Advantage of XP-G vs XP-E R2?

WYlightGUY · May 12, 2010

List,

I am trying to narrow down an edc 1xAA light for me.

I want to be able to:

1) use AA NiMH rechargables/alkalines for now (14500's in the future),
2) carry in pocket (4-5" / 11-14cm) length,
3) have a 'simpler' clicky UI for high and low (variable or programable is ok as long as I can set it and forget it). Some twisting is ok if need to program, etc.,
4) have a nice combo of flood and spot. I like the D10 beamshots in this thread (https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/270382), and the E2DL beam here (https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/248375),
5) hopefully have at least 100-150 lumens OTF on high, 1 or less lumens on low,
5) have price be < $100 USD

SO...is it worth looking at only XP-G lights as this is the newest/most efficient technology? This would mean eliminating the JetBeam Pro/RR0 and EagleTac T20/P20 as they are R2. Likewise this eliminates the D10 R2's off ebay, leaving only the Quarks.

I see lots of folks on the forums are looking for the "one" AA edc light. Just wondering if for my needs the XP-G is a deal clincher or not.

Thanks for all the great info on this site!

strinq · May 12, 2010

They will have at least 150 OTF lumens with 14500's.

They have a very nice combination of flood and throw (tight hotspot, bright spill BUT not a large spill).

Basically the advantages of the XPG's over the XPE's are:

1. Brighter
2. More efficient
3. Floodier (an advantage to some)

But personally, i prefer the XPE's. I am in love with the smooth beam and tight hotspot with bright spill. I notice i don't need a large spill because i usually just look at where the light is pointing, don't really need it to light up a large area.

jcw122 · May 12, 2010

Spring has most of it down so I'll add only a few things:

-Most "EDC" type lights have that mix of flood and a hotspot that your looking for. When people say the XP-G is more floody*, it just means the hotspot is wider.
-Lots of EDC lights DON'T have lowest modes at/below 1 lumen. The only I know of that do that is the Quark series by 4Sevens, which are very popular here. http://www.4sevens.com/index.php?cPath=297

Also, in your search for an EDC light, I'd like to recommend looking into the advantages of neutral-white and warm lights. This is talking about the white balance of the light. Warmer LEDs will typically show colors more naturally, but cooler LEDs of the same family will be brighter.

joe1512 · May 12, 2010

I don't think you can get 150 OTF lumens out of a single AA battery right now for a 1.2 Volt rechargable.

Now with a 14500, this requirement is easily met! But for now, using a rechargable, you will want an XP-G for the most lumens per watt.

LiteShow · May 12, 2010

I think the Zebralight SC50 fits your needs.

(1) Uses Nimh, alkaline or Li-ion
(2) OK, it's only 3" - maybe that's too short for you
(3) UI is one of the best out there IMO - simple and easily accessible to all modes instantly with side electronic clicky
(4) This is subjective - I personally like the beam
(5) Yes it is like 122 OTF or 193 OTF depending on which cell you use, and low is at 0.7 lumens.

It uses an XP-E R2. There is also a SC50W if you prefer to neutral white. Check out my mini-review of the SC50: https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/273682

WYlightGUY said:
List,

I am trying to narrow down an edc 1xAA light for me.

I want to be able to:

1) use AA NiMH rechargables/alkalines for now (14500's in the future),
2) carry in pocket (4-5" / 11-14cm) length,
3) have a 'simpler' clicky UI for high and low (variable or programable is ok as long as I can set it and forget it). Some twisting is ok if need to program, etc.,
4) have a nice combo of flood and spot. I like the D10 beamshots in this thread (https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/270382), and the E2DL beam here (https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/248375),
5) hopefully have at least 100-150 lumens OTF on high, 1 or less lumens on low,
5) have price be < $100 USD

SO...is it worth looking at only XP-G lights as this is the newest/most efficient technology? This would mean eliminating the JetBeam Pro/RR0 and EagleTac T20/P20 as they are R2. Likewise this eliminates the D10 R2's off ebay, leaving only the Quarks.

I see lots of folks on the forums are looking for the "one" AA edc light. Just wondering if for my needs the XP-G is a deal clincher or not.

Thanks for all the great info on this site!

ky70 · May 12, 2010

jcw122 said:
-Most "EDC" type lights have that mix of flood and a hotspot that your looking for. When people say the XP-G is more throwy, it just means the hotspot is wider.

