Nitecore EX10 Q5 vs EX10 R2?

I was wondering...what are the differences between the Q5 version versus the R2 version of the EX10? I see that there is a 15 lumen difference, which is negligible, but what about tint, beam characteristics, etc? I already have a Q5 version, and am considering picking up an R2 version, but I want there to be at least a noticeable variation between the two before I do so. Thanks for the help!

(BTW, sorry if this has been covered before...I used the search but could not come up with much of anything).

Hopefully someone will chime in here who actually has experience with them, but I would guess that there wouldn't be a significant change between the two.

Btw, PMed you.

The main difference that you may experience is that the tint of the R2 isn't as tightly specified as the Q5.

If you compare the blurb, you'll notice that the Q5 version is marketed with a specific tint:

Emitter: Cree XR-E Q5 WC LED

Click to expand...

Whereas the spec. for the R2, significantly, does not mention the tint:

Emitter: Cree R2 LED

Click to expand...

(these are from the 4sevens website)

In other words, with the Q5 you know that you will get a nice pure white WC tint, but with the R2 there's no guarantee what you'll get. This is down to supply and demand - pushing the manufacturing process to get the highest efficiency makes it harder to control the tints. It's possible that the flashlight manufacturers have to purchase the latest LEDs in batches that contain a range of tints.

So, you might get a slightly brighter light, but more of a gamble on the tint - I have an R2 that's distinctly on the yellow side for example.

The one thing you can be sure of is that the R2 versions will have the firmware without the ramping issues that the early D10 and EX10 had, although these were fixed in later Q5 versions of the D10 and perhaps also the EX10 (I know the D10 was fixed - can someone confirm whether the Q5 EX10s were also fixed ?).

its half a dozen of one 6 of the other... I prefer the R2 with that said. Some say its a lottery with tine and smoothness but all my Nitecore R2's have been great... I think I can notice the difference.... maybe just.

R2 = Newer, Brighter, Better Runtime
Q5 = Smoother, Some say better tint

Just my 2 cents :twothumbs