# Where can I get decent XR-E's?



## kuksul08 (Feb 13, 2009)

I mean, deal extreme is an option but they are slacking big time lately. The other major source I have seen is Cutter...but the prices are ridiculous.

Where can I get them? Preferrably Q5 or R2.

LED supply has the Q4's for a reasonable price, but how do they stand up to the latest ones realistically?

Thanks for any help


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## Jumi (Feb 13, 2009)

Are you sure you check the prizes in USD not in AUD
Me thinks the prizes are very reasonable in cases you buy more than few. Shipping and handling does cost thought. but where else you can choose from so many different bins. 
I'm happy with my Q3 3A that I bought few weeks ago.


Juha


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## LukeA (Feb 13, 2009)

The Aussie dollar is so weak that Cutter is a steal right now.


$1US = $1.516AUS


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## kuksul08 (Feb 13, 2009)

LukeA said:


> The Aussie dollar is so weak that Cutter is a steal right now.
> 
> 
> $1US = $1.516AUS




Still, I think $72 for four XR-E Q5's is a bit much


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## znomit (Feb 13, 2009)

kuksul08 said:


> Still, I think $72 for four XR-E Q5's is a bit much



How do you get 72?
The R2s are about 10 US$ each. 

With DX you never know what you're getting. Expect a bin or two less. 
A few extra dollars per led is nothing when you've spent many hours building the lights, and you'll likely save money on the battery too.


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## LukeA (Feb 13, 2009)

kuksul08 said:


> Still, I think $72 for four XR-E Q5's is a bit much



THE PRICE IN AUSTRALIAN DOLLARS IS NOT THE PRICE YOU PAY IN US DOLLARS


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## kuksul08 (Feb 13, 2009)

LukeA said:


> THE PRICE IN AUSTRALIAN DOLLARS IS NOT THE PRICE YOU PAY IN US DOLLARS



$10.45 USD plus unknown shipping dollar units each

I guess it's not that bad.

Is the R2 worth the extra ~$1.50 each? What tint is the best for not being bluish?

:mecry:


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## blasterman (Feb 13, 2009)

> What tint is the best for not being bluish?


 
Not the R2's....at least going by the last ones I got from DX.

I have a R2 from DX and Cree WW P4 from LedSupply sitting on identical heat sinks at home right now being driven in series on the same circuit. So, it's a pretty interesting comparison of technology.

Obviously the R2 is orders of magnitude brighter - painfully brighter, but it has just enough of that annoying purple/blue-ish hue to it that makes it useless for anything other than utility lighting (or flashlight use). The WW P4s (not sure what bin they are) are far more pleasant to look at, but strangely are putting out more heat than the R2s. 

I ordered 6 of each, and there is some variance. The WW P4 vary a bit more in terms of color than the R2s. I wish I had some of the neutral white Crees for comparison.

Obviously the advantage with LEDsupply is the shipping if you are in the U.S. I live in the midwest, and $6.00 FedEx shipping from LedSupply gets them to my door in two days - Nothing against Cutter or DX of course.


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## Greg G (Feb 13, 2009)

ETG usually has a reel of Cree Q5's open. That's where I've been getting them for a while now. 

I pick up R2's here and there, usually from group buys. I don't know of a reliable source for them at this time.


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## JohnR66 (Feb 13, 2009)

znomit said:


> How do you get 72?
> With DX you never know what you're getting. Expect a bin or two less.
> A few extra dollars per led is nothing when you've spent many hours building the lights, and you'll likely save money on the battery too.


 
So you're saying the Q5 they sold me is not a Q5? How did you conclude yours were not the bin advertized?


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## mds82 (Feb 13, 2009)

I might be able to get a real of Q4's for around $3-4 each. if there are enough people interested i could do that


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## kuksul08 (Feb 14, 2009)

So maybe it's a safer bet to go with the Q5's over the R2's?

Confused here...if I order from Cutter I want to make sure it's the best thing, they are going in bike lights which I plan on selling... must be nice white, bright, etc.


