First and foremost: I love small, 1xAAA flashlights and that is the main focus of this post. (Although it can extend to extremely compact 1xCR123a lights, too)
In the world of 1xAAA flashlights it seems that despite the fantastic Lm/Watt efficacy of Cree's XM-L2 LEDs, they are just to impractical to be used in such small lights due to the fact that the die is too big to squeeze inside such a small reflector, which is why nearly all 1xAAA lights are fitted with an XP-G2. Cree recently released their new XP-L LED and some manufacturers (eagletac) have already begun to integrate these LEDs into their lights.
Since the XP-L's release, it seems that most of the debate on various forums is about the XP-L vs. XM-L2 and not so much about what I thought cree was intending: the XP-L vs. XP-G2, where I feel the XP-L wins by an obvious margin. (Disclaimer: I am aware that the XP-G2 may have an edge in being a bit throwier, however, within the scope of 1xAAA lights, I feel as if this advantage is irrelevant since 1xAAAs, being as small as they are, are not meant to be throwers.)
Anyways, From what I have gathered, the XP-L seems to have the same emitter as the XM-L2, but in a ~50% smaller, XP-G2 package. EXCELLENT, right? Now I can finally have XM-L2 performance in my 1xAAA lights! I'm quite certain that manufacturer's such as 4Seven's, Klarus, Nitecore, etc. are ready to replace the XP-G2s with new XP-L LEDs in all of my favorite 1xAAA, usually key chain oriented lights.
I simply cannot wait. Since the standalone XP-L emitters are already becoming widely available from vendors such as Cutter and DigiKey, my question is can I swap out the XP-G2 die in my Klarus MiX6 with an XP-L die purchased from one of these online vendors? Using Cree's product characterization tool it seems that at any given forward voltage, the XP-G2 and the XP-L will have nearly identical current draw, and vice versa. This makes them seem quite interchangeable in terms of placing the XP-L on Klarus' circuit board and having it powered by a circuit that was designed for the XP-G2. I am experienced with soldering if that becomes necessary and love to dismantle and modify electronics if that helps.
If i'm missing something here please let me know! This is also my first post.
Thanks guys!