Getting more light from the Microfire Warrior

[Morepower!]

Ok I found out the hard way(don't ask) that the frosted finish on the Microfire Warrior's reflector is some type of a paint like coating which can be sanded back and polished. After doing mine (see pic) it now puts out quite a bit more light, was putting out 53,000Lux @ 1m, now puts out 92,000Lux @ 1m. Just a warning though if you decide to do it it's not an easy job because they have sand blasted the reflector first in order to get the coating to stick. And this means LOTS of sanding before being able to buff it. I used a dremel with a 30mm buffing wheel and some Autosol, though the proper buffing compound for aluminium would probably be better. I'm going to get some and redo it later. Note that the pic dosn't do it justice, it really is a mirror finish now. The only drawback that I can see with this mod is there are now some artifacts in the beam, this dosn't bother me though as I'd rather have the extra light ! Just thought I'd share with those that can't leave things alone like myself.
I also have a question, should these lights flicker slightly ? Mine seems to flicker, shifting slightly to red and back again almost constantly. Could it be a bulb problem ?

 

[dwminer]

Is there a chance that you have a picture of the reflector before you polished it?
Thanks Dave

 

[Morepower!]

Is there a chance that you have a picture of the reflector before you polished it?
Thanks Dave

Yep sure do.

 

[Patriot]

Wow...yeah, you had one of the frosty ones reflectors.


Yes, the flickering is normal with this light. It's usually not detectable in actual use but against walls it's noticeable. After 10-15 hours on mine it hasn't been nearly as bad. I think the bulb has a break in period.

I'd love to see a couple