UltraFire Cree XML T6 LED Flashlight. Comparison and characteristics of Cree XM-L T6, XM-L2, XP-L LEDs Cree xml t6 LED characteristics

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Hello, friends! Today we’ll talk about cycling accessories, because the season can already be considered open. The most important of them are means that increase traffic safety. The most important thing is a bike helmet. It is recommended to purchase it in offline stores, with fitting on site. The second one will be bicycle lighting. A headlight/lantern and a taillight are mandatory for safe driving within the city and even more so outside the city. It’s a nice thing to buy them overseas; in our stores they are sold at a 2-3 times markup.
I accidentally came across a headlight with 5 XM-L-T6 LEDs, and I became very curious to touch it. I contacted Sunny from DX and after just a huge amount of time (thanks to our dear mail) I received it for testing.

Here she is, a beauty. I would like to immediately point out that the package does not include batteries or a charger. The input voltage according to the passport is 5.4 ~ 12 V, I had ~8.4 V batteries, 2S2P from ordinary 18650, and we will conduct tests with them.

Let's climb inside, to do this we need to unscrew the “crown”. A phosphorescent sealing ring is placed between the glass and the crown. On the body itself there is a groove with a rubber ring. There is no silicone grease. Microcircuit, field-effect transistor driver, with cut-off markings. It may well be that this is not a driver, but an op-amp for nearby SMD LEDs. By the way, they report the level of supplied voltage and will tell you about the approaching death of the battery.

On the reverse side there is an inductance hidden, under it there is a field switch and its small harness. The driver board is marked YYTD84-05

The LED board is glued to the aluminum base with hot-melt adhesive. Additional pressure is exerted through the diode pads themselves by the reflector; for this purpose, white plastic gaskets are made. The reflector is attached to the base with 2 screws. Those with big eyes have already realized that the Chinese are lying when they call this headlight XM-L-T6. In accordance with this is the XM-L2, which is the next step in the evolution of the XM series. This is evidenced by the presence of two wires inside the assembly and the dotted perforation of the substrate. These diodes are more efficient than the previous generation, but what BIN is not clear.

Let's solder into the power wire and measure the current at maximum mode. The voltage on the battery is 8.1 V, we get about 12 W. Let's say 1 W is deposited on the converter, which means 10-11 W are released into the light. It immediately follows that the diodes do not operate at full power. But this is also very cool. The efficiency curve of an LED is such that as the current flowing through it increases, its luminosity increases, but not as much as we would like. But at the same time, heating increases significantly and, as a result, its efficiency decreases. So, from the point of view of simplicity of design and common sense, it is better to install a series of diodes and power them at half power than to fry a smaller number of them at full power and try to somehow cool them.
To complete the picture, in medium mode the current is 0.3 A. For the old headlight, a link to which will be later, these values ​​are 1.3, 0.8 and 0.4 A

The batteries are charged, the combat comparison can begin.

We will compare the headlights with which my wife and I ride at night. Charging and battery are used from them.

From the bike and tripod to the wall of the building is about 40 meters. The camera was in manual mode and at the same settings throughout all the shots.

1)T6 XML-T6, maximum mode.

2)T6 XML-T6, medium mode.

3)T6 XML-T6, weak mode. In all modes, the middle is noticeably bright and there is slight side flare. Damn, I used to think this was great side illumination. But later you will understand how wrong I was.

4) 5 x Cree XM-L T6 3000lm, maximum mode. What a damn gorgeous side illumination!!!111. I was shocked when I turned it on for the first time. The beam is wide, flooding, a real flood light!

5) 5 x Cree XM-L T6 3000lm, medium mode. It is useless to shoot the next mode; it is a very annoying strobe. An excellent mode for driving during the day; motorists shoot it from afar.

This is roughly what the path looks like from a cyclist's point of view.

Photos in the surroundings.

It's time to take stock. I really liked the headlight. I liked it so much, just like when I first switched from a flashlight with 100500 LEDs to one with a 3-watt LED. More than comfortable. The only thing is that this thing will blind oncoming pedestrians and motorists, so it should be tilted lower and, if necessary, turned off immediately. Get used to the fact that drivers will blink in the distance.