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## saabluster (Feb 14, 2009)

blasterman said:


> Not the R2's....at least going by the last ones I got from DX.
> 
> I have a R2 from DX and Cree WW P4 from LedSupply sitting on identical heat sinks at home right now being driven in series on the same circuit. So, it's a pretty interesting comparison of technology.
> 
> Obviously the R2 is orders of magnitude brighter - painfully brighter, but it has just enough of that annoying purple/blue-ish hue to it that makes it useless for anything other than utility lighting (or flashlight use). The WW P4s (not sure what bin they are) are far more pleasant to look at, but strangely are putting out more heat than the R2s.


The R2 is not a tint bin. It is a flux bin. If you don't like the bluish tint and you still want R2 level of output get the WH tint bin.


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## kuksul08 (Feb 14, 2009)

Hmm not bad, 69.35 USD shipped for 6 cree XR-E Q5 WH leds, thats about twice the price on DX, but supposedly the quality is guaranteed.
The more natural/pleasing light is more towards the 5000k range, so that means I should shoot for WH or WJ bin? I'm not really sure how to interpret the plot on the binning and labeling datasheet for the Crees. What does the vertical direction coorespond to? What is the best range for night riding?


Thanks guys, I may just cancel my DX and buy from cutter.


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## znomit (Feb 14, 2009)

kuksul08 said:


> Confused here...if I order from Cutter I want to make sure it's the best thing, they are going in bike lights which I plan on selling... must be nice white, bright, etc.



If you're selling them... :thinking:
Either go with the cheapest(DX) to maximise your profit margin, or go with a reputable cree reseller(cutter) so you can stand behind the lumen claims on your products.


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## kuksul08 (Feb 14, 2009)

znomit said:


> If you're selling them... :thinking:
> Either go with the cheapest(DX) to maximise your profit margin, or go with a reputable cree reseller(cutter) so you can stand behind the lumen claims on your products.



Well I'd be selling them to my friends... I don't think they'd know the difference of the DX ones or not, but they are never freaking shipping! A month waiting is unacceptable... I just cancelled my order for the AMC7135's, the R2's and Q5's all from there.

Once it's confirmed I will buy some elsewhere, likely cutter, maybe we can all do a group buy or I can join in on someone's group buy.


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## ledstein (Feb 14, 2009)

You can find good X-RE's Q5 bin even in the following places:

www.leds.de
www.led1.de

Actually Germany is a good place to find led stuff because there are so many led shops. Where there are numbers there is competition and prices are lower.

or if want to buy more then 100 or at a good price:
http://www.ledrise.com/product_info...0-Q5-Emitter--white--228-Lumen--90--176-.html


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## ace0001a (Feb 14, 2009)

I've recently purchased DX's R2 WG 20mm stars and they seem to be of good quality. The WG tint tends to lean more towards green that some people consider "ugly", but I don't mind as it's a fact that the human eye see's the most shades of green compared to any other color...it's the reason why night vision equipment uses green and in my opinion, a greenish tint is better than a bluish one. I think it's unfair to overly criticize the things that DX sells. Sure there can be a lot of junk sold there, but my experience with them has generally been good for the most part. I just wish DX has the R2s on 14mm MCPCBs as well as just the bare emitter...I guess from that standpoint is where they have been slacking lately.


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## kuksul08 (Feb 14, 2009)

ace0001a said:


> I've recently purchased DX's R2 WG 20mm stars and they seem to be of good quality. The WG tint tends to lean more towards green that some people consider "ugly", but I don't mind as it's a fact that the human eye see's the most shades of green compared to any other color...it's the reason why night vision equipment uses green and in my opinion, a greenish tint is better than a bluish one. I think it's unfair to overly criticize the things that DX sells. Sure there can be a lot of junk sold there, but my experience with them has generally been good for the most part. I just wish DX has the R2s on 14mm MCPCBs as well as just the bare emitter...I guess from that standpoint is where they have been slacking lately.




How recently did you order those? I honestly just want anything at this point without spending a crapload of money. I had my whole pricing plan based around a $7 emitter.


