# EDC+ X60L (X-ML T6 1C | 1 x 18650 / 2 x CR123) P60 Drop-in Review



## turboBB (Mar 18, 2012)

It is nearly inevitable that a flashaholic will become involved with P60 drop-in's at one point or another as it allows for a great variety of customization in terms of LED, output, tint, beam profile, etc. while utilizing a single host. Most of the old hands were likely initiated into it during their quest to upgrade their incan SureFire lights while the newer inductees were likely exposed via the wide variety of P60 hosts available now.

With the recent rebranding from tacticalhid along with a new and improved website, EDC+ also launched their very own P60 drop-in. Enthusiasts have the benefit of choosing between three different tints (cool, neutral or warm), however I was sent the cool and will be covering that in this review.


*MFG SPECS*
MSRP: $39.99 USD
- Powered by Cree XM-L
- Modes: 3 Mode (High, Medium, Low)
- Current: 1.5A +/- 100mA
- Input Voltage: 3-6v
- Supported Cells: 1x18650/17670 Li-ion cells or 2x CR123 Primary Lithium cells. Do NOT use 2x RCR123/16340 Cells.
- Dimensions--Length: 29mm (40mm with spring), Weight: 20g (0.7oz)
- Compatible with: SureFire P, C, Z
- Linear current regulated. No PWM.
- Over-discharge protection ~2.75v (applies only to High and Medium modes) 


*PACKAGING / CONTENTS*
The X60L was shipped in a padded envelope but amply protected within a zip loc & 35mm film canister of which both have a label identifying the drop-in as well as the specs. Aside from the drop-in, an outer spring and the instructions/specs sheet were included:


 




*DESIGN / FEATURES*
While the P60 form factor has stayed the same throughout the years, the major thing that has changed is the light source:


 


L: The one that started it all, SureFire’s Incan P60 | R: EDC+ X60L
 
The X60L was designed as a single integrated unit in that the “pill” and reflector are milled as one solid piece:


 

Where it differs from most drop-in's is that it’s constructed from aluminum (Al) over the more commonly used brass or bronze with the inherent advantages of better thermal and electrical conductivity over the other two alloys (which can be roughly two to four times in both categories respectively depending on the copper content). 

That’s to say nothing of the weight savings as well. In measuring the weight difference between the highly vaunted Malkoff M60 which is also a uni-construction but made out of brass, it is nearly twice as heavy:


 


This can be a nice touch for those looking to utilize the X60L in a small host and wishing to keep weight to a minimum.

Although some might argue that more mass means more heat sinking capability, I believe of more relevance is where exactly is this heat going to? While the mass may initially allow absorption of more heat, ultimately, it needs to leave the body (heat always flows from hot to cold) and this is where the better thermal conducting properties of Al really come in to play as the faster heat can leave the host (hot to cold) the less there is within the light (and thus the LED). This is also why many P60 owners wrap their drop-in’s in copper tape and it isn’t to add more mass but rather allow better contact between the drop-in and host to allow heat to leave the body.

The X60L’s uni-construction further aids heat transfer as there are no gaps between the threads as is the case with 2-piece drop-in's where the pills are removable from the reflector as with this generic P60 drop-in:



Those who are keen to squeeze every last lumen out of their P60’s have gone as far as applying thermal compound between these threads. 

Of course, the uni-construction does have one disadvantage in that it means that one will need to buy a whole unit should one desire different tints or if smooth reflectors should ever become available.

Speaking of a smooth reflector, EDC+ decided to utilize an OP instead in order to obtain the smoothest beam possible with no artifacts or rings and I believe they were successful at that (check [upcoming] TINT & BEAM PROFILE section below for further details):


 



The LED is perfectly centered on my sample:




There is reverse polarity input protection which I tested w/a non-protected battery and indeed, nothing fried when I took current draw measurements:


 

 
*L: correct battery polarity | R: battery reversed*

This will be a huge boon to prevent accidents. I once had one of my drop-in’s fried as my son “borrowed” a G2Z to play with and got a little curious as to how it all worked, removed the battery and replaced it in reverse and then proceeded to turn it on... .

