5w Luxeons - People Still Use Them?

[darkzero]

I just built an Aleph 3 head with a DB1200 WX1S & a MagD with a Magic Resistor running at 1.5A X4T. Now the W bin Aleph 3 head puts out a lot of light & the X bin Mag is even brighter, they just don't seem all that bright to me. :thinking:

I remember playing with my brother's Space Needles & I had some 3x123 DD LuxV Mags as well years ago, I remember them being crazy bright. The past couple weeks I've been replacing Luxeons in many of my old lights with SSC P4s. I'm so happy with the difference in brightness that I can't stop swapping the Luxeons for Seouls. Guess I'm just used the output of the Seouls?

My 2x123 McLux PR DB917 USXOH looks way brighter than my 3x123 McLux Aleph 3 head DB1200 WX1S. Just the WX1S Aleph 3 head has a bigger hotspot. It's actually quite disappointing! I'm thinking about swapping the WX1S out for a USXOH! What do you guys think? I'll put some beam shots up later when it gets dark.

Doesn't seem like LuxVs are even worth the high price & short runtimes anymore. I was planning on building another 3x123 DD MagC with the other W bin I have laying around but I'm not sure it's even worth the time anymore. Do you guys still use LuxV lights these days?

 

[darkzero]

Left: Aleph 3 DB1200 WX1S, Right: McLux PR DB917 USXOH

 

[Lunal_Tic]

Haven't built anything with a Lux V for a while but I still like the beam of my Surefire X200B over the tighter focused versions I've seen. My L4 still gets a fair amount of use too for the same reason.

-LT

 

[Illum]

with 5Ws who needs CREE, sure their bright but you can't rely on them when you need a light AND a hand warmer

I'm a KL4 fan, I received my third KL4, in black, yesterday
for all purposes a flood light works better than something with throw. And why buy new LEDs when old ones still work?

5W has short runtime sure...but hey, who says you can't use rechargeables with them?
If you don't want that last W bin of yours I will gladly take it off your hands

 

[Bullzeyebill]

I'm fond of the large center beam of a Lux V. If you have enough lumens behind that beam it can be quite a thrower, not like the Cree, or Seoul pointy beams that reach out there but don't illuminate much. I have a tower setup for my KT1 with a WWOS, but the reflector is too large and too much light is lost to the spill. A Lux V side emitter would work better with the KT1, I think.

Bill

 

[Illum]

Due to the LuxV using 4 dies instead of 1...using conventional optics [aspheric included] will not be able to create a tight hotspot [the aspheric came out pretty cool, but its still square]

as of yet I haven't found a LuxV flashlight thats fitted with a deep parabolic reflector

 

[evan9162]

I've still got 4 V2T and 2 WW0S Luxeon Vs that I haven't used. Of course, I also have a bin full of about 20 other Luxeons that still haven't been used either.

A bare Lux V makes a nice area light for task lighting with a good clean beam profile (very little color shifting along the edges). They're a bit trickier to power, and not the best efficiency-wise, but I think there's still some use for them (especially if you get them for a really good price)

 

[Gryloc]

I still like the Luxeon V, and if I could buy a nice binned emitter, I would put it back into a few lights. I got caught up in the Cree/Seoul when they first came out and I replaced the Luxeon V out with these emitters. Sure they are super efficient and they produce the same light from one die, but I agree that the beams are very small. I do like the larger beams of the Luxeon V, but especially if it is mated with the perfect reflector where the donut holes do not exist (I can get by with them, though).

I only have some older V-binned emitters left in my parts box, and I accidentally killed my nice old W-bin. Right now, I still wished that I owned the archaic X-bin! Just like anyone who grew up with the older Luxeons, that thing still gives me the chills! I still hold much more respect for the premium LuxVs, despite the fact they are older technology. Lots of people like to trash them, and that is unfortunate...

However, maybe it is time for an upgrade from the Luxeon V to the new Seoul P7. I used one of these behind a C/D-sized maglite reflector, and the beam was just like that of the Luxeon V. With a LOP or MOP reflector, the beam would be wonderful! I was was worried about the beam being too wide with the Seoul P7 until I seen pictures where the die spacings were identical to that of the Luxeon V. I tested the brightness of these in a home-made light box, and they are similar to 4 of the 0200 TFFC K2s, the 0100 Rebels, or the Q4/Q5 Cree XR-Es. The color is okay, but you can just watch for the right bin codes (available like with the Seoul P4 thankfully) so you can match the colors of the premium Luxeons. The only obstacle is the emitter's package size. Once you get it focused in a reflector, you are set! Oh, and I agree that any of these quad die emitters would be awesome behind a deep parabolic reflector. I wished that McGizmo would re-release the McR-45 reflector to be used in a Maglite or something. We need larger and deeper, LED specialized reflectors!

For old time's sake, the Luxeon V is still awesome, but if you are concerned about brightness these days with all of the latest super-efficient LEDs out there, I would recommend upgrading one of your lights to the Seoul P7, or building a new one! You can even under-power the Seoul P7 by quite a bit and get the same old output and beam as the Luxeon V. Then configure the electronics to deliver the most current to the P7 to make it scare away those pesky skeptics.

-Tony

 

[asdalton]

The Lux V is more efficient, and has a higher maximum output, than the Lux III. The problem is that the Lux V has a large die size, which makes it difficult to focus well. It's not very good for most mods, but it does work well in a handful of lights that have been designed properly for it, such as the Surefire U2 and L5.

 

[darkzero]

LuxV more efficient than LuxIII? That doesn't seem to make sense to me? Most of my LuxV lights don't have very great runtimes.

Well I tried to get a beamshot but the 3x123 McLux Aleph 3 head DB1200 WX1S & 2x123 McLux PR DB917 USXOH don't look very much different in the pic after I focused the McR-38 properly.

Before I adjusted the McR-38, the beam had a slight donut hole. After focusing the donut hole was pretty much eliminated & the beam became tighter & brighter. The 2x123 McLux PR DB917 USXOH still looks like the hotspot is just a tad brighter but the 3x123 Aleph 3 head DB1200 WX1S has a bigger hotspot & puts out more usable light.

I don't think I'll be spending anymore money on LuxV mods but I will keep the ones I have now. Thanks for everyone's comments, I see the light now!

 

[Illum]

LuxV more efficient than LuxIII? That doesn't seem to make sense to me? Most of my LuxV lights don't have very great runtimes.

well, yeah but runtimes sometimes depend on the type of power source used...and whether or not its capable of a high current load

 

[270winchester]

the pinnacle of Lux V development for me. was thinking of selling it but using it reminded why I loved lux V:

 

[Mark620]

I still have a W bin LUX5 thats only been powered up a few times but never to full power.

 

[Illum]

good idea, 270winchester, is that an McGizmo creation?
we should all post pics of our LuxVs in commendation of its service:twothumbs



mmm, maybe a little closer


there we are

 

[darkzero]

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