I have single emitter Spot TIR light that resembles that reflector light pic. You can easily see that its not a TIR… Doubtful.
I also have shallow reflector lights that have a wide spot and hardly any spill.
And a zoomie adjusted to all spill is the best for up close.
I think you’re the one who is confused, this thread is specifically for future BLF projects like the Q8 or A6, not for individual builds or mods that one or a few people would want.
This thread was made during the beginning of the GT thread because a lot of people had ideas for stuff that wasn’t actually going to go into the GT so they put them in this thread for future projects.
For example, 26650, handle, short tube, etc.
Also, the C8F is not a very popular light, maybe you are thinking of the C8?
The C8 is a single reflector 18650.
It is extremely popular because it is cheap and still has good specs and quality.
May want to look into a EE X7 triple too. It is 26650 but uses the Ledil optic. Ledil has less artifacts than the smaller Carclo. But the three legs do make themselves know on the outer spill. However the $13 C8F host build may be about half the total cost of the X7 triple.
I drew another light that I want today….
driverless 10180 thrower based on Osram SYNIOS P2720 DMLQ31.SG and Khatod PL1670UN.
I don’t have any 10180 discharge curves so it’s hard for me to predict the output.
Theoretically, if the LED was driven to the peak level we see on koef3 charts and was cooled as well, it would do ~37 kcd.
I guess estimating 20 kcd is conservative enough.
You posted an extreme example. That is definetly a dedicated thrower light like a C8 or bigger TN42, etc… Those types of light are not good at all for walking at night or general purpose use. Those are more a specialty light.
A better example of what I mean by general purpose would be the convoy S2+ or convoy L6. Textured reflectors would be common. I guess it’s hard to describe. Here are some beam shots from my Supfire which has a big xhp70 in a shortened, OP, C8 reflector.
In this pic you can see the hotspot which gives some distance as well as the bright spill. This is great for walking at night. This pic is it on turbo. For regular walking around the 1500 to 2000 lumen range works very well. Then you briefly have 4,000 lumen on turbo to see extra far should you need it.
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Is there a way to combine both of those beam patterns?
That is an R40.
It is a 26650 single reflector flashlight with a 40mm head.
The reflector is like 35mm.
.
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Earlier you said that you do not care about throw, and now you’re trying to argue that your reflector lights are better because they give a bright hotspot for more throw.
Looks like you have some inconsistencies in your argument… :person_facepalming:
Yes as You said Future Projects.
Jason would like to see a triple emitter reflector 26650 light. So would I. If it gets to be a BLF project that would be awesome. Because you do not want it, that does not exclude it. If Sofirn makes it happen all the better and we wont have to wait a year for it.
The C8F is a popular light. Especially for the new version only being a few weeks old. Most members are still waiting for theirs to arrive. I know that over 50 hosts were sold in 3 days. Several members also mentioned it in the Best light 2017 thread. Pretty good for the time it has been released. Doubt it is going to be D4 popular but still better than most recent production releases.
Just because you two want it doesn’t mean that 500 other people will.
Anyway, I’m not pretending to know if other people want it or not, I’m explaining to you why a triple reflector light will suck, regardless of what the majority wants.
If you want it for throw, a single reflector is much more area efficient and will give higher lux for the same diameter, even if you choose to go with a more powerful emitter in the case that you want a few thousand lumens.
If you want it for short range use, a TIR is better because you don’t need a big head diameter, you can have a more portable tube light that outputs the same amount of lumens and gives a better beam profile for close up use without an obnoxiously bright hotspot and dim spill and cloverleaf shape.
A multi-reflector is basically just a waste, a compromise between both while not excelling at either or, just for the sake of “being different”.
Wow, 50, I’m sure that’s a lot compared to the thousands sold for the Q8 or A6 or other lights…
I think your just trying to argue for arguments sake. If you wouldn’t want to buy the light I was suggesting, then fine. Your not required to. I’m of the opinion it would be very popular.