He then came back to me inquiring:



:laughing::laughing: (although I gotta admit, it wasn’t quite funny at the time…)


*SIZE 
*





From L to R: Malkoff M60 | SureFire Incan P60 | MF XM-L | EDC+ X60L

I took the following measurements for the X60L:
Reflector diam - 26.3mm (at the top of reflector opposite side of spring)
Length - 40mm w/spring uncompressed
Base diam - 18.4mm

I had no problems installing the X60L in a SureFire Z2 & G2Z without the spring albeit there's a very slight gap between the head and body which seems to be a problem w/certain SureFire hosts:








As this was the case w/the Malkoff as well:






Although not so w/a SolarForce L2M (in which case the spring was used):


 




*FIT & FINISH*
The build quality of the X60L is simply superb. Of course that'd be tough to assert without a highly regarded competitor, as such, I've enlisted the Malkoff M60 for this purpose as the two are very similar in build (I didn't bother comparing the other end since the M60 is an optic):


 




 



The X60L is the first drop-in that I'm aware of that features laser engraving that was sharp and crisp:





While there is no anodizing, the rim does feature a textured finish that was done through an electroplating process:


 


Note: I've confirmed w/EDC that the yellowish marks are residues from the process.

As previously mentioned the X60L is thermally potted and neatly done. I didn't notice any overrun around the edge of the base:


 


While not necessarily directly an indication of quality, speaking for me personally it exhibits a level of refinement and care that went into the X60L's production.


　
*UI 
*The X60L features 3 levels w/no memory nor any sort of blinky levels. It will always come on in H and then cycle to M then L. This mimics a single level driver in a way except that you can't use it for signaling but you do receive the added benefits of lower levels should you need or desire them.

Incidentally, EDC+ has confirmed that they will in fact be releasing a single mode version soon (check reply #56 here).


*MEASURED PERFORMANCE
*I continued to be impressed by how reasonably in the ballpark my PVC LMD continues to be. I first calibrated w/the G10v2 then took measurements on all 3 levels @ 31 seconds (to conform to ANSI FL1) using a SureFire Z2 host w/ambient temp @74F (23.3C). In the event of Medium, I took two measurements since my light meter covers ranges @ 400/4K/40K/400K. So I took them at 400 (more accurate for this range) & 4K.

EDC+ has quoted the following (non-ANSI) values for the cool white version of the X60L: 
High (440), Medium (160), Low (10)

Good to see that I was able to validate their claims for OTF readings.
*
**High - 469lms*





*Medium - 153-164lms
*

 


L: X60L on Med @ 400 range | R: X60L on Med @ 4K range 

*Low - 10lms*







L: X60L on Low | R:Quick calibration at start of testing w/G10v2 on Med


*MEASURED TINT - ~6500K*
I decided to try something a little different this time around by grabbing one of these from my local Home Depot to help with getting a good idea of the tint of a common object illuminated by the X60L:







My camera has the capability to adjust WB by Kelvin (betw. 2.5K - 10K). This forces the camera to apply a white balance using your input as the baseline temperature. If what you've input is lower than actual temp, the picture will come out cooler and if above then the pic will come out warmer. Using this feature, we can get an idea of the color temperature by what the final setting was before the "Polar Bear 1875" (1st row, 3rd column from left) turned truly white. In the control shot above, I used the camera's custom white balance setting under fluorescent light so it's pretty realistic to what my eyes see.

I used the following three color temps as a baseline and what the type of color it is representative of in real life:
2800 - 100W Incandescent bulb
4800 - Direct Sunlight
10000 - Blue Sky

Here is the control sheet shot w/the above settings respectively (also under fluorescent light) from L to R (2.8K | 4.8K | 10K):


 

 


As you can see, the color temp runs from cool to very warm (since the particular fluorescent light I have is a bit on the warmer side). Given I forgot to take the ideal sweet spot for this pic, we can however estimate that my fluorescent light falls between 2.8K to 4.8K.

