AR coatings...worth it?

nmanchin

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Jun 8, 2007
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100
i'm fascinated with AR coatings. they are on my sunglasses, instrument cluster, and watch crystal, and apparently on the inside of my LOD. i just got some hardened mineral glass crystals for my 3c mag. i was thinking about taking them to my local eyeglass store that does inhouse AR coatings. so, i'm wondering if it would be worth it my time and money. i'm thinking it would be cool but probably not that useful on a 140 ish lumen light... thoughts?
 

jsr

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Dec 22, 2005
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socal
I'd be curious to know the difference AR coating makes also for lights. Everyone tries to get the most output out of their lights, yet additional features such as AR coatings are many times over negated simply by the LED lottery (flux range), so I also question AR's value. And since human perception of brightness is logarithmic, a 2% or whatever increase in output wouldn't really be noticeable.
 

Pumaman

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Jun 10, 2006
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Absolutely worth every penny for eyeglasses. doubt it would be for aftermarket flashlight lenses, unless you have a fat wallet.
 

BoomerSooner

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Jun 4, 2007
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Although, not specifically AR coating, I would imagine there could be a similar effect, to a lessor degree?

From Flashlightlens.com
http://www.flashlightlens.com/item--UCL%AE-Lens--UCL_Lens.html

[FONT=VERDANA, ARIAL, HELVETICA]Add LDF Coating?[/FONT]

[FONT=VERDANA, ARIAL, HELVETICA]LDF stands for "Light Diffusion Film." We take GE brand Lexan® that has a slight texture to it and, using an optical adhesive, apply it to one side of the lens. This results in more of a flood-like beam pattern. It will smooth out the worst beam. The overall light output is almost unchanged - it's just spread out more. Be warned though, this coating will kill the throw of the light. Only add this coating if you like a really smooth beam and lots of side-spill. We recommend placing the LDF side of the lens toward the bulb for protection against scratching.
NOTE: LDF film does not hold up very well in UV light applications.
[/FONT]
 
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