cree vs. seoul flashlight qualities

[jasonsmaglites]

ok, i know a little about cree vs seoul lights that we have all come to know and love.

but we really need to know a few more details so when i cruise dx or other sites i can make informed decisions as to the lights i purchase.

beam:
cree is generally a thrower am i correct, and usually has an ugly ring.
seoul is a beautiful beam, blending some good throw with smooth flood transition. seoul gets the nod here by far.

efficency:
i'm guessing cree gets the nod here cause of the q5 being out.
p2-p4 was the first series of cree came out last year
q2-q5 was the year of 2007
r2-r4 looking forward to next year
what are their brightness levels (q5) at 350ma (3.6vf i assume) and how many lumens per watt is q5?

seoul i only know of t bin and u bin, with almost everything today being a u bin. has it been the same efficency for a long time.
also, p4 is just what the ssc is called right, and it's just a wierd coincidence that cree has a bin labeled that?
what lumens is the u bin at 350ma (3.6 also vf i assume) and how many lumens per watt is u bin?

 

[Art Vandelay]

I look at the numbers for typical luminous flux. I find it more useful than the "up to" number.

 

[Marduke]

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=cree+bins&btnG=Search

 

[phantom23]

Seoul U-bin - 91-118lm@350mA, up to 240lm@1000mA.

 

[KeyGrip]

Yes, P4 is both a Cree bin and the name of the SSC emitter. Probably coincidence.

 

[WadeF]

Cree R2's have been out for about a month now.

 

[jasonsmaglites]

ok, im trying to learn here.
soo... the amperage rating at 350ma, is that the rating at 3.6volts?
is that what most of these leds run at?
does that mean for a 1.2 volt battery it's actually pulling 1050ma from the battery? then the convertor puts that to the right voltage?
that would explain why lower vf's are more efficent.
cause if vf was 2.4volts (theoretical only) only 700ma would be pulled from the battery.

someone verify if my understanding is correct and also help me to see which is more efficent the current cree or current seoul?
does ubin for seoul cover a broader range of efficency?

 

[extas]

no, the 3.6 - 4 VF is for 1A current. the VF is ~3.2 V @ 350ma.

http://cree.com/products/pdf/NIST XLamp LED Document.pdf

-ex

 

[extas]

on the beam, the Cree puts more of its beam directly out the front, most in an 80Deg V out the front. the seoul has a beam similar to a Luxeon. so if people say that Cree's are ringy is mostly due to the reflector geometry not being fully optimized for the Cree, this is for SMO reflectors. and if you use a textured reflector the ringiness goes away, but the throw goes down.

-ex

 

[extas]

lol even one more. hah, the cree and the seoul use the same cree chip as a starting point. they are fairly equivalent efficiency wise. but thats only for similar bins, i would think that the Q4 or higher cree bins are more efficient.

-ex

 

[jasonsmaglites]

what if the seoul was using an "upper" u bin?
doesn't u bin cover a vast range of efficency?

 

[yellow]

every time I have seen lights with Seouls, or made my own, I was disappointed.
Both with brightness and with that damn blue tint (even when there was a tint choice and I got a "warmer" one).

The light I am comparing with is a Cree P4 bin with a Sandwich Shoppe McR 19 mm reflector.
imho the best focusing device for Crees, NO RINGS at all and a very good flashlight beam.

My actual project is a Triple Seoul using IMS 20 mm reflis and the outcome is OK, but not good enough when compared again to that single emitter Cree P4 light.

Sure Seouls possible max numbers look great, but the lowest and average is way beyond that tight Cree bin selection and the blue light from the Seouls is simply awful.

CREE ROCKS! - if only they did not need the expensive McR-reflis
(have the Fraen plastic ones on the way, will be ringy, but if they are good except from this ...)

 

[phantom23]

You don't have good luck to Seouls. I have a few torches with both emitters and I don't agree with you. First of all - none of them has blue tint! First SSC emitters had problems with overheating - goes blue over 600-700mA. Newer U-bins can be driven at 1000-1300mA with good heatsinking and no blue tint. And it outshines Cree P4 then! I don't know what's your source but emitters from DX are not as bright as those from other (more expensive) stores. Second of all, Seoul doesn't need reflector play. No rings, perfect spot to spill transition (gradually less bright) even with smooth reflector. OP McR reflector diffuses Cree rings (and hotspot too). With SSC you don't have too choose throw with rings or flood with smooth beam. The reason why Cree and Luxeon RB are so popular is one. "Made in America". Most of flashlight production goes to US, reputable manufacturers are US companies. Pure patriotism.

 

[extas]

I see the wide range of a U-bin to be a crap shoot. I want bins to be in tight reliable groups so i know what i am gonna get. I can't remember the #s of the u bin right now but its at least 40 lumens i think.. so you could have a 200 lumen and a 240 lumen LED @ 1A in the same bin.. yuck. but in the end i have no real issue with the SSCs to me they are still based on a very efficent base.

-ex