# CREE XM - L2 3600Lm LED vs Cree XML - T6 LED Mountain Bicycle Lamp Bike Light



## ddaann (Nov 7, 2016)

Hello!
I'm looking for a piece of advice. Which one should I choose between CREE XM - L2 3600Lm LED Headlight-15.99 Online Shopping| GearBest.com and Cree XML - T6 LED Mountain Bicycle Lamp Bike Light Headlight-15.39 Online Shopping| GearBest.com

According to the specifications, the luminous flux is 3600LM for both of them.


----------



## TTUB (Nov 9, 2010)

Hopefully you are not planning to buy from GearBest.

Gearbest.com Review - ONLINE RETAILER in Staten Island, NY - BBB Business Review - BBB serving Metropolitan New York, Long Island, and the Mid-Hudson Region


----------



## ddaann (Nov 7, 2016)

TTUB said:


> Hopefully you are not planning to buy from GearBest.


That's what I was intending to do. I understand that your recommendation is to abort the plan.


----------



## Vancbiker (May 25, 2005)

IMHO Gearbest is no different than any other cheap Chinese sellers. They all have times where things go to crap and the shipment is "lost" or otherwise problematic. Personally, I've not had good luck with the quality of their product, but lots of folks on this forum have had good results with things they have gotten from GB. 

The prices are so cheap that you should be happy if you get anything at all and it's a plus if it works for a couple rides and a major plus if you get a year out of it.

BTW the real output will maybe hit 1500 lumen and likely closer to 1000.


----------



## TTUB (Nov 9, 2010)

For the record, I have no experience with these particlar lights or GearBest... I hadn't heard of them and did a little search out of curiosity. I have a drawer full of lights, some are pricey 'made in the USA' and some are 'cheap Chinese' lights. I have had great luck with all. But there is a point where the price/quality/output becomes unbelievably cheap and defies belief. Given the lithium ion issues of the day, I would proceed with great caution.


----------



## ddaann (Nov 7, 2016)

Vancbiker said:


> IMHO Gearbest is no different than any other cheap Chinese sellers. They all have times where things go to crap and the shipment is "lost" or otherwise problematic. Personally, I've not had good luck with the quality of their product, but lots of folks on this forum have had good results with things they have gotten from GB.
> 
> The prices are so cheap that you should be happy if you get anything at all and it's a plus if it works for a couple rides and a major plus if you get a year out of it.
> 
> BTW the real output will maybe hit 1500 lumen and likely closer to 1000.


Leaving aside all these possible drawbacks, which of them would you pick from these two?

2016-11-08_0622
https://content.screencast.com/user...40-4f77-81cf-bc9248b76a99/2016-11-08_0623.png

Also, "6400mAh battery pack" vs "8800mAh battery pack"


----------



## Vancbiker (May 25, 2005)

It is a total roll of the dice there. I'd buy both and probably 2 of each. That way you'll have spares for when they die. Never go out on a ride with just one.

The round one may be a bit brighter. Possibly a bit tighter beam due to the reflector. The dual might be reflector or optics. Can't tell from the picture. Optics usually have a bit more spread and gradual transition from light to dark than reflectors. The dual could be a little lighter weight than the triple. Neither are likely to have Cree LEDs. More likely Latticebright which are a Cree knockoff.

Battery choice depends on how much weight you want to carry versus what your typical ride times are.


----------



## -Archie- (Aug 25, 2013)

Vancbiker said:


> Gearbest is no different than any other cheap Chinese sellers.


Exactly.


----------



## tigris99 (Aug 26, 2012)

Ss clone and tri-clone..... the battery packs have maybe 2000 mah and crap lumens. Doesn't pay to be cheap. And that's if you even get them because they don't stock anything. I understand cheap lights if u have no money but I wouldn't leave the pavement nor be dependant on just one. Not at those prices. There are decent cheap lights out there but those 2 are literally bottom of the barrel.

Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk


----------



## ddaann (Nov 7, 2016)

Vancbiker said:


> The round one may be a bit brighter. Possibly a bit tighter beam due to the reflector. The dual might be reflector or optics. Can't tell from the picture. Optics usually have a bit more spread and gradual transition from light to dark than reflectors. The dual could be a little lighter weight than the triple. Neither are likely to have Cree LEDs. More likely Latticebright which are a Cree knockoff.
> 
> Battery choice depends on how much weight you want to carry versus what your typical ride times are.


