Little disappointed with my Q5 D-mini

I've just been wandering down dark alleys to test my new D-Mini SE and I must say I was expecting more from it next to my M3 with the Turbohead. Both using new primaries and smooth reflectors, there was really no obvious difference in overall brightness or throw, which is not what I'd expect comparing a 175 lumen light and a 100 lumen light (LP's figures).

Do I have a dud Q5, or is the difference really that imperceptible? I can understand not seeing a 20-30% difference in lumen output, but going from 100 to 175 I'd expect more of a smile on my face!

Other than that, I like the D-mini form and UI a lot but it might not stay with me for long if I can get similar throw and longer runtime from my M3, which also has a nice warm tint to its emitter. Any other 1-cell throwers worth considering (and no, I can't stretch to a SF L1)?

I bought and sold the Q5 D-mini pretty quickly too, but went to a two cell light. I would say that you owe it to yourself before you do something else to buy the 18650 tube form Lumapower or Batteryjunction. It will burn a little brighter, plus you will have about 3 hours of non dimming output.

Other than that, I cannot think of any other one cell lights brighter than the Q5 mini. Going to a two cell light or 18650 light, I would say that the M1 SE, Fenix T1, Dereelight CL1H will all be brighter than the D-mini Q5.

Good luck in what ever your choose to do.

I guess the rave D-mini reviews are a little deceiving. What did you end up getting?

The only reason I got the D-Mini is that I loved the M3/turbohead and was looking forward to something slightly brighter yet the same size. My M3 was gonna become my AA travel light. Now I have to rethink my strategy. I was hoping to avoid becoming a big CR123 user.

Here's what my M3 and D-Mini measure. Both were fairly early versions of the lights which I've put Q5 emitters into. Both lights had an AW RCR-123 Li-ion cell and smooth reflector.



The initial total lumen output of the D-Mini is about 50% greater than the M3.

c_c

I saw that chart while researching the D-mini as a pocketable thrower and that's one of the reasons I went for it but despite the 50% difference in mwasured output (more if you consider my M3 is a lowly P4 emitter) I really can't see a difference. I was expecting more.

Now I'm thinking of trading the D-Mini for a small, 2-cell light since I really want a good, compact thrower. Any suggestions for under $100?

6p from optics HQ and a malkoff devices HO Q5.

I was disappointed with my D-mini Q2. I wanted to get a D-65, but they were not available. Then Battery Junction got some in stock and I almost bought one, but then I thought... I'd just be throwing good-money-after-bad, as it would not be 'mini' any more and it would not really have any more output.

Unfortunately I then decided that it would be better to buy the LumaHunter T-M1 Q5. Call me picky or call me crazy, but I'm not happy with it either. I've decided no more Lumapower for me.

I really want a multi-level light, which rules out the 6P or G2 for me. I conmsidered the SF L1 but I really want to keep it under $100, probably under $90 now I'll be taking a hit on selling the D-mini.

I'm intrigued by the Dereelight CL1H but cannot get a good idea of how much of a thrower it is compared to, say, the LP M1. I'll continue hunting through the reviews.

Meanwhile if anyone wants to trade my Q5 D-Mini for a Q5 CL1H v3 (SM), lemme know

The CL1H with a smooth reflector and one of the new Q5 pills will throw pretty good. I get 9,300LUX on my TES Lux meter, and around 11,500LUX on my Sekonic 408 light meter (which seems to give similar results to lightreviews.info's lux meter).

pipspeak said:

I saw that chart while researching the D-mini as a pocketable thrower and that's one of the reasons I went for it but despite the 50% difference in mwasured output (more if you consider my M3 is a lowly P4 emitter) I really can't see a difference. I was expecting more. . .

Click to expand...

My experience is that it's hard to discern a 50% difference in hot spot light levels (lux reading) when looking at a white wall or at short range. I do see a difference, though, in terms of "throw" - the brighter light will light things at 122 feet as brightly as the dimmer light at 100 feet. A 50% difference in total light output (lumens) can be nearly impossible to distinguish because the difference can be distributed as different sized hot spots or spill areas, different brightness spills, or some combination, as well as different hot spot intensities.

The D-Mini, like most other bright lights, is running the emitter near its maximum current rating. So the only way to make a significantly brighter spot is further concentrate the light. This can be done by reducing the spill size and/or intensity, or reducing the size of the hot spot. And in general, this requires a larger reflector. But if you're looking for twice the lumen output of a D-Mini, you won't find it with a single emitter of today's technology, despite what imaginative marketeers might claim.

In terms of hot spot intensity (lux level), the D-Mini is the brightest single CR123 light I've found, by quite a margin. As for total output (lux level), it's about the same as a half dozen or more lights I have, just about at the maximum you can get out of today's LEDs.

c_c

Pip...how about the Olight T-20 Q 5? Its a nice, small, powerful light. It won't out throw the D-mini, but the 5 levels are nice. It has a strong spill...but not real wide. You can use (2) 3.7 volt li-ions in it, or primaries. I use the unprotected 3.7, and they work great. THe light starts blinking when the battery voltage gets too low.

Curious_character said:

My experience is that it's hard to discern a 50% difference in hot spot light levels (lux reading) when looking at a white wall or at short range. I do see a difference, though, in terms of "throw" - the brighter light will light things at 122 feet as brightly as the dimmer light at 100 feet. A 50% difference in total light output (lumens) can be nearly impossible to distinguish because the difference can be distributed as different sized hot spots or spill areas, different brightness spills, or some combination, as well as different hot spot intensities.

Click to expand...

I'll go out again tonight and give it a go. My test last night was outdoors comparing my D-Mini to my M3 with the turbohead with a reflector identical to the D-Mini's (both smooth). In that sense the hotspots and spill should be (and look) virtually identical.

The comparison was made harder by the fact that the M3 emitter has a warm tint while the D-mini's is cool white but I still saw no real difference in overall throw range between the two lights, which is what disappointed me. I was not expecting a noticeable white-wall difference but I was expecting a noticeable difference at distance.

The olight seems like a good light but I'm really after maximum throw in a compact light with 2+ output levels. I already have an EDC that uses AAs. I'm curious if anyone has a throw comparison between the Q5 D-mini and Dereelight CL1H. The Dereelight's reflector looks about the same size as the D-mini's.