USB-C, high power, high CRI suggestions?

[Brewer]

Hi, I haven't bought any lights in the last couple of years but I've got the itch for an upgrade.

I like the look of the Rovyvon S23 or even the Wuben X1, but I would gladly trade a few lumens for higher CRI. However it seems like high CRI generally tends toward small, single emitter designs?

I'm looking for something 'medium sized', that is comfortable to use wearing gloves and that offers several hours of runtime at the 300-500lm level, can hit 3000+ lm when needed, but still fit in a large pocket. Ideally it would have onboard USB-C recharging and a useful remaining charge indicator.

Finally (and I realise this is getting into fantasy territory) I dislike complicated UI's with flashy modes and multi-click lockouts etc. I'm not a boomer but I might as well be. I much prefer a simple, intuitive UI.

Any suggestions?!

 

[chillinn]

I'm not a boomer

Please tell me what this means. That you weren't born between 1946 and 1964? What possible difference could it make?

The lights you listed are small. I have two suggestions in "medium sized" you probably won't like because it is difficult to find a light with these requirements. USB-C charging is relatively new, and most lights with built-in charging still have micro USB. Not what you asked, but you can also choose any other light without USB-C charging and use with a cell that has built in USB-C charging, though just as with a flashlight with USB-C, you are paying a premium for the convenience rather than owning a decent affordable charger and light with a fistful of cells instead.

Be that as it may, Noctigon K1 21700 now comes with built-in USB-C charging and your choice of emitter (any options and color temperatures with "R9080" specified will be HiCRI).

The only other light I happen to be aware of that has USB-C charging is NiteCore P22R XHP35 HD, and though the LED is available from Cree in standard, 70-, 80- and 90-minimum CRI options, I have no idea what the CRI is of the XHP35 HD LED that NiteCore chose for that model.

But you have to ask yourself, is the USB-C charging port convenience worth compromising the expense and quality of the light you carry? Just my opinion, but when luxury features are added to any product, the other qualities of the product suffer, and the best tools have one function. YMMV.

Please don't give me crap for trying to help you. Use the information or don't, it matters not to me, and I am happy to be ignored. I wish you luck in finding what you want.

 

[Brewer]

Thanks chillin, certainly not going to give anyone crap for helping!

The boomer comment was just that I feel like a grumpy old git moaning about flashy modes and multi-click UI's, but I'm just over them. Same with removing batteries to charge - if I have to leave the house in a hurry it's a lot quicker to pull a cable out than faff around with small parts, same for plugging it back in on return. I also generally carry everything I need to keep my phone charged when I'm away from home, so it just makes sense to keep the flashlight charged the same way.

As for size, I suppose I think of small as being the single emitter penlights / keychains / pocket lights. I want something that's a bit easier to hold and handle, with a bigger battery and a bit more grunt. I'd reckon something the size of the old 2C maglite should be pretty capable these days?!

 

[bykfixer]

Boomers use primaries. No cables needed when in a hurry.

 

[chillinn]

The boomer comment was just that I feel like a grumpy old git moaning about flashy modes and multi-click UI's, but I'm just over them. something that's a bit easier to hold and handle, with a bigger battery and a bit more grunt.

Ok, I apologize. I had never heard that term used that way before about a week ago by a new user that was also astoundingly abusive.

I'd reckon something the size of the old 2C maglite should be pretty capable these days?!

It's hard to tell from the photos on the product page the size of Noctigon K1, but I think the head may be slightly larger than that of a 2C, but the body is definitely shorter, I would guess by about 2 inches. I don't have a K1, but I have other Noctigon lights, and they are durable, quality lights with quality drivers and emitters. The UI is probably Andúril 2, which may be more complicated than you like, though there is a setting for a Simple UI making it less likely to accidentally activate unwanted features. What is interesting about Andúril is that you can choose between smooth ramping light levels and stepped light levels, and there is a mode configuration that will make the button momentary instead of reverse clicky. When in lockout mode, which is easy to activate and deactivate by clicking four times, yet unlikely to be accidently activated, the interface becomes a dead simple momentary between low and moonlight modes.

