Leemann
Newly Enlightened
Gang.
Which is better the L4 or the Q3 and which will last longer, led life?.
Thanks from a Noobie.
Lee
Which is better the L4 or the Q3 and which will last longer, led life?.
Thanks from a Noobie.
Lee
Nuwai Q3 vs Surefire L4
- Thread starter Leemann
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Leemann
Newly Enlightened
Duh! The light is for edc in a belt holster. use it every day right now I.m using a streamlight stinger. But wanted an led light for edc.
Thanks
Lee
Thanks
Lee
I really hate comparison posts like this, but here goes:
Define 'better'. You're comparing two different technologies here - it's like asking whether a four-door Toyota sedan is better than a Porsche Carrera GT. To sum up the technology involved...
Nuwai Quantum-III
Power Source: one CR123 cell
LED: LuxeonIII (rated to have a lifetime of 50,000 hours till LED drops to 50% of original brightness)
Current usage: between 552-762+ mA at 3V
Observed runtime: 60-90 minutes at high power, then tapering off rather quickly afterwards
Switch type: Reverse-clickie
Surefire L4 Digital Lumamax
Power source: two CR123 cells
LED: Luxeon V (rated to have a lifetime of 500-1000 hours till LED drops to 50% of original brightness)
Current usage: approx 1000 mA (1A) at 6V
Observed runtime: 60 minutes at full brightness, with light tapering off quickly afterwards
Switch type: LOTC clickie (Lock-out Tail Cap - twist a bit to keep it from turning on)
As you can see from the above specifications, you're trying to compare two completely different beasts. However, some general observations - the LuxIII is generally better for throw than the LuxV, but the LuxV is a better flood light. The Quantum III's main weakness here is that it's a one-cell light, which means it's compact but shouldn't be depended on for long runtimes. However, it DOES throw a few hundred feet without problems. The L4's extra length shouldn't matter to you if you're using a belt-holster to EDC it, and while it's not a throw-monster, it'll light objects up at short to medium range without issue.
Different requirements, different answers. If you need throw, then you should probably look at an L2 or L5-series flashlight from Surefire, if you need a lot of illumination. If you're willing to sacrifice some brightness for better overall throw, look at using a Lux-III powered light from one of our flashlight makers (the Aleph 3/2x123 combo comes to mind) as you'll get a very white light with excellent reach. Another possibility, if you need only a spotlight, is to look at the Inova XO3 and T3/T4 lights. But if you're doing any serious work with a light, you'll probably want to go with a 2x123 based flashlight - the extra runtime you get with a second cell on a LuxIII-based light will outweigh any benefits a one-cell light would give you.
Moreover, I'd suggest reading the forums a bit - these sorts of questions have been talked to death before. Bottom line - LEDs don't throw that well yet. Look at more specific requirements, then do a bit of reading to see what other reviews have said.
Sites you may want to check out include the The LED Museum and The FlashlightReviews.com page, as well as Torch Reviews.
(Edit: Changed '562mA to 552mA, as per Cones' review).
Define 'better'. You're comparing two different technologies here - it's like asking whether a four-door Toyota sedan is better than a Porsche Carrera GT. To sum up the technology involved...
Nuwai Quantum-III
Power Source: one CR123 cell
LED: LuxeonIII (rated to have a lifetime of 50,000 hours till LED drops to 50% of original brightness)
Current usage: between 552-762+ mA at 3V
Observed runtime: 60-90 minutes at high power, then tapering off rather quickly afterwards
Switch type: Reverse-clickie
Surefire L4 Digital Lumamax
Power source: two CR123 cells
LED: Luxeon V (rated to have a lifetime of 500-1000 hours till LED drops to 50% of original brightness)
Current usage: approx 1000 mA (1A) at 6V
Observed runtime: 60 minutes at full brightness, with light tapering off quickly afterwards
Switch type: LOTC clickie (Lock-out Tail Cap - twist a bit to keep it from turning on)
As you can see from the above specifications, you're trying to compare two completely different beasts. However, some general observations - the LuxIII is generally better for throw than the LuxV, but the LuxV is a better flood light. The Quantum III's main weakness here is that it's a one-cell light, which means it's compact but shouldn't be depended on for long runtimes. However, it DOES throw a few hundred feet without problems. The L4's extra length shouldn't matter to you if you're using a belt-holster to EDC it, and while it's not a throw-monster, it'll light objects up at short to medium range without issue.
