What reflectors for Cree LED's?

I'm looking for some inexpensive reflectors for some Cree lights. Does anyone have any experience of the IMS 20 reflectors and better still some beamshots?
From what I've read I know the reflector will have to modded slightly to take the Cree LED, thats not a problem. What is the beam like though?
I've seen posts about the Fraen reflectors but I can't seem to find anoyone selling them at present.
Any others I should consider?

Thanks.

Deal eXtreme has some reflectors for CREEs that are not too expensive. They are textured, so the beam should be fairly smooth. I have not tried them, and am not sure of the build quality, so proceed at your own risk.

The IMS20 produces a really bad beam with the Cree XR-E. The cheapest reflector I've seen for the XR-E is the Fraen faceted reflector for about $1 each. The beam is pretty well focused and smooth, nearly as good as other reflectors and optics I've tried. It's definitely the best bang for the buck. My initial supply came from Electrolumens but he was out when I needed more so I just got a bunch in from Cutter Electronics in Australia. Shipping was pretty cheap and only took 10 days to get to the US. I've been trying some other optics, I have 2 different ones waiting to test now, but none so far are a big enough improvement over the Fraen reflectors to be worth buying in large quantities.

Hi Don,thanks for the reply.Would you consider selling me two of the Fraen reflectors? :huh:

Hi Don -the beam pic at Cutters looks terrible for that reflector -has put me off getting any.
Does it look like that or do you find it different?

The nicest beam i've seen from a Cree is with a Ledil Rocket-S optic though these are 26mm dia.

Cheers
Dom

Hello DatiLED, could you give a link to the reflectors you mention on the DX site ?

I have an ultrafire 606A http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.4238
which has a P4 cree XRE led. The refector is around 20mm dia and gives great throw with a nice hotspot and good side spill. I wish they sold as a DIY part, as I think you could just get three in a mag D head..........

Essexman said:

Hello DatiLED, could you give a link to the reflectors you mention on the DX site ?

I have an ultrafire 606A http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.4238
which has a P4 cree XRE led. The refector is around 20mm dia and gives great throw with a nice hotspot and good side spill. I wish they sold as a DIY part, as I think you could just get three in a mag D head..........

Click to expand...

Here is the reflector that I mentioned.

except for the Fraen reflector I have tried most everyone and ther is only one to recommend:
the Sandwich Shoppe McR 19 mm (does not matter if normal, or XR- Cree version)
this and only this makes a great beam.

Most any reflector that still shows the Cree metal ring, when the led is in place, leads to the Cree "rings".

Here a little pic how the beams widen with the McRs, fraen optics and a modded IMS
(the rings are barely visible here, intention was to show focusing - but they are all more or less equal.
See them slightly in the 3rd pic, around the main beam - with the IMS in last row)



still my impression:
Cree: Sandwich Shoppes reflectors ONLY
Seoul: IMS
... gotta get my hand on the fraen models


PS: "better" pic showing the rings with IMS

thats 20 and 27 mm IMS, modded for Cree

dom said:

Hi Don -the beam pic at Cutters looks terrible for that reflector -has put me off getting any.
Does it look like that or do you find it different?......

Click to expand...

Yes, it's not as bad as the picture. I think those rings in th spill beam may be due to the picture resolution, not actual rings. And my results have been much better centered. However, the darker ring around the center spot is an actual beam artifact. Also, I have ben using these in multi-led mods, so some artifacts may be more noticable with just a single LED/reflector since there is no beam overlap. Here's a beamshot I just took of a 5 Cree light. If the beam looks a little oval, that's due to the light facing straight up against an angled ceiling. The actual shape is nice and round.

(ignore the black spot on the right, that's the ceiling fan blade moving through the edge of the shot)

Thanks Don -looks better than Cutters pic
Sounds like what the OP needs as in size and price.

Hi Yellow -great work you have done there -and i agree on the McR refs being about perfect -
Have you tried the Ledil Rocket -S?
Have you got somewhere that shows a bigger picture?A bit hard to read the writing.

Cheers
Dom

Don, can those Cree reflectors be re-sized to fit where an IMS17 previously sat? I'm thinking inside an L1P body, for example.

greenLED said:

Don, can those Cree reflectors be re-sized to fit where an IMS17 previously sat? I'm thinking inside an L1P body, for example.

Click to expand...

No clue about that use. The max OD at the top is 19mm, the OD at the LED end is about 8.5mm, top face to bottom face is about 14.25mm and the legs add about another 1mm.

I posted the bigger pic originally, but that was larger than the screen ...

its a Cree P3 at 20 cm, 50 cm, 1 m, 2 m, 3 m from the wall
and used with
McR-XR 16 mm,
McR-XR 17 mm,
McR-XR 19 mm,
McR 19 mm,
McR-XR 27 mm,
8 deg. fraen optic and
modded IMS 17 mm

Thanks Yellow

Cheers
Dom

DonShock said:

No clue about that use. The max OD at the top is 19mm, the OD at the LED end is about 8.5mm, top face to bottom face is about 14.25mm and the legs add about another 1mm.

Click to expand...

Thanks, Don, that helps a bunch. I think I still have a couple of spare IMS17 somewhere that I can measure.