So you have reached the allotted time I’m willing to dedicate to just one member here, which is a few hours. I’m needed elsewhere. Good day to you sir.
That was 50 HOSTS in 3 days.
Let me repeat it in case you missed it again…
That was 50 HOSTS in 3 days.
I like the versatility of the C8F triple Reflector more than the Triple TIR Optic X6 or X7 lights I have. The reflector it better overall. Yes I personally own both types.
If someone said that 2+2=5 would you just let them make incorrect decisions or would you try to educate them?
Even if you don’t want to listen to me at least there are others who read this thread now and also in the future, at least they will learn something about optics when they actually pay attention…
Are you thinking this Ledil optic might give a beam pattern a bit closer to a reflector light? I’ll look into it. Thanks.
Those 3 days were probably the peak of their sales anyway.
What X6 and X7 are you talking about? The olight X6 and X7? Because neither of those are TIR.
The reflector is definitely going to be better for throw than a TIR.
However, if you look back a few pages, you will see that Jason said “I don’t care about throw.” And in that case a TIR is objectively better.
Later on he started talking about throw and changing his argument because it seems like he can’t decide on what he wants.
Anyway, for the people reading this thread that actually want to learn something, the best optics for short range use are in this order:
For long range use the order is like this:
The correct way to go about building a good light is to decide on a performance target (eg for short range use, long range, what lux and lumens, etc) then try to fit that in a portable size.
OR
Decide on a size limit (eg 26650 tube light, so head is no bigger than the body) and then try to get the highest performance out of that size.
The reason the Q8 and A6 were so successful is not because they were unique in terms of head size and number of reflectors. Because they were not. They were successful because they were affordable and outperformed the competition in the same class.
I prefer the C8F reflector but I want a bit more throw than a TIR can offer.
I just got some Ledil cute optics in that no one has offered. They are kinda wierd and I haven’t tried them. But the Cute SS can also be sanded and polished out to a clear surface. But for now thats the 26650 option for the time being. Others have asked so I do think Sofirn will go for it.
Wow this thread moved on overnight!
I like that idea, the A8 was a great little light. A really nice size to EDC in a jacket during colder months.
I have to say though that Endermans suggestion of TIR does appeal. I often carry a S41 and a C8 walking the dog. The S41 is superb for short range, beautiful flood and high CRI, it gets 99% of the use, the C8 gets used occasionally for distance spotting, that’s it.
Can you get a mixed angle TIR for a quad setup? Ie two at 60degree, two at 90degree (or whatever angles they come in) to give a nice comprise?
mixed angle TIR for a quad setup does not exist. Kinda where the discussion went off about.
If you can stand the C8 size, you will only need one light like the C8F. It is more versatile than the Fixed TIR. The C8F triple reflector will offer more throw on High yet have usable spill. Bigger than the S41 but you will only need the one light.
C8F also has great mod potential to use a driver with Narsil or the D4 ramping_IOS since it uses an E-SW. Want even more throw install some XP-L HI emitters. No TIR to hold them back.
My C8F has the Fet+1 and ramping_IOS. Kinda like a Q8 in a practical, usable size and better beam profile.
I like the idea of using a TIR myself since there are so many existing lights to use as hosts. It just needs the right type of tir optic. I’m not sure it exists. Maybe a narrow beam triple with 2 of the optic lenses clear and one frosted? Or maybe have the whole optic covered in a very light frosting so as to give a bit more spill light intensity? I might do some experimenting on my DQG 7x. Adding any type of frosting does seem like it would rob you of lumens, though.
A build like this is not one BLF would need to be involved in.
Using a reflector, on the other hand, would require a manufacturer to actually build a unique body for it.
Just keep in mind you need the corresponding MCPCB to the TIR if you go multiple emitters. That limits the TIR options to only a few. Now those few options need to fit into a light.
Careful taking that DQG Tiny apart, if you do. I have seen several strip domes.
I wasn’t gonna take it apart. I was going to try some frosted tape over 1, 2 and 3 lenses to see what effect it has. Simple and cheap.