KeepingItLight
Flashlight Enthusiast
One other manufacturer who tests the LEDs individually would be HDS. Even though the said LEDs are Nichia 219, if it doesn't pass the CRI test of 90+ it doesn't get labelled High CRI, and would only be sold off as neutral white.
Provided that it comes back at some point, I like to let the conversation go where it will. Glad to see that Pjandyho and WalkIntoTheLight have let it come back to the original topic.
Actually, I was pleased to hear about HDS. I knew about its potted electronics and its reputation for rugged durability. I did not know that it hand-picks the LEDs in its lights. This information raises my opinion of the brand. Cost is relevant, so I didn't mind hearing about that either (even though I already knew). This thread, however, is not about comparing HDS and Zebralight.
My purpose in starting the thread was to sow the seeds of an idea. We can all be winners in the tint lottery. Zebralight and HDS have demonstrated that.
It is not unreasonable to expect other makers to do the same. I'm not looking for this in budget flashlights, or even in models priced at the bottom of mid-level. At a certain point, however, flashlight makers can afford to address the issue of poor tint. Many of us want them to do so.
I started from a premise that most of us accept. The tint bins used my LED manufacturers FAIL when it comes to flashlights. Getting a flashlight with good tint has been a lottery. If you agree, then it is logical to ask whether anything can be done to fix that. Zebralight and HDS have proven that flashlight makers can do something about it.
Can something also be done by LED manufacturers?
Early in the thread I learned that LED makers test (and bin) each lot that they produce. Within a lot, testing of individual LEDs does not occur. That got me thinking about the variability within a lot. Do designers choose the "width" of a tint bin to conform to the variability that exists within a lot? Or is it chosen because application designers think it is what real-world use demands? If the latter, then it would be easy to change the width of a bin. Without any big change in the manufacturing process, LEDs could be binned in narrower bins.
The best outcome from this discussion would be for a consensus to develop among CPF members that the tint lottery is not something we have to live with. The problem is fixable. We know how.