Why do companies ruin a good reflector with orange peel?
- It kills throw
smooths the beam
Why not make a reflector that focuses properly?
If you want a bigger hot spot, smoother beam, why not put a bigger emitter instead? (XP-G vs XM-L)
Why not have a sand blasted lens instead of ruining the reflector?
*EDIT: Subject title changed. Used to be “Orange Peel reflectors are crap (RANT)”
Reason: It conveyed an unwanted general message that nobody should like an OP reflector in my opinion, which is not true at all.*
I’m just talking purely from a customers stand point where everything is perfect except the reflector for those who like more throw. Not in any way a general statement that throwers are better.
Situation number one:
I buy a BLF A6 - I get whatever throw I get.
Situation number two:
I buy an imaginary BLF A6 with a smooth reflector - I get more throw but if I want less, I take it apart and give the lens a sandpaper treatment on the opposite side of the o-ring. I get a satisfying smooth beam.
I just think a smooth reflector should be the standard and the OP reflector should be the option.
Same goes with a convoy S2 but at least I can go buy the smooth reflector separately. The S2+ doesn’t have that option. I wish it did.
To add to that, even Zebralight does the same thing. They have awesome headlights and flashlights, basically none of them available with smooth reflectors. Why don’t they have smooth reflector options? They have OP and then Frosted Lens with OP. I love my ZL and I can only dream of it with a smooth reflector. I wish I had an option to get one like that.
I'd suggest any sort of sandpaper treatment on a reflector would give you less of everything. Best just buy a light to suit your needs. I'd call the BLF A6 anything but not a thrower.
They don’t. They OP reflectors to hide rings. Flashlight people look down on rings. Its easier, cheaper to OP ringy reflector then make a smooth reflector that floods well.
I said the A6 would have more throw with a smooth reflector, never called it a thrower at all.
And I also said the sandpaper treatment would be on the lens, not the reflector
Anybody hear of the Jacob A6? It’s dead a while ago and still, it’s ringy and throwy cheap beam gets praised and searched by many here.
can you imagine if flashlight companies started removing low CRI high output LEDs to only offer high CRI lower output LEDs? Can you imagine how many of us would cry over that?
Quality vs quantity I guess.
Ps. I’m still just ranting and voicing my personal opinion that I wish smooth reflectors would be more of the norm. This is not a general statement towards all flashlights or people or any combination of either.
The convoy s2+ nichia uv from Simon I received last month has smo reflector. I tried it with xp-g2 s3 3d and fet+1 driver and it has the same throw as my convoy s2 smo reflector with xpl v6 1a and fet+1 driver. There is a slight visible ring around the hotspot of the s2+ w/ smo reflector.
I don’t see a big difference between OP and smooth reflectors in real life performance. That said its odd the Convoy C8 comes with an OP, why design a throw light and try to reduce its throw. For Convoy M1 and smaller lights i see no problem with OP reflectors, they are not meant for maximum throw.
I think what the OP is trying to say is that he wants a small tube light thrower to keep in his pocket when ice fishing - so he can see the holes way in advance and the light can double as a hand warmer
Zebralight does make some SMO reflectors. My SC5w has one and it seems to suit the light nicely I think. Most of my Zebras are OP. I also have one of those Convoy S2+ UV lights with SMO and its got tons of artifacts. I’m going to swap it for OP.
Like others have said there are plenty of lights with SMO and plenty with OP. Buy the one you want.
In the thread I posted the link above, the OP reflector lowered throw 8 meters. This is on a C8. If you sandblast or diffuse a lens, the beam is smoother, but you are blocking the light out of the front. With an orange peel reflector, and a clear lens, the light is all going out the front, just not all in the same direction.
I like OP, but smooth and diffused have their place too…
I suspect the throw difference you’d see would probably be minimal unless you are running an XP-G or smaller LED and even then I’m not hugely convinced with those hosts.
Sure on a Lux meter there might be a different number. But using it outside I don’t think there would be enough to tell.
For the record, I have a few compact lights with SMO reflectors and XM-L2’s such as SWM V11R. They all have ringy beams and would probably have been better off with an OP reflector, albeit maybe a very mild OP like EagleTac does.
If you want throw from the A6, then either dedoming the LED or swapping in an XP-G2 or even swapping in a de-domed XP-G2 will have far greater affect on throw than a SMO reflector will.
The biggest thing a SMO will do in a light this size is make the transition from hot spot to spill beam sharper and more distinct. This will have the affect of making the hotspot more noticeable. So a placebo affect is, it looks a lot throwier.
The reality is, yes PEAK lux will have increased. But I honestly don’t believe it would be in any meaningful way that you’d be able to see with the naked eye, not unless you were doing side by side comparisons. A SMO reflector isn’t going to double the distance you can light up.
I'd suggest any sort of sandpaper treatment on a reflector would give you less of everything. Best just buy a light to suit your needs. I'd call the BLF A6 anything but not a thrower.
