LED Preferences

[xdanx]

So what do you prefer? I like LuxIII lights for their great EDC capabilities, but I am starting to catch on to LuxV lights.

(If this poll has been done before the mods can lock it down. But I could not find it in the search function.)

 

[paulr]

5mm - indispensable for keyring light

1 watt - Fenix L1p is my favorite medium powered EDC. The 1AA power source is far preferable to CR123's of any type. I'd like a more powerful L1p (could have shorter runtime) but I think the dc-dc converter technology to run a 3 watt led at full power on a 1.2 volt (or lower) source is just not there.

3 watt--I'd like a McLux PD or Spy when funds permit it (what happened to my Spy, anyway? I was on the list...). I was tempted to get one of the closeout HDS U60's but passed it up, I don't like the secretiveness about the internals. Really though when I need more power than a Fenix, I'm ok with using an incan.

5 watt: see 3 watt, I've sometimes wanted a Surefire L4 but haven't felt the expenditure is justified. My Streamlight TL3 xenon is much brighter at less than half the cost.

 

[xdanx]

Oops, can't chage it now.

 

[Long John]

IMO a better title would be LuxIII instead of 3watter, so I prefer the LuxIII.
Better be able to throw and much longer lifetime against to the LuxV.

Best regards

____
Tom

 

[270winchester]

I'm still in a phase for the LuxV. Something about its sheer output in a small package with great area-coverage capabilities.

So I do what all self respecting CPFer would do, I carry a LuxIII(HDS or PD) and a Lux V(L4 with XX1S). Life is good.

 

[NutSAK]

Maybe I shouldn't have voted, as I don't have any 5-watters.

I do love my 3-watt lights though, especially the Huntlight FT-01 and Fenix L2T. They are "bright enough" for me, and have very useful beams and runtimes.

 

[ciam]

I like 5mm for its long run-time. It gives you the peace of mind with one handy just in case.

I like the Lux III with its nice balance of run-time, brightness and cost.

I'm yet to try Lux V. Its performance doesn't quite justify its high cost from what I've read. It seems you can get more brightness by over-driving a Lux III than running a Lux V at specification.....

 

[xiaowenzu]

My dreamlight would be U2 sized, with 3 K2 leds producing a total of 420 Lumens!! :) I know that doesn't exist yet but hopefully soon. :)

Okay my current is multiple Lux III leds with 2 cr123s, because it's brighter than a single Lux V. Throw is important too.
Eg Elektro-lumens 'little Friend' or custom made light.

 

[LawLight]

I love my A2 with long lasting, but "just right" amount of LED light.

Law

:rock:

 

[Sub_Umbra]

I like 5mm LEDs but for my specific uses there's nothing that a 5mm LED can do that a LuxIII can't do if the right electronics and UI are built into the light. In a perfect world with perfect lights designed for me LuxIII lights would fill the bill for me from the very dim to the brightest I need.

 

[BentHeadTX]

I voted "3 watt" since my most used lights use the LuxIII (Peak Med 2AA, Fire~Fly III, MillerMods L1P UWOJ and Pacific) Have LuxeonV love for punch but my 5mm lights are... red and UV if I need that color.

Now to get back to waiting for the Cree XR E package to come in... Quad Cree anyone?

 

[TigerhawkT3]

I think LuxVs aren't used as often as IIIs because of the larger die. That makes them more difficult to focus than a LuxIII, with the possibility of a donut hole, like in the U2.

All three of my EDC lights are LuxIIIs. I carry a P1, Pierce M10i (narrow optic installed), and Gladius. Sub_Umbra, you might like the Gladius, as it can be very dim if necessary, or very bright if you want.

 

[Coop]

All have their strong and weak points... Which type is preferred depends on the application.

I'm a flashaholic, if it emits light, I like it :laughing:




.

 

[voodoogreg]

All have their strong and weak points... Which type is preferred depends on the application.

I'm a flashaholic, if it emits light, I like it :laughing:




.

WORD. i use 5mm a lot and really like my collection of small pocket light's. So even though I voted 3W, i use 5mm's as much esp, around the house. VDG

 

[Illum]

5mm when Im adapted to "nighttime" lighting and dont need to blind myself doing tasks on a reflective surface with simple to moderate difficulty.... [stylus]
1 watt with throw [SL PP 4AA Lux:rock:], and portability [Dorcy 1 watt/ T1]
3 watt with runtime and power [XO3], Id say 2 hour runtime seems too low:ohgeez:, but i never achieved any application that exceeds anywhere near 2 hours.:grin2:

 

[jtr1962]

I'm still a big fan of 5mm LEDs, especially in arrays. At this point in time the better ones are more efficient than power LEDs. They're easily scalable to outputs in the low hundreds of lumens. They don't require heatsinking although they do require laying out a PC board with good thermal paths. IMHO their color rendering is better than power LEDs like Luxeons, especially in the deeper reds. The beam artifacts mostly cancel in larger arrays. They don't require the added complexity of optics. While tints do vary in large arrays these also tend to cancel.

Sure, they do have their downsides. For starters the lifespan of the whites is only a fraction of silicon encapsulated power white LEDs. For many uses however the lifespan will exceed the useful life of the device they're in. Next the driving requirements may be more complex, and the PCB layout certainly is. At this point in time the total costs for a given amount of lumens using 5mm LEDs may well exceed a similar project using power LEDs. On the one hand you have more expensive heatsinking required for power LEDs but on the other you have the insertion costs of many pieces of 5mm LEDs for a given lumen output (cheap labor can largely negate this factor). Taken as a whole though if you want a certain amount of lumens while maximizing your run time 5mm is probably the best way to go.

There are certainly ways to improve 5mm LEDs further. Lifetime should match their larger cousins. Indeed, Seoul Semiconductor has already fixed this problem. Cost per lumen should be on par or less. Basically, given the $2.50 or so per piece price for 100 lumen power LEDs this means that 5 lumen 5mm LEDs must be priced under $0.10 once insertion costs are taken into account. A better thermal path is needed as well, perhaps via a heavier lead frame.

Although they have their fans here, I'd say the 5 watt quad-die LEDs are the least attractive choice. They fail badly on cost per lumen. They're harder to focus. Their output is only marginally more than the better binned 3 watters at this point. The lifetime of the whites is abysmal.