Do you mean more floody?

jcw122 · May 12, 2010

ky70 said:
Do you mean more floody?

Woops, your correct.

ky70 · May 12, 2010

joe1512 said:
I don't think you can get 150 OTF lumens out of a single AA battery right now for a 1.2 Volt rechargable.

You may be right Joe, but the Nitecore D10 on high has to be right there...that sucker is amazing on a single NIHM AA.

Its not as bright as my Zebralight SC50 on a 14500 which pushes out 193 lumens but it is clearly brighter than the SC50 on a NIHM AA which pushes out 122 lumens. The D10 on high looks closer in brightness to the SC50 at 193 lumens than it does to the SC50 at 122 lumens.

WYlightGUY · May 12, 2010

Thanks Lite for your info on the SC50.

I will check that one out very closely!

ky70 · May 12, 2010

WYlightGUY said:
Thanks Lite for your info on the SC50.

I will check that one out very closely!

Another vote for the SC50. Love the light size and the UI. It's "only" 122 lumens on a NIHM but that's still pretty good brightness and you will be rewarded with a nice boost in output (193 lumens) when you eventually start using a 14500. Great pocket clip also.

WYlightGUY · May 13, 2010

The sc50 looks like an awesome light.

How easy is the UI to use? I most often use the low for checking out things in the house at night (i.e. the kids). Is there a way for the light to start up in that mode?

ky70 · May 13, 2010

WYlightGUY said:
The sc50 looks like an awesome light.

How easy is the UI to use? I most often use the low for checking out things in the house at night (i.e. the kids). Is there a way for the light to start up in that mode?

You betcha!! From off, a 1 second click, hold and release starts it off in low. It took me a little bit to get this 1 second click timing down, but it's super simple for me now and I do it without fail. Another option is to triple quick click as this also gets you into low, but it will preflash, high and medium first. 1 quick click from off gets you directly into high (love that) and a double quick click from off will take you to medium. Or you can just hold down the clicky and it will continuously cyle through Low, medium, high.

jcw122 · May 13, 2010

Note that Zebralight doesn't specify whether their lumens are OTF or not. Might wanna verify that.

Ragiska · May 13, 2010

jcw122 said:
Note that Zebralight doesn't specify whether their lumens are OTF or not. Might wanna verify that.

actually they do clearly specify OTF

ky70 · May 13, 2010

jcw122 said:
Note that Zebralight doesn't specify whether their lumens are OTF or not. Might wanna verify that.

According to the details at illuminationgear.com the values are OTF. My manual naked eye tests suggests the same as the SC50 is brighter than the Nitecore D10 (listed at 145 lumens) on high but not quite as bright as my Eagletac T100C2 on high (listed at 220 lumens). But someone else can confirm.

FroggyTaco · May 13, 2010

From ZL's website, a listing of the SC50(I added the emphasis):

LED: Cree XP-E Cool White (color temperature 5700-6350 K)
Battery: One AA size alkaline, 1.5V lithium primary, NiMH rechargeable, or 3.7v 14500 Li-ion rechargeable. Batteries are not included in the package.
User Selectable modes: 3 (High, Medium and Low). Each mode can be configured to one of the two sub-levels.
Light Output (Out The Front)
- AA (alkaline/NiMH/lithium, runtimes based on Sanyo 2700mAh NiMH)
  - High: 122 Lm (2.3 hrs) or 2Hz strobe
  - Medium: 38 Lm (11.5 hrs) or 21 Lm (21.4 hrs)
  - Low: 5 Lm (4 days) or 0.7 Lm (22 days)
- 14500
  - High: 193 Lm or 2Hz strobe
  - Medium: 38 Lm or 21 Lm
  - Low: 5 Lm or 0.7 Lm
Parasitic Current Drain: 5.6uA, equivalent to 55 years of battery life.
Beam Type
- 76° spill beam spread
- 8.6° (3 feet at 20 feet) hot spot
Dimensions
- Diameter: 0.85 inch (22 mm)
- Length: 3.15inch (80 mm)
Weight
- 1.3 oz (36.5 gram) with clip, without battery or headband

jcw122 · May 13, 2010

Woops, my bad.

Advantage of XP-G vs XP-E R2?

WYlightGUY

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strinq

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jcw122

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joe1512

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LiteShow

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ky70

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jcw122

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ky70

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WYlightGUY

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ky70

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WYlightGUY

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ky70

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jcw122

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Ragiska

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ky70

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FroggyTaco

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jcw122

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