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## blasterman (Feb 14, 2009)

> The R2 is not a tint bin. It is a flux bin. If you don't like the bluish tint and you still want R2 level of output get the WH tint bin.


 
I know that.....but obviously DX doesn't....sorry if I wasn't clear about that.

The extra heat produced by the P4 WW was surprising though.


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## LukeA (Feb 14, 2009)

kuksul08 said:


> So maybe it's a safer bet to go with the Q5's over the R2's?
> 
> Confused here...if I order from Cutter I want to make sure it's the best thing, they are going in bike lights which I plan on selling... must be nice white, bright, etc.



If you order from Cutter you will get genuine R2s and you will be able to select the tint bin you want. You can pick a non-blueish tint bin. 


Remember coupon code "CPFDISCOUNT" for a 5% discount.


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## R33E8 (Feb 14, 2009)

blasterman said:


> I know that.....but obviously DX doesn't....sorry if I wasn't clear about that.
> 
> The extra heat produced by the P4 WW was surprising though.



Well since it's less efficient it converts more energy to heat instead of light.. It could also be caused by a better thermal connection to the heatsink..


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## rmteo (Feb 14, 2009)

You can get genuine CREE's such as R2's starting at $8.97 in singles here:
http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?Detail&name=XREWHT-L1-R250-009E5CT-ND

There is minimum order value of $25 (otherwise a handling charge will be added). If you place an an order before their cut-off time (typically 6:00PM EST), the order will ship out the same day. For small items such as this, you can use USPS 1st. class mail which will arrive in 2 days and cost about $3 CONUS. Order on Monday and you can have your R2's in your hands on Wednesday. :twothumbs


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## Illum (Feb 14, 2009)

rmteo said:


> You can get genuine CREE's such as R2's starting at $8.97 in singles here:
> http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?Detail&name=XREWHT-L1-R250-009E5CT-ND



I always wonder what they meant by "surface mount" for CREEs...I'm under the impression that it just means theres no star attached :candle::thinking:

I was hoping that with the R/Q bins being this cheap P4s would be giveaways...but I can't find any P4s except from DX


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## LukeA (Feb 14, 2009)

Illum_the_nation said:


> I always wonder what they meant by "surface mount" for CREEs...I'm under the impression that it just means theres no star attached :candle::thinking:
> 
> I was hoping that with the R/Q bins being this cheap P4s would be giveaways...but I can't find any P4s except from DX



Your posts are always so helpful. :sigh:


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## Illum (Feb 14, 2009)

not only are they not helpful, rather off topic/rude too...edited


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## Greg G (Feb 14, 2009)

rmteo said:


> You can get genuine CREE's such as R2's starting at $8.97 in singles here:
> http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?Detail&name=XREWHT-L1-R250-009E5CT-ND
> 
> There is minimum order value of $25 (otherwise a handling charge will be added). If you place an an order before their cut-off time (typically 6:00PM EST), the order will ship out the same day. For small items such as this, you can use USPS 1st. class mail which will arrive in 2 days and cost about $3 CONUS. Order on Monday and you can have your R2's in your hands on Wednesday. :twothumbs



How can I tell which tint it is...? I guess just call them?


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## kuksul08 (Feb 14, 2009)

rmteo said:


> You can get genuine CREE's such as R2's starting at $8.97 in singles here:
> http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?Detail&name=XREWHT-L1-R250-009E5CT-ND
> 
> There is minimum order value of $25 (otherwise a handling charge will be added). If you place an an order before their cut-off time (typically 6:00PM EST), the order will ship out the same day. For small items such as this, you can use USPS 1st. class mail which will arrive in 2 days and cost about $3 CONUS. Order on Monday and you can have your R2's in your hands on Wednesday. :twothumbs




The ones you linked are P4 Neutral white, and the highest bin they have in cool white is Q4. 

Also I think they are just bare emitters without stars


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## kuksul08 (Feb 14, 2009)

LukeA said:


> If you order from Cutter you will get genuine R2s and you will be able to select the tint bin you want. You can pick a non-blueish tint bin.
> 
> 
> Remember coupon code "CPFDISCOUNT" for a 5% discount.




