FW3A Emitter Type

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Key:
For price and heat, lower values are better. Throwiness depends on personal needs and taste. For everything else, higher values are better.

Throwiness is a rough measure of candelas per lumen. It's the overall beam shape. Even the throwiest option is not a thrower, because compact triples are floody by nature. At a guess, the range here is about 2 to 4 cd/lm, and common reflector-based EDC-style lights are usually about 5 to 10.

Beam is the overall beam quality, like smoothness and color consistency.

More peppers makes thermal management harder, reduces the sustainable brightness after step-down, and increases risk of damaging the emitters on turbo.
All of the emitter types are good, but here is the worst part about each:
  • XP-L HI: Costs more.
  • XP-G3: Strongest "Cree Rainbow" effect (angle-based tint shift). Effect is minor under a frosted 10511 optic though.
  • XP-G2: Lowest output. Old.
  • 219c: Most heat, lowest sustainable output.
  • LH351D: Super floody.

Visual estimate of the floodiest option compared to the throwiest option: (the center tree is 8.5 meters away, lights are set to a middle mode of 107 lm)


Values indicate approximate performance in a Carclo 10511 optic using a FET for direct drive on 1x18650. These have not been directly tested in the FW3A host, so this data is more of an educated guess than a measurement.
Price Lumens Throwiness CRI Beam Heat
Cree XP-L HI $36 3300? ***** 70+ ****
Cree XP-G3 $30 3000? ** 70+ **
Cree XP-G2 $30 2200? *** 70+ ***
Nichia 219c $30 2600? ** 90+ ****
Samsung LH351D $30 3000? * 90+ ****
Votes will be counted with the Schulze Condorcet method.

Only the single favorite choice will win the poll.
The poll ends 2018-06-22 maybe?. The poll supervisor is ToyKeeper (civs@toykeeper.net). Contact the poll supervisor if you need help.

Give each of the following choices a rank, where a smaller-numbered rank means that you prefer that choice more. For example, give your top choice the rank 1. Give choices the same rank if you have no preference between them. You do not have to use all the possible ranks. All choices initially have the lowest possible rank.

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 Choice Rank
Cree XP-G3
Cree XP-L HI
Samsung LH351D
Cree XP-G2
Nichia 219c




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