Ok, it ain't no kilo-lumen MR-16 mod and it's not powered by 2 pounds of 1/2D nicad battlebot cells but it's pretty gnarly in its own right.
Now that my humble Mag 3C has been force-fed four SureFire 3-Volt lithium batteries, one Energizer AA Lithium and a secret ??? lumen bulb, I wanted it to be capable of not only throwing a killer spot, but also generate a useful flood. And since I have a professed love for holographic diffusion filters, I picked one up for this torch. I just couldn't bear to have such a nice torch suffer the indignity of the "Mag Hole". Note: This bulb necessitated the use of a reamed out Carley 1940 aluminum reflector as the stock polycarbonate unit would not survive the heat. For intermittent use, though, the stock reflector is just fine.
The no-nonsense flip up, cam-lock filter is SureFire's FM24 Beamshaper. It is designed for 2.5" bezels like the SF M6 so it is exactly 1/4" too large in diameter for the unmodified Mag bezel. To make up the difference, I wound on several layers of 20-mil, high temperature pipe sealant tape around the front bezel ring (the part Mag refers to as the "face cap"). I then sealed it up with a high temperature silicone, fiberglass-reinforced foil tape. The foil tape provides toughness and abrasion resistance. The tape band is 15-mm wide, exactly covering the front bezel ring. Since it doesn't cover the seam between the bezel ring and the head, the bezel can be unscrewed to access the lens and reflector. In fact, you can switch bezels between lights with ease. I can swap the FM24'd bezel from my BadA$$ 3C to a 2C packed with 3x123 and a C717 or KPR112 to my ab-made 5W 2D Mag.
Ok, enough talking. Here's the beamshotz. As you can see, the diffusion filter provides an unbelievably homogeneous field of flood light. No naked reflector can match this uniformity. I have to say though, even without the diffusion filter, the secondary spill is very bright and very useful. The shaped beam is just another class of gorgeous though. I have some Carley 808 bulbs (smooth glass and frosted) and texturized and smooth aluminum vacuum coated reflectors coming in the near future and I hope to be able to definitively quantify the relative effects of bulb frosting and reflector texturizing. I want to know how each process affects the spot tightness and overall diffusion to the wide spill.
Left: Beamshaper out, tightest spot.
Right: Beamshaper in, uniform flood.
I took it out tonight for some shooting around and the throw is absolutely stunning. Here are some comparative beamshotz that you might find interesting.
Picture 1, spot mode: Left, 2C(KPR112 + 3x123) Right, 3C(Xbulb + 4x123+AA)
The mystery bulb versus the "bang for the buck" champion. A nice bump in output I'd say. The spill light is just ferocious but doesn't show that well due to the exposure.
Picture 2, spot mode: Left, 2D(5W LS + 6xAA) Right, 3C(Xbulb + 4x123+AA)
My hottest incandescent versus my hottest LED-based light. Color difference notwithstanding, the difference between 500 lumens and 150 lumens is clearly visible. Even moreso in person. The Luxeon does have two positive aspects though, great color (V3U) and a perfectly round spot with no artifacts in tight beam mode.
Picture 3, spot mode: Left, SF9P(P91HOLA + 3x123) Right, 3C(Xbulb + 4x123+AA)
My hottest incandescent versus the former hottest incandescent. Carley 809 not included. Can you see the difference between 500 and 200 lumens? After seeing this, my 9P goes into retirement until the SF KL5 LED head becomes available. The smaller, less efficient but texturized reflector of the P91 results in a much smoother but less concentrated hotspot.
Picture 4, spot mode: Left, 2C(stock bulb + 2xC) Right, 3C(Xbulb + 4x123+AA)
Just for chuckles. Believe me, it was not this close to the naked eye.
Wilkey
restored 12/21/06
Now that my humble Mag 3C has been force-fed four SureFire 3-Volt lithium batteries, one Energizer AA Lithium and a secret ??? lumen bulb, I wanted it to be capable of not only throwing a killer spot, but also generate a useful flood. And since I have a professed love for holographic diffusion filters, I picked one up for this torch. I just couldn't bear to have such a nice torch suffer the indignity of the "Mag Hole". Note: This bulb necessitated the use of a reamed out Carley 1940 aluminum reflector as the stock polycarbonate unit would not survive the heat. For intermittent use, though, the stock reflector is just fine.
The no-nonsense flip up, cam-lock filter is SureFire's FM24 Beamshaper. It is designed for 2.5" bezels like the SF M6 so it is exactly 1/4" too large in diameter for the unmodified Mag bezel. To make up the difference, I wound on several layers of 20-mil, high temperature pipe sealant tape around the front bezel ring (the part Mag refers to as the "face cap"). I then sealed it up with a high temperature silicone, fiberglass-reinforced foil tape. The foil tape provides toughness and abrasion resistance. The tape band is 15-mm wide, exactly covering the front bezel ring. Since it doesn't cover the seam between the bezel ring and the head, the bezel can be unscrewed to access the lens and reflector. In fact, you can switch bezels between lights with ease. I can swap the FM24'd bezel from my BadA$$ 3C to a 2C packed with 3x123 and a C717 or KPR112 to my ab-made 5W 2D Mag.
Ok, enough talking. Here's the beamshotz. As you can see, the diffusion filter provides an unbelievably homogeneous field of flood light. No naked reflector can match this uniformity. I have to say though, even without the diffusion filter, the secondary spill is very bright and very useful. The shaped beam is just another class of gorgeous though. I have some Carley 808 bulbs (smooth glass and frosted) and texturized and smooth aluminum vacuum coated reflectors coming in the near future and I hope to be able to definitively quantify the relative effects of bulb frosting and reflector texturizing. I want to know how each process affects the spot tightness and overall diffusion to the wide spill.
Left: Beamshaper out, tightest spot.
Right: Beamshaper in, uniform flood.
I took it out tonight for some shooting around and the throw is absolutely stunning. Here are some comparative beamshotz that you might find interesting.
Picture 1, spot mode: Left, 2C(KPR112 + 3x123) Right, 3C(Xbulb + 4x123+AA)
The mystery bulb versus the "bang for the buck" champion. A nice bump in output I'd say. The spill light is just ferocious but doesn't show that well due to the exposure.
Picture 2, spot mode: Left, 2D(5W LS + 6xAA) Right, 3C(Xbulb + 4x123+AA)
My hottest incandescent versus my hottest LED-based light. Color difference notwithstanding, the difference between 500 lumens and 150 lumens is clearly visible. Even moreso in person. The Luxeon does have two positive aspects though, great color (V3U) and a perfectly round spot with no artifacts in tight beam mode.
Picture 3, spot mode: Left, SF9P(P91HOLA + 3x123) Right, 3C(Xbulb + 4x123+AA)
My hottest incandescent versus the former hottest incandescent. Carley 809 not included. Can you see the difference between 500 and 200 lumens? After seeing this, my 9P goes into retirement until the SF KL5 LED head becomes available. The smaller, less efficient but texturized reflector of the P91 results in a much smoother but less concentrated hotspot.
Picture 4, spot mode: Left, 2C(stock bulb + 2xC) Right, 3C(Xbulb + 4x123+AA)
Just for chuckles. Believe me, it was not this close to the naked eye.
Wilkey
restored 12/21/06
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