lawallac
(lawallac)
15
The led has a clear lens attached to it. Most leds have this clear portion above the led. Only very few high intensity versions have a flat clear top. When the led is nice and hot it can be removed. By doing this you will decrease the apparent size of the led and you will gain throw by doing this. Now after removing the dome you will lose a some of the brighness, this is going to be most notable in less spill. But the trade off is increase in intensity and better throw. The loss of lumens is less noticeable than the increase in throw distance. I was suggesting you try this prior to swapping the led because you may be sufficiently happy with the results. You will get more throw with the xpl-hi, dedoming is something you can try. Not all leds dedome as easily as the SST-50. Some require cutting or soaking in gasoline. I’ve personally dedomed SSTs and there is nothing to it.