Different requirements, different answers. If you need throw, then you should probably look at an L2 or L5-series flashlight from Surefire, if you need a lot of illumination. If you're willing to sacrifice some brightness for better overall throw, look at using a Lux-III powered light from one of our flashlight makers (the Aleph 3/2x123 combo comes to mind) as you'll get a very white light with excellent reach. Another possibility, if you need only a spotlight, is to look at the Inova XO3 and T3/T4 lights. But if you're doing any serious work with a light, you'll probably want to go with a 2x123 based flashlight - the extra runtime you get with a second cell on a LuxIII-based light will outweigh any benefits a one-cell light would give you.
Moreover, I'd suggest reading the forums a bit - these sorts of questions have been talked to death before. Bottom line - LEDs don't throw that well yet. Look at more specific requirements, then do a bit of reading to see what other reviews have said.
Sites you may want to check out include the The LED Museum and The FlashlightReviews.com page, as well as Torch Reviews.
(Edit: Changed '562mA to 552mA, as per Cones' review).
RonnieBarlow
Enlightened
Buy them both.
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Seriously, pretty much everything Haesslich said is true. These are two very different lights.
The Q-III is a great value for the money, as is the L4. But we're almost talking apples and oranges.
My advice would be to read some reviews, look at some beamshots and decide what exactly your needs will be. Only then can you really make an informed choice.
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Seriously, pretty much everything Haesslich said is true. These are two very different lights.
The Q-III is a great value for the money, as is the L4. But we're almost talking apples and oranges.
My advice would be to read some reviews, look at some beamshots and decide what exactly your needs will be. Only then can you really make an informed choice.
BlindedByTheLite
Flashlight Enthusiast
[ QUOTE ]
Haesslich said:
However, it DOES throw a few hundred feet without problems.
[/ QUOTE ]
what?!? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif
Haesslich said:
However, it DOES throw a few hundred feet without problems.
[/ QUOTE ]
what?!? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif
[ QUOTE ]
BlindedByTheLite said:
[ QUOTE ]
Haesslich said:
However, it DOES throw a few hundred feet without problems.
[/ QUOTE ]
what?!? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif
[/ QUOTE ]
Let me qualify that statement:
My Q-III, the night after I got it, was used in a residential area after I got off work, and shone down a relatively straight stretch of sidewalk which went on for three or four blocks, bordered by several parks and lacking a lot of streetlights.
The first test was performed by shining it across the street, itself lit by a few streetlights, against the side of a building some 60 feet away - it light the target up fairly well, with a decent amount of light. Test #2 was to shine it down the aforementioned block, raising the light from a perpendicular angle from the ground, to see how far I could see the spot before it became relatively useless. With dark-adapted eyes, I was able to spot the thing over half a city block away, which puts it about 60 or so yards... or about 200 feet away. Beyond that, the light really didn't throw too well, though I suspect I would've gotten another 50 feet out of it had I been in a country setting and away from a city's light-pollution.
For such a cheap light, the reflector's actually pretty good... though if it was smoother, you would probably get more throw and distance, at the expense of a smooth hotspot-to-corona transition. I may have lucked out on my lights (thanks to ViKi of the B/S/T Lights thread), and this was a fresh battery... but I found it quite impressive.
Of course, my Aleph 3 puts that to shame (one block, easy). /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Still, YMMV - and the Surefire will put out light at least for thirty yards with a good flood pattern. Just remember what you're using it for, and that they're two different animals - a four-door sedan versus a sports car with V8 engine.
BlindedByTheLite said:
[ QUOTE ]
Haesslich said:
However, it DOES throw a few hundred feet without problems.
[/ QUOTE ]
what?!? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif
[/ QUOTE ]
Let me qualify that statement:
My Q-III, the night after I got it, was used in a residential area after I got off work, and shone down a relatively straight stretch of sidewalk which went on for three or four blocks, bordered by several parks and lacking a lot of streetlights.
The first test was performed by shining it across the street, itself lit by a few streetlights, against the side of a building some 60 feet away - it light the target up fairly well, with a decent amount of light. Test #2 was to shine it down the aforementioned block, raising the light from a perpendicular angle from the ground, to see how far I could see the spot before it became relatively useless. With dark-adapted eyes, I was able to spot the thing over half a city block away, which puts it about 60 or so yards... or about 200 feet away. Beyond that, the light really didn't throw too well, though I suspect I would've gotten another 50 feet out of it had I been in a country setting and away from a city's light-pollution.
For such a cheap light, the reflector's actually pretty good... though if it was smoother, you would probably get more throw and distance, at the expense of a smooth hotspot-to-corona transition. I may have lucked out on my lights (thanks to ViKi of the B/S/T Lights thread), and this was a fresh battery... but I found it quite impressive.
Of course, my Aleph 3 puts that to shame (one block, easy). /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Still, YMMV - and the Surefire will put out light at least for thirty yards with a good flood pattern. Just remember what you're using it for, and that they're two different animals - a four-door sedan versus a sports car with V8 engine.
