xml vs sst 50 in same flashlight?

Hello everyone, i just lost my flashlight, which was a cheapo "ultrafire wf-502b xml t6".. Which claimed 1000 lumen. I know it was prolly more like 350-400 lumen.. But def bright enough for me at work.

Now, i def need another one asap, but as i was looking to order another one, i had noticed there is a sst-50 available in the same light for just a few more $$.

As title states, what difference, if any would be noticeable between the two leds?

The xml was just bright. Shining on a wall from maybe 15 feet, the hotspot was about 3 feet in diameter, not a good thrower considering the reflector it has. Outside at maybe 50 feet it was like a bright flood light.

Would the sst50 be brighter and project light differently than the xml(in same reflector)? would the light heat up faster? or run cooler than an xml? shorter/longer runtime?

I have a few 18650 batteries already, so i would like to stick with them, and a price tag not really exceeding $40

So, the question is, which one would u buy? Any opinions are appreciated!

Thanks!

The SST-50 will be floodier.
There won't be too much of a difference otherwise.
I would pick the cheaper one.

Try this one out Link Removed - Norm
I have a Trustfire SST-50 and swapped to led to XML and it was brighter. The XML is brighter in that light because it was way more under driver then the XML.

If I waited I would totally get the 3x XML let I mention.

I have built an XML and an SST-50 in a Mag host and the beams and brightness are identical. Smaller form factor SST I agree floodier. I would get the XML. Better power consumption and much cheaper!

I have the ultrafire G2 (SST), and the 502b which I modded with their R5 emitter. I just went outside and compared the two. The SST is floodier, but the 502b with the R5 is the better thrower.

poolman966554 said:

Would the sst50 be brighter and project light differently than the xml(in same reflector)? would the light heat up faster? or run cooler than an xml? shorter/longer runtime?
!

Click to expand...

The SST-50 has a larger die size, so will not focus as well as an XM-L in the same setup (with same reflector). In my testing, XM-L T6 emiiters are more efficient than any SST-50 I've seen. Expect slightly greater output and longer runtime with XM-L.

I'm no expert but I built two identical lights driven @ 2.8a. One with an XML and one with an sst50. I get more lumens out of the XML and, as others have stated, much tighter hot spot.

I'd go by what Selfbuilt says above.

SST-50's will only be superior to XM-L's when driven to higher amperages to produce more lumens.
Eg, SST-50's can be driven to 5 amps to produce up to 1500 lumens, versus XM-L's which can only be driven to 3 amps and roughly 1000 lumens, although the XM-L is still more efficient; higher output doesn't necessarily mean greater efficiency, esp in this case.
Do understand that higher amperages means less run time.

An SST-50 at 5 amps will chew up a single 18650 battery very quickly.
Thus, SST-50's are normally only used in flashlights with double 18650's like a Jetbeam M2S, or even triple 18650's like the Jetbeam RRT-3.
I don't think I've ever seen an SST-50 in a single cell CR123, or a single 18650?
We could use an SST-50 with both these batteries, but the run time will be very short...

Sweet! Thank you guys for the info!