HDS EDC XR Question

Sarius

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Jun 16, 2005
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I'm seeing that the X-tended Run version of the EDC is becoming available. I'm guessing that it gets the extended runtime from some sort of greater efficiency. I was wondering if this affected the runtimes at the lower levels. That is, would one expect a significantly longer run at the primary and secondary levels?

Thanks
 

*Bryan*

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I believe I read somewhere that the XR lights are actually regular lights that when tested met the needs for extended run time. It also said that the extended run time was primarily on the high setting but would help the lower levels as well. It would just be noticed more on the high setting..
 

Crossword

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Apr 25, 2005
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Correct on both counts. My U60 XR looks exactly like my GT with the exception of the lettering. My XR has a slightly bluer tint that the GT. In fact, side by side, the GT looks slightly yellow to the XR's blue. The XR however is considerably brighter on all brightness settings.
I'm very pleased and if I had it to do over again, I'd pick the brighter blue tint with longer runtime over the whiter light. I don't have the patience for runtime tests so I cannot say how the lights differ in runtime.
 

Connor

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Crossword,

my U60 XR has a hint of blue/purple in the corona as well, but I can only see it when white-wall testing it in daylight or when comparing it directly to another light. Makes my ARC LS2 with P4K-Lux I look yellowish in comparison. The hotspot itself seems perfectly white.

The U60 XR on primary (10 Lumens) is just a tiny bit less bright than the ARC LS. The reflector of the HDS is truly amazing.

-Connor
 

*Bryan*

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so if you ha dot do it all over: would you go for the u60, u60gt or the u60xr? Please give some reasons. I am looking very hard at this light and just can't seem to make up my mind on what I want to do.....Tint isn't that big of a deal to me, although I prefer as white as possible...Run time is a consideration...man o man..descisions..
 

Sarius

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Jun 16, 2005
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tough call. With my U60, I'm finding that the 10 lumen primary setting is more than enough for finding my way around, even outdoors. When I get up in the middle of the night, it's more than enough to throw down the hall, across the house and see exactly what trouble the orange striped cat is getting himself into. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/huh.gif

The fact that I can easily have the full 60 lumens in a fraction of a second works exactly as advertised. I use it for a better look-see, and find that I'm only at full power for 5-10 seconds at a time, so in practical use, as I do it, extending the runtime at full power really doesn't buy me much. Certainly not $65 worth.

If runtime at the primary or secondary settings were significantly enhanced, that would be interesting. I've very pleased with my U60, and want one more, but I'm thinking of waiting for Hank's next iteration. Anyone have any juicy rumors to share along those lines? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thinking.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grouphug.gif
 

xochi

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Nov 23, 2003
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If tint is not a big deal, that nixes the GT. Tint is very subjective and the tint of a light can look very different when compared to different lights.

The difference between the EDC Ultimate and the XR is $50. So essentially that money is buying a better LED. It's unlikely that you'll be dissapointed with either but , depending on how hard you work for your money, you are more likely to be impressed with the VALUE of the EDC Ultimate than the XR. Remember, when you buy the non-XR the LED could still be in the upper eschalon of leds it's just that it only runs 48% longer than the minimum runtime on high.

However, say you're a tax attorney or something and making $50 takes you 15 minutes, then damn, why deny yourself the convenience and peace of mind that a longer running EDC will offer. That just wouldn't make sense.

Or you have a specific need for the extra runtime or you find the XR more appealing than the Standard Ultimate +whatever you could buy with the extra 50$ then buy it.
 

JohnJ80

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I have an Arc 4X but was considering one of these at 60 lumens since the Arc is, I believe, about 33 lumens.

What can you tell me about the beam and the throw as compared to the Arc4?

J.
 

Connor

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JohnJ80 ,

the ARC 4x is 42 Lumens.

curbry,

I would go for the U60 XR, if you can afford the extra $$. The HDS lights are known for having very good tints, so the GT option is a waste of money, unless you really need a perfectly white light for whatever weird use. :)
The low Vf of the XR LED is a really nice feature, resulting in longer runtime and less heat generated (those are extremly efficient LEDs). Very nice. The *very* slightly purplish tint of my U60 XR is really only noticeable if you compare the light to another lightsource or when you use it in the daylight at noon (doh!). Otherwise, the light just seems to be plain white.

-Connor
 

ViReN

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is 2CR123 Tube Available ... for the EDC Basic / GT / XR ...

That i think will greatly enhance the runtime... for ALL the Variants
 

NikolaTesla

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Nov 15, 2003
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The Whitest LED's are not the most efficient. They even within the same bin rating vary quite a bit. If you buy 1000 of them and hand pick the best of the best, set all of them for the same exact brightness, A few will run much longer because they require less drive power to reach that level. Also finding those perfect white ones is hard. If you notice the GT models are limited availability. Looks like the EDC BASIC 60GT is not even listed any more. (I have one, definiely not for sale). Some of the bluer bins are brighter for givin power. The brightest of all are orange-red.
 
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