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The brightest flashlight under $50? Cree XHP70? XHP90?


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Is anyone knowledgeable about the different types of Cree LEDs? I am looking for the brightest possible flashlight on Amazon or Ali Express (for under $50 USD) 

From what I see the Cree "XHP70" LED is the brightest "legit" Cree version available on Amazon. But China has created their own Cree knockoffs and called them XHP90, XHP90.2 and XHP100 which really confuse the situation. Does anyone have first hand knowledge of these? Are they brighter then the XHP70 LEDs?

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  • 3 weeks later...

I will update my own thread. I ordered this item:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001114343170.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.417a4c4d9pStgi 

...and I am pretty happy with it.

There are several types on that page, I got "Package H" which contains three Chinese made XHP90.2 LEDs (Cree knockoffs) which are extremely bright - each XHP90.2 has four T6-like LEDs from what I can tell. I would estimate the lumens coming off this thing to be in the 5000-10000 range, it is easily 5x brighter then my 800 lumen flashlights which are powered by one 18650 battery. This has four 18650s in it (not replaceable, can't open it) and can also be used as a powerbank to charge your cell phone, which is a nice bonus. The only drawback is that it is as thick as four 18650 batteries - it's short and stubby.

TL;DR - a good buy for $32 USD, it would be very difficult to find something brighter at this price range.

XPH90.thumb.jpg.0dfd842356c474e25a3172cc9ca16788.jpg

Edited by Tryptych
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I would go for Sofirn 32a V2.0. Best all rounder I ever had. Have used one faithfully for the last five years on all sorts of adventures, early this year it died after using super high amp 18650s on high beam for too long. Yes high amp batts does make the light significantly brighter but you gotta be careful not to overheat it.

Anyways one board swap and generous application of thermal paste later and i'm good to go again. Highly recommend it and the Sofirn official store in Aliexpress has really taken care of my spare parts needs even sending me free LEDs just in case. 

I've probably purchased five so far of which only two were for myself and only one gets actual EDC use. 

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On 10/2/2020 at 1:41 PM, Tinkererboi said:

I would go for Sofirn 32a V2.0.

I have tested a bunch of single 18650 flashlights as well, but they are always 1200 lumen or less, usually around 800.  I was looking for something bigger this time.

After further testing this week and comparing this new flashlight to to my other lights I'd estimate its lumen output is in the 10,000 area! A really good deal for $31 USD. The only drawback I see so far is that it is 4x thicker and 4x heavier then a single 18650 flashlight, it's not very comfortable to hold for a long time.

Edited by Tryptych
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  • 1 month later...

My favorite light for riding is an Emisar D4SV2 w/ 4000k XPL-Hi emitters. 

https://intl-outdoor.com/emisar-d4sv2.html

As you said, lights with 3 18650's are clunky and too heavy for long periods of time. I find any single cell 26650 flashlight is ideal for riding. 

The Astrolux mf01 is probably the brightest 26650 light but won't sustain any brighter than the D4SV2 because thermal mass is really the limiting factor. 

https://usa.banggood.com/Astrolux-MF01-Mini-7+-SST20-5500LM-CRI95-Type-C-Rechargeable-Campact-EDC-Flashlight-26650-21700-18650-p-1560142.html

The best 3x 18650 flashlight is the Sofirn SP36 - you can get them in 2700k, 4000k, and 5000k for like $45 with batteries.  

https://sofirnlight.com/sp36-blf-anduril-rechargeable-with-3-batteries-5000k-4000k-2700k-p0023.html (again, too clunky for riding, but a great all around flashlight)

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  • 1 month later...

ooooh old thread but nothing gets my heart pumping like a flashlight thread!

I have my trusty Thrunite TN12 rated @ 1k Lumens.  Love it.  Single 18650.  I use a diffuser and take it camping as a lantern.

For a heavy hitter I have my Sofirn SP36 which is BEAST MODE.  @5.5 K Lumens  turns night... into day.  handle get a bit toasty on full power, will Dim in @10 minutes to keep from overheating.

