The Kerberos Quad XP-G2 dropin + SureFire C2. Pics and commentary. Beamshots soon.

Kerberos Quad XP-G2 dropins + SureFire C2. Pics, commentary, Beamshots (updated)

Adding to my 5.6A quad collection comes the XP-G2 R5-3C neutral. The single 18650 driven dropin is about 1,700 lumens @ 5,000K with a nice neutral tint. Some colors aren't as saturated as with the Nichia 219 quads, but the output more than makes up for it. There's no angry blues or puke greens or canary yellows. I'm pleasantly surprised. So much so that it's now my favorite dropin given its sheer output. I'm probably going to let the quad 219's go soon because of it. Hailing out of Japan, Kerberos' dropins are a bit more pricey, but the build quality is clean and precise. If you look closely, notice the brass heatsinking. They are totally awesome!















Quad XP-G2 R5 3C on the left. Quad Nichia 219's on the right. They are like electronic jewels

I have to get the dropin tightly foil wrapped and seated into the C2. It gets hot at full tilt in about 2 minutes, but a momentary press can moderate to medium with my chosen mode setup. Another press for a 50ma low that I chose instead of moonlight low. Even medium is bright enough to be satisfying and still not feel underwhelming. That's hugely important from a practical operating standpoint. Being able to kick down safely and still sate whatever it is right in front of you.

Needless to say I love these business ends with the Carclo quad optics. With its smallish size and given the acrylic lenses nature, its 1,700 lumen corona appears bizarrely 'astral' if you where to look at the light from afar from almost any angle. I find that a huge flashlight nerd plus compared to reflector based lights. Hey who doesn't like to have intensely shiny ray things. In time I should have some beam shots setup.

Kenji does machine some pretty nice quad dropins. I miss my quad xpg.

if you are selling any old stuff , let me know

nice photos and description!

so he definitely still takes orders for new modules? the OP in that thread was last edited in 2011 is why I ask haha

He has a pre-order post from Feb 2013 on the last page.

I believe Kenji has mostly word of mouth and return customer orders these days, I speak with him through PM's. It's definitely a premium built dropin, you have to be anal retentive about quality (like me) to want one . There is a small language barrier but nothing too bad that gets in the way. Recognizing this, just be sure to proof the details of your order with him such as the settings you want "5.6A 3-mode" "Quad Nichia 219 92cri" "last mode memory" or "no mode memory" "L M H (moonlight low)" or "L M H (50ma low)" etc.

ledmitter_nli said:

He has a pre-order post from Feb 2013 on the last page.

I believe Kenji has mostly word of mouth and return customer order these days, I speak with him through PM's. It's definitely a premium built dropin, you have to be anal retentive about quality (like me) to want one . There is a small language barrier but nothing too bad that gets in the way. Recognizing this, just be sure to proof the details of your order with him such as the settings you want "5.6A 3-mode" "Quad Nichia 219 92cri" "last mode memory" or "no mode memory" "L M H (moonlight low)" or "L M H (50ma low)" etc. These dropins are reverse polarity sensitive so you'll have to be sure the battery goes in positive first and 1X18650 only.

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gotcha, thanks a lot for explaining that

so does he use custom drivers? do you know?

I think he takes a variation of the kaidomain KD 8x7135 and has it modified.

ledmitter_nli said:

I think he takes a variation of the kaidomain KD 8x7135 and has it modified.

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very cool, thanks!

So after 2 weeks of messing around with the new dropin my thoughts.

A comparison of pros and cons between the quad XP-G2 and quad Nichia 219

Kerberos quad XP-G2 (R5-3C) Dropin - ~1,950 LED lumens.
OTF Lumens ~1,700 High 600 Med 22 Low

+ Much brighter high output. Brighter Med/Low output.
- Get's hot on high quicker than the 219
- Color rendering isn't as good
- Brightness levels feels overpowering for general EDC use.

This dropin screams lumens. It makes a palm sized host like the SureFire C2 look freakishly bright for its EDC size. "Something that small shouldn't be putting out that much light..." "There's a power cord connected to that thing, right?" I wouldn't be surprised if those kinds of questions where asked by those who are uninitiated to our craft. It's really that bright. Hold it up high and aim towards the ground and you'll feel like you're under a stadium light. One caveat is the heat. It gets hot-potato hot after 6 min on High. I haven't set up a bag full of ice water to test runtimes on high, but Med gave a solid 2 1/2 hours. The other real drawback is the lumen mode spacing. And it's something I actually struggled with in deciding if I wish to stick with it as my EDC dropin or not. It floods, High looks unquestioningly 'professional', but using its Med for everyday tasks, like looking in the trunk, taking out the trash, or looking around the apartment (lights off on purpose ) the Nichia does it better with its softer 400 lumen output and better color rendering.

