Unsurpassed flashlight XML T6: its features, advantages and properties. LEDs XM-L T6 Flashlight cree xm l xml t6
Waterproof hand torch based on CREE XM-L2 viki710 wrote on July 3, 2015
Super Bright 100M Underwater 1800 Lumens CREE XML T6 LED Diving Flashlight/Torch - Black - $20.31
The product was received from the online store chinabuye.com for review free of charge. 
Over the course of several years, quite a few different Chinese lanterns have sewn through my hands - large and small, hand-held, head-mounted and camping. Ordering this flashlight is a consequence of my desire to have a universal flashlight for most situations. To do this, it was necessary that the flashlight:
- was water resistant enough to withstand heavy rain and drops in water,
— conveniently turned on with your thumb,
- was not very large,
- worked on 18650 elements.
The selected flashlight model is widely available on various trading platforms, but is positioned everywhere as a nonname. On the other hand, it’s clear that it has some kind of branded prototype, but I couldn’t determine which one.
Regarding the characteristics of the flashlight according to the store:
Light flow: 1800 lumens,
Light-emitting diode: CREE XM-L T6,
Case material: aluminum,
Certificates: CE,FCC
Operating modes: High/Middle/Low
Water resistance: up to 100 meters.
The flashlight came in the store's standard OEM packaging - a cardboard box with bubble wrap. The delivery set is spartan - the lantern itself and a lanyard for it. 
Lantern length - 15 cm. 
Weight - 209 g. 
The flashlight is turned on using a slider rather than a button. In this case, the brightness of the LED depends on the position of the slider. 
The slider is magnetic. This allows you to adjust the brightness without directly touching the contacts. The freedom of the slider is limited by a metal locking ring. 
Adjustment using a slider on one side is convenient, as it allows you to smoothly adjust the brightness, but on the other hand, due to the small size of the handle, the slider ends up under your thumb, and you can accidentally turn on the flashlight. The problem would be solved by fixing the slider in the off position, but unfortunately, it is not provided.
In my opinion, the flashlight seemed even a little small to me. If you hold your thumb on the switch, your palm turns out to be longer than the handle - and this is with my not very large hand. 
Structurally, the flashlight consists of three main parts - the head, the handle and the back, which are assembled together using threaded connections. For water resistance, each connection is shielded with two silicone rings. 
The flashlight is powered by a single 18650 battery.
It is wiser to change batteries by unscrewing the back part. To make it convenient, it has special grooves. Inside, as expected, there is a negative contact in the form of a brass spring. 
Lantern head. The lens is glass. 
There is an additional silicone ring between the retaining ring and the lens for water resistance. 
In the store description, the flashlight LED is stated as CREE XM-L T6. But the CREE XM-L T6 LED looks different (see picture). In offers of similar flashlights on trading platforms, there is mention that the LED is CREE XM-L2.
Visually, CREE XM-L2 differs from CREE XM-L T6 by the presence of two legs instead of three and a key on the board (shown by arrows). The LED of this flashlight looks the same. Thus, the flashlight is still powered by a CREE XM-L2 LED. There is an inaccuracy in the description. 
According to the CREE XM-L2 specification, it produces 1052 lumens at maximum power (10W), which means that the stated luminous flux for this flashlight of 1800 lumens is too high.
The lanyard of the flashlight has a rubber insert and itself is quite long - 30 cm. 
This design allows you to conveniently attach the flashlight to your hand. 
Flashlight testing
The lantern provides fairly diffuse light. In principle, this is not surprising, because it is positioned as underwater. But underwater, range is of no use.
Below is a beamshot at maximum brightness. The diameter of the light spot is 190 cm. The distance from the wall is 120 cm. 
Changing the brightness of the flashlight with a slider, in my opinion, is best illustrated using a video:
As for range, here is a photo at night under diffuse city lighting conditions: 
As you can see, adjusting the reflector allows you to shine quite far into the distance.