Last but not least is my mining style flashlight,  with cre XHP70.2  REALLY Bright, but I don't think it is rated anywhere near what it says.  but solid light for sure.  This is my favorite most handy light.  I use it when I work on just about everything.

 

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Don't forget to take into consideration flood vs throw. At speeds under ~25 mph you can get by with a pretty floody light, but over ~25 mph and you really need a decent thrower to see far enough in front of you.

I offer the Wowtac A5 as having truly hard-to-beat brightness for the price (under $40 with USB-rechargable 26650 battery included), but it's definitely on the floody side and best for under ~25 mph/not quite adequate for speeds over ~25 mph. (Wowtac is a budget brand and you may be able to get better lights for $50 or $60 not including battery, but I find the A5 to be unmatched in brightness at sub-$40 incl. battery.) -- https://amazon.com/dp/B07Y55V3S9/

Edited just to add: I'd take the A5 w/ its 26650 battery over *any* handheld single-18650 light no matter how great it is. There's just only so much light (both brightness and duration) that can come from an 18650 compared to the much larger 26650, and yet the 26650 is still a nice size in the hand/by no means large.

Edited by AtlasP
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3 minutes ago, AtlasP said:

Don't forget to take into considering flood vs throw. At speeds under ~25 mph you can get by with a pretty floody light, but over ~25 mph and you really need a thrower to see far enough in front of you.

I offer the Wowtac A5 as having truly hard-to-beat brightness for the price (under $40 with USB-rechargable 26650 battery included), but it's definitely on the floody side and best for under ~25 mph/not quite adequate for speeds over ~25 mph. (Wowtac is a budget brand and you may be able to get better lights for $50 or $60 not including battery, but I find the A5 to be unmatched at sub-$40 incl. battery.) -- https://amazon.com/dp/B07Y55V3S9/

Very true, I have a flashlight I did not mention because it was an extreme throw, like a laser.  Sure that sucker would go 300 yards but the beam was so narrow it is almost unusable in almost every application.  Most my flashlights meet in the middle between a flood and a throw, with my helmet mount light able to be both-ish with focus ability.

Big Big fan of Wowtac lights, on more than one occasion I had their flashlights in my shopping cart only to take it out last minute.  I have heard from more than one source that pound for pound there is no greater value than Wowtac.  I think wife will kill me if I purchase another flashlight!  I truly have a flashlight fetish...

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2 minutes ago, scubadragosan said:

Big fan of Sofirn lights as well.  I own a different one, big value for your buck.  I have the sofirn sp36 and LOVE it.

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On 1/16/2021 at 9:51 AM, Oleg Artene said:

Lumintop B01 - not the brightest but doesn't blind others (STVZO) and fits 21700 battery

How the beam looks

I like that flashlight as well! The beam it throws is shaped by the reflector it looks like it will not go high and blind drivers.  love it.  I have so many 18650 cells lying around my house I'm a bit Leary to change platforms to 21700 and have to get batteries as well.

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2 minutes ago, Rich Sam said:

I have so many 18650 cells lying around my house I'm a bit Leary to change platforms to 21700

It has adaptor for 18650.

btw I ordered the second one and will ride with two flashlights (one in each hand). The brightness is ok for dark spaces, but with street/car lights I feel the need for something brighter.

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I really like this wuben torch: https://www.amazon.com/WUBEN-Flashlight-Rechargeable-Waterproof-Flshlight/dp/B0779M5VHJ

at the 30$ price, very simple/straight forward controls, over 1000 lumen, long lasting, has the charge plug on the unit.  there are a lot of awesome flashlights out there, but I've found that a lot of them have complex controls with like 30 settings.  This one only has 5 settings, 4 of which are different brightness.  I've found it to be very convenient on rides

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Just seeing this thread; I did my flashlight deep dive awhile ago, lots of learning.

