How do the different Dereelight pills compare to each other in terms of brightness?
All of the regular Dereelight pills drive the LED at 1.2 amps (Except for the MC-E and C2H pills, discussed below). Since they all supply the LED with the same amount of current, the different LEDs available will determine the brightness achieved. For example, the R2 is the brightest single-die LED, followed by the Q5, and then the Q3. The MC-E is a four-die LED, essentially four LEDs in one housing. It doesn't shine farther, it just puts out more light overall.
Here are some estimates:
DBS/CL1H
R2 - 240 lumens
Q5 - 230 lumens
Q3 - 210 lumens
MC-E - 500 lumens
C2H with R2 - 200 lumens
C2H with Q5 - 190 lumens
C2H with Q3 - 170 lumens
Ok, now you're probably asking "Wait a minute, the DBS and CL1H have the same output? I thought the DBS was the brightest..." Let me explain:
Lumens is a measure of the total light output. In other words, if you could gather all of the light from the flashlight and put it in a box, that's lumens. Lux, on the other hand, is a measure of how far the light can shine. Lux is dependant on how the reflector concentrates the beam. The DBS has over twice the lux of the CL1H. With it's deep reflector, the DBS focuses the lumens into a concentrated beam that shines really far. The CL1H's smaller reflector doesn't concentrate the beam as much, hence it shines half as far (which is still farther than most lights it's size!). Note that the total lumens are the same, telling you that the CL1H's reflector is just dispersing the output into a wider beam, with brighter spill than the DBS.
The MC-E versions have a floody type of beam... bright hotspot and tons of spill. The DBS Q5/R2 are made to shine as far as possible, hence their light is concentrated into a super-bright hotspot, without a lot of spill. The MC-E spreads the light around more, but it still throws quite far. For reference, the DBS R2 (or Q5 and Q3) versions measure 20,000+ lux.... the DBS MC-E versions measure 10,000 lux. The MC-E will light up everything better at closer distances, and the R2/Q5/Q3 is better for lighting up objects at a distance.
The C2H is one of the brightest single RCR123 battery lights available. It has a ton of ouput for it's tiny size.
What's the runtime at max output for the Dereelights?
CL1H/DBS
Runtime for the 18650 versions is about 1.2 hrs on high. Runtime for all versions that use 2 x RCR123's (rechargeables) will be about 50 minutes on high, except for the MC-E which runs for about 30 minutes. For the versions that can use 2 x CR123's, the runtime on high will be about 1.2 hours.
Using the optional extension tube and 2 x 18650 batteries (for the 3SM and 1SM-2 versions), the runtime on high will be about 2.5 hours... except for the MC-E varieties, in which case the runtime will be about 1.6 hours.
C2H 4SD
Using a RCR123, runtime on turbo mode is about 25 minutes. Keep in mind this is a turbo mode, provided to allow for maximum output when needed. Considerabley more runtime is realized on the normal high mode and lower modes.
Does the extension tube for the DBS and CL1H give you more brightness, more runtime, or both?
The extension tube just gets you more runtime, no change in brightness.
What's the tint like on the 5A Q3 emitter? How about the MC-E emitter?
The 5A Q3 is more like an incandescent in terms of beam tint. It is a little less bright than the cooler color temp LED's, but not really that much so. If you don't like any hint of blue in your LED beam, you'll really like the 5A Q3. It does really well for outdoor use... great color rendition! The MC-E is in between the cool tint (WC) and the 5A Q3's warm tint. Here's a link that show's the color difference between the WC and the 5A tints... scroll to the bottom of the page: http://www.dereelight.com/module-list.htm
The MC-E has a ton of output, why should I get the CL1H or regular DBS with a Q5 or R2 LED?
It has a bright flood beam, but still good throw. If you'll be using the light for distances less than 100 feet, the CL1H or DBS MC-E would be the way to go. For longer distances, the DBS with an R2, Q5, or Q3 LED module (pill) would be the best choice.
The DBS and CL1H seem to have about the same lumens rating, I thought the DBS was brighter... why are they listed as the same?
They both have same output (will light up a room the same amount) but the DBS (except the MC-E version) beam is more concentrated (smaller, brighter hotspot, less-bright spill), so the DBS will shine well over twice as far as the CL1H. The CL1H will have a bigger hotspot that is not quite as intense. In trade, it has a brighter spill, and will light up a closer area better.. **Both have the same output as long as the same pill/LED is intalled, and the same batteries are used.
When looking at buying rechargeable Li-Ion batteries, the protected version cost a few dollars more than the unprotected versions, are they worth it?
Yes, it's worth it to get the protected batteries. The battery's protection will protect against short circuit (important), over-voltage, under-voltage, and over-current. A flashlight that has built in protection only protects for under-voltage. On the Dereelights, the 3SD and 1S have the under-voltage protection, the others do not.