 

[alohasurftoad]

Acebeam E70 mini, too small, based on the size criteria. 3x nichia hi cri and floody

Sofirn SP36, 3x18650, 4xsamsung LH351D

 

[Brewer]

Thanks for the suggestions.

I think one reason I prefer a simple UI is that I'm an emergency responder, and it's quite conceivable I'll have to hand a light off to a colleague who won't be in the mood for directions. But another is that I have an awful lot of lights these days and I just can't remember all the dances! That said, I don't mind programming a simple UI into a more complicated light if the option is there.

Anyway, I think I've narrowed down a couple of contenders:

Acebeam EC65, 4x Nichia 219C CRI90+ (5k?)
Sofirn BLF SP36, 4x LH351D CRI90 4k
Thrunite TC20 V2, XHP70.2 Neutral White (5k?)

Might even get one of each. It's a sickness.

 

[alohasurftoad]

Although most HiCRI have neutral tint, they are two different things. I would get a light with a HiCRI emitter(s), such as nichia219(_) or samsung LH351

 

[chillinn]

Although most HiCRI have neutral tint,

I see where you're coming from, but I don't think even that is quite accurate, considering all the HiCRI warm color temperatures between 1800K and 3500K, and sometimes even 4000K is referred to as warm (though I personally see it as neutral). And more warm temperatures are more often HiCRI, while cool is rarely HiCRI. Though, admittedly, it does seem like most HiCRI tends to be neutral 4000K-5200K, that may just be because only neutral is advertised while warmer temperature HiCRI models are not showcased as much. Also, pretty sure that warm, neutral, and cool specifically refer to color temperature ranges, not tint, but conventionally it is a very common technical innacuracy seen nearly everywhere, so idky I mention it. Pedantry, I suppose.

 

[Brewer]

Surely if we are going to separate 'tint' from 'color temperature', then we're really just talking about pink and green, since color temperature already describes everything from amber to blue? I don't see emitter manufacturers talking about 'tint', probably because any pink or green is an undesirable artifact they don't want to draw attention to.

When manufacturers use the term 'neutral' I'm sure they are just referring to a color temperature that's somewhere between 'warm' and 'cool'?

On a related note I've always felt that the word 'daylight' is poorly used by manufacturers and should refer to CRI more so than color temperature - plenty of 'daylight' 7k lights out there with terrible CRI that look nothing like daylight.

 

[chillinn]

Color temperature and tint are two axes or spectra of white balance, and you pretty much got it right, with color temperature ranging from blue to amber, and tint ranging from green to magenta (pink). But in any of the color temperatures, you can have any of the tints, cool and pink or cool and green (more common), warm and pink (more common) or warm and green, neutral and pink or neutral and green, and anything in between.

 

[LEDphile]

Surely if we are going to separate 'tint' from 'color temperature', then we're really just talking about pink and green, since color temperature already describes everything from amber to blue? I don't see emitter manufacturers talking about 'tint', probably because any pink or green is an undesirable artifact they don't want to draw attention to.

When manufacturers use the term 'neutral' I'm sure they are just referring to a color temperature that's somewhere between 'warm' and 'cool'?

On a related note I've always felt that the word 'daylight' is poorly used by manufacturers and should refer to CRI more so than color temperature - plenty of 'daylight' 7k lights out there with terrible CRI that look nothing like daylight.

LED vendors talk about tint using coordinates in a color space, typically by using the xy coordinates in the CIE 1931 color space to define their color bins. If CCT is also mentioned, tint is typically described by duv (distance perpendicular to the black body locus in u'v' space). Variation above or below the black body locus is desirable in some applications and undesirable in others - the vendors simply describe their products and it is up to the user of their products (or the designer of the end product using their products) to determine what is appropriate for the application.

And as far as CCT ranges go, "warm white" is typically considered to be the ANSI bins for 3000K and lower CCTs, "cool white" is typically the ANSI bins for 5000K and higher CCTs, and "neutral white" is the ANSI bins for 3500K, 4000K, and 4500K.

CRI is yet another metric, and LEDs with CRIs of 90 or better are available from 1850K to 7800K nominal, so certainly not limited to neutral white.