Is an R2 Better than a Q5 ?

I won't buy a flashlight now in a full size format unless it is a Q5. Regardless of the battery, this seems to be the most most versatile and reliable LED on the market.

What advantages does the R2 have?

To me, full size is a flashlight that uses AA batteries or bigger.

"Q5" is just a bin, one of many for the same model LED, the Cree XR-E.

"R2" is the next successive bin, about 7% brighter on average. It is for the same model LED, the XR-E

Is it warmer or cooler? Does it have the same rings or is that solely the result of the reflector? So many questions, so little retention!

Does anyone know off the top of their head what some of the bigger lights are that have the R2 Led so I can search the reviews?

travelinman said:

Is it warmer or cooler? Does it have the same rings or is that solely the result of the reflector? So many questions, so little retention!

Does anyone know off the top of their head what some of the bigger lights are that have the R2 Led so I can search the reviews?

Click to expand...

R2 or Q5 is just the flux bin, it has nothing to do with tint. The tint is a completely different bin.

Beam will look identical, as it's the identical LED.

See here:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/156772

travelinman said:

Is it warmer or cooler? Does it have the same rings or is that solely the result of the reflector? So many questions, so little retention!

Does anyone know off the top of their head what some of the bigger lights are that have the R2 Led so I can search the reviews?

Click to expand...

The ring thing has a lot to do with the reflector and you still have some tint lottery. Would I upgrade to an R2 from a Q5 .......... no. I doubt I would see the difference. There is also a downside, by changing the LED you will get higher lows ...... exactly where you don't want a brighter light.

Most of the Nitecores are now available with the R2.

I've bought other lights that are a Q2 and they don't seem as bright and get hot after a few minutes,

I guess I don't understand what a "bin" is.

popcornpicker said:

I guess I don't understand what a "bin" is.

Click to expand...

As Marduke said the LED's are all the same, ie Cree XR-E. Think of it this way. The manufacturer makes a whole bunch of LED's, all physically the same. Then they sort them based on their brightness at a given current. The different brightness levels are sorted into different bins. R is brighter than Q which is brighter than P. Nothing complicated or magical about it.

Bill

Thanks, that explains a lot.

I'm just trying to learn. The learning curve here is exponential.

I am honored to be in the company of the people here.

Yeah , a lot depends on the driver - batt combination , + the reflector design .

Q5 - R2 , just depends , and I think the flashlight design would be more important than the Cree .

Butt !!! all things being equal , R2 should be brighter .

Wait a second now.

Before I get too teary-eyed, are you saying that a bunch of LEDs coming off the same assembly line are tossed into different bins and have different names?

popcornpicker said:

Wait a second now.

Before I get too teary-eyed, are you saying that a bunch of LEDs coming off an assembly line are tossed into different bins and have different names?

Click to expand...

Same thing with clock speeds on computer chips. you are an R2 you are a Q5 :devil:

popcornpicker said:

Wait a second now.

Before I get too teary-eyed, are you saying that a bunch of LEDs coming off an assembly line are tossed into different bins and have different names?

Click to expand...

Basically. They quickly checked them for how bright they are, and what tint they are. This is done automatically.

They don't give them different names exactly, they are just grading them, and CPF fixates on precisely how highly they are graded. In real life, it's not very significant, and the differences are usually negligible.

That's amazing because I can tell the difference in the heat.

I always thought it was based on different specifications rather than production variations.

R2 Left, Q5 Right. Nitecore EX10, highest setting, freshly charged AW RCR-123 in both.






YMMV

popcornpicker said:

I've bought other lights that are a Q2 and they don't seem as bright and get hot after a few minutes,

I guess I don't understand what a "bin" is.

Click to expand...

Each successive bin makes very litte difference for you to tell visually. However, R2 > Q5 > Q4 > Q3 > Q2 ... so from Q2 to R2 is a big leap, that's why you'll be able to tell the difference in brightness.

All these flashaholic mumbo jumbo is difficult to pick up at first, but with a little time at CPF and a little lighter in your wallet , all this becomes second nature to you. You'll be able to look at the LED and tell which company manufactures it. You could feel the warmth coming out of the lens and know which bin it is ... okay, maybe not that good, but you get what I mean.

popcornpicker said:

Before I get too teary-eyed, are you saying that a bunch of LEDs coming off the same assembly line are tossed into different bins and have different names?

Click to expand...

Manufacturing semiconductors is in some ways, more like farming, than churning out nuts and bolts. There's only so much you can control in the manufacturing process, the same way that there is only so much about Nature that a farmer can control, and they can't mass produce 100% consistently identical emitters (yet).

So, the farmer ends up with, say, a whole bunch of oranges. They're all the same variety of oranges, all grown at the same time, but obviously, they are not all exactly the same. After harvesting, they need to be sorted according to their size and some sizes command a higher price than others. Similarly, LED emitters must be sorted after manufacture because they can't be made 100% identical for now (but they're getting better all the time) and some emitters will command a higher price because they are perceived to be more desirable.

That's like the stripe on a resistor, I didn't realize the only change was the difference.

so here's something I've wondered... what do they change in the manufacturing process to start getting a higher percentage of the brighter bin leds... eg... there are more R2's now then there were a year ago... what's the process here... anyone know? I presume it comes from an improvement in technology, but what aspect of the diode is changing; it must be something that still allows the LED's to remain the same size/shape/voltage etc yet cause the average LED in a lot to be brighter than before...

anyone know?

2benlightened said:

so here's something I've wondered... what do they change in the manufacturing process to start getting a higher percentage of the brighter bin leds... eg... there are more R2's now then there were a year ago... what's the process here... anyone know? I presume it comes from an improvement in technology, but what aspect of the diode is changing; it must be something that still allows the LED's to remain the same size/shape/voltage etc yet cause the average LED in a lot to be brighter than before...

anyone know?

Click to expand...

They improve the processes by which they manufacturer the chip itself, increase the efficiency of the phosphor, etc.

A sensitivity study may clue them in to something which allows for better process control.

Alot of good info can be found in the welcome mat.
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/172991