Wrong. The point IS to make a revolutionary strange thing never seen before. Something that does not currently exist on the market. Something in between the size of a Q8 and A6. The Q8 head is 59mm (4 x 18650) and the A6 head is 24mm (1 x 18650. I think we should build (a triple or quad reflector) with a head roughly 35mm to 45mm using 1 x 26650. This has never been done as far as I know.
WRONG.
The point is to make something that people will want to buy over other options on the market.
Whether it is cost or performance or both.
Just because something has a specific size head with some number of reflectors in it that is different from another flashlight doesn’t mean it is magically going to make it better in some way such that people will be interested in purchasing it.
Maybe you don’t realize this, but the BLF projects are done for what the majority wants, not for what you want.
May be obvious to you because you posted them.
The side by side pics were the question. PT18 as described, the one next to it was not described and not knowing the distance makes it impossible to tell what it is.
But, you can easily tell from the spot that it’s not a TIR.
If you look up flashlight wall beam profiles you can almost always guess what type of optic it’s using without even knowing what light it is.
Anyway, I made it pretty obvious why TIRs are better for close up use (since he said he didn’t care about throw).
Manufacturers know this, which is why you see so many EDC and non-thrower lights these days that aren’t reflector based.
And FWIW the Q8 has a very distinct 4 petal flower pattern outside.
The 3 emitter C8F reflector has what looks like 9 petals that only appear on the highest levels. Tight spot. Much nicer than the Q8.
I only know of tir what I’ve seen first hand. I’ve only had one light that used tir, which I did mention, it is the DQG Tiny 7x xpg2. It uses 7 small tir lenses and puts out 2500 lumen. Here is a pic.
It has a beam pattern like your example picture. It has a defined hotspot which is surrounded by a fairly strong corona, then a very wide and weak spill. When you have it set at a comfortable brightness level, say 600 lumen, you can see the hotspot just fine, but everything beyond the corona is pitch black. The same 600 lumen from a reflector light, a Convoy S2+ for instance, gives you a similar hotspot, but more spill lighting so you can see the left, right and ground as you walk. I don’t have to wave the light around constantly to see.
I’ve also worked with some wide angle 60° tir lenses, but I usually only put them in certain lights for close up work. Like my headlights which I only need to see out to 10 feet or so. I usually use them at arms length when I’m working on something.
So I don’t know of all the styles of tir lenses out there. Are there any that can give a similar beam pattern to a reflector light? Maybe one that is partially frosted? I haven’t seen any like that. If I can find something like that I would gladly use it to convert an existing 26650 light as there are many to choose from.
I don’t mean to sound rude. That’s just the way I talk. Sorry if I come off that way.
In my experiences I only have seen one type of beam pattern from tir lenses. Strong hotspot and corona (in different diameters of course) with very weak spill lighting. I have not seen any patterns that resemble a reflector flashlight. If they do exist, I would be grateful to learn of it.
My point is that they often don’t resemble a reflector flashlight, which is what makes them better for close range.
If you want to have bright spill from a reflector flashlight you need to turn the brightness up a lot, which results in an overly bright hotspot and dim spill.
For example:
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A tir gives a brighter spill and less hotspot, as you can see here:
(both pics are of TIR)
Your confused here. I was not refering to the BLF forum in general. I was refering to the point of making the light I had described. It is a unique light that is not on the market. Well, the Sofirn C8F is basically the same, but with a smaller 18650 battery. The C8F seems to be a big hit around here, especially the xpl version. I was wanting to make a similar light, but with a bigger 26650 battery. I think it would be very popular here.
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.