brighterthanthesun
Enlightened
Comparing the specs on lights gets even more complicated when emitter and tint differences are thrown in. For instance, I have the SD26vn with Nichia 219C and the XPL PDT. The 219C produces 1,285 lumens at 80k lux and the XPL PDT produces 1,400 lumens at 42k lux. In actual use the difference between the two is not as great as a quick look at the numbers would suggest. The warmer tint of the 219C has fewer lumens, but the much more accurate color rendering makes me think that I actually see more. The XPL clearly throws farther, but I can "see" what I am looking at nearly as far with the 219C.
I never thought that I would be the kind of guy who would buy two of the same light but with different emitters, but I decided to get the 219c so I could really compare the two SD26vn lights and I would sell the one I liked least. I had the XPL PDT first and I LOVED the light and fully expected it to win out over the 219c, but I am not sure now. I took them both out last night walking the dog with my wife and she said "I like that one much better", pointing to the beam of the 219C. She then said "I don't like that green one". The SD26vn XPL PDT never looked green to me, until I used it side by side with the 219C. One downside of the 219c that I discovered is that it clearly produces more heat. Since the heat sinking is the same on both lights, the fact that the SD26vn with the 219C gets much warmer than the one with the XPL PDT can only be due to the emitter. This is not a factor outside in the Wisconsin winter, but indoors or in the summer the difference would likely be enough to require turning the 219c down a notch.
Both are great lights and I can't imagine anyone being disappointed with either of them, they are great little lights.
I never thought that I would be the kind of guy who would buy two of the same light but with different emitters, but I decided to get the 219c so I could really compare the two SD26vn lights and I would sell the one I liked least. I had the XPL PDT first and I LOVED the light and fully expected it to win out over the 219c, but I am not sure now. I took them both out last night walking the dog with my wife and she said "I like that one much better", pointing to the beam of the 219C. She then said "I don't like that green one". The SD26vn XPL PDT never looked green to me, until I used it side by side with the 219C. One downside of the 219c that I discovered is that it clearly produces more heat. Since the heat sinking is the same on both lights, the fact that the SD26vn with the 219C gets much warmer than the one with the XPL PDT can only be due to the emitter. This is not a factor outside in the Wisconsin winter, but indoors or in the summer the difference would likely be enough to require turning the 219c down a notch.
Both are great lights and I can't imagine anyone being disappointed with either of them, they are great little lights.
