Focusable P60 host?

[JulianP]

Has anyone come across a focusable P60 host? I know it doesn't make a lot of sense, but the P60 has such versatility that someone might have just squeezed one into a focusable host. Even a host just using the P60 pill, without the reflector, would be great.

 

[sol-leks]

Yeah I don't think it would really work so as far as I know no one has done it. You can buy an aspheric lens though and just black out the reflector with some paint, I've heard that works ok.

 

[orbital]

Yeah I don't think it would really work so as far as I know no one has done it. You can buy an aspheric lens though and just black out the reflector with some paint, I've heard that works ok.

+

Had this idea last summer, came together last fall..
you need a CL1H V1 or V2

~pictured is a V2

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=246077

 

[JulianP]

You can buy an aspheric lens though and just black out the reflector with some paint, I've heard that works ok.

I've done the aspheric thing, with the blacked out reflector. The flashlight throws a very long beam, but close-up the hot spot is so narrow as to be practically useless. It is also too bright, and it disables my nightvision for a few minutes. I got around it by using a 3-mode P60 on low, but that makes the small hotspot into a small and useless dimspot. I put back the OP reflector for a bit more spill, to no avail. I have some flood-to-throw flashlights, but the rule seems to be low power LEDs, cheap lenses and no upgradability. Ultimately, a flood-to-throw P60 would be ideal for long range spotting on high, and room-wide illumination on flood.

EDIT: I guess that's one of the reasons Maglite became a commercial success. If Maglite had kept up with LED and battery technolgy advances, it would be my first choice. Without re-inventing the wheel, I hope a quality flashlight manufacturer would make a P60 host with a focusable aspheric and flexible battery configurations.