The Manufacturer claims 665 lumens and shows a pic of a integrating sphere, to say that the test has been done correctly. I would agree, it shows as just under my 700 lumen MCE on a bounce test. So seems correct. I deeper reflector would be good, gonna try and modify one of my XPG P60 reflectors to fit!
SST-50 Drop-in: Review
Santa came early! Today I got my SST-50 drop-in from Kaidomain. When I opened the package I hesitated because I thought they sent me two by accident! I forgot that the order included two reflectors..
Anyway, I'll cut to the chase. This thing is impressive..:eekster: ! To those who thought that the output would be somewhere near 400 lumen, let me just say....NO FREAKING WAY!
First thing I did was take it outside and shine it around off my balcony. It is BRIGHT! VERY BRIGHT! I compared it to my MTE P-7 torch and my Aurora MCE torch. Unfortunately the ground is very wet right now where I live so it's really hard to tell how far it is actually throwing. I'll know more about that in a couple days if we don't get any more rain. ( fingers tightly crossed.. )
Just keep in mind this is a preliminary review, my first impressions. First thing I noticed: It looks to be brighter than my MTE P-7 torch. The fact that I can notice that under the current conditions is significant in my book. That means in has to be somewhere over 600lm with a fresh battery. The beam pattern looks to be very similar to my P-7 torch with a nice combo of flood and throw and here's the kicker... The spill looks brighter and whiter than my P-7! Also, the beam itself ( regardless of what reflector used ) looks flawless. No artifacts, rings or halo's, just pure white light. The beam tint looks very Cree'ish, a nice neutral white, no tinge of blue or green or yellow. None of the reflectors given look to provide an overtly narrow beam pattern unfortunately. Perhaps the smooth one has more throw but I really can't tell for sure at the moment. I'll know more about that come the weekend.
I also did a wall test and it looks brighter than the P-7 torch at first glance. However the beam tints are so different it is hard to judge. It compares favorably with my Aurora and looks brighter because it has a wider beam but the Aurora has a more intense hot spot which is why it has been my favorite helmet torch. More comparisons will be done in the next couple days for sure. :thumbsup:
Lastly, this drop-in functions like a true bike light. It has three usable light levels. Medium looks to be near 225-250lm, low under 100lm but good enough for slow fire road climbs. Oh and this one has memory which looks to work for once and there are no stupid flash modes.
Just how well this is going to work as a bike light remains to be seen. I have no idea what the run time is going to be like but output could drop significantly when the current drops below 1.75A. Kaidomain listed the output for this drop-in at 550lm. If that's true it's the brightest damn 550lm I've ever seen. :rockon: Can't wait to compare this to my Dinotte 600L. I'll get back when I have some more low-down. :thumbsup:
Anyway, I'll cut to the chase. This thing is impressive..:eekster: ! To those who thought that the output would be somewhere near 400 lumen, let me just say....NO FREAKING WAY!First thing I did was take it outside and shine it around off my balcony. It is BRIGHT! VERY BRIGHT! I compared it to my MTE P-7 torch and my Aurora MCE torch. Unfortunately the ground is very wet right now where I live so it's really hard to tell how far it is actually throwing. I'll know more about that in a couple days if we don't get any more rain. ( fingers tightly crossed..
)Just keep in mind this is a preliminary review, my first impressions. First thing I noticed: It looks to be brighter than my MTE P-7 torch. The fact that I can notice that under the current conditions is significant in my book. That means in has to be somewhere over 600lm with a fresh battery. The beam pattern looks to be very similar to my P-7 torch with a nice combo of flood and throw and here's the kicker... The spill looks brighter and whiter than my P-7! Also, the beam itself ( regardless of what reflector used ) looks flawless. No artifacts, rings or halo's, just pure white light. The beam tint looks very Cree'ish, a nice neutral white, no tinge of blue or green or yellow. None of the reflectors given look to provide an overtly narrow beam pattern unfortunately. Perhaps the smooth one has more throw but I really can't tell for sure at the moment. I'll know more about that come the weekend.
I also did a wall test and it looks brighter than the P-7 torch at first glance. However the beam tints are so different it is hard to judge. It compares favorably with my Aurora and looks brighter because it has a wider beam but the Aurora has a more intense hot spot which is why it has been my favorite helmet torch. More comparisons will be done in the next couple days for sure. :thumbsup:
Lastly, this drop-in functions like a true bike light. It has three usable light levels. Medium looks to be near 225-250lm, low under 100lm but good enough for slow fire road climbs. Oh and this one has memory which looks to work for once and there are no stupid flash modes.
