The Q5 is the best as it is the cheapest.
The MC-E is the best, as it is the brightest.
The R2 is the best, as it is the most efficient.
What is your application?
brightness, current consumption, throw/flood, ...
what is "best" for You?
the Q5 and R2 are the same led, with the R2 being the better bin, so - when everything else is the same - the R2 is "better"
the MC-E on the other hand is FOUR of these led in a single package.
pos: more brightness but almost no size increase (of head)
neg:
1st: four times the current needed
2nd: four times the heat produced
3rd: much wider beam and pretty nothing to fight that
4th: other driver needed, next to impossible to drive it with full power from a single cell
(which imho makes no sense, but there are ppl whoe want that small package and dont care for 30 mins runtime)
r2 for you then
It takes a much larger reflector to make the MC-E have the same beam pattern as the XR-E R2(MC-E has 4x emitting area vs R2). The MC-E(depending on bin) at the same drive current should be more efficient then the R2 though.
Do you want to build a light like the Dereelight DBS with good throw and spill? Then why not just get the DBS with a single mode pill?
Well, you won't have the experience of building a light though.
a MC-E in 4P driven at 800mA is still roughly 100 lumens brighter than a Q5 @ 800mA. I've tested both in my rig, there is a pretty big difference.
with the MC-E driven at 3A it's like 6x brighter than a Q5. That's running it pretty hard though. :duh2:
Don't mean to sound like a total novice but what's "4P?"
Also, there's all these damn multi-mode drivers, is there ANY way to tweak the driver to make it into a single mode? Don't need SOS or low, I just want to light up the torch! I have a 3-mode light and I'm OVER it!!!!
Also, there's all these damn multi-mode drivers, is there ANY way to tweak the driver to make it into a single mode? Don't need SOS or low, I just want to light up the torch! I have a 3-mode light and I'm OVER it!!!!
Sounds like you have only used a cheap DX multi-mode driver. A well designed light with a well designed UI is a pleasure to use, multiple modes and all.
no way a mce (4p) @ 800 can give "100 lumen" more than an XR-E @ 800
thats 1/3 more!
impossible!
imho there must have been some error with the setups ...
a MC-E in 4P driven at 800mA is still roughly 100 lumens brighter than a Q5 @ 800mA. I've tested both in my rig, there is a pretty big difference.
with the MC-E driven at 3A it's like 6x brighter than a Q5. That's running it pretty hard though. :duh2:
MC-E 4P @ 800mA in a Z3, 6120 lux in my rig, which is around 227 Lumens
Cree Q5 800mA dropin in a Z3, 3600 lux which is roughly 133 Lumens
both done on fresh cr123's. The luxmeter don't lie