Re: What does all the flashlight "jargin" mean?
"Tactical" is a pretty vague, and often controversial definition. Marketing language that indicates it probably has certain features. These
might include momentary on, relatively high brightness, strobe mode, etc.
Emitter - The LED itself. As I understand it, things like Q5, R4, XPE, XPG, MCE, etc. are basically model names of different LEDs. Major manufacturers include Cree, SSC, Luminous, etc.
See the emitter thread here:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/270419
Driver - Circuitry to regulate the voltage, etc. There are many drivers out there, and many custom ones as well. In contrast to "direct drive" (no circuitry), a light with a driver will not dim as the battery is used up, and may have extra modes and features.
Flux/bin/tint - Not sure the proper definition, but this has to do with the colour. Along with the driver, this can get pretty technical, so many light manufacturers don't disclose what bins they use, but will instead just say "cool/warm/neutral white". (You might see a reference to something like "7B4 bin", which will indicate pretty specifically what colour the beam of that light will be.)
A list of some bins is here:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/156772
Lumens - I know this has a specific definition, but it can be subjectively read as "how bright this is". Keep in mind different manufacturers measure lumens differently, so some numbers are conservative, and some are exaggerated. However, it should still give you a vague idea.
Reflector - The LED is in the middle, and there is a reflective cone around it. Think of your classic maglite.
Optic - Instead of a reflector, a specially shaped piece of glass is used to focus the beam into a particular shape.
(Some lights, particularly keychain lights, will have neither reflector nor optic, but will just have a LED sticking out the front.)
Aspheric lens - These seem to be becoming popular lately. They are special curved lenses that focus the beam very tightly.
