It's been a while since I haven't done any flashlight modding, and it seems technology has progressed enough that the time has come to fire up the soldering iron again. I have a few questions, the answers to which should bring me up-to-date with the current situation:
1) is the XP-G a lambertian LED? Based on its design, and on the fact that people using them on reflectors meant specifically for the XR-E package are getting awful beams, I think it is, but I'd like to be sure.
2) In case it is, can it be a direct replacement for a SSC P4?
2) I see from that picture that the XP-G has a four... um, strip chip, while the XR-E has three. Are there any plans by Cree to sell XR-Es with the new die? Or are they maybe planning to phase out the XR-E entirely? The XP-G certainly seems easier to assemble, and if it's lambertian it's probably also easier to build reflectors for.
3) Is the R5 the highest-rated bin that is generally available right now? What's the actual difference between R2 and R5
4) what's the highest bin the SSC P4 can be had in, and what Cree bin is it equivalent to?
Thanks