One of the downsides is that the charger and batteries are not included. For those who buy as an upgrade, great, they don’t have to pay for what they already have. And for those who are buying from scratch, I would advise buying everything assembled.

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Having recently been among the leaders, the powerful Cree XLamp XP series LEDs are gradually losing ground, giving way to more advanced examples of the XM-L and XM-L2 series. The new chips managed to overcome another brightness milestone, thanks to which the first and second generation XM-L LEDs from Cree were quickly adopted by leading manufacturers of modern lighting equipment. Despite the fact that the first generation of XM-L LEDs was released back in 2011, the chip turned out to be so successful that it still remains in demand. The most famous representative of the first generation XM-L family was the T6 LED group. Possessing high technical performance, XM-L T6 emitting diodes are an excellent solution for designing lighting products.

Main characteristics

The XM-L LED crystal measures 5x5 mm and is visually larger than its predecessor from the XP family. Its distinctive feature is the green backing. This family of light-emitting diodes has high luminous efficiency with a typical thermal resistance value of 2.5°C/W. With an operating current consumption of 700 mA, the nominal voltage drop is 2.9V. The 3.02 mm high hemispherical lens provides a dispersion angle of 125°.



Luminous flux parameters

The most important parameter of any light-emitting diode is luminous flux. Cree measured the XM-L's actual minimum lumen output at 700 mA and 25°C ambient temperature. Also, for reference, calculated values ​​are given for currents of 1000, 1500 and 2000 mA.

Heating the LED crystal inevitably leads to a decrease in brightness. For example, heating to 75°C leads to a drop in brightness by 10%.

Cree ranks lumen values ​​based on group and . There are currently 9 groups in the XM-L series. Crystals of the S4 group (164 lm) have the lowest light flux, and U2 has the highest (300 lm). The most common are T6 LEDs, which have a minimum luminous flux of 280 lumens at a current of 700 mA. LED XM-L T6 have proven themselves to be excellent both in the organization of artificial lighting of large commercial facilities and in the design of hand-held flashlights. They are produced in cool and neutral white colors in the color temperature range from 5000 to 8300°K.

T6 color bins and supply sets

An LED bin is an indivisible area on the MKO-1931 chromaticity diagram. The need to introduce the concept of “bin” arose due to the fact that using color temperature (TC) it is impossible to accurately gradate light sources. The need for a more discrete approach when dividing white LEDs led to the emergence of a new color standard, ANSI C78.377A. The standard provides 8 Tcv bins indicating permissible deviations in the entire space of white light on the MKO-1931 chromaticity diagram.
The color difference in the areas of ANSI C78.377A bins is easily noticeable, so large manufacturers of light-emitting diodes additionally divide each area into several parts.

Cree has its own version of color standardization, based on the ANSI C78.377A standard. It is not possible to order LEDs from Cree only with a specific bin, this is due to the small size of the bins and technological difficulties in mass production. The developer supplies XM-L LEDs in kits, each of which includes several bins. You can identify the beans included in the set by the two symbols at the end of the set code.

For LED XM-L T6 there are 6 delivery sets: 50, 51, 53, E1, E2 and E3. The E3 kit additionally indicates a neutral tone of LED illumination, the rest indicate cool shades.





For example, delivery set E1 may contain 4 bins. In other words, if the kit code specifies kit E1, then the tonality of the LEDs included in it will correspond to only 4 bins (1A, 1B, 1C, 1D).

LEDs of the CREE XM-L series, also called XML by many, have become the most powerful super-bright LED diodes. With its compact dimensions of 5 by 5 mm. Their nominal luminous flux of neutral white light is 260 Lumens, and the maximum permissible is up to 1040 Lumens. At maximum power, consumption is 10 W, but this results in a low overall efficiency of 100 Lumens per Watt.

Within the series, the LEDs have the same dimensions and are interchangeable. This will be necessary if the current brightness of your flashlight does not suit you or the bicycle headlight does not shine well. Chinese manufacturers have introduced KRII XML LED diodes into the production of LED lamps. On their basis, LED lamps are manufactured for fog lights and for the low beam of a car. Particularly popular is the LED, on the basis of which a huge number of flashlights are produced.

