Latest LED bulb for flashlights

AR15DCM

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Mar 19, 2017
Messages
1
Hi,

This is my first post on the board. The site has changed quite a bit since I was last on several years ago.

I was wondering what the latest and greatest LED bulbs are for flashlights that are not square? Are there any these days? It seems that in my recent searches the only flashlights I can find have the square LED emitter with some kind of lens. Then when it "zooms in" or "focuses" you end up with a square light pattern. Can anyone update me?

Thanks,
Dean
 

rayman

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
May 6, 2008
Messages
1,219
Location
Germany
I don't know of any LED emitters that have a round die in it. Might be because it is easier to produce a square die and with all the optics you want see the difference in the end anyways. You only see the square die with an optic like the aspherical lens.
 

Chicken Drumstick

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Dec 9, 2011
Messages
1,651
Location
UK
Hi,

This is my first post on the board. The site has changed quite a bit since I was last on several years ago.

I was wondering what the latest and greatest LED bulbs are for flashlights that are not square? Are there any these days? It seems that in my recent searches the only flashlights I can find have the square LED emitter with some kind of lens. Then when it "zooms in" or "focuses" you end up with a square light pattern. Can anyone update me?

Thanks,
Dean
Can you offer anymore info on that torches you are looking at?

As a rule zoomy flashlights are fairly rare. The majority being budget lights.

Most flashlights use a reflector. And while a square dye might not be ideal, you'll be hard pushed to know when looking at the beam.

Led Lenser make a lot of zooming flashlights, however they tend to use a different type of optic called a TIR lens. And they will normally protect a round beam when fully zoomed.

There are LEDs with round dyes, many of the Nichia ones. But are generally less common in mass market torches. Although you can always build or modify a torch to your own spec.
 

yellow

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Oct 31, 2002
Messages
4,629
Location
Baden.at
just to be correct ...
;)
TIR lens. .
a TIR
(PS: a real one, as well as any "normal" optic)
has a fixed point of Focus --> no zooming

any zooming light has "just" a high refraction lens
(the further away from the light source, the less emitted light to be focused; rest is just wasted at the inside walls)
 

Lynx_Arc

Flashaholic
Joined
Oct 1, 2004
Messages
11,212
Location
Tulsa,OK
I have several zooming lights and if you don't want the "square" output just don't zoom all the way to that point back off a little to where it is more roundish. The only LEDs that aren't squarish these days is 5mm and 10mm LEDs which aren't really worth bothering for a zoom type light in the first place. They made "zoom" type lights with these 5mm LED back in the days and you could see a ball of light often with two squiggles coming out of it (the wires to the emitter itself).
 
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