Now here is that same sheet but illuminated on High by the X60L:









Taking a look at the above, 2.8K is obviously too cool, while 4.8K comes close and 10K is too warm. As such, you know the temp of the X60L should fall somewhere between 4.8K and 10K (but closer to 4.8K).

I finally got to what I thought was in the ballpark for the Polar Bear to be white and this was taken at 6.8K:



But as you can see, Polar Bear white has just a hint of bluish tint in it so I'd say final ballpark would be roughly 6.5K.

By comparison, here's a light that has a neutral XM-L 3C tint:


 

 


Let's go through that drill again, 2.8K? Nope, too cool. 4.8K - wow pretty close! 10K, nope too warm. In the end, 4.8K (likely closer to 5K) was closest to turning the Polar Bear paint pure white.

Obviously it's no Spectrometer but great for comparative purposes and to get a rough idea of the color tint. If your camera has this feature, it's worth giving it a shot. It doesn't have to be the palette above and can be any old white sheet of paper.

*Tint Shift*The X60L's output is current controlled at all levels. The advantages are that there is no flickering of any kind which can be quite noticeable to eyes sensitive to PWM (depending on implementation). However, LED's that have their outputs current regulated are prone to tint shift between levels. As such, I fixed the WB at 6500K in Av mode and let the camera control the shutter (to prevent blown highlights from washing out the colors) then took all levels against a plain sheet of white paper:

I used the light meter to help correspond the level for each shot. At the end, I determined there was very minor tint shift between levels.


*BEAMSHOTS
Beam angle


*


L: Total beam: ~70deg | Hot Spot: ~20deg
*
Indoors (5m)
*High


 

 



Med


 

 



Low


 

 

 
For details of the above indoor shots and comparo vs. many other lights, please check Epic Indoor Shots Trilogy

*WHITEWALL HUNTING
*I've been receiving a bunch of requests to produce white wall beamshots so I decided to use selfbuilt's exposure settings (clockwise: 1/25, 1/100, 1/800, 1/1600 @ f2.9 on AWB) to allow for some consistency (and thus reference) in these shots (however, in my shots, the light is ~.4m to wall / camera ~.59m). Of course they will never perfectly match up due to differences between our cameras:











As mentioned above, the use of an OP reflector completely smoothes out the beam profile producing no artifacts (especially rings), case in point:
[PICS TO COME]
X60L is on the left and a similarly driven G10v2 w/smooth (albeit slightly larger and deeper) reflector on the right, notice the ring? however, I do notice that the center of the hotspot of the X60L is just a tad darker than the surrounding. This isn't really noticeable when not white wall hunting.


*RUNTIME*
The relevant battery stats are provided above each runtime graph along with: 
- Voltage of the battery at the start and end of the test
- Current draw as taken right before the test
- Actual runtime using ANSI FL1 (first in HR and then in M so for the AW 2600 read this as 1.8hrs _OR_ 110min)
- Also for High, captured the temperature: ambient, the head at start and the max it reached (fan was used for all bats)




I was able to slightly exceed runtime on High (1.8hrs tested vs. 1.5hrs claimed by EDC+ on 2600 mAh capacity battery) using an old AW 2600 w/quite a few deep cycles on it so you are likely to achieve at least that if not better on fresh quality batteries w/that capacity.




For Medium I came in just shy of 6 hrs (@5.6) and didn't bother using a fan since the host didn't get meaningfully hot (roughly low 90's). Just out of curiosity though I turned on a fan towards the end of the run and did notice an "artificial" bump in output (black AW2600 run in medium graph). The reason for the quotes around artificial is that the X60L will try to induce a mild boost towards the end of the run to maintain steady output (easily seen by the upward curvature of the RL3100 run). The interesting thing though is that once the X60L's output drops, there is still usable light and it will just keep running in this mode for hours. Case in point, I left running w/the IMR run as I wanted to test the low voltage cut-off but even when I ended testing at close to 10hrs, there was still some usable light left. I wasn't able to achieve low voltage cut-off in either High or Medium. It's almost as if it refuses to discharge the battery below 2.78V (this was using various cells).

