Re: WTS: X60vn - The 2013 Big Deal
Ok, got the X60vn, a bunch of cells charged up, and stuck them in my light box. I've now tested with the stock supbeam 2600's(protected), Keeppower 3400mah's(protected), and Samsung 20R's(unprotected). And my results - the stock Supbeams are pretty good cells. No real good point in charging them.
The Supbeam and Keeppower's tested almost identical. Within 1%. Both ended up around the 6430 lumens I originally got. If the Keeppowers can't do better, no point in changing for another protected cell. The Keeppower is about as good as it gets for protected cells. If you want longer runtime and you use the X60vn for for work or etc., then it would perhaps make sense to swap in 3400mah cells for the increase in Mah's.
Now the Samsung 20R's - yes I did get a decent increase. They tested 6865 lumens at 30sec. And surprising actually increased lumens as I tested. It eventually peaked at 2:00 minutes with a max of 6980 lumens. Then started a slow drop. I've seen that only one other time and that's on the modded BTU Supershockers. Also using 20R's it climbs for about 90 seconds and then slowly starts dropping like the X60vn did. As a little side note, the 20R's started at about 4.23v and were at 4.13v after about 135 seconds. So you number crunchers might be able to figure what type of runtime it would give.
So basically these Samsung 20R 2000mah cells give a 4-500 lumen increase over the stock 2600mah Supbeams. Or roughly a 7% increase. Though at a 24% mah loss. And 20R's are THE lowest internal resistance and high output 18650 cells on the market.
So the way I look at it PERSONALLY - no point in buying any other cells. If you happen to have a set 6ea 20R's sitting around, sure stick them in the X60vn. Or if the stock ones go bad, they would be a nice choice if you don't mind unprotected cells. Or the Panasonic PF's or PD's would likely be a good choice IF you ever needed to replace the cells. The might give it a few percent increase and they offer 300 more mah.
Protected cells, any good panasonic based ones, will just give you a little more runtime. If that's a important thing for you, and you can afford to fork out $60-100 for a set of 6 quality cells, sure why not.
For now I will keep my stock Supbeams installed. If I ever change mine down the road, I'll go with 20R's. I mainly use my X60vn for a WOW light, so runtime and protection isn't a major concern for me. A set of 20R's can be had for about $40. So maybe down the road.