Thanks 

WH will be the best for brightness and whiteness, correct? I understand the cutoffs that say 5000k, 5700k, etc, but what does the vertical variation represent?








Also, cutter sells them on 17mm and 20mm stars. I remember measuring my luxeon star as 19mm... is that the same as the 20mm or are they different? Is there any benefit to the stars vs the round ones?

I will probably order a Q5 and an R2 to see if its much different. Still looking around for any alternatives though, thanks everyone.


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## phantom23 (Feb 14, 2009)

Check this thread out, especially this chart.


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## daneanthony (Feb 14, 2009)

mds82 said:


> I might be able to get a real of Q4's for around $3-4 each. if there are enough people interested i could do that



I am interested. How many would i have to buy from you mds82? Please email me at hotmail. my ID is the same as here. thanks!


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## ace0001a (Feb 14, 2009)

kuksul08 said:


> How recently did you order those? I honestly just want anything at this point without spending a crapload of money. I had my whole pricing plan based around a $7 emitter.



Either mid to late December or early January from what I remember. Like I said, I have never had any issues with the emitters I've ordered from DX...but I usually don't order in large quantities, so maybe I've been very lucky.


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## kuksul08 (Feb 14, 2009)

Sweet, yeah how many would we need to buy mds82? I may be interested... the Q4's are still 100lm/w which is very bright.

In the mean time I will order some LEDs from cutter. 2xR2 and 2xQ5 both WH bin.


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## cheetokhan (Feb 15, 2009)

I just looked into ordering some LEDs from Cutter, but shipping is too darn high. 
6 Cree Q3-3A emiiters came to about $60, but the shipping was $18 and they tack on a $6 handling fee. So shipping ends up being almost half as much as cost of the LEDs.


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## Greg G (Feb 15, 2009)

I forgot that I had bought 5 R2- WG Cree's from DX a couple of months ago. I dug them out and 4 of the 5 have a really low Vf. Tint looks ok. I wish I had lux meter to compare them against the Q5's from ETG. I'll solder a DX R2 and an ETG Q5 in series tomorrow and run them at 1 amp side by side to see if I can tell a difference. 

At $6.65 they're a steal. I ordered 10 more a few minutes ago. It will take a while to get here but I'm buying them to stash away so it's no big deal.


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## kuksul08 (Feb 15, 2009)

cheetokhan said:


> I just looked into ordering some LEDs from Cutter, but shipping is too darn high.
> 6 Cree Q3-3A emiiters came to about $60, but the shipping was $18 and they tack on a $6 handling fee. So shipping ends up being almost half as much as cost of the LEDs.



When I did it, it was only $10 shipping to california here. Make sure to convert AUD to USD after you have everything totalled.


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## znomit (Feb 15, 2009)

kuksul08 said:


> When I did it, it was only $10 shipping to california here. Make sure to convert AUD to USD after you have everything totalled.



And "CPF DISCOUNT" gets 5% off too I think.


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## kuksul08 (Feb 16, 2009)

PM me if anyone wants to make an order from Cutter. I can buy a bunch and we can all save on shipping, and get a bulk discount.


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## cheetokhan (Feb 16, 2009)

kuksul08 said:


> When I did it, it was only $10 shipping to california here. Make sure to convert AUD to USD after you have everything totalled.



Oh, now I see. I had to get all the way to the Paypal screen before the conversion takes place. With the CPF discounts, I got 6 emitters shipped for $50. Much better!:twothumbs


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## kuksul08 (Feb 16, 2009)

Anyone had experience purchasing from Kai Domain? They seem to be similar to DX... but show that they have some more stuff in stock.


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## markc987 (Feb 16, 2009)

Shining Beam has em in their light accessories section

Cree Q5-WC LED Emitter with 14mm Base

$6.95 ea.