Just how well this is going to work as a bike light remains to be seen. I have no idea what the run time is going to be like but output could drop significantly when the current drops below 1.75A. Kaidomain listed the output for this drop-in at 550lm. If that's true it's the brightest damn 550lm I've ever seen. :rockon: Can't wait to compare this to my Dinotte 600L. I'll get back when I have some more low-down. :thumbsup:
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Yep, it certainly looks to me to be in that range. Of course that is with a fully charged battery. I can't wait to do a run test. I also thought about trying different reflectors. I have both an R-2 and P-4 ( drop-in ) reflector that I'll try when I get home tonight. The XP-G one has too small a hole for the emitter dome. Tonight I'll be driving out to the country where it's nice and dark. Can't wait to try this on some old country dirt roads. Sure hope it doesn't rain...moggy82 said:
Well I got a chance to try some field tests tonight while on the job. I found a nice grassy area with a tree line behind it. From where I was standing it was about ( I walk-paced it out ) 145ft. to the tree line. As I held the torch head-high amazingly the beam reached all the way to the tree line and lit the ground and the trees up. Even with the smooth reflector this drop-in still has a very wide beam. Still, I have to consider that this is on a grassy surface. I almost always poo-poo all beam shots done on grass because grass is so reflective. Still it was food for thought. Later I found another dormant crop field only this time with no tree line near by. Once again, this little drop-in totally lit up the field with it's wide flood. The whole time I'm looking at this and I'm thinking, "Wow, helmet or bar mounted...this would make a nice light"!
Still, I'm going to hold off making any more "Wow" statements until I can see what this does on the trails. I wish I had brought my Aurora along to compare because that would of given me a known point of reference. I say that because I KNOW what the Aurora can do. I go out tomorrow night again. This time I'll take the Aurora MC-E out as well. Hope it doesn't rain tomorrow night and really hope it stays dry until at least next week. :yesnod:
Turveyd : As far as I know the SST-50 is still listed on the Kaidomain website as being in-stock. Yes, the Aurora is a much heavier torch, hence my seach for a lighter alternative.
This just might be the one but the jury is still out. I need to do run-time test and trail tests before I declare it the winner....BUT, Oh is it sweet to see that much light coming out of a WF-501-B Ultra-fire host! Note to self: I need another P-60 host.
Still, I'm going to hold off making any more "Wow" statements until I can see what this does on the trails. I wish I had brought my Aurora along to compare because that would of given me a known point of reference. I say that because I KNOW what the Aurora can do. I go out tomorrow night again. This time I'll take the Aurora MC-E out as well. Hope it doesn't rain tomorrow night and really hope it stays dry until at least next week. :yesnod:
Turveyd : As far as I know the SST-50 is still listed on the Kaidomain website as being in-stock. Yes, the Aurora is a much heavier torch, hence my seach for a lighter alternative.
This just might be the one but the jury is still out. I need to do run-time test and trail tests before I declare it the winner....BUT, Oh is it sweet to see that much light coming out of a WF-501-B Ultra-fire host!
Note to self: I need another P-60 host.
Ah!..I haven't used them in a while. I'm surprised to see them offering the newer items. On the other hand I'm more surprised that D/X isn't. D/X still doesn't even have anything with XP-G.moggy82 said:
Anyway, my KD order only took a little more than two weeks...which isn't too bad as I see it.Moggs, have you done a run test yet with the SST-50? If not what's the longest that you've let it run?
It's sounding ideal, it's going to take Max Current from a 18650 so like a P7 it'll run for @75mins I'd bet, which is more than enough switch it off while climbing and thats a real 4hour run time I'd bet, with the XP-E on all the time / there to boost the spot further.
I suspect I'll be ordering 1 of these on Friday
I suspect I'll be ordering 1 of these on Friday
I did some more field comparisons last night, this time with my Aurora M2 MCE as the measuring stick. The results were interesting. The SST-50 drop-in looks to throw about as far as the Aurora BUT....the main difference is beam pattern. With it's tight center spot, the Aurora could define terrain a tad better at distance. The SST-50 D.I. on the other hand has a much wider beam pattern and was able to illuminate more area than the Aurora. This makes the SST-50 D.I. more useful if you happen to want a wider field of view. Still, with such subtle differences I can't really declare one to be the over-all winner for helmet duties until I actually take it out for a ride. If I feel comfortable with SST-50 D.I. beam pattern coming off the helmet than it will certainly be the hands-down winner.This weekend maybe if the rain holds off.
SST-50 drop-in with WF-501 Ultrafire torch host
Cost: $51.00 (DI) + $16.00 for torch host
Favorable points: light-weight, 3 usable modes, smaller size makes it less likely to grab branches. Makes an excellent bar light. Output (fresh battery) over 600lm. The wide beam pattern throws a good distance ~ 140ft. or > depending on conditions and terrain.
