Any significant differences between the P7 and MC-E?

Both are quad die leds, but is there a performance or durability difference? Both seem to have 700 lumen ratings in the newer lights (although it appears more have the MC-E).:thinking:

Pretty similar performance. MC-E has more options on how it can be wired. I think the MC-E is a bit floodier in identical setups because of the larger apparent die-size but I could have that backwards.

I've heard P7 is the floodier of the two.

The MC-E is probably the better choice.

The p7 is bigger

Marduke said:

The MC-E is probably the better choice.

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As a very very minor stockholder in Cree, I'd say the MC-E is definitely the way to go. :wave:

edit: and CREE is an American company while Seoul is Korean if that matters to anybody. . . .

P7 is cooler in temperature and generates slightly brighter output than MC-E. But I prefer MC-E because I'm willing to trade the slight brightness for nicer color rendition.

So P7 is brighter (why the new Eagletac is 900 lumens) but the MC-E has a slightly warmer color (why these lights are 700-750 lumens). This just complicates things now...brighter or more useful light...I hate choices:shrug:

Powering the P7 could be considered simpler or more convenient than the MC-E since the P7's Vf matches up well with high power cells like lithium ions. Running a P7 direct drive in a Mag 1D cutdown is a simple, efficient setup. You can't do that with the MC-E and instead need to juggle how to wire it, what driver to use, and what battery combination to power it all. Obviously, that's an interesting choice for many of us, but it can be a bit of a headache when you really want a simple solution in a small form factor, running at full power.

But neutral or warm tint has become an important consideration for me, so I prefer the MC-E myself, at least until the P7's come out in similar tints.

Juggle what with the MC-E? You can wire it identically to the P7. You can buy one on a parallel board and it hooks up just the same, using the same drivers if you choose.

I like how the MC-E is the same overall shape as the XR-E, so it will work in many XR-E reflectors/pills.. with the added advantage of a floodier beam.

Marduke said:

Juggle what with the MC-E?

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If you want, you can direct drive a P7, like off a single lithium ion cell. One battery, no driver necessary.

To power an MC-E, you don't have that simple direct drive option. You have to "juggle" the combination of: how you want to wire the MC-E (4p, 2s2p, 4s), whether you want a buck or boost circuit since you have to use some sort of driver, and decide what battery combination to use to not only give you the runtime you want, but also the necessary voltage.

I'm not saying that this situation is any better or worse, but it's a difference between the P7 and MC-E.

I don't really see any day and night difference b/w two. There's no clear winner, it just boils down to the personal preference.

Personally I like P7 better for some reasons, but slightly bigger size of it makes me hard to fit it into small light.

kramer5150 said:

I like how the MC-E is the same overall shape as the XR-E, so it will work in many XR-E reflectors/pills.. with the added advantage of a floodier beam.

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the 7090 + legs package is a plus in my book. Also, It just looks neater with an even layer of phosphor on top vs a layer of phosphor indiscriminately spread over the center. They are both great performers, though. I'm opting for MC-E so that I can be like, "check out this flashlight I made" and the non-flashaholic would reply, "wow, that thing in the middle looks really cool!"

:nana:

OceanView said:

If you want, you can direct drive a P7, like off a single lithium ion cell. One battery, no driver necessary.

To power an MC-E, you don't have that simple direct drive option. You have to "juggle" the combination of: how you want to wire the MC-E (4p, 2s2p, 4s), whether you want a buck or boost circuit since you have to use some sort of driver, and decide what battery combination to use to not only give you the runtime you want, but also the necessary voltage.

I'm not saying that this situation is any better or worse, but it's a difference between the P7 and MC-E.

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Like I said, there is nothing to juggle. You can purchase a 4P MC-E on a star already, same as the P7. You can direct drive it off a single Li-Ion, same as the P7.

Do you even realize that the P7 and MC-E both use Cree EZ-1000 dice? Cree just has the more mature packaging of the two.

OceanView said:

If you want, you can direct drive a P7, like off a single lithium ion cell. One battery, no driver necessary.

To power an MC-E, you don't have that simple direct drive option. You have to "juggle" the combination of: how you want to wire the MC-E (4p, 2s2p, 4s), whether you want a buck or boost circuit since you have to use some sort of driver, and decide what battery combination to use to not only give you the runtime you want, but also the necessary voltage.

I'm not saying that this situation is any better or worse, but it's a difference between the P7 and MC-E.

Click to expand...

If you wire a bare MC-E emitter in 4P, it is electrically the same, for all intents and purposes, as a P7. And as others have stated, you can also buy an MC-E on a star in 4P if you don't want to do any wiring.

And whether the LED is a P7 or a (4S, 2S2P, 4P) MC-E, you still have to "juggle" driver selection except if you decide to go direct drive.

Some actual differences that might matter include:

- Different die heights
- Different dome dimensions
- Different case dimensions and shape
- P7 slug is tied to the anode, MC-E slug is not
- P7 dome is the gummy dome, MC-E dome is not
- P7 is selectable for Vf bin, MC-E is not
- MC-E 4P and 2S2P options provide flexibility for replacing various different LEDs (e.g., Seoul P4, Luxeon V)
- MC-E 4S option avoids any issue of die mismatch that can lead to thermal runaway