And finally, a waterproof test. I don’t dive, so I don’t plan to swim with a flashlight, but situations are different, and no one is safe from falling into the water. As you can see from the photo, the flashlight is waterproof. 
conclusions
In my opinion, the flashlight is quite successful. Among the advantages, I would note the following:
- small size of the flashlight,
— conveniently located thumb switch,
— smooth brightness adjustment,
- diffused light allows you to illuminate a large area in front of you,
- high water resistance.
One of the shortcomings is that the switch slider does not lock in the off position. Those. To avoid turning on the flashlight inadvertently, you need to keep an eye on the slider. There are also some inaccuracies in the stated characteristics of the flashlight, but the Chinese are guilty of this all the time, and they are not critical.
Hello, I continue to get acquainted with Chinese lantern making and am eager to share my modest knowledge with the public.During the sale period at the Aurabuy store, I purchased a flashlight with a head mount. The model for sale in the photographs looked beautiful and practical, as its design demonstrated the possibility of freeing your hands from holding the flashlight. In addition, enormous brightness was reported (2000 lumens) and extended equipment was offered. The purchase promised to be successful. Now the cost of the flashlight is $25.34 (which indicates that there really was a sale:).
Package
In this store they approach the packaging of parcels responsibly, they don’t skimp on the “bumps”, they reinforce the cardboard box with tape, it’s a small thing – but it’s nice.
Lantern packaging:
A thick cardboard box with a glossy finish, clear lettering and colorful illustrations. Its size:
Inside the box there is a form made of foam rubber, with “parking” spaces for the contents neatly cut out in it. 
The packaging is just lovely, I didn’t even dare to throw it away.
Specifications:
Peculiarities:
Diode used: CREE XM-L U2 LED, high power and brightness;
The light output is bright, can approach the maximum 2000 lumens;
Specially designed deep parabolic reflector, produces a perfect and super long beam of light;
A stainless steel retaining ring protects the main components of the flashlight;
Rotating head allows you to increase or decrease the scale of lighting;
Made from durable aircraft-grade aluminum;
Strained glass with anti-reflective coating; This is how the word “plastic” is simply translated
Waterproof according to IPX-7;
Specifications:
Light beam color: white
Distance: 200m
3 light modes: High / Strobe / SOS - It has no memory for modes; modes are switched by holding the on/off button longer
Housing Material: Durable Aluminum Alloy
Lens: Tempered glass with anti-reflective coating
Switch Position/Type: Side/Button
Powered by: 1 x 18650 or 3 x AAA (not included)
Package size: (L x W x H): 18 x 12 x 8 cm
Package weight: 430 g
Packing list:
1 x Lantern
1 x Belt
1 x Fastening clip
Appearance
Assembled:
Dimensions: length - 9.5 cm, width (with head) - 7 cm, head diameter - 3 cm, battery compartment diameter - 3 cm.
Weight (with battery) - 205 g
Disassembled
The flashlight body is metal, the mount is soft rubber, the lens is plastic. 
The workmanship of everything is very good. The threads on the connections are straight and lubricated. The on/off button works clearly. 
The head of the lantern rotates smoothly. The elastic bands are elastic and elastic, do not cling to the hair, and are also adjustable according to the volume of the head. The paint is applied neatly and evenly. There is also a blue color on the inside of the lamp head, creating a small blue halo at the beginning of the beam.
The diode is like this: 
On the head: 
The head is quite comfortable, the elastic bands do not pinch, and the weight of the lantern is practically not felt.
The direction of the light beam and its width can be adjusted.
Glow example:
Next to my other flashlight (XML-T6 with a stated brightness of 900 lumens, power supply 2 * 18650) 
Someone is clearly not telling the truth, either there are not 2000 lm, or there are more than 900 lm :).
The flashlight uses battery energy sparingly (no batteries have been used yet), heats up, and moderately with prolonged use.
Other components:
battery cylinder 
battery container 
Bicycle holder 
Purpose:
In general, a flashlight is needed to see something in the dark.
