Obtaining a smooth flood pattern from an Maglite LED light with no concern for throw.

[TD-Horne]

I want to obtain a smooth flood pattern from an LED light with no concern for throw beyond what would occur incidentally. I have a need for hand lights that can function as near area work lights during a sudden storm orafter dark late arrival camp set up operations. I know there are headlamps that do a pretty good job at this, sometimes by switching to a separate set of emitters, but I'd like to have a couple of positionable hand light for each group of campers, to be carried by their 4 counselors.

Please don't try to address positioning or holding the lights because I believe we have that covered by the walking staffs that many of the Counselors carry which have Camera mounting studs under the caps.

You might be amazed at the number of uses the counselors put those walking staffs to.
Stretcher poles, tent poles, antenna masts for directional cellular telephone antennas, signal flag staffs...

Tom Horne

 

[tech25]

The easiest way is DC-fix on the lens. Won't make it total flood but will smooth/blend the beam.

 

[TD-Horne]

What is "DC-fix?" Were do we obtain it?

Tom Horne

 

[knucklegary]

Google; d-c-fix.. It's a 3M product intended for window privacy. Static cling (prefered) or adhesive backed, it comes smooth or with slight orange peel texture (use smooth)

There is a fella over on BLF who sells the stuff.

 

[bykfixer]

Chap stick.
Every camper should have a tube anyway. When you're done you wipe it off.

 

[knucklegary]

^ wipe off chapstick with lips.. win win!

 

[jabe1]

DC fix is probably best, and not permanent. If you want to just smooth the beam out, make your own LOP reflector.
Take the reflector out, and give it a few light coats of krylon crystal clear spray paint; smooths the beam out pretty well.

 

[xxo]

Just take out the reflector.

 

[bykfixer]

^ wipe off chapstick with lips.. win win!

Exactamundo
Forgot your chapstick? No, actually you didn't. 👍

 

[hamhanded]

I've sanded my LED drop-ins with good results.

If it's an actual LED maglite, I also agree with the dc-fix recommendations.

 

[Poppy]

If you want a directional flood light you may find that a COB light will fit the bill.

Here is one that can be used as a power bank. They come in single cell or dual cell formats.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VQF8R88/?tag=cpf0b6-20

OTOH, you may want to just use a diffuser.

 

[TD-Horne]

If you want a directional flood light you may find that a COB light will fit the bill.

Here is one that can be used as a power bank. They come in single cell or dual cell formats.
View attachment 40511

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VQF8R88/?tag=cpf0b6-20

OTOH, you may want to just use a diffuser.

View attachment 40512

I want a field ~60° which can be aimed at the work area. The councilors already use white traffic wands as a diffuser when entering the cabins during the night to check on the campers.

Tom Horne

 

[hsa]

This thing looks interesting, if the dc fix does'nt work.

LitezAll Tri-All® Lantern Flashlight and Desk Lamp - LitezAll

LitezAll TriAll™ is a Lantern, Flashlight and Desk Lamp All In One Light. Easily converts between modes. Bright, portable and convenient. Battery powered.

litezall.com

 

[knucklegary]

Tri-All looks pretty cool and affordable too!
..and that COB power bank is a must have!

 

[Poppy]

I don't know what the angle is for the COB light, but at two inches it will illuminate 9 inches.
Someone with a scientific calculator can determine what the angle is. That math is above my pay grade.

Just for giggles, I googled and found this site:

LED Lighting Beam Angle Calculator

A simple calculator that determines spot size by a light's beam angle

store.marinebeam.com

It appears that the beam angle is 132 degrees.

 

[Poppy]

If you remove the spot on a 2 C cell maglite so that it is all flood, you'll get about a 66 degree flood, with a terrible looking beam.


EDIT:
I just noticed your title. Oooops!

 

[Poppy]

Perhaps a zoomie light will work for you.

Perhaps an aspherical lens

Perhaps a light with a carclo lens

 

[Derek Dean]

This stuff is quite excellent, as it not only smooths out the beam (and gets rid of the rings), but also color corrects the cyan tint which is inherent in the current LEDS used by Maglite, leaving you with a smooth, white beam:
Beam Correction for Maglite

For $11 you get a BIG sheet that you can cut to fit a whole fleet of lights. Depending on the amount of use the lights get, the color correction part will fade a bit over time, but at this price, it's easy to replace when needed.

If you'd like, PM me your address and I'll mail you a piece big enough for one light so you can check it out.

 

[knucklegary]

@Derek Dean, have you tried Lee minus 2 Green?

 

[Derek Dean]

@Derek Dean, have you tried Lee minus 2 Green?

Thanks, yes, minus one and minus two green are my first go to filters, and work great for any Zebralight I've ever gotten, but with the new Maglites, it seems to leave the beam too blue. I think the Hampshire Rose filter is more RED, which works perfectly for my recent ML300LX, or which I got 5 copies (for Christmas gifts), and the Hampshire rose was perfect for color correcting and softening the beam.

Of course no more twisting the head for narrow to spot, it all looks the same, just a clean white smooth beam perfect for medium duty work. And yes, it does dim the light a tiny bit, but not enough to bother me.

By the way, I used a rubber strap wrench to gently remove the bezel, cut the filter to fit, and then placed it inside and replaced the bezel. A very easy, quick, and reversible process.

And the way I found that Hampshire Rose was the perfect filter was just as easy (I've been filtering all my lights for years). I used the Lee Filter Swatch book, available various places on-line. And by the way, I usually recommend using only Lee's Zircon filters for LED lights, because they are designed specifically for LED lights (being twice as thick), and they don't fade as quickly, but the selection of Zircon filters isn't as plentiful as the regular selection of LEE filters, and man, that Hampshire rose was so perfect, and it's only available in the regular series, but, what the heck, if it fades, I've got a huge sheet, I'll just cut another one out and pop it in.

Hope that helps.