing praises and the next will have you going for the bin (trash can).

XR-E's have been my least favourite. It's a mix of XP-E's, XP-G's, MC-E's and an SST-50. I like them all for different reasons and it's more a combination of reflector design and tint that makes me like or not like an led.

Can't really say I have a favourite, they all do different things and that's why I chose them. It's like saying which of your children do you love the most, as anyone knows, that is not a question you can answer.

Very well stated.

 

[ShineOnYouCrazyDiamond]

XP-G R4 5B1 (or similar tint).

I've purchased custom lights with this led as stock.

I've modded myself Nailbender drop-ins, my Spy007, McGizmo Ti-PD and others to this LED and it always pleases.

The overall beam is dependent on the reflector as expected, but I have not been disappointed yet.

 

[kaichu dento]

I also have had great experiences with SSC P4 emitters as number 2 - several Litefluxes (LF5 and LF2, still have the LF2), Novatac 85P and 120P. All were great beams with a nice mix of throw and flood.

Love the P4 and even though I've only got a couple lights with one in them any more, I'll always have my Titan.

+1 and the EZAAw... great little light. Mine lived on my keychain for about a year until I got my SC50w+, and I gifted the EZ to my wife for her keychain. Now I'm starting to miss the little guy tho... :sigh:

My EZAAw was in retirement while I was carrying my MiNi AAw, but it has once again moved back into daily carry again and the extra throw it offers is one of the most important reasons.

 

[nanotech17]

my all time fav emitter = neutral xpe,be it q3 or q5 but it must be neutral.

 

[AaronM]

Cree MC-E and XR-E: Good efficiency and great thermal path make them king of the hill for flash lights still to this day IMHO.