Adjustable Beam on Lumapower M1 Hunter?

[Dark Vapor]

I was reading the thread on the Dereelight with the SSC P4 LED where you turn the bezel to focus the beam. Earlier today, I received the Lumapower Tactical M1 Hunter and changed out the OP for the smooth reflector and noticed a locking ring to hold it securely in place. Not sure if the original M1 has this. And oh yeah, also changed it to the 2 stage switch. What has this got to do with being able to focus the beam you ask? Okay, so you don't care.

Anyway. Reading the thread, I remembered about the locking ring on the M1 and wondered if the beam could be adjusted by turning the bezel. At about a distance of 10ft, I doubled the size of the hotspot before the donut hole began to show. The smooth reflector has three rings; the OP should smooth this out (someone else can verify this). You're actually unscrewing the bezel and on mine, it needed only about a one-half revolution to get it to the largest spot (no donut hole). I'm pretty sure this wasn't a "built-in" feature, but I think it would come in handy when you need a flood instead of throw.

Has anyone noticed or tried this? Bad idea?

 

[CanDo]

Ok so you're just unscreweing the bezel? And by 'three rings' you mean three threads (thread loops thrice)?

Very interesting, beamshots sound in order.

 

[Dark Vapor]

Yes, tighten the bezel then unscrew it by 1/2 turn. The friction from the rubber o-ring keeps the bezel from moving on its own and still keeps it water resistant (IMO), unlike the maglites where the bezels are easy to rotate (of course that's what it's supposed to do).

Sorry if I didn't make myself clear on the "3 rings" with the smooth reflector (I should have been sleeping instead of typing in the first post). What I meant was there are 3 brightness rings; the hotspot and two (2) spill rings where the outer ring is the dimmest.

As for beamshots, I don't have an online account for photo images. Sorry.

 

[NutSAK]

Has anyone noticed or tried this? Bad idea?

It works great on my M1. But, the amount you can turn the bezel out before you see the donuts seems to be less at shorter distances, so it doen't really help with close-up work. The oring is nice and tight on the bezel and still has good surface contact, so I don't worry about it loosening further.

 

[Dark Vapor]

I agree that the size of the "flood" hotspot is smaller at a shorter distance before the donut hole appears. But if you can live with the donut hole ala maglite, I believe you can use it for close up work.

I'm kind of surprise that folks who prefer flood over throw, and owns a M1, hasn't commented. Anyway, maybe tonite I'll change to the OP reflector and see what kind of adjustable it'll produce. Ciao.

 

[CanDo]

Very interesting - this will have to factor in my buying desicion.
If all that's been keeping you from posting pics (in general I mean) is a photo account, go to photobucket.com free, fast, and simple.

 

[Dark Vapor]

Alrighty, I said I would see how the OP reflector would affect the beam with the bezel loosened a bit. And I must say, it stippling smooths out the beam pretty nicely. What you see is a nice transition from the hotspot to the spill. Also, the bezel could be adjusted a good 1-1/2 turns the hotspot is uniform on low and even better on high. At a full 2 turns, it's best to use the high stage for a uniform floody hotspot; the beam on low seems dim and not uniform. The sidespill seems usable indoors or out, IMO.

I like the flood beam with the bezel adjusted about 1-1/2 turns out using the OP reflector. The o-ring provides excellent friction and keeps the bezel nice a tight from loosening on its own.

Thanks, CanDo, for the letting know about photobucket but not right now.

I have a dereelight coming in and I'd like to compare the two (for my own curiosity). Of course, it wasn't the reason why I bought it, it was for the 2 stage twist and tactical click switch.