Ok, 5 more modifications I did to this cheapo flashlight.
1. Updated the tail spring with a solder blob to have a better contact for the battery since it seemed there was a hotspot previously (AA Flashlight Wire Advice). Left is the old spring bypass, right is the new.
2. Put thermal compound between the LED MCPCB and the copper cap.
3. Drilled another hole for the lanyard to help with tail standing.
4. Replaced the plastic smooth reflector with an orange peal aluminum reflector and 5. Replaced the plastic lens with an anti reflective glass lens. Also noteworthy, I used an LED insulation gasket due to the aluminum reflector and put an o-ring between the lens and reflector to help with water resistance.
With the new reflector and lens, the beam greatly improved. Left is the old modified flashlight (notice the rings), right is new.
Here’s a close-up of the beam.
It is still my favorite flashlight around the house, even more so with the improvements. There are no more mods that I want to do with the flashlight. Thanks BLF for all your help!