Regardless of the flash you get, it's pretty key to make sure you:

  • clean all metal connects with something like isopropyl alcohol (noticeable difference in brightness I've experienced before and after; every flash I've ever received was pretty dirty at the connects), and..
  • pick a good cell. the cell you use can limit or increase brightness. something like Samsung 20S's (18650) or Samsung 30T's (21700) are regarded by the flash community as having the most punch, while stuff like Panasonic GA's (18650) or Samsung 40T's / Molicel P42A's (21700) will give you a good balance of punch + capacity

I'm partial to Fireflies, especially the single cell models (for easy to grip and handle), as there isn't a much better value + performance proposition: brightness lumens + floody beam (I prefer a more area coverage beam, which necessitates more emitters) and single cell 21700 (flash community seems to prefer), plus you get awesome open-source Anduril for all kinds of customizations:

Also, since there are new models always coming out, these recent single cell flashes are kind of hard to beat for the brightness & price as well (albeit not as many emitters as a Fireflies, Emisar, Mateminco / Astrolux, etc.):

 

For multi-cell flashes, at this point in time, IMHO there's definitely no need to get something above 3 cells, and I'm personally waiting until one of these companies releases something like a 3 21700 flashlight (multi 21700 flashes still rare right now) that does at least 15,000 Lumens, to replace my Fireflies ROT66 genII 12,000 Lumens, which I still like, but feel like will get eclipsed soon.

 

Also, it's pretty key to keep an eye out on BLF forum Negotiated Deals section, as they often run group buy discounts:

https://budgetlightforum.com/forum/marketplace/commercial/liaisons

 

Edited by houseofjob
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27 minutes ago, Ben Hatfield said:

I really like this wuben torch: https://www.amazon.com/WUBEN-Flashlight-Rechargeable-Waterproof-Flshlight/dp/B0779M5VHJ

at the 30$ price, very simple/straight forward controls, over 1000 lumen, long lasting, has the charge plug on the unit.  there are a lot of awesome flashlights out there, but I've found that a lot of them have complex controls with like 30 settings.  This one only has 5 settings, 4 of which are different brightness.  I've found it to be very convenient on rides

dang!  I had not heard of WUBEN brand but that 1k+ lumen light at 29 bucks looks pretty sweet.

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8 hours ago, houseofjob said:

Just seeing this thread; I did my flashlight deep dive awhile ago, lots of learning.

Great post thanks!!! You really know your LEDs! Fireflies look like the real deal, I think I will try the E07 sometime soon - which emitter would you choose?

A warning to others: Amazon has a billion "1000 lumen" flashlights that are crap and have fake reviews. Beware!

 

 

Edited by Tryptych
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1 hour ago, Tryptych said:

Great post thanks!!! You really know your LEDs! Fireflies look like the real deal, I think I will try the E07 sometime soon - which emitter would you choose?

Sure thing~ 

Emitter choice is kind of a personal preference thing I think. For E07:

  • Osram will give you best throw, worse flood, and good brightness
  • Nichia and SST20 4000K CRI95 (doesn't seem they have this SST20 available right now) will give you the best color rendering CRI (ie. no blowing colors out, most accurate color lighting) at the expense of everything else usually: throw, flood, and brightness
  • SST20 low CRI (5000K NW & 6500K CW) will give you good throw and good flood, but high power consumption
  • XPL Hi's (4000K NW / 5000K NW / 6500K CW) will give you good flood, worse throw, best brightness, and good more efficient power consumption

As a city rider, I'm usually looking for a floody and max brightness flash, as I'm usually looking for potholes and other danger in my path max 1-2 car lengths in front of me, so something like the E07 XPL Hi suits me just fine, throw is good enough for my use case (I also have an E07 in SST20 low CRI, bought it to compare and for backup, but I like the cooler color rendering of the Cree XPL Hi's compared to the, in relation, warmer / yellower color rendering SST20).

Also, if you're a stickler for Lumens like I am, note that a few 100 Lumens difference is not a big deal, as to the human eye, you tend to only notice a big difference when the Lumens relatively double in figure.

Edited by houseofjob
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