The model under review can be mounted on the head or, for example, screwed onto the handlebars of a bicycle. The handlebar mount will still limit the field of view, so I plan to use it on my head. In this case, the flashlight will be on the same side as the eyes, and will be able to accurately illuminate the place where they look.
I'm already looking forward to the warm season, when, putting this wonderful lantern on my head, I can ride a bike in the night.
Conclusion:
A beautiful, bright and convenient flashlight.
I had only positive impressions after checking its performance. To do this, I lit my way with my forehead and walked along the dark streets. Now I can say with confidence: a flashlight illuminates the ground at night - perfectly and I could be seen from afar.
In my humble opinion, this flashlight is an excellent purchase.
Even more about flashlights is written here
I was concerned about purchasing a headlamp and this is what came of it.
Warning: the review will not contain “dissections”, measurements, tests, etc., but only a description and impressions of the purchase and use of the product, i.e. "nothing" review.
I'm not obsessed with collecting Chinese lanterns - I need them solely for practical application: to illuminate the work area during repair and construction work and as a light source in a vegetable pit.
Therefore, when I unexpectedly had the opportunity to climb caves, I was technically not ready for it. The old LED headlamp turned out to be “played out” - I had to use the flash from my smartphone. This, as you might guess, turned out to be very inconvenient: firstly, one hand is occupied, and secondly, the light is weak (oh, I used to have one phone, so there’s such a flash - many flashlights will be jealous!).
As a result, I began to choose headlamp from among the “tourist” ones. I didn’t pay much attention to the large lumen values, but the presence of batteries in the kit turned out to be very useful (at that time I didn’t have any free ones at my disposal).
So, the CREE XM-L XML T6 1600 lumens “Hunter” LED headlamp.
The product arrived packed in a simple cardboard “universal” box, which was badly damaged during the shipping process. However, the flashlight itself and accessories, additionally wrapped in shock-absorbing material, were not damaged.
Completeness:
1. Lantern – 1 pc.
2. Mains charger – 1 pc.
3. Batteries 18650 “3000 mAh” - 2 pcs.
The seller has kits without “budget” batteries - about 3 dollars cheaper.
Now the seller has added a car cigarette lighter charger to the kit (at the time of purchase there was none, and I don’t need it).
The LED is located in a cylinder that extends out of the housing (“zoom”), closed with a screw cap with a flat-curved lens (there is no sealing ring in the thread).
The body rotates on the axis of the front base. On the right side there is a power button with a green rubber “cover”.
There are three operating modes: bright light, dim (actually just less bright) and flashing (strobe) - switched in a circle.
On the left, an electrical wire comes out of the base and runs along the left strap to the power supply. In the middle part the wire is twisted and securely attached to the strap with clips at two points.
There are three straps in total (two side and top), they are stretchable and adjustable in length. I didn’t expect that the Chinese straps would easily fit on my not small head (the photo, as you understand, is not me). Lo and behold, the flashlight fits well on your head, doesn’t press, but doesn’t slide off either!
The power supply is located at the back. It holds two 18650 batteries. At the bottom end of the plastic case there is a connector for connecting charger(closed with a rubber plug). The power supply cover (adjacent to the head) is rubber, attached to the body with a ring to prevent loss.
On the one hand, the soft rubber cover that fits against the head is comfortable. On the other hand, one can argue about the reliability of protection against water.
There is a “side light” on the back of the power supply: when the light is turned on, the LED located in the “side light” lights up brightly in red.
Charger with “our” plug, 100-240 V, 50/60 Hz. Output: 4.2 V, 500 mA.
Overall, the flashlight makes a pleasant impression: the light beam is bright, white, and adjustable. The difference between the viewing angle and the near-field angle is acceptable. It is easy to put on, stays firmly on the head, and does not cause discomfort.
The included batteries and charger are convenient.
I'm happy with the purchase. And commentators will tell you about all the shortcomings.
