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Extremeophile wrote:Ryan, there's no question that the Spark and Zebralight are more efficient than the Sten (i.e. more lumens per watt). I think the run times you posted for the newer XM-L lights are based on a Panasonic NCR 2900Ah 18650 battery, whereas the Sten run times are based on 2300-2600Ah 18650s. A little bit of an apples to oranges comparison. I might expect that these newer lights can give approximately 50% longer run time at the same lumen output using the same battery. It's difficult to impossible to get good direct comparisons between lights because the lumen output settings aren't always the same, batteries used for run times aren't the same, lumen measurement standards aren't the same, etc. Zebralight does seem to do a particularly good job with their control circuitry and optics to get close to the ideal efficiency for the LEDs they utilize.
Chads93GT wrote:well i only got those purple 2400mah models. not the green ones i also saw for sale on amazon......... which do you recommend/
rlboyce wrote:What kind? Were they "Redilast", "AW" or "Callie's Kustoms"? These are brands that take the Panasonic 3100 (NCR18650A), put a protection circuit on the end and cover it in their own wrapper. If you bought a bare green cell that only says "Panasonic", be advised that it's probably not protected. Again, not being protected isn't a massively huge deal, but it is highly recommended that you keep a very close eye on it or before you realize it the cell will be toast.
On the positive side, protected or not, you now possess some of what are argued to be the best cells out there right now. That's why companies like Redilast base their protected cells off of them, and charge top dollar. You will get even better runtimes than what Zebralight posts on their website, because they based their numbers off a 2900 cell (SWEET!!).
rlboyce wrote:Yep, those are unprotected. In theory if your Zebra doesn't malfunction and your charger doesn't malfunction you shouldn't have to worry about it too much. They're awesome cells, they just can be a little less safe under certain conditions if you aren't careful (sorry for sounding like a broken record). I would be extra cautious in using them in the Spark though (actually, I'd avoid it completely).
I know it's a little too late to mention this now, but these guys offer the same cells for a buck and a half less per cell with free shipping for anything over 2: http://www.intl-outdoor.com/panasonic-ncr18650a-3100mah-liion-battery-p-213.html
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