For situations requiring a lot of instant light or if you are running around in the fields, this might fit the bill. But how often am I going to be in a hunting, tactical or search and rescue situation? I have better lights for that

Kerberos quad Nichia 219 Dropin - ~1,300 LED lumens.
OTF Lumens ~1,100 High 400 Med 15 Low

+ Great color rendering.
+ Brightness feels "calm" yet satisfactory for general EDC use.
+ Wider, rounder hotspot with a smoother transition to spill.
- Not as bright as the XP-G2.

For the majority of nearby situations (say 5 yards out) it has great color depth, everything pops with better dimensionality and doesn't make things look petrified bright as with the quad XP-G2. I find these attributes exceptional, even with the loss of available output. Exceptional enough to bump the XP-G2 R5-3C out of my SureFire C2 and going back in with the quad Nichia 219.

Some beam shots here with more on the way later.
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...-G2-vs-219-Reference-quality-tint-comparisons

Added two new additions to the fleet.

The Kerberos Quad XP-G2 [R4-5B BIN] and [R4-5C BIN]. Lost one ship the [R5-3C BIN] from the initial post - sold it -
since I'm liking the R4-5C better. (Updated beamshots with the new bins here.)



Kenji even went so far to stencil the bin designations on the side of the dropins :thumbsup:







These photo's really are a tribute to Kenji - 'Nakamichi' class of luxury work as always. That said, I am going to be letting the two quad Nichia 219 dropins (~1,100 lumens OTF) and the R4-5B (~1,300 lumens OTF) go this week.

My current thinking is the R4-5C is the ace in the hole for me for this current P60 generation. I've looked at a very promising 1,900 lumen MT-G2 EDC sized light with a gorgeous neutral, but I need much longer runtimes. So returning to the SureFire C2, the R4-5C dropin with 1,600 lumens has a draw down to 20 lumens spanning 1 hour 15 minutes on a single 3400mAh 18650. 2 hours and 30 minutes with 550 lumens. Bright and practical performance :thumbsup: I especially like its halogen amber like tint and one of the closest ANSI white curve spec ratings for an XP-G2 emitter. Beam shots here to get an overview. Granted the color rendering isn't as good as the Nichia 219's, but the tint and performance for a high output purposed EDC light meets the mark (and the fact I now have a titanium AAA exotic to satisfy the 219 fetish ).

As far as P60 dropins go, I think the quad XP-G2 at 5.6A offers the right balance of high-end output, runtime and heat. Everything else I've seen takes on more extreme limitations of their own. From 6A triple mule XM-L2 dropins (~2,100 lumens with rapid 18650 battery discharge, massive LED bottle necking heat, no collimating optics) to custom regulated MT-G2 dropins; (if and when they materialize) one can reasonably anticipate the same issues + the need for two cells. An extension for two 18650's might tamp the MT-G2's voltage and runtime concerns, but we're not in EDC sized territory any more.... :sick2:

Will post updated beamshots using the Nichia 219 drops and the R4-5B when the sale thread is opened. Stay tuned.

This is how you install the dropin into your SureFire P60 compatible host. As a rule, the dropin should not be seated via contact along the top edge (via head screwing down) and bottom edge (against the body) only.

The actual mid section of the dropin needs to dissipate heat around the rest of the head as well. So if it's all air, there's no pathway.

To clarify, this is what I do:

First I take the dropin and put a small drop of Deoxit around the area where the retainer spring attaches. The brass tends to oxidize so I like to add a chemical conductive cleaner around these parts before permanently installing the dropin.



With the spring attached I measure a little over two feet of aluminum foil. In this image I cut a 15mm strip which was actually too wide not allowing the dropin to screw down fully into my SureFire C2 due to compressing into the spring. 12mm worked better just covering the midsection of the dropin only.



I apply a small drop of Deoxit to the midsection if anything to give it some wet grip and 'patiently' start wrapping the foil around the dropin as tight and uniform as I can. Note this pic shows the aluminum strip that was too wide. It shouldn't touch the spring because I found that trying to bang the dropin in, if it wasn't moving, I noticed the spring was cutting into the foil from all the stress.



Once wrapped I place the dropin into the host and start testing to see if it's too tight or not. It should be tight enough that you have to moderately tap the dropin in by placing it on a hard flat surface face down. I like to align all 4 emitters so they are congruent with the square shape of the host body. Unscrew the tailcap, tap the end of the host downward with a mallet of some sort. Be forwarned if it seems you'll have to hammer it in a bit harder then proceeding to do so might make it nearly impossible to remove the dropin without large pliers. Either there's too much foil, or you really want it in this tight. Your choice.



Once installed I clean up any foil that may splay outwards by cutting along the edge with a razor, then place an o-ring around the gap just to keep it neat.





Screw the head on and you're done.



I actually go the extra step to ensure the head is touching the top edge of the dropin requiring me to actually "screw down" the dropin another few millimeters to completion. This ensures a little more metal on metal contact. This is all a lot of trial-and-error to say the least.

you take some great photos man. your posts are killin it!

I try to do my best :thumbsup:

ledmitter_nli said:

I try to do my best :thumbsup:

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not "try," you succeed!