Thank you for your attention!
I'm planning to buy +10 Add to favorites I liked the review +9 +23I would like to dedicate this review to the inexpensive UltraFire E17 flashlight based on the XM-L T6 LED from the company. This flashlight is very popular in Chinese internet stores, and the cost at the beginning of 2014 averages $9-10.
Appearance of the flashlight:
UltraFire E17 has a sliding design (zoom), which makes it possible to change the diameter of the light beam. The appearance of the maximally extended canopy is shown in the photo below:
The flashlight has an aluminum body coated with matte paint. After repeated disassembly and reassembly of the housing, no play was found in the housing. According to the manufacturer, the case is waterproof, but the IP protection level is not specified. Most likely this is all in words, because... if there is a degree of protection, then even in Chinese online stores this is confirmed by photographs of certificates, but I have not found them from any seller. Most likely the protection is only against moisture or splashes, because... the lens and LED (and the circuit itself is located under the LED board) are protected very poorly - there are no sealing gaskets and water can theoretically get there from the lens on the back side of the head when zooming.
The on/off and operation mode change button is made of silicone and is located on the back of the case. The button type is reverse, i.e. switching on/off occurs after releasing the button. To change the operating mode of UltraFire E17, it is enough to not press the button all the way.
The flashlight has 5 operating modes:
1. Strong light.
2. Medium light.
3. Weak light.
4. Strobe.
5. SOS.
The inconvenient thing is that when you turn off and then turn on the flashlight again, the operation mode switches to the next one. And so on in a circle. Those. If you turn off the flashlight while it is in low light mode, the next time you turn it on it will switch to strobe mode. And to switch it back to the “low light” mode, you need to press the button 4 times.
The measured difference between the operating mode "Strong light" (i.e. maximum brightness) and "Weak light" (i.e. minimum brightness) is approximately 2 times.
The measured length of the flashlight when the head with the lens is in the rear position (i.e., rolled up as much as possible) is 137mm. And the length of the flashlight when the head with the lens is in the maximum forward position is 160mm. The diameter of the head is 38mm, the handles are about 30mm.
Lens material - plastic.
UltraFire weighs 142g without batteries.
The batteries can be three AAA size batteries/batteries, or accumulator battery 18650 format. Please note that when using an 18650 battery, an adapter sleeve is required, which some sellers may not come with the flashlight. Therefore, if you plan to power the flashlight from 18650 batteries, then pay attention to this when purchasing. Although, if you wish and have direct hands, it is not so difficult to make it yourself.
The most important part of a modern flashlight is the light-emitting element. As mentioned above, the UltraFire E17 uses the company's XM-L T6 LED. However, variations of this flashlight using more modern LEDs, such as the XM-L2, which has an increased luminous flux, have appeared on Chinese trading platforms.
The energy efficiency of the XM-L family of LEDs is 100 lm per 1 Watt. XM-L LED page on the Cree manufacturer's website: http://www.cree.com/LED-Components-and-Modules/Products/XLamp/Discrete-Directional/XLamp-XML
The UltraFire E17 luminous flux declared in Chinese online stores is 2000 lm, which is very doubtful. Because Following the datasheet on the XM-L T6 we see the following:
But the declared service life (100,000 hours) of the XM-L LED is quite consistent with the data provided by Cree. But it must be emphasized that this strongly depends on the heating temperature of the crystal. The lower the heating, the longer the LED will last.
And from the photographs it is clear that the heat sink is made very poorly. LED set to printed circuit board made of textolite without any metal backing. In this case, the board is in contact with the aluminum body of the flashlight only at the ends.
Having disassembled the flashlight we will see its control board:
The P-channel MOSFET transistor APM9435 is used as a key, the datasheet and parameters of which can be viewed.
We will perform small tests of illumination and energy consumption in various modes. The illumination was measured at a distance of 1 meter.
Illumination at a distance of 10 cm without a lens was 5800 lux, with a lens - 10000 lux.