Are these videos below more illustrative in order to make a choice?
CREE XM - L2 3600Lm LED Headlight:


----------



## ddaann (Nov 7, 2016)

Cree XML - T6 LED Mountain Bicycle Lamp Bike Light Headlight:


----------



## ledoman (Apr 17, 2012)

I have both "type" of them and triclone round is brighter and can be internaly wrap moded to get better heat dissipation. The drawback of it is swithching led one by one to get modes effect. But I have old one with geniue XM-L leds so the actual light might be much differently.

I wouldn't bother with batteries as they are both surely more or less junk. Just to prove the lights works for some time. SS X2 clone is shurely underpowered so it will run longer with stock batteries. For the price of whole kit you can't even get decent battery cells.

Charger of triclone - red sign = red flag, see video at 20s. If you choose it, check the ouput voltage. It is very likely to be to high and dangerous. Be warned.


----------



## ddaann (Nov 7, 2016)

Is this video relevant for the discussion?


----------



## ledoman (Apr 17, 2012)

No, it just shows the lights are working.


----------



## TiGeo (Jul 31, 2008)

Why not go amazon if you are going the cheapie route? Some are stateside so quick shipping and if they fail, send them back with no drama.


----------



## ddaann (Nov 7, 2016)

ledoman said:


> No, it just shows the lights are working.


Seemingly "CREE XM-L T6 LED" < "2x CREE XM-L U2". 
I wonder if "XM - L2" = "XML - U2". I am quite confused, I have to read about brightness bins.



TiGeo said:


> Why not go amazon if you are going the cheapie route? Some are stateside so quick shipping and if they fail, send them back with no drama.


I live in Romania, not in the U.S


----------



## TiGeo (Jul 31, 2008)

^^^alrighty then!

XM-L and XM-L2 are different ("2" is more recent). T6 isn't quite as bright as U2...but I'm not a total light nerd and there are others that will chime in that are in the know more than me. None if it is all that important in the end-use...you will be able ride your bike at night either way and smile


----------



## Vancbiker (May 25, 2005)

ddaann said:


> Seemingly "CREE XM-L T6 LED" < "2x CREE XM-L U2".
> I wonder if "XM - L2" = "XML - U2". I am quite confused, I have to read about brightness bins.
> 
> I live in Romania, not in the U.S


Very, very unlikely that the cheap lights you are looking at actually use Cree LEDs. Almost certainly using Latticebright or other Cree copies.

On these really cheap lights the only spec you can believe, is that the body will be some kind of aluminum and it will have some kind of LEDs in it.


----------



## ddaann (Nov 7, 2016)

Vancbiker said:


> Very, very unlikely that the cheap lights you are looking at actually use Cree LEDs. Almost certainly using Latticebright or other Cree copies.
> 
> On these really cheap lights the only spec you can believe, is that the body will be some kind of aluminum and it will have some kind of LEDs in it.


My current headlight is "CTM Quadra 3w 122,27 Far fata CTM Quadra - 1 Led - 3W, 4 x AAA batteries, that costs 55,00 RON (= 13.37 U.S. dollars). I don't think the Latticebright ones are worse than this one )


----------



## Vancbiker (May 25, 2005)

ddaann said:


> ..... I don't think the Latticebright ones are worse than this one )


Probably not. Just trying to point out that reading up on and comparing specifications of Cree LEDs is not relevant to the world of cheap Chinese lights.

Even in the mid-level Chinese lights, I very much doubt that they are using the premium output bins. Historically the premium bins are ~20% higher priced than mid range bins. Since few people have the equipment to verify output levels, the temptation to cut costs and install a mid range bin would be too tempting to pass up.


----------



## ddaann (Nov 7, 2016)

Vancbiker said:


> Probably not. Just trying to point out that reading up on and comparing specifications of Cree LEDs is not relevant to the world of cheap Chinese lights.
> 
> Even in the mid-level Chinese lights, I very much doubt that they are using the premium output bins. Historically the premium bins are ~20% higher priced than mid range bins. Since few people have the equipment to verify output levels, the temptation to cut costs and install a mid range bin would be too tempting to pass up.


