brightnorm said:
This is my only disagreement with your first-rate review. I find that the relatively narrow spot and fairly weak surround cause some discomfort when walking/hiking in rough or unfamiliar terrain. Although the beam is excellent for medium distance spotlighting, I find that the wider beams of lights like the HDS 60xr and Amilite Neo T3 permit quicker ID of surroundings and also preserve night vision, while still providing a bright spot. In fact, the HDS lights project a very superior spot that is the equal of any light.
I have re-evaluated my criteria about beams in general over the last few months ... and IMHO corona management is at least as important as the hotspot. It would be ideal to have a hot hotspot that is large and gently fades into a corona that is also quite bright in order to reduce the dynamic range and make it easier on the eyes while at the same time increasing the illuminated area.
Now ... everything is a compromise ... and with the McR-18, the corona is too wide, and not the spot too hot. You need the spot to overcome ambient light and have some throwing capacity ... making it broader wouldn't make the SPY a more useful light for general purpose lighting.
You'd need a more concentrated corona to improve performace ... but this is physically impossible for a reflector of this size, or at least we don't have one that can do it.
Lights like the L5 or U2 as well as the 27L reflector (McGizmo) excel at this point ... but are considerably larger.
bernie