Cree, which produces the XM-L T6 LED, is one of the leading manufacturers of lighting devices. Unfortunately, it does not have an official website in Russia, so there is little information about these products. The T6 LED has very good technical characteristics, therefore it is actively used by various manufacturers of lighting devices. In most cases, the following products are made based on these diodes:
- battery-powered flashlights;
- lamps for vehicles;
- LED beams for ambulances, police and other special equipment;
- side lights, headlights with low and high beam.
Main technical characteristics
A distinctive feature of the branded Cree T6 LED diodes is the green heat-dissipating substrate, on which there is a 5 × 5 mm crystal. The case is hemispherical, made of transparent heat-resistant plastic, with a height of 3.2 mm, providing an irradiation angle of 125 ̊, operating current 700 mA, voltage 2.9 V.
The end result in designing any LED is to achieve the desired level of luminous flux. According to experimental measurements carried out by Cree, at a current of 700 mA and a room temperature of 25 °C, the following results were obtained:
According to the company's standards, the entire emission spectrum of the LEDs they produce is divided into nine intervals (groups), each of which is assigned a designation. The spectrum intervals are graded by temperature in degrees on the Kelvin scale. Consumers are more in demand for diodes of the T6 group - this is a white cold light with a flux power of 280 lm at an operating current of 700 mA. All groups have a luminous flux power from 164 lm (group S4) to 300 lm (group U2).
The ambient temperature has a great influence on the luminous flux; this is clearly seen from the graph of the dependence of the luminous flux intensity on temperature.
As the ambient temperature increases, the magnitude of the forward current and, accordingly, the brightness of the light flux decreases.
During operation and numerous experimental measurements, it was noticed that when the crystal is heated to 75°C, the radiation intensity decreases to 10% relative to the brightness at an ambient temperature of 25°C.
Review of individual lighting devices based on Cree XM-L T6 LEDs
One of the successful product options based on the Cree XM-L T6 diode is the UltraFire E17 flashlight. Let's consider the positive aspects, as well as the disadvantages and possibilities for eliminating them.
The main advantage of the design of this lantern is the presence powerful LED Cree XM-L T6, lenses and sliding body design, which allows for focusing (ZOOM) of the light flux. The case is aluminum, under the diffusion lens there is a board, on the outside of which there is an LED, and on the reverse side - electronic circuit, which converts the parameters of current and voltage of the power source.
AAA batteries are used for power, with an additional sleeve you can install 18650 batteries. Chinese manufacturers They claim a luminous flux of 2,000 lm. Based on the luminous flux power table provided by the manufacturer Cree, these data are not credible even taking into account the focusing of the luminous flux through the lens.
The operating life of the LED is 100,000 hours, this can be believed if you take into account the operation of the flashlight without overheating the LED crystal. But the design does not provide a good heat sink for heat removal. The LED is located on a textolite board. With prolonged use, the diode inside the housing will inevitably heat up, which will cause a decrease in the intensity of the luminous flux. A diode mounted on an aluminum heat-sinking substrate, with its ends tightly adjacent to the body, would heat up significantly less. This would improve the quality of the luminous flux and the life of the flashlight.
Consumers measured the UltraFire E17 illumination at a distance of 1 m and obtained the following results:
Luminous flux in various modes of the UltraFire E17 flashlight
At a distance of 10 cm, the luminous flux without a lens was 5,800 lm, through the lens 10,000 lm. Overall, the flashlight is not bad, but as always, Chinese products have exaggerated performance technical characteristics and requires some modifications for reliable, long-term operation.
The UltraFire XM-L T6 flashlight has more modes:
- maximum light;
- average;
- weak;
- strobe;
UltraFire Cree with XM-L T6 has slightly improved performance - the board has a metal heatsink that is in close contact with the case. Sometimes these lights are equipped with an XML-U2 LED, it is more powerful, this only improves the characteristics of the luminous flux.