As for low, given I can't afford to have my light meter locked up for days, I've measured the current draw to be 45mA which would produce calculated runtimes of: 68.8hrs for RL3100 / 57.8hrs for AW2600 / 46.7hrs for Sanyo / 35.6hrs for AW IMR.


*INITIAL CONCLUSION
*The X60L is a solid drop-in offering a good balance of output and runtime. The laser etching adds some eye-candy elements but ultimately is irrelevant once inside of a host. For now, here's my take:

*turboBB-licious
*- solidly crafted utilizing uni-construction fabricated from Aluminum for potentially better thermal and electrical conductivity vs. brass counterparts
- electronic reverse polarity protection
- good balance of output and runtime
- current controlled for near table top flat regulation at all levels
- aesthetically pleasing laser etching

*turboBB-cautious
*- reflector not swappable so take care not to mar the finish
- mild tint shift between levels
- slightly darker center in hotspot

*turboBB-wishes
*- super high output enthusiast version



=======
X60L provided by EDCPLUS for review


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## tobrien (Mar 18, 2012)

*Re: EDC+ X60L (X-ML T6 1C | 1 x 18650 / 2 x CR123) Drop-in Review*

I _really_ like the "While the P60 form factor has stayed the same throughout the years, the major thing that has changed is the light source:" pic. you did a good job with that and i'm sure it'll be incredibly beneficial to amateurs


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## Rat6P (Mar 19, 2012)




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## mvyrmnd (Mar 19, 2012)

That's a sexy looking dropin. A warm tint one will likely be in my future


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## yifu (Mar 21, 2012)

mvyrmnd said:


> That's a sexy looking dropin. A warm tint one will likely be in my future


Yes! But once you put it in a host would you notice it? I mean all you really see is the reflector and LED...


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## turboBB (Mar 21, 2012)

Ok guys, like a marathon this race is nearing the finish... Bunch of new material added.

Cheers,
Tim


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## naked2 (Mar 21, 2012)

Thanks for this excellent review; it seems like a decent drop-in. Unfortunately, when you add shipping (and tax for us CA residents), it's out of my price range.


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## Rat6P (Mar 22, 2012)

Thank you for this!!:thumbsup:


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## Dioni (Mar 22, 2012)

Thanks for the review!


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## turboBB (Mar 23, 2012)

Thx guys! Tint section added. This was just a method to get a rough idea of the color temp, as for what it actually looks like in real life, that'll be forthcoming w/the white wall shots so yet more to come... =o)


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## orbital (Mar 23, 2012)

+

Great review, easy to read & entertaining

Impressed w/ over 7hrs of flat regulation on Medium using a 3100
Looks like a winner ..

Do you see the longish spring being an issue in some shorter hosts?
...things can get tight w/ 3100 cells


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## jasonck08 (Mar 23, 2012)

Great Review TurboBB as always! 



orbital said:


> +
> 
> Great review, easy to read & entertaining
> 
> ...



The gold-plated spring easily compresses from about 10mm to 2mm.


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## turboBB (Mar 25, 2012)

All, bunch more new material added (including performance data). So this review is pretty much wrapped up w/the exception of the white wall pics. I need to find a method to be able to consistently reproduce them for comparitive purposes and an ideal dark location in my house has thus far eluded me. I'll get to it sooner or later and post them whenever I can.

@orbital - The only 18650 sized host I currently have is a Solarforce L2M and using my longest battery @ 68.3mm I didn't encounter any issues. Hope that helps.

Cheers,
Tim


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## nanotech17 (Mar 25, 2012)

thanks for providing this review.
the shape of this EDC dropin similiar to the malkoff devices.


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## orbital (Mar 25, 2012)

jasonck08 said:


> ...The gold-plated spring easily compresses from about 10mm to 2mm.



+

Sounds good.
..one thing I'd like to see would be smooth reflectors



turboBB said:


> ...
> 
> @orbital - The only 18650 sized host I currently have is a Solarforce L2M and using my longest battery @ 68.3mm I didn't encounter any issues. Hope that helps.
> 
> ...