Trend of 2015, the Chinese are trying to mislead you when assessing the brightness of a light source by unobtrusively replacing Lumens with Luxes, and at the same time they confirm this data with the readings of the device. This is especially true for those who do not fully understand lighting technology, and the English spellings are similar: Lm and Lux.
  • 1. Table of differences between Cree XM-L and XM-L2 (XML and XML2)
  • 2. Main characteristics

Table of differences between Cree XM-L and XM-L2 (XML and XML2)

Differences between CREE XML and XML2 characteristics

  1. Different backing colors, green and silver metallic.
  2. XML crystal surface with 6 yellow stripes.
  3. The sizes are the same, the difference is in the design.

Main characteristics

Parameter Cree XM-L, XML
Nominal luminous flux, Lumen 164-300
Maximum luminous flux, Lumen 1040
Power 2 W
Operating temperature, degrees -40 to + 85
Rated current, mA 700
Supply voltage, current 700 mA 2.9 volts
Supply voltage, at current 1500 mA 3.1 Volt
Supply voltage, current 3000 mA 3.35 Volts
Length and width, mm 5 x 5
Angle of illumination, degrees 125
Color rendering index from 80 to 90 Ra

Nominal brightness of main bins

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Reviews and questions, 16 comments

  1. Sasha 07.09.2017

    Hello! Please tell me, I need a headlamp for fishing... I bought some at the market for $4, turned it on, it shines cold white. The comrade opposite had such an interesting light at night, and the grass was green and the tent was in color.. It seemed to have a warmer tint.. I read your article about LEDs and took a closer look at the XM-L T2, T3, would it be a justified purchase? I will listen to your opinion. Thank you!

    1. Expert answer 07.09.2017

      If you prefer warm light, then buy a flashlight with warm light.

  2. Damir 06.07.2017

    Good day. I have FNL-015 LED headlamp TX-135 HEADLAMP. The LED has burned out. I want to replace it with XM-L T6 LED. Question; This LED will fit my flashlight. I need it for fishing. I need white light. Or maybe you can tell me something? I don’t understand the denominations and graphs. And where can I buy it? Thank you.

    1. Expert answer 11.07.2017

      It’s better to buy a new flashlight, it will be easier and faster for you.

  3. Mikhail 14.12.2016

    Emitter with 12mm 14mm 16mm 20mm how does this affect the light spot? I want to buy here or from the same seller here, I don’t understand why the second link is more expensive, it seems like everything is the same?

    1. Expert answer 15.12.2016
  4. Vladimir 13.12.2016

    Good health. I want to conduct an experiment on replacing the projection lamp in a TV projector. Temperature from 6500 to Luminous flux of at least 10,000 lumens. What can you try and where can I get the driver for this “Light Bulb”

    1. Expert answer 15.12.2016

      Buy a powerful 100-watt LED in the store, it can replace it.

  5. Alexander 10.12.2016

    It is possible to replace the T5 (5000w) LED with T6 (6000w) leaving the driver with T5

    1. Expert answer 15.12.2016

      It can be replaced.

  6. AlexanderVi 15.11.2016

    I’ve been familiar with Cree LEDs for a long time, but that wasn’t the case. I bought a new flashlight for 7 pcs. xml t6. In appearance, upon closer inspection, the LEDs are the same as xml, but I was confused by the size of the crystal, it is smaller than the rest of my flashlights. The base is 5x5, but the crystal itself covers 1/4 of the area, while the others cover 1/2. I calculated that the number of tracks and gold registers match, and even shines the same at 700mA. Could this be the case, or am I not quite Cree?

    1. Expert answer 16.11.2016

      This is a fake, read articles about fakes on my website.

  7. Paul 03.11.2016

    Hello Sergey! Please tell me this question! LED lamp 36 watts, 72 LEDs on bars, 2835 LEDs! Can a lamp produce 4400 lm when combined with microprism glass at a color temperature of 6500 K?

