Pila Cree Q5 250 lumen LED Review

UPDATED WITH REVIEW, THREAD MERGED: 6-04-08

Hi guys,

I feel privileged to say I'm the first person on the internet to post a review for the Pila Q5. It is a truly amazing LED that's worth its weight in gold. When I first received it and compared it to the original Pila Cree, I didn't notice much difference in brightness. So much so that I made a thread asking CPFers their opinion. There are a few things that blow me away with the Q5:

1. Runtime. The original Pila Cree lasted 1.5 hours on 300P's, tops. With the Q5, not only is it brighter, but it lasts 2.5 hours (Pila claims 2 hours!) on 300P's! Why is this so? My best guess is the Q5 has greater efficiency.

2. Output. Like I sad I had trouble distinguishing brightness, but now there's no mistaking it- the Q5 clearly has the upper hand. In addition to its brightness it is a bit more throwy than the 120 lumen Cree. This is the exact combination I was looking for in a LED drop-in, so it's perfect for me.

I've been exhausted lately, so I'll have to finish this review up later (w/ pics). I know it isn't much, but I'll get back to it. I promise.:thumbsup:


Dudemar


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Posted 5-31-08

Hi all,

I ordered a Q5 and it came yesterday. I tried it out in the daytime- my eyes tell me there isn't much difference between the 120 and 250 lumen emitters, except color temperature. I tried it in the evening, and somehow I convinced myself that the Q5 is in fact brighter. However I tried again this evening, only to find there really is no noticeable difference between an emitter that is supposedly twice as bright (again except for color temperature).

Is it possible Pila mislabeled my 250 lumen Cree Q5 emitter with a 120 lumen Cree emitter? Has anyone else have this problem? Any help would be appreciated.


Thanks,

Dudemar

UPDATE: Problem solved, no longer an issue. Feel free to give any insight into the matter if you have any, though.

Re: Is my Pila Cree Q5 mislabeled?

I would guess it's possible that it's mislabled though unlikely. Really the only sure way to tell if it's the same brightness is by using a light meter. It's always harder to tell if a light is brighter or not when they are not the same color.

Re: Is my Pila Cree Q5 mislabeled?

The ceiling bounce test is good for judging overall brightness.

Where did you get the dropin from? I was under the impression that the Q5 Pila dropin had only just been announced and wasn't available yet.

Re: Is my Pila Cree Q5 mislabeled?

I agree with you iced, a light meter sounds like the way to go. How much do those go for?

Tried the ceiling bounce test and to my eyes they are nearly identical in brightness. The Q5 and P4 is available from Pila directly, order one!:thumbsup:

Re: Is my Pila Cree Q5 mislabeled?

I think the Meterman LM631 is around $70....though it's been awhile since I got it.

Re: Is my Pila Cree Q5 mislabeled?

dudemar said:

The Q5 and P4 is available from Pila directly, order one!:thumbsup:

Click to expand...

Can you post a link, I can't seem to find it. Thanks

Re: Is my Pila Cree Q5 mislabeled?

monkeyboy,

Here you go:

http://www.pilatorch.com

http://www.pila-usa.com

You can request it through their contact page: http://www.pilatorch.com/Pila_Email/contactUs.htm

Re: Is my Pila Cree Q5 mislabeled?

I have come to the conclusion that I do in fact own the Q5. I made my judgment based on two pieces of empirical evidence:

1. The light becomes excessively warm, far warmer than the old Pila Cree

2. The LED remains on for 2.5 hours, far longer than what the old Cree can do.

After using the Q5 for a couple nights, the brightness is more apparent to me now. I think it is amazing and I am absolutely lucky to be a proud owner of a Q5.

Thanks guys!

Pila Cree Q5 250 lumen LED review

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Re: Is my Pila Cree Q5 mislabeled?

Remember also that our eyes do not percieve lumens linearly. 200 lumens does not look twice as bright as 100 lumens, more like 25-50 percent brighter.

Re: Pila Cree Q5 250 lumens

Yeah that's the impression I got.

Re: Pila Cree Q5 250 lumens

Part # for the Q5 is LEO5 give them a call thats how i got mine on tuesday, all i can say is i am not much for the beam

Re: Pila Cree Q5 250 lumens

276 said:

...all i can say is i am not much for the beam

Click to expand...

I'm not quite sure what you mean, can you elaborate a bit on this?

Re: Pila Cree Q5 250 lumens

i mean the spot

How much is it? Much more above the 120 lumens emitter?

It's $51 and currently only available at ESA (Pila USA). I'm sure the other Pila dealers will catch on very soon, though. (Flashlightz.com comes to mind)