Interesting. I’m tempted to try this. Do you have any pics?
Just tested it with my FF STL-V6 and the results were (arbitrary units):
| Original | Dedomed | |
| Ceiling bounce | 47 | 40 |
| Throw | 5000 | 6170 |
=> 23.4% more throw with a simple 2 minute operation.
(could have shaved it closer the emitter surface and cleaner and..)
That was quick!!! results look really promising…
Ledsmoke, MattSPL
I can post pics of the emitter tomorrow if you want,but there’s nothing special really. Cutting off the dome is a lot easier than it sounds, you don’t need to cut it off in a perfect single pass, you can cut it off a bit higher then “carve” off pieces till you get to the desired level.
edit to add: One thing that surprises me is that the ceiling bounce indicates only a 15% light loss from this method of de-doming… I was lead to believe that de-doming caused something closer to a 25% light loss, great news.
Nice! I've been thinking of sanding down and polishing to dedome one but this way is FAR simpler. I can't believe I didn't think of it myself. :p
I wonder what a difference it would make in an HD2010?
Ok thanks.
Is the dome solid, or is it hollow once you cut the top off it?
So will actual output decrease, but throw should increase?
yep 15% drop in lumens, increase in throw. What remains of the dome is just a thin sliver acting as a flat lens.
JohnnyMac, well after cutting the dome down its left quite rough, so maybe polishing might help after that?
Ok thanks 
It's solid. And yes output will decrease when dedoming an emitter.
Ok, thanks. I might give this a try on my spare Trustfire Mini-01 and see if i can turn it into a pocket rocket thrower 
I wouldn't be so quick to say output decreases. Identical drivers and emitters in different hosts, flood & throw will yield different ceiling bounce levels. Flooders score higher in bounce tests because they scatter more light than a thrower.
A stock domed xm-l spreads light 125 degrees. Cutting off the dome focuses the light reducing ceiling bounce numbers but increasing lux numbers for throw. The lens on an emitter doesn't increase the lumens produced, it just refocuses them. If I'm wrong I'm sure someone will be quick to correct me and explain why.
Well from what I understand, the dome on an LED not only refocuses the light, but allows more light to escape from the emitter that would otherwise be reflected backwards. This is also the reason why the tint becomes slightly warmer after de-doming.
Ok, just cut most of the dome off the xm-l in my trustfire mini-01.
Any suggestions for polishing it a bit?
Preliminary results are: hotspot is smaller and slightly brighter to the eye.
Anyone up to de-doming a TN31? :bigsmile:
How about someone with spare XR-E’s and a lux meter measure the lux from a cheap thrower (Smallsun ZY-C10-S for example) and then cut the dome off and remeasure?
I’ve gotten rid of most of my cheap experimental lights or I’d do it.
I was planning a 4A driver and an aspheric mod on my STL-V2. I might add the de-doming to the To Do List.
What are the side effects of this procedure, except the (said) lower lumen output and warmer spot? Will it suffer more from the 4A current than it would without de-doming?
Looks like a lot of people have successfully dedomed their lights. I might have to dedome my stl v2 soon
I think dedoming isnt good for an aspheric light, because when dedomed more light hits the reflector or in this case the inside of the head and not the lens which is what you want.
I see, thanks! I’ll see how the aspheric mod goes, and if I’m not satisfied I’ll try dedoming it and remove the lens.
Note: Don’t use a pocket knife no matter how sharp you think it is. It WILL stuff up your dedoming.
My STL-V2 now has a smaller spot than the 7G5-V2, but lumens has drastically gone down. I did a choppy job at dedoming, so I tried to file it down. It worked, but then I had myself a frosted dedomed LED which decreased output even more. Throw also dropped about 2k lux @ 1meter
Ouch. :( Sorry to hear that.