Mc917 Pelican R and Chop KL-III Fraen Low Profile

I thought I'd post this photo I took earlier comparing the beamspots of these two very fine modified heads.

Left is my newest McLux 917ma PR head on an E2e. I believe it is a TVOK Lux III. On the right is a KL-3 from Chop with a TWOK Lux III, Fraen LP and run at 1.2A.

Both of these a very white, but for some reason the photos came out with a green tint. So I reduced the saturation to about 10% and it makes them look almost like B&W shots. However, this is how the beamspots appear to my eyes.

I reduced the exposure otherwise at this close range they would have freaked my camera out. These are both extremely bright and intense lights. I think you can get an idea from the intensity of the hotspots.

The Mc917 on the left has a perfectly round beamspot without the slightest artifacts or distortions. It's hotspot is also perfectly round, the bulge at 1-2 o'clock is just a reflection on the enamel paint. The Mc917's crisp edged, creamy smooth spill is about 7 feet in diameter at 5-6 feet. The hotspot is about 10-12" in diameter at the same distance.

You can see the Chop KL-III with the Fraen LP throws a very intense rectangular beam spot. The lenses are only 6" from the door. At 10 feet, the KL-III's rectangular spot covers the refrigerator.

Britt

Thanks for the pic.

This is the first time I've seen PR vs. LP in a single shot. I have both PR and LP on order from the shop, so I'll be able to make my own comparison - hopefully real soon. One thing, though. The hot spots don't look all that much different in size. Is this because of the closeness of the wall? Are they really that similar in size at longer range?

Lux,
I've built/modded many lights using both the Fraen LP and the PR. Comparing the two is like comparing apples and oranges.

I think that it is safe to say that the PR equipped light will throw further. The hotspot is in the form of a very narrow beam that does grow over distances, but not as much as that of the Fraen. It's really hard to describe the beam of the LP except to say that it does put a lot of light on the subject out to its maximum distance.

I guess you'll have to get both lights and see for yourself.

Just as a point of comparison, I have two M@g mods. One is Direct Driving a TWOK 3W using the stock reflector. This thing will easily throw and light up a subject at 100 yards. Please keep in mind that the outdoors at my home has a lot of ambient lighting in terms of street lights and such and I can still cast a beam at over 100 yards. In another DD'd M@g light, I'm running 3 Q3J's, each with a Fraen LP attached to it. This thing puts out monster gobs of light. Doing the ceiling bounce test, I'd say that it easily puts out twice as much light as the 3W; however, it can't light up a fence at 100 yards the way the reflectored light will. On the other hand, at 50 yards, the Fraen equipped light puts much more light on what I'm looking at than the reflectored light does. I guess I would describe the Tri-fraen light as a medium range flood light.

Lux, My rather terrible photo just shows how the two start out.

At about 3 feet from the wall, the KL-III's hotspot is its beamspot and is about 12" in diameter. As Tony mentioned in another thread, there is no "spill" to speak of.

At the same distance, the Mc917's beamspot is about 6 feet in diameter and it's hotspot is about 5 inches in diameter. Its hotspot easily superimposes the KL-III Fraen spot.

At about 10 feet, the beamspot of the KL-III Fraen is about 4 feet in diameter.

At about 10 feet, the spill of the beamspot of the Mc917 is to large for me to measure indoors accurately, I'd guess it is better than 12 feet. But the hotspot within it is about 1.5 feet in diameter.

I can see that what Tony said is true, it is like trying to compare an apple to an orange. Their characteristics are so dissimilar.

Last night I Bogarted a couple of Luckys to get the atmosphere in the bunker more hospitable to my species and compared the two light beams side by side in the smoke.

They are beautiful. McGizmo's McLux 917 with that fantastic Pelican Reflector puts out a very precise cone of spill with a rod of concentrated Lux perfectly centered within it.

In the smoke, I swear I can see corners on the rectangular beam of Chop's KL-III Fraen LP. The further the lens is from the wall, the more the rectangular beamspot takes on the shape of a six-pointed star with a brighter round beamspot inscribed. At greater distance the corners fade and disappear.

One can only go so far shining lights at walls and refrigerators indoors. I have started getting a feel for these two lights' capabilities outdoors.

At 30 feet, Tony's KL-III Fraen perfectly lights up an entire 10 foot long by 7 foot high dark balcony. The light is evenly spread throughout the beamspot and is sufficiently bright that nobody wants to look at it and they stumble over patio furniture and pets escaping its glare.

The Mc917 also lights up the same balcony, but the hotspot covers about half the area. At this distance, the spill covers way more than just the balcony. Nothing bigger than a Gecko is gonna have a shadow to hide in. The hotspot will cover a young married couple from head to toe and cause them to acquire an acute but transitory case of Tourette's Syndrome.

There was also the same stumbling over patio furniture and beer can rattle as they fumbled back through the vertical blinds away from the beam.

Either light works very well in the familiar syringe grip, the tip of my forefinger and my upright thumb "rear-sight" were starkly backlit. Neither light blinked when I simulated several shots of .45acp. Although I don't think my BLAM!s and snapping my pointed finger up really are much of a test, so check it out for yourself.

My little flashaholic coed friend (1st year Psych major) called and said she wants to come over tonight and show me her new cheerleader outfit. I figure she got wind of Tony's and Don's mods and is going to try to take advantage of me and make off with oneuhvem.

I laid in an SL TL-3 Xenon and if she doesn't go for that I'll see if she'll take my friend's G2 he loaned me to try out Chop's KL-III.

I'm off to the ranch on Wednesday night and will have some decent dark and distance to give these darlin's a workout.

Let the neighbors here have a rest. One of 'em says he feels like he's in "Stalag 17" with all the searchlights passing by his windows at night. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif

BC

It sounds like the LP throws a nice even patch of light, but can't escape the inverse square law at long distance.

It would still be my choice to check out the girlie in the cheerleader outfit, though. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif I think we are seeing your true motives for flashaholism - that, and chasing couples off balconies. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/yellowlaugh.gif

[ QUOTE ]
Lux Luthor said:
It sounds like the LP throws a nice even patch of light, but can't escape the inverse square law at long distance.


[/ QUOTE ]

Now dadgummit, why can't I say things nice and simple like you, Luxxy? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I won't tell you about the French Maid outfit and how my M3T walked out of here and I was left with a pink feather duster. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif

BC