confused with throw-sidespill

[bonhomme]

Hello, maybe stupid but i am confused about:
example1: 1 LuxIII emitter in mag with original reflector
example2: 4 LuxIII emitters in mag with 4 McR20 reflectors

Ok i understand that example 2 is going to be more lumens, but:
what about throw? Does it lights things up farther away, or is the hotspot just bigger ?

And what about the sidespill ?

Thanks Marc

 

[cratz2]

Assume we have two custom Maglites:

One with with a U-bin on an O-sink (not talking about the drop in Mag module) and the original reflector that has been cut down for use with the LED.

One with the perfect tri sink and 4 U-bins and 4 IMS20 reflectors (I've never done a tri Lux with Mc reflectors).

Well also assume that the power source and driver is capable of driving each LED very hard so were talking either LiIon on 6+ high current NiMH AA cells.

The hotspot on the single Lux III light will be more intense and much smaller. The hotspot on the tri Lux III light will be very bright and much larger than the single Lux III. The throw of the single Lux light will be more because the photons are concentrated in such a small, narrow ray of light.

Neither one is better than the other though. In my experience and opinion, the single Lux mod will have more throw for really reaching out there, but the tri Lux will have the larger hotspot and still seem to have quite a bit of throw. Where I really feel the tri Lux lights come into their own is sweeping large areas... either in a dark warehouse or a large open field. On the other hand, if it is a very tree-filled area, then the single Lux light is superior because there's less chance of catching a bright reflection from the large hotspot of the tri Lux light.

As for spillbeams... they are both pretty bright, but the tri Lux light will be brighter. Honestly though, if I'm walking through a fairly wooded area, one of my favorite lights is a 2C with an PR SMJLED. Plenty bright for such use.

Whether a tri Lux light or a really good single Lux light is 'better' will come down to your needs. I have several single Lux-modded Mags and two tri Lux Mags but my favorite general use mag is a 2C with U-bin, an nFlex driver (8 levels) and a McGizmo 27L reflector. It looks funky in the head, but it gives, what I feel, is the best balance of throw, hotspot size and spillbeam brightness of any reflector I've ever used.

 

[cratz2]

Here's three pictures to help illustrate... At least it should help with the hotspot/throw issue. The pile is 38 feet away. You can't see much of the spillbeam because the camera settings were set to accurately capture the hotspot. Rest assured that any of these lights has an ample spillbeam though I'm sure the stock Mag reflector would be the dimmest spillbeam.

Tri-Lux with IMS20 reflectors, direct driven on 3D cells

U-bin with 27L reflector at 1000mA

U-bin with stock Mag reflector at 937mA

 

[bonhomme]

Thank you very much, now i understand.

I have a 2Dmag with hotlips ,SSC P4 U driven by a downboy750 on 8AA/2D adapter : i like it ,plenty of throw and sidespill.

But i see often in the treads 3 or 4 emitterMags, but if the only difference is more sidespill ,bigger hotspot, BUT less throw, i will stay with mine.

Thanks for explaination and foto's.

Greetings Marc

 

[Sub_Umbra]

Thanks cratz2,

Your pics answered a few questions for me that weren't even asked.

 

[DM51]

Very interesting, cratz2. What is surprising is the performance of the stock Mag reflector - in the photo it seems to have a much brighter hotspot. A narrow beam, but looks as if it's the best of the 3 for throw. Or is that just me misinterpreting the photo?

 

[bwaites]

As has been talked about here many times, the Mag reflector geometry is pretty doggone good when it comes to throw!

I really can make a LuxIII shoot an impressive beam out there, but it sacrifices sidespill.

Bill

 

[cratz2]

Very interesting, cratz2. What is surprising is the performance of the stock Mag reflector - in the photo it seems to have a much brighter hotspot. A narrow beam, but looks as if it's the best of the 3 for throw. Or is that just me misinterpreting the photo?

Sorry for the ~1 month delay.

The Mag reflector CERTAINLY gives the most throw in this lineup. Plus truth be told, the UX1L @ 937mA in that mag reflector is a bit brighter than the UW0K @ 1A in the 27L reflector so those two lights compared directly, the UX1L in the Mag reflector EASILY wins the throw contest. But for me, the spill beam brightness is a more important factor.

You can tell from looking at the UX1L pic, the corona and spill beam is so dim, you can't even see the edge of the woodpile while the other two lights, the entirety of the woodpile is pretty much visible. Other than just 'wow'ing someone with your LED light, ultimate throw is often not as important as very good throw combined with a very usable spillbeam. This is why I often sputter most of my Mag reflectors. Not neccessarily to improve the beam shape, but to get a larger (though slightly dimmer) hotspot and to improve the brightness of the spill beam.

Honestly though, before the Cree/SSC craze, most folks would have considered any of these lights to be impressively bright. But the brightness of the spill beam of both the Tri Lux light and the McGizmo 27L reflector are considerably brighter than that of the stock smooth Mag reflector.