Is the R2 more efficient, but with a "worse" tint?

So many variables... makes it hard to pick a light.
I love the NiteCore, so I may just have to get one.
But, there are so many dang variable, Cree, Golden Dragon, and now, R2?
Is the R2 basically just a binned led? Did they sort for effiiency, or efficiency AND neutrality of tint? :thinking:

The brightness BIN and color tint BIN are not inter-related.
Stating that an R2 BIN has superior or poor color tint to another BIN is not correct since tint and brightness are not related. It is however correct to state that R2 brightness BINS do not yet exist in a "warm" color.

Hope that makes sense...

"Is the R2 more efficient, but with a "worse" tint?"
No

Aim for an R2 WH and see what you think of it's tint.

As far as the tint it's a bit of a lottery... I just picked up a D10 with the R2 and the tint on mine is a very nice neutral with a very slight touch of yellow when compared side by side with the Q5 version I have...

As stated, flux and tint bins are completely separate. "R2" is a flux bin of the "XR-E" model line, made by the company "Cree". Another common premium bin is Q5, which is one (small) notch below the R2 bin.

The Golden Dragon models are slightly less bright in reality, and generally have a cooler tint.

I recommend getting the Cree models personally. Q5 or R2 bin is up to you, if the couple extra dollars are worth a couple extra lumens.

I just recieved a reply from 4sevens, which seems to say that efficency and warm tints are mutually exclusive.

Thanks for contacting us. I'm sorry but the nature of the R2 emitter means that there are none with a "warm" tint, although there may be slight variations in beam color. In general warm tint emitters have or appear to have less output than the cooler tints, and the R2 is a high-output LED emitter.
Best regards,
Mary
4Sevens.com

Click to expand...

kramer5150 said:

The brightness BIN and color tint BIN are not inter-related.
Stating that an R2 BIN has superior or poor color tint to another BIN is not correct since tint and brightness are not related. It is however correct to state that R2 brightness BINS do not yet exist in a "warm" color.

Click to expand...

Just like in post #2!

What are you after? Warm tint like a Q4 5B/Q3 5A or just a higher bin Cree (R2) that isn't cool to the point of being blue?
Not very many light makers give you a choice in WC/WG/WH etc. Most of the time they won't even tell you what it is.

GTSECC said:

I just recieved a reply from 4sevens, which seems to say that efficency and warm tints are mutually exclusive.

Click to expand...

Not exactly. While there are no "warm" R2's at this time, flux and tint bins are COMPLETELY independent. In the standard "cool white" regime, there exists any combination of flux and tint up through R2.

In the "warm" bins such as 5A/5B, the highest currently available are Q4 in small quantities, with Q2-Q3 being somewhat more plentiful.

In short, there are not warm R2's, but tint and efficiency are NOT mutually exclusive.

At least there are no 5A/5B tint bins available in R2, YET. Q4's just became available recently.

Thank you. Where are the charts showing what all the bin nummbers mean?

The R2's in my Aeons all have excellent tints (for an LED, I mean). However, I bet Muyshondt's probably hand pick his LEDs...

GTSECC said:

Thank you. Where are the charts showing what all the bin nummbers mean?

Click to expand...

rmteo said:

Binning & Labeling

Click to expand...

These charts do a MUCH better job.
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/156772

Its important to remember that different bins are not different models, but rather LEDs that are tested and sorted based on their efficiency. They are manufactured the same way, but inevitable differences in the manufacturing process cause some LEDs to be less efficient than others, like CPUs.
Warm tint bins are not available as "R2s" yet, since the manufacturing process can't currently mass produce warm tinted LEDs with the "R2 efficiency."
Marduke, flux and tint bins sort of are related, in that the current maximum bin for warm tinted LEDs is less than that of the bin for cool white LEDs.
I'm not sure that I know what you mean by saying that tint and efficiency are not exclusive. Currently, cool tinted LEDs have higher efficiencies than warmer tinted ones. If you want warm tint, you will have to sacrifice some efficiency, and to get higher efficiency you will have to sacrifice the warm tint. Therefore, you cannot have both maximum efficiency (currently R2), and a warm tint. In my book, this is what "mutually exclusive" means.
Is there some other distinction that I am missing?

GTSECC said:

So many variables... makes it hard to pick a light.
I love the NiteCore, so I may just have to get one.
But, there are so many dang variable, Cree, Golden Dragon, and now, R2?
Is the R2 basically just a binned led? Did they sort for effiiency, or efficiency AND neutrality of tint? :thinking:

Click to expand...

Cree makes power LEDs in three types of white - cool, neutral, and warm.

The most efficient LEDs (the ones that produce the most lumens) are all 'cool' white LEDs.. this includes the R2 bin. Neutral and Warm white LEDs are not as efficient, likely because the phosphor used to convert the native blue light of the LED to white is not as efficient.

So if you don't like cool white I suppose you could say the R2 bin has a worse tint.

The warmer LEDs CREE offers are very nice, they just don't produce as much light (per watt consumed) as the cool white bins (R2 is only offered as a 'cool' white I believe).

Wow, this is all very interesting, but it also is making my head spin.