As I recall, there was one report of one C01 from the first batch not having an o-ring around the led and this incident has been quoted many times in this thread, and as things go nowadays, things that are repeated enough become the new reality.
I am hearing now on CPF some of the supplied head orings maybe thicker, or thinner, than what was, or is currently supplied lol… I think it’s pretty cool they offer spares thick or thin…
In case you missed it, my son (older and stronger in the meantime) did an even more brutal test on the 2020 version, although this time it was a potted one. Looked very beaten-up but remained fully functional after the test.
When I received mines (from Sofirn site), I tested an orange one (which doesn’t seem to be potted).
Threw it up to the air in my room for 2 or 3 times, let it fall on the floor and…still works
It just got 2 small bruises in the head
I tried various grades of sanding on one, and the beam really improves but think I loose a lot of light. I should have measured the output before/after so I can not be sure, but compared to my second red C01 it has 30% less output
That’s to be expected. Are you sure that it is really the total output and not just only throw? And lower output doesn’t sound bad for a red light that is intended to be used in low light conditions.
how about potting the whole “cone” where the led is with clear acrylic, kinda turns the whole thing into a big TIR lens and shouldn`t lose any light, if it remains the same (and it shouldn`t be) doing scotch tape over the front would now be possible.
Potting the front with clear acrylic will remove the lens function of the front curvature of the 5mm led, it will turn the light in a sort of mule, but with a weird reflector effect. Could be a nice beam by chance though.