No worries,..thanks again Tim :thumbsup:


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## RGB_LED (Mar 25, 2012)

turboBB, great review. I especially like your pics on the current draws, lumen ratings, tint changes and beam angles. The pics are also very crisp. 

As for the dropin, I noticed these when they rebranded and was wondering about them so thanks for the review. It looks like a excellent dropin that offers another choice to some of the more expensive options out there. When I order from EDC+ next, I will check out the neutral and see what it's like.

Thanks again for an excellent review!:thumbsup:


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## RI Chevy (Apr 1, 2012)

Outstanding review! Very nicely done. Thank you for taking the time and effort to do this for us. :thumbsup:


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## turboBB (Apr 3, 2012)

Thx guys! Whitewall shots now added.


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## chewy78 (Apr 6, 2012)

does the 3 mode light have a mode memory?


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## RI Chevy (Apr 6, 2012)

No, always starts on high.


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## jorn (Apr 7, 2012)

I think it's the first multimode p60 with no pwm? 
Havent seen another multimode with no pwm yet. Have searched for it before, but stumbeled over this new x60l by accident. 1,5 amp max and lo volt cutoff (in med and high mode only) sounds really nice. But if the protection cuts the power in hi and med, and always turns on in high. Is it possible to step down to the unprotected lo mode in a pinch? (I got lots of "free unprotected sanyo 18650's" from laptops and dont mind to ruin a 18650 if it gets me safe home.) 
Now i need a warm one


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## someuser (Apr 11, 2012)

Thank you for the in depth review of the module. You have convinced me this is a good buy for my C2 edc. I just love that linear regulation with high to start.


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## steve42 (Apr 23, 2012)

nanotech17 said:


> thanks for providing this review.
> the shape of this EDC dropin similiar to the malkoff devices.



Has anyone tried this in a Malkoff MD2?


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## hotlight (Apr 25, 2012)

yes... 
I just tried it out quickly to see if it'd work.. it fits the head/retaining ring and functions properly.(3mode)

I didn't have a lens installed, and I'm not sure if a standard P60/Z44 lens would be too big or not.
Another possible issue is the EDC+ is slightly longer(.5mm?) than the M61/etc.. along with the lens there will be less useable threads. Only a thought, it should still be water tight tho. 


thanks to this review, I had to try one out.
this is a really nice drop in... I guess time will tell how it holds up.
I'm hoping EDC+ offers alternative mode configurations. I could go for a LMH... MHL,MLH?, MH, HM, etc etc




steve42 said:


> Has anyone tried this in a Malkoff MD2?


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## arcane (Apr 25, 2012)

hotlight said:


> yes...
> I just tried it out quickly to see if it'd work.. it fits the head/retaining ring and functions properly.(3mode)
> 
> I didn't have a lens installed, and I'm not sure if a standard P60/Z44 lens would be too big or not.
> Another possible issue is the EDC+ is slightly longer(.5mm?) than the M61/etc.. along with the lens there will be less useable threads. Only a thought, it should still be water tight tho.


I just tried it out too, and confirm it does work! 
The standard P60/Z44 lens is too big (28.6mm OD) for the MD2 head and the M61 lens is too small (22.6mm OD) for the X60L.
I'm going to order some 26.8mm OD lens and give it a try. Should fit the ID of the MD2 head perfectly.


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## aleve90 (Apr 27, 2012)

Thanks for the review. Was looking at this drop-in on their site and did a quick search and found this review. Still haven't made up my mind, but this helps.

Thanks

Dave


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## N/Apower (Sep 29, 2012)

Are there outdoor beamshots to be had?


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## turboBB (Sep 30, 2012)

Sorry no, I haven't brought this for outdoor shots yet. I'll try to see if I can do some in the future.


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## Rat6P (Oct 1, 2012)

turboBB said:


> Sorry no, I haven't brought this for outdoor shots yet. I'll try to see if I can do some in the future.



I remember seeing beamshots some where else on CPF. 
I think I actually requested them.
Comparison of the warm and neutral.

Had a quick look but no luck....

Possibly posted by the supplier of the modules.

