Higher output versus heat management

Dutchman

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Jun 2, 2006
Messages
50
Hello,

today I have been reading a number of reviews, in all of them the turbo level output dropped in seconds. Due to the heat management.

I would rather have the manufactures put their attention to the heat management and thru this provide a 2000lm flashlight, which will not so fast stepdown. I am thinking of a minimum of 15 minutes and after stepdown a fast cooldown.

kees
 

WalkIntoTheLight

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jun 18, 2014
Messages
3,967
Location
Canada
Sure, you can have that. Almost every 4x18650 light will do at least 2000 lumens indefinitely, without overheating.

You're not going to find that in a small 1x18650 light, though. There's just not enough surface area to get rid of all that heat.

Of course, you can choose to operate the light in breezy or cold conditions. My Zebralight SC600w MkIV Plus will happily do 2300 lumens for its entire run-time (about 30 minutes on a single 18650), but only in the cold or it it's windy. Otherwise, it will ramp down to under 1000 lumens after just a couple of minutes.

I'm not too worried about thermal management, as long as I get at least a minute at full turbo (preferably at least 3 minutes). Over-powered lights like the Emissar D4 don't appeal to me, because they ramp down within seconds, which isn't that useful IMO. But that light isn't about practicality, it's about showmanship.
 

cp2315

Enlightened
Joined
Aug 18, 2011
Messages
329
Location
New Jersey
My experience is that in summer, a 1x18650 light will be too hot to comfortably hold in 10 minutes at ~400-500 lumen level.
Exactly why during camping trip, I would only give a surefire G2X 320 lumen to my family. It is good to be worry-free.
 

twistedraven

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Oct 22, 2014
Messages
1,810
In addition to having a form factor with enough surface area to dissipate the heat, you need an emitter or emitters with enough luminous efficacy to use less wattage to to allow the host to handle that heat. Quad emitters driven at lower outputs tend to be more efficient than single emitters. XHP70.2 is has very high efficacy and is a good choice as well. My L6 with a 70.2 can run at 2000 lumens with no heat problems.
 
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