What LED flashlight has the most lumen output using a single LED?

LEDninja

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I can go through the Cree/Soeul sticky on top of the index page look up the lumens and 5 minutes after I find the brightest light someone will notify whc of a brighter one.

Also the LED manufacturers are just releasing the next version of the LEDs. The Cree XRE went from P3 to P4 bin and SSC-P4 went from T to U bin. So the same modal light with the newer LED will go from 167 to 208 lumens at the max rated current of 1000mA.
Reference data for XRE P3 bin
http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=138503
SSC Ubin
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/1832033&postcount=103

It is not worth trying to figure out at this time.

Makes more sense to get a reliable light.
For an AA light I would get Electrolumens' Lucidus XR-3
http://www.king-cart.com/cgi-bin/cart.cgi?store=elektrolumens&product=Flashlights
For a single cell (CR123A) the very 1st Cree flashlight made the Aleph A19 XRE
http://theledguy.chainreactionweb.com/product_info.php?cPath=43&products_id=900
Otherwise just pick any 2xCR123A light and hope the designer picked the dropping resister correctly.
Since 2x123 can drive the XRE/SSC LED to the 1000 mA max forget the 3x123 or 4x123 lights. They just make better hand warmers. And waste your money on more batteries. It's the old sales gimmick " If 2 is better than 1, 3 must be better than 2". Not true. Just burns out the LED unless they put in a bigger resistor which makes more heat not light.

EDIT
LongJohn just posted the exception to my no 4x123A rule. But the Ostar is a 14V LED. The LuxV is 7.2V and will work best with 3x123A
 
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Minjin

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I don't think we've seen any of the really good cree or seoul bins yet. That would mean that the X-binned Lux5s still have the most output. There were a number of homemade lights that utilized these rare LEDs.
 

Outdoors Fanatic

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Minjin said:
I don't think we've seen any of the really good cree or seoul bins yet. That would mean that the X-binned Lux5s still have the most output. There were a number of homemade lights that utilized these rare LEDs.
+1
 

270winchester

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the O-stars that surfaced a while ago had a huge drive current limit, but not much interest went to them since they have big dies(hard to focus) which made them unrealistic to use in small lights.

I have somewhere a KL4 with an XX1S driven at around 900mAh, it's briiiiight. But after my HDS U60XR got a seoul emitter the end is near for the Lux V
 
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CM

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Minjin said:
I don't think we've seen any of the really good cree or seoul bins yet. That would mean that the X-binned Lux5s still have the most output. There were a number of homemade lights that utilized these rare LEDs.

X bin Lux V's are unobtanium. The W bin lux V's are available for $35 but my comparison shows that the $10 Seouls have as much if not more output and consume 60% of the power of a W bin Lux V. Same output at 60% of the heat and power--Lux V's are dead, and I've been proclaiming them dead since the XR-E's came out.

270winchester said:
...I have somewhere a KL4 with an XX1S driven at around 900mAh, it's briiiiight. But after my HDS U60XR got a seoul emitter the end is near for the Lux V

Looks like someone agrees here :D
 

billybad

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the palmblaze is a very bright light I think it is 190 lums for around 39 dollars
 

Strauss

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Top binned LuxV's are still one of the brightest single LED's out there. But the fact that Seouls' and Cree's can put out just as much light as the LuxV's, without sucking as much juice(much more efficeint) makes them superior in my book. Although, I still love the nice floody beam of the LuxV's...I just wish they wern't so battery hungry.
 

uk_caver

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"X bin Lux V's are unobtanium. The W bin lux V's are available for $35 but my comparison shows that the $10 Seouls have as much if not more output and consume 60% of the power of a W bin Lux V. Same output at 60% of the heat and power--Lux V's are dead, and I've been proclaiming them dead since the XR-E's came out."

If the light output is the same at 60% of the input power, the light:heat ratio is possibly better than twice as good.
 

Long John

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The new Led's are more efficient than the "old" LuxIII's and LuxV's, no question.
But to keep the truth, they are not twice as efficient.

I.e. a W--S bin LuxV produces about 180 Lumens with a vf of 6V at 700mA =4,2Watts

A SSC-P4 U---I bin produces about the same Lumens with a vf of 3,9V at 1A =3,9 Watts

I know, the SSC's are rated at 1A with about 240 Lumens, but that's subjective not my experience.

Best regards

____
Tom
 

uk_caver

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I suppose comparisons are always tricky, since comparing either the absolute best devices or the typical devices isn't always helpful. I suppose a comparison between the best easily available devices is the closest thing to a comparison

According to the datasheet, a bottom-end U-bin SSC should seemingly produce 180lm (twice the minimum 90lm at 350mA) at ~850mA.
A higher-end U-bin might achieve the Seoul-claimed 240lm at 1A, but I guess it depends how many LEDs like that are currently around compared to lower-end ones.

Still, LuxVs are basically static, while SSCs are likely to only improve. It'll be interesting to see what the situation is when Lumileds' Next Big Thing actually becomes available, which, if it lives up to the hype, will possibly kill off the LuxV properly.
 

Bullzeyebill

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Comparing my arcmania WX1S tower at 1 amp to led, and a VIP with Seoul P4 set to 1 anp to led, and BBH reflector, they both put out same overal light output (bounce with lightmeter). I would questimate their output at about 170 lumens, or so. Clear winner is Seoul light for efficiency.
 
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