I will think about it. But if I still decide to buy one of them, I understand that Cree XML - T6 LED Mountain Bicycle Lamp Bike Light Headlight-15.39 Online Shopping| GearBest.com seems better than CREE XM - L2 3600Lm LED Headlight-15.99 Online Shopping| GearBest.com (considering that "Cree" is in fact Latticebright).


----------



## tigris99 (Aug 26, 2012)

Spam...

Sent from my XT1565 using Tapatalk


----------



## ledoman (Apr 17, 2012)

ddaann said:


> I will think about it. But if I still decide to buy one of them, I understand that Cree XML - T6 LED Mountain Bicycle Lamp Bike Light Headlight-15.39 Online Shopping| GearBest.com seems better than CREE XM - L2 3600Lm LED Headlight-15.99 Online Shopping| GearBest.com (considering that "Cree" is in fact Latticebright).


If you really must choose (and you can do some mod - adding thermal paste) then I would choose second one. It is weaker and more likely to run longer with stock battery. The charger of first one (if same as on the pictues) is suspicious and I would stay away of it. Not adding thermal paste to any of those would lead to fail very quickly. I've just repaired one with burnt out led.


----------



## ddaann (Nov 7, 2016)

ledoman said:


> If you really must choose (and you can do some mod - adding thermal paste) then I would choose second one. It is weaker and more likely to run longer with stock battery. The charger of first one (if same as on the pictues) is suspicious and I would stay away of it. Not adding thermal paste to any of those would lead to fail very quickly. I've just repaired one with burnt out led.


I found a new video and apparently "CREE XM - L2 3600Lm LED Headlight" has the same type of charger )






(see second 0:35)


----------



## ledoman (Apr 17, 2012)

Yeah, you never know what exactly you would get. Can't be seen very well, but the charger has title "Power Adapter" and not "Li-Ion Charger" so it is suspicious, at best.
What can I say - Don't buy cheap stuff if you want to stay on the safe side!

Being in EU you can replace that "charger" with same cheapo range Bike Light Charger for T6/P7 LED Headlamp HeadLight Battery Pack EU Plug 8.4V | eBay if needed, but you still need to check if it has correct output voltage (8.40-8.50V max).


----------



## kabaroo (Apr 1, 2009)

I have 5000Lm 2x CREE XM-L T6 LED light... Bright enough for me, Only have a AAA powered headlamp in addition. Batt. life might be a bit of a concern, but time will tell.


----------



## tigris99 (Aug 26, 2012)

Good thing it's enough because truly its only going to be about 500-600 lumens. 2 xm-l LEDs can't produce 5000 lumens, totally impossible.

Sent from my XT1565 using Tapatalk


----------



## mb323323 (Aug 1, 2006)

I finally got to see one of these XML dual clones or SSX x2 in person and yes I would agree they are at best 500 lumens. At least the one I saw was terrible. My Niterider Lumina 750L is brighter on medium than that was on high beam. And the beam was way better.

Glad I never bought one. Maybe the Yinding is better but personally I'd spend a bit more and get something better.


----------



## OverTheHill (Dec 3, 2004)

tigris99 said:


> Good thing it's enough because truly its only going to be about 500-600 lumens. 2 xm-l LEDs can't produce 5000 lumens, totally impossible.
> 
> Sent from my XT1565 using Tapatalk


Yeah, people need to get real about these claims for cheap, Chinese lights and maybe learn to read the Cree technical specs. An XM-L T6 will output 280 lumens being driven at 700 mA. Even driven at it's max rated 3A will only produce 910 lumens so a twin XM-L T6 will only produce 1820 lumens ON PAPER and under laboratory conditions. That's also assuming they are actually using real Cree LEDs in the first place.

Given thermal limitations of the light body and the claimed runtimes (never mind the actual) there is no way they are being driven anywhere near 3A as well. The 900 lumens claimed for the Yinding is probably more realistic at least and that is using 2 x XM-L2 LEDs.


----------



## TiGeo (Jul 31, 2008)

It's still brighter than my mid-'90s Vista lights...


----------