I had both the warm and neutral 3 modes.
Gave the warm away, kept the neutral for work.
3 different people I showed the modules to said they preferred the tint of the neutral.
Am amazed at how much light the xml puts out at 1.5A.
Seems like it is almost as bright as my seraph p7.
Perfect beam for lighting up a room, and even better because it will always come on in high out of the pocket/holster


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## N/Apower (Oct 2, 2012)

Rat6P said:


> I remember seeing beamshots some where else on CPF.
> I think I actually requested them.
> Comparison of the warm and neutral.
> 
> ...



Why no love for the warm? Did the neutral work better out-doors? That is my main usage, as a weapon-light, and I purchased a cool and a warm. Warm has yet to arrive. Cool is great, just doesn't "reflect back" off of much out in nature except dew-covered grass, which it illuminates great, lol


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## Rat6P (Oct 3, 2012)

N/Power,

The reasons I like the neutral over the warm were: (not really pros or cons per say)
The warm had less overall output compared to the neutral. It was quite noticeable and is to be expected. My dropin was quite warm, and the neutral just seemed to have that little more punch/throw to the beam.
To my eyes and the friends/family I showed the neutral seemed to really get closest to what our eyes see in sunlight. It just seemed to be a pleasure to look at especially outside in the yard or bush. Overall for colour rendition I felt neutral was best indoors and outdoors. We all preferred the neutral. I seems like your eyes work less with the neutral.
When I compared the neutral and warm tints I also had some cool tint lights - For me the choice is simple when comparing those....neutral wins over cool hands down (personal preference).

Now back to the warm dropin, if I had to choose between that and the standard incandescent P60 dropin the EDC+ would be my choice easliy. Its brighter, regulated, and more robust.

Both the warm and neutral had very nice beams with a great compromise between throw and flood. Very nice for lighting up a room without creating a tunnel effect, but still having a defined spot.

Edit.. Just remembered I also compared them both to a LF HO incandescent (rated at 380 bulb lumens ). From memory both EDC+ dropins were brighter. The warm EDC+ was slightly warmer in colour than the LF HO. I still preferred the neutral over both.


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## N/Apower (Oct 3, 2012)

Rat6P said:


> N/Power,
> 
> The reasons I like the neutral over the warm were: (not really pros or cons per say)
> The warm had less overall output compared to the neutral. It was quite noticeable and is to be expected. My dropin was quite warm, and the neutral just seemed to have that little more punch/throw to the beam.
> ...



To my eyes, even the weak original 6P has a lot of "throw" to it. Something about that honey-colored light just "sticks" to whatever it hits, if that makes any sense. I am going to compare the Warm I have to a Nailbender 5,000K and to the EDC 6500K that I have and see what I think outdoors. I am looking to create the most contrast between objects, etc. Not necessarily to make them the absolutely most life-like that I can, which I agree, Neutrals do a good job of.

EDC Plus does not have a single-mode Neutral, anyway.


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## Rat6P (Oct 3, 2012)

N/Apower said:


> To my eyes, even the weak original 6P has a lot of "throw" to it. Something about that honey-colored light just "sticks" to whatever it hits, if that makes any sense. I am going to compare the Warm I have to a Nailbender 5,000K and to the EDC 6500K that I have and see what I think outdoors. I am looking to create the most contrast between objects, etc. Not necessarily to make them the absolutely most life-like that I can, which I agree, Neutrals do a good job of.
> 
> EDC Plus does not have a single-mode Neutral, anyway.



True. I would have grabbed one for sure if they did.
I am finding the 3 mode H-M-L ok as it always comes on in High.
Probably still not acceptable for your intended use.
I am interested to know how you find the warm EDC.
I also have a Nailbender neutral (D36) which is warmer than the EDC neutral, but not nearly as warm as the EDC warm. I quite like it.

Overall a great alternative to other makes out there. Hope they keep em coming.


P.S I found the outside beamshots. They were in the original sales thread. I see you were already there 
For others who may be interested: http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/sh...EDC-Plus-X60L-Drop-in!-Cool-Neutral-Warm-XM-L!


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