The Tint Snob Thread

[tech25]

I totally forgot my Malkoff M61N, another favorite tint of mine!

 

[wimmer21]

Just found an old Brinkman flashlight in a drawer and it beats the HDS Rotary. Lights sure have come a long way, but tint, not so much.

 

[DHart]

Nichia 219C 4000k is as good as I've ever experienced, from an LED. (I don't use incans anymore.) I have them in a Manker E14vn (4-emitters with Vin's VN4 driver). Great color quality. A close second for me are the 4D tint bins that Zebralight uses (4400k). Beautiful tint and 4000k to 4500k is definitely my favorite range.

3D neutral 5000k is about as cool as I can tolerate. At any given color temperature, it seems that the CREE A and D tints tend toward pinkish tones and the B and C tints tend toward yellow/green tones. I prefer the A's and D's.

 

[staticx57]

To be fair though, the pinnacle of tint was set about 4 and a half billions years ago. We have been trying to replicate it ever since. A few years I don't expect much

 

[RobertMM]

I enjoy my Malkoff M61N and Tana Singled 219B 4500K 93CRI, but nothing touches my Surefire P60 lamps.

 

[Random Dan]

To be fair though, the pinnacle of tint was set about 4 and a half billions years ago. We have been trying to replicate it ever since. A few years I don't expect much

But was it the perfect tint then, or is it the 4.5 billion years of our eyes evolving to it that made it the perfect tint?

Hmm, too philosophical for me.

 

[otis311]

Sometimes if you want the perfect tint you have to do it yourself. Modded 2D mag, 3x 219B:

 

[wacbzz]

I am less concerned about "tint" than I am about color rendering. I am ever so thankful that I paid ~ $16 for my Jaxman E2 with the Nichia 219b. With all the many lights I have purchased over the years with supposed great "tint," nothing I have ever owned LED wise - including HDS 219 lights and Malkoff HCRI dropins - has ever touched the color rendering of this 5700k light.

 

[twistedraven]

I am with wacbzz. The Jaxman E2 5700k. is my favorite light for color rendering. I also happen to like its sunlight-balanced color temperature a whole lot, but I can see others thinking it to be too cold for night-time use. The classic SW45 binned variety of N219B emitters would be second on my list after the SW57 binned N219B at 5700k on my Jaxman.

 

[mk2rocco]

Right around 4000k to 5000k is the sweet spot for me. My favorite light tint wise is a Aleph Mule with a 3s 119v light engine. I don't think I have seen another light that looks so close to sunlight.

 

[jon_slider]

Im the kind of tint snob who prefers the tint to fall below the bbl. I would buy this tint:

Im too snobby to buy this tint that falls too far above the bbl in the yellow green area:

same lights, I would buy the tint on the left

This is what I carry, the N219b SW45 used in the Copper Lumintop Tool, Copper ReyLight, and Copper Worm

note the pics are links to the orginal posts, they are full of additional Tint, CCT and CRI info, I encourage people to click them

 

[the.Mtn.Man]

I have an HDS Rotary with a 120 lumen, 3700K, 90+ CRI emitter, and it is gorgeous. I had the opportunity once to compare it with an old school incandescent Surefire 6P, and in terms of tint and color rendering, the two were indistinguishable. I'm never giving up this flashlight.

 

[Woods Walker]

I like pleasing tint be it CW, Warm, High CRI, NW...whatever got them all. So long as it looks nice and not like an alien abduction angry blue or squid **** green it's all kinda good for me. Tend to roll warmed but again so long as it looks good odds are the gear item will be used unlike those with an annoying tint. When yea got lots of option you can be picked. That said IMHO actually working when needed Trumps (pun intended) everything.

 

[wacbzz]

I have an HDS Rotary with a 120 lumen, 3700K, 90+ CRI emitter, and it is gorgeous. I had the opportunity once to compare it with an old school incandescent Surefire 6P, and in terms of tint and color rendering, the two were indistinguishable. I'm never giving up this flashlight.

In my review posted elsewhere from April of 2012, I reviewed that exact XP-G light and came to pretty much the same conclusion as you, though as I posted then with photos, there were a multitude of other things wrong with that light then. A few of the photos compairing another HDS light remain in that review, i.e., haven't been deleted from the Photobucket account, and its visually evident that the low kelvin number greatly affects what one actually sees, browns and reds in particular.

While it wasn't difficult to sell that light, I would agree with you in general that the color rendering was/is, for the most part - for an XP-G - spot on.

 

[Random Dan]

I have an HDS Rotary with a 120 lumen, 3700K, 90+ CRI emitter, and it is gorgeous. I had the opportunity once to compare it with an old school incandescent Surefire 6P, and in terms of tint and color rendering, the two were indistinguishable. I'm never giving up this flashlight.

I have a 140 clicky with a hi CRI XP-G but I think it's nearer 3300k. Definitely very incan-esque color. I think it is a little too warm most of the time but for outdoor use it is fantastic.

 

[staticx57]

I am with wacbzz. The Jaxman E2 5700k. is my favorite light for color rendering. I also happen to like its sunlight-balanced color temperature a whole lot, but I can see others thinking it to be too cold for night-time use. The classic SW45 binned variety of N219B emitters would be second on my list after the SW57 binned N219B at 5700k on my Jaxman.

Just as an FYI you can buy these mounted on a triple board from kaidomain. I have a triple setup with this emitter in a Reylight Ti 1

 

[gunga]

One of my new favourite warmish tints, 219C, 3500K. Gorgeous. I have some 3000K I'll try this week too. I'm really liking 3-4000K Nichia 219B and 219C.

 

[the.Mtn.Man]

In my review posted elsewhere from April of 2012, I reviewed that exact XP-G light and came to pretty much the same conclusion as you, though as I posted then with photos, there were a multitude of other things wrong with that light then. A few of the photos compairing another HDS light remain in that review, i.e., haven't been deleted from the Photobucket account, and its visually evident that the low kelvin number greatly affects what one actually sees, browns and reds in particular.

While it wasn't difficult to sell that light, I would agree with you in general that the color rendering was/is, for the most part - for an XP-G - spot on.

The term "damning with faint praise" comes to mind as I read this post.

But then I remember who the poster is. :laughing:

 

[DHart]

Im the kind of tint snob who prefers the tint to fall below the bbl. I would buy this tint:


Im too snobby to buy this tint that falls too far above the bbl in the yellow green area:


same lights, I would buy the tint on the left


This is what I carry, the N219b SW45 used in the Copper Lumintop Tool, Copper ReyLight, and Copper Worm


note the pics are links to the orginal posts, they are full of additional Tint, CCT and CRI info, I encourage people to click them

My preference, as well. My understanding is that the CREE tint bins with A & D fall below the arc (pink side) and B & C fall above the arc (yellow/green side). I prefer those falling below and being toward neutral, warm/neutral.

 

[Swedpat]

I have two competing lights when it comes to best tint: Malkoff M91w(in a Surefire 9P) and Armytek Barracuda Warm(I think it's the first generation). Both of them provide the feeling of a bright incandescent every time I turn them on.