    1. Expert answer 03.11.2016

      It’s better to measure, there’s no guessing here. You are probably talking about Armstrong lamps or other ceiling lamps. You are right to fear, after my tests, many brands have to deal with Chinese factories. The Chinese are brazen, you can’t measure every lamp. The Chinese even falsify the results of their measurements, measuring the luminous flux in the cold. Therefore, we had to make a device to measure the luminous flux of large lamps.

  8. Vladimir 22.10.2016

    Hello Sergey. I want to buy HB3 16-CREE lamps with the specification of 1720 lumen. Is that so? It’s worth buying them. Thank you.

    1. Expert answer 22.10.2016

      These are fakes, not Cree. There are no 1720 lumens, maximum 400lm.

Compared to halogen, xenon and incandescent lamps, Cree LEDs have a whole range of advantages:

  • They have a higher level of light output per watt of energy.
  • Resistant to vibration and mechanical stress.
  • Long service life.
  • Low energy consumption.
  • Miniature dimensions and economical design.
  • They produce radiation in both the warm and cold ranges of the spectrum, as well as glow of different color shades.
  • Provides maximum luminous flux output immediately from the moment of switching on, without a warm-up period.
  • The width of the light beam can vary from 15 to 180 degrees.
  • Use of low voltage level during operation.
  • Does not heat up during operation.
  • They operate under large temperature changes in the external environment.
  • The number of LED activations does not affect the life of the diode.

Specifications Cree XM-L T6, XM-L2, XP-L

  • Cree LED XM- L T6

Single-chip diode with high efficiency. It has the standard dimensions for diodes of this series: 5mmx5mm, height 2.1mm and a standard mounting base. Operating current power indicators range from 700 to 3000 Watts. It has a high level of light output of about 120 lumens per watt. The color palette of the radiation produces neutral and cool white light from 5000 K to 8300 K. The beam dispersion angle is 125°. The operating voltage level ranges from 3 to 10 W. At a maximum ambient temperature of + 15O, the decrease in the brightness of the luminous flux is no more than 15 - 20%. Xml T6 is a very successful specimen in terms of characteristics. However, quite expensive. It is suitable for those who choose branded quality and value the product, including the brand.

  • Light-emitting diodeCree XM-L2

New generation solid state power diode. Used in the production of powerful battery-powered and hand-held flashlights, bicycle headlights. Differs from the basic XM-L model in the silver color of the backing. It has dimensions of 5x5 mm and the shape of the landing base similar to the original. Technological selection is carried out at a temperature transition index of 85°C, this makes it easier to check the characteristics of the device during operation. The color palette of radiation provides neutral and cool white light from 2700 K to 8300 K. The efficiency is increased by 15 - 20% compared to the original model. The LED produces a more pronounced light beam intensity with less heat dissipation. Light output at a base current of 700 mA is 150 lm/W. The operating current limit is 3 A. Compared to the basic xm-l model, the brightness of the outgoing light stream of this model has been increased by 20%. But at the same time the heat dissipation is reduced. This allows companies producing lighting equipment to create smaller but brighter lanterns.

  • Cree XP-L LED

The XP-L model differs, in comparison with the diodes of this series, in its minimum dimensions of 3.45x3.45 mm with a height of 1 mm. At the same time, the undoubted advantage is the high power - up to 10 W. The XP-L LED lens is almost identical to the XM-L, the only difference being the truncated side edges of the optical element. The optical axis is compatible with the geometric center of the housing, which greatly simplifies the design of the secondary optical system and ensures maximum compatibility. The angle of the light flux is 125°. The landing pad is similar to the XT-E and XP-G models, allowing them to be interchanged. The XP-L LED is actively used in the production of powerful flashlights by such brands as UltraFire, Police, Bailong, Nitercore, Olight, Imalent. This diode is a very interesting new product. Miniature size with high performance is its main feature. Can be assembled into fairly extensive matrices.

