Poll: What LED tint do you prefer in a flashlight?

Please vote only if you have owned a light with a cool white LED and a light with a neutral white or warm white LED.

I realize that there have been some polls about LED tint before, but never one that simply seeks to determine whether more members who have compared the difference prefer cool white or neutral/warm white tint. I have seen some members making statements about what is generally preferred, and I became curious about whether their impressions were right.

Let's keep this simple. Assume the choice of neutral white or warm white includes the corresponding loss in output that is a consequence of the different phosphors. I know some people will say that one tint or another will be preferred for specific situations, so just assume that this is for all situations. So, if you had only one flashlight, what tint would you want it to be?

Edit: By request I have added definitions for the tint choices. Let's use the Cree standard here, so cool white has CCT >5000K, neutral white has CCT between 5000K and 3700K, and warm white has CCT <3700K.

Neutral!
I like warm too but if you're just going to have 1 then make mine neutral.

My pick would be a neutral white. I have flashlights with cool white, neutral white, and warm white LEDs. For the widest range of uses, I would pick a neutral white led.

Please define what you mean by cool, neutral, and warm. Their definitions aren't self explanatory. For example, some people consider Cree's 5A tint to be warm, while others, including Cree, consider it neutral. Further, some people consider neutral to be "pure white," yet the meaning of pure white will also vary from person to person unless precisely defined.

Would the "guaranteed tint" version of the HDS EDC and RA Clicky lights qualify as a "neutral white" tint?

Personally I'd say no. Still cool white but probably the best of them.

Any tint, as long as it is not blue.

Out of the three in the poll, Neutral would be my choice, but would qualify that by saying that almost any tint would work if the output was high enough. Back a few years, when flux was relatively low (30-60 lumens), the tint of the beam could make a big difference in what one would perceive. Today, even if the tints lean a little one way or the other, the much higher flux still allows the user to 'see' effectively.

I really like the neutral tint since I first modded my first light with a XR-E Q3-5A. Right now my preferable tint for a EDC light is 5A/5B. But with brighter lights (SST-90/50) I more like a cool-white tint. The funny thing is that I can really get used to a bluish tint but if it is slightly greenish I just hate it .

rayman

Does neutral white = pure white (5200K)?

I like pure white the best.

There isn't only one choice for me because it depends on the situation but neutral white has my prefrence for now even if in using cool white. Warm white untested yet.
I would like to be able to test/try the whole range of tints to pick up 3 or 4 tints between "not too" cool white to heavy warm white but above all I think that I would like high CRI neutral white (like sunlight) LEDs for most of my needs.

I prefer the neutral tints as a default but warm tint for outdoors use. In fact, I'm waiting for a warm-tint light to arrive in the next couple of weeks.

I prefer cool white as long as there's no hint of blue or purple. I really don't care much for the warms as they have the tint of an incandescent with dying batteries. So far the jury is still out on the neutrals. I have one on order from 4Sevens and won't be able to give an honest opinion until I get it.

Mark

Are M60s considered neutral enough? Because that's the tint I'm satisfied with a lot. I have early Fenix lights and Streamlight that are "cool" bluish tints and that's very annoying especially outside.

a great poll. i am quite surprised at the results. i'll take whatever light is handy but since we are talking preference mine is definately warm.
so much so that i am willing to pay more for it if need be. it's not that i don't like others tints but warm just seems so much more natural to me and more faithfull to the way i perceive daylight.

I voted for warm. My ideal color is about 3000K, like an incan with fresh batteries. I'll gladly sacrifice throw, some total output and extra cash for the color I prefer. Besides the color alone, I find the inherent floodiness of warm LEDs to be more useful in almost all tasks I perform with personal lighting.

JCD said:

Please define what you mean by cool, neutral, and warm.

Click to expand...

I'll do my best. I have an LD20 (It is not the R4 version. Mine says premium Q5 on the head). I consider it to be a cool white LED. My TK20 is considered neutral in my opinion. I also have a Quark 123^2 Warm White; it is my example of a warm white LED. These three lights is what my perception of what is cool, neutral, and warm is based on. I hope that helps.

I'll take a Nichia 4500K High-CRI emitter any day over a cool emitter, even if the output is cut in half vs some of the newer tech.

Second to that I'd take an SSC High-CRI emitter, in the highest CCT bin I can get them in. (though I prefer ST0)

91FromStars said:

I'll do my best. I have an LD20 (It is not the R4 version. Mine says premium Q5 on the head). I consider it to be a cool white LED. My TK20 is considered neutral in my opinion. I also have a Quark 123^2 Warm White; it is my example of a warm white LED. These three lights is what my perception of what is cool, neutral, and warm is based on. I hope that helps.

Click to expand...

Unfortunately, without knowing the CCT values, or at least the chromaticity label, of the LED's, it's difficult to understand what the tints of those lights are without seeing them in person.

The color of the sun...Neutral.

My Haiku XP-G what ever tint that has works for me. Everything seems to look like what it should just brighter depending on what mode I use I am not a very good judge of tints I leave it to the builders so what ever Don uses is good enough for me.