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## WeLight (Feb 17, 2009)

rmteo said:


> You can get genuine CREE's such as R2's starting at $8.97 in singles here:
> http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?Detail&name=XREWHT-L1-R250-009E5CT-ND
> 
> There is minimum order value of $25 (otherwise a handling charge will be added). If you place an an order before their cut-off time (typically 6:00PM EST), the order will ship out the same day. For small items such as this, you can use USPS 1st. class mail which will arrive in 2 days and cost about $3 CONUS. Order on Monday and you can have your R2's in your hands on Wednesday. :twothumbs



Hi Guys
These are not R2 leds, they are Q4 at best, but more likely P4, R250 refers to reel length,


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## znomit (Feb 17, 2009)

WeLight said:


> Hi Guys
> These are not R2 leds, they are Q4 at best, but more likely P4, R250 refers to reel length,



Yep P4
*Luminous Flux	80.6 lm*


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## kuksul08 (Feb 18, 2009)

Anyone purchased from KaiDomain before?

How are they in terms of good parts, shipping speeds, etc.


Also, what are the advantages/disadvantages of the 16mm round base vs the star base? 

WC seems to sort of split between green/red sides of the chart. Anyone have some WC beamshots?


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## ace0001a (Feb 18, 2009)

kuksul08 said:


> Anyone purchased from KaiDomain before?
> 
> How are they in terms of good parts, shipping speeds, etc.
> 
> ...



I recently ordered an MC-E WD M-bin emitter from KD, I think it took the typical 2 week time frame that DX and KD take to get to me. The WC tint is suppose to be pure white, but often the "tint lottery" will give you many that look a little bluish. I myself don't care much for blue lighting in flashlights much these days. I used to think it was cool because bluish white reminded me of the HID lights on luxury cars. Kai of KD always seemed to prefer the cooler tints of LEDs, so they sell alot of WC tinted Crees and SX0 tinted Seouls. I actually prefer the Cree WG tint as it is usually pretty white, but with the tint lottery making many lean towards the green side. Some people think green is just as ugly as yellow, but I don't. As I've said on many occasions, that the fact remains of the human eye being able to see the most shades of green and that is also why night vision equipment renders what you see in green. But everyone has their preferences I guess...


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## kuksul08 (Feb 18, 2009)

ace0001a said:


> I recently ordered an MC-E WD M-bin emitter from KD, I think it took the typical 2 week time frame that DX and KD take to get to me. The WC tint is suppose to be pure white, but often the "tint lottery" will give you many that look a little bluish. I myself don't care much for blue lighting in flashlights much these days. I used to think it was cool because bluish white reminded me of the HID lights on luxury cars. Kai of KD always seemed to prefer the cooler tints of LEDs, so they sell alot of WC tinted Crees and SX0 tinted Seouls. I actually prefer the Cree WG tint as it is usually pretty white, but with the tint lottery making many lean towards the green side. Some people think green is just as ugly as yellow, but I don't. As I've said on many occasions, that the fact remains of the human eye being able to see the most shades of green and that is also why night vision equipment renders what you see in green. But everyone has their preferences I guess...



Thanks for the input

I was looking specifically at these http://www.shiningbeam.com/servlet/the-23/cree-q5/Detail

I think I can trust that the tint will be true from this company. I am sick of dealing with these chinese places and don't want to risk an ugly tinted LED. I do however plan on buying the amc7135 from KD because they have them in stock!


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## znomit (Feb 18, 2009)

kuksul08 said:


> Anyone purchased from KaiDomain before?
> How are they in terms of good parts, shipping speeds, etc.



They are pretty much the same as DX.
Honestly, for what you're doing just order the Q5s and don't sweat it. They'll be OMG bright and the price is good. You can hunt around the interweb for weeks otherwise.


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## kuksul08 (Feb 18, 2009)

znomit said:


> They are pretty much the same as DX.
> Honestly, for what you're doing just order the Q5s and don't sweat it. They'll be OMG bright and the price is good. You can hunt around the interweb for weeks otherwise.



lol, I hope they will be OMG or else I am going to be very let down. I'm just going to order from shining beam, and the drivers from KD and hope for the best!!!!!!!

thx for all the help, will post results when i receive all the parts.


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