The beam tint is a nice neutral white which I like. Since Ultra-fire torch hosts are so cheap buying an extra one for modding is on my to-do list.
Negative points: the beam pattern is perhaps a little too wide to have good distance throw ( > 150ft. ) but the jury is still out on that.
I'll see about doing a ride test and perhaps a beam photo this weekend if there's no rain and I get all my Christmas shopping done.
SST-50 drop-in with WF-501 Ultrafire torch host
Cost: $51.00 (DI) + $16.00 for torch host
Favorable points: light-weight, 3 usable modes, smaller size makes it less likely to grab branches. Makes an excellent bar light. Output (fresh battery) over 600lm. The wide beam pattern throws a good distance ~ 140ft. or > depending on conditions and terrain.
The beam tint is a nice neutral white which I like. Since Ultra-fire torch hosts are so cheap buying an extra one for modding is on my to-do list.
Negative points: the beam pattern is perhaps a little too wide to have good distance throw ( > 150ft. ) but the jury is still out on that.
I'll see about doing a ride test and perhaps a beam photo this weekend if there's no rain and I get all my Christmas shopping done.
Looks like I'm about to get snowed in for the weekend. . What a drag. No beam shots or trail comparisons on the horizon. On the upside I might get a chance to get a snow ride in if it's not too slushy or deep but with our typical Mid-Atlantic region, I'll not be holding my breath. I did do some more comparisons last night and the more I see of the SST-50 the more I like...*sigh*.
Unfortunately it looks like the weather will have me screwed for the near future.
. What a drag. No beam shots or trail comparisons on the horizon. On the upside I might get a chance to get a snow ride in if it's not too slushy or deep but with our typical Mid-Atlantic region, I'll not be holding my breath. I did do some more comparisons last night and the more I see of the SST-50 the more I like...*sigh*.Unfortunately it looks like the weather will have me screwed for the near future.
Backed up with my XP-E Thrower to boost the range / run time this sounds ideal to me, but expensive with shipping, I could get 2.5 P7 MTE SF15's for that price.
Wider beam is better for close up slower riding anyway, my 2 x XP-E torches have the range but up close slow tricky stuff the spot is to small.
Going to try the SF15 likely similar output and pattern but 30grams heavier then your SST-50 with 1 x XP-E but much cheaper, the P7 D bin SXO beats my MC-E for output, similar beam pattern and WHITE so looks brighter.
Might get some snow here to over the weekend, I like riding in snow!! Makes even the most basic of lights blinding to
Wider beam is better for close up slower riding anyway, my 2 x XP-E torches have the range but up close slow tricky stuff the spot is to small.
Going to try the SF15 likely similar output and pattern but 30grams heavier then your SST-50 with 1 x XP-E but much cheaper, the P7 D bin SXO beats my MC-E for output, similar beam pattern and WHITE so looks brighter.
Might get some snow here to over the weekend, I like riding in snow!!
Makes even the most basic of lights blinding to SST-50 with a 36mm Reflector I presume + running of 2 x 18650 so full power 3000ma being possible would get you 1000lumens and a tighter beam with a 90min run time ( for 2 cell's ), that would make the perfect single torch for all your useage, throw in a 1/2 power mode which would be more than rideable on it's own and BABY!!
I suppose that is one way to look at it. Another would be to say, "Why spend another $25+shipping just to have it 10 days sooner"? The ones sold by Nailbender look to provide about the same output on high ( 600lm as per Nailbender ). Not sure about the mid-level though. Also, the beam pattern he described to me with his is the same beam pattern I have on mine. ( that said without a direct comparison of course ).saltytri said:
Turveyed, I don't think any of these are going to be set-up to operate in the 3000ma range. Not unless of course someone is making a nice custom 3000ma driver. In order to get a 1000 lumen out of one of these you would have to run it at about 3.4A or 3400ma as it may. 3000ma should get you about 900lm though if you could.
I really would like to see a beam shot from one of the D36 drop-ins. If it has a tighter spot I might start looking for a host...Saltytri, any comment on the beam pattern from the D36 ?
Dang it! I am totally snowed-in. Looks to be about 20"- 2'. No bike/night riding/beam shots for Mr. Cat Man for a good long time. On the up-side I get to have a white Christmas.
Attachments
Thats some serious snow there Cat Man, tell me did your entire area come to a stand still ??
Cause in the UK we've had about 1" and the UK ground to a halt as always
SST-50 wouldn't take 2 x 18650's on direct drive for 3600ma - 4000ma draw then ??
Cause in the UK we've had about 1" and the UK ground to a halt as always
SST-50 wouldn't take 2 x 18650's on direct drive for 3600ma - 4000ma draw then ??
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