LED flashlight upgrade question

[LED-holic]

I jumped into this hobby whole heartedly with my very recent purchases of the Cree Q5 flashlights.

I read somewhere the evolution of Cree is "P3 P4 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 R2 R3 R4". I know other LEDs like rebels and SSCs also have similar type of evolution.

Based on the flashaholics who purchased the state of the art LED flashlights say 2-4 years ago, how long did those lights (LEDs) last before you deemed them obsolete and seriously contemplated upgrading to the latest LED technology?

I've been thinking ahead and trying to control my expenditures so I don't end up buying too many Q5 lights, and analyze how I should acquire my lights in a measured fashion, so I can continue to enjoy the latest LED technology and not be too invested in any single LED technology.

I hope this post makes sense. Basically I want to know, based on your history, how long did your LED lights last before you thought it worthy to upgrade to newer LED technology.

Thanks for your thoughts.

 

[paulr]

The older lights are still fine, but basically there have been a few doublings of led efficiency that left the previous generation seem somewhat obsolete. It's often possible to swap out the led in a light, of course.

There is a limit to this and we are getting nearer to it. The absolute (quantum) limit is in the 300 or 350 lumens/watt range and we are in the 120 range now, so another doubling is probably close to the end of the road.

 

[lengendcpf]

The older lights are still fine, but basically there have been a few doublings of led efficiency that left the previous generation seem somewhat obsolete. It's often possible to swap out the led in a light, of course.

There is a limit to this and we are getting nearer to it. The absolute (quantum) limit is in the 300 or 350 lumens/watt range and we are in the 120 range now, so another doubling is probably close to the end of the road.

I agreed with you saying the limit is near.
Very hard to invent a super efficient and bright led that can let's say give 200 lumens running for 2 hours on a normal AAA battery..

Same as the computer's processor speed..

Reach till the point, althought few ghz speeds but the hardware can't keep up with it..

The only way to have super bright led is now using a led board containing 2 or 4 leds and using 2 or 3 lithiums..

Something like Core 2 duo or Quad processor..

 

[TONY M]

There is a limit to this and we are getting nearer to it. The absolute (quantum) limit is in the 300 or 350 lumens/watt range and we are in the 120 range now, so another doubling is probably close to the end of the road.

Interesting Paul but how sad.:mecry: What about battery technology? Are nearing the end of the road with batteries too? (I hope not!)

 

[LED-holic]

Thanks for the info. I guess I will be in good shape with my Q5 purchases for now.

I'll slowly add to my collection as technology progresses, but I do really love the Q5s!!

 

[LEDninja]

I do not upgrade on every minor increment of improvement. I jump when there is a 2X improvement or more.

Step 1
5mm LED. ~2000

Step 2
1 watt Luxeon run by common batteries. 10-16x brighter than step 1. ~2004-2005
Step 2a
Pocketable 1 watt Luxeon - Fenix L1P, L0P SE, Civictor V1 ~2006
Step 2b
Multiple Luxeons - Elektrolumens My Little Friend 3x3W. 6x brighter than a base Step 2. ~2006

Step 3
Cree or SC-P4 or Rebel - L0D CE, L1T v2.0. 2x brighter than Step 2. ~2007
step 3a
Multiple SSC-P4 - Elektrolumens My Little Friend 3xSSC-P4. 3x brighter than a base Step 3 ~2007

Step 4
SSC-P7 - MTE 5 mode. 4x brighter than base Step 3. About the same brightness as Step 3a but with a bit more runtime on max. ~2008

I have bought 3 L0D CE P3WC and 1 L0D CE P4WD and the only way I can tell the 2 kinds apart is by tint (WD is warmer, WC is cooler) not by the brightness. (The cooler tint of the P3WC make them FEEL brighter, so they seem about the same as the P4WD unless I shine them side by side on a white wall and look CAREFULLY. I do not think it is worthwhile to upgrade due to minor improvements in bin. Going from a P3 to a Q4 is only 1.35x, to the top of Cree's roadmap R4 is only 1.66x (still less than 2x).