Let's summarize:

From a comparison of the characteristics of these LEDs, we can note that the XM-L T6 LED is now the most popular diode, with good light output per watt and excellent price-quality ratio.
The XM-L2 LED is a newer generation, has the same physical dimensions on the substrate as the XM-L, while the brightness of the outgoing light stream was increased by 20% and also reduced its heating.
The XPL series of LEDs is Cree's best development to date.
The XPL series diode can even be visually distinguished from previous series; it is the smallest diode in its class; the high crystal density allows for increased light output.
In all temperature conditions, it demonstrates better efficiency compared to the XM-L2 generation of diodes up to 7.5% and copes better with high temperatures.
We can certainly say that this diode, combining minimalistic size, high power and highest light output, is the future of Cree.

Characteristics: XM-L XM-LT6 XM-L2 XP-L

Nominal Luminous Flux (Lumens)

Power, W)

Operating temperature (degrees)

From - 40 to + 85

From - 40 to + 150

From - 40 to + 90

From - 40 to + 120

Rated current (mA)
Light output using the example of individual diode bins

XM-L U2 (300 lm at 700 mA)

XM-L T6 (290 lm at 700 mA)

XM-L2 U2 (320 lm at 700 mA)

XP-L V2 (420 lm at 1050 mA)

Dimensions (mm)

Luminous flux angle (degrees)

Color rendering index (Ra)

In the next review, we’ll look at an inexpensive Chinese flashlight from the TinyDeal store: UltraFire XML-T6. The lot is called "5-mode 1200-lumens Cree XML-T6 LED Flashlight for Outdoor FLD-144539". Which translated into Russian means a 5-mode flashlight on a Cree XML-T6 LED with a luminous flux power of 1200 lumens. The cost is just over $10.

The flashlight came in a nondescript white package, which only had a digital barcode and product code: FLD-144539.

Stated characteristics:
LED: Cree XML-T6
Light output: 1200 lumens
5 modes: weak, medium with strong light, strobe, SOS
Operating voltage: 3.6-4.5V
Powered by single 18650 battery
Durable aluminum alloy body
Weight: 97g.
Dimensions: 118 x 34 x 34 mm

When fully extended, the length of the lamp was 137mm. When folded (maximum wide illumination angle) - 125mm. The diameter of the widest part of the case corresponds to the declared ones, i.e. 35mm.

The flashlight is quite ergonomic and fits comfortably in the hand. The body is made of aluminum, no backlash was noticed.

Let's start disassembling the lantern.

Lens material - plastic. The width of the lighting angle is formed by increasing the focal length, which is achieved by scrolling the flashlight.

In X1 mode - the narrowest beam (square). And in X2080 mode - the widest beam angle. To go from X1 mode to X2080 mode you need to make three revolutions.

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 operating 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 on/off and operation mode change button is made of silicone and is located on the back of the case. Button type - reverse/electronic, i.e. switching on/off occurs after releasing the button. To change the operating mode of the flashlight, it is enough to not press the button all the way.

In the aluminum case of the rear part of the flashlight, the button mechanism with the spring for the battery fit quite tightly and are not squeezed out of the case when the power button is pressed hard, as was the case with the flashlight.

There is a rubber O-ring on the screw cap of the battery compartment.

The reflector is flat, metal, and is pressed on top with a washer. There is a transparent insulating gasket between the LED board and the reflector.

So, we systematically approached the main element of any flashlight - the source of light radiation. The specification and the name of the flashlight indicate that a Cree XML-T6 LED is used. However, after disassembling the flashlight, a Cree XML-U2 LED was discovered.

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

Above is a table comparing T6 and U2 LEDs. As you can see, the light output of U2 is slightly higher, so the fact that the XML-U2 LED is installed instead of the XML-T6 LED can be attributed to advantages rather than disadvantages.

According to the specification of the flashlight, the luminous flux is 1200 lm, but from the XML LED datasheet we see that this family cannot provide such a luminous flux. Hence the conclusion that the indicated luminous flux of 1500 lm (and in some stores I saw 2000 lm) does not correspond to reality.

In my opinion, the LED board has a good heat sink, which is in contact with the body from the bottom with its entire surface. This can be clearly seen in the bottom photo.

On the control board A P-channel MOSFET transistor APM9435 is installed, the datasheet and parameters of which can be viewed .

Let's move on to energy consumption tests and light measurements.

Illumination at a distance of 10 cm without a lens was 3600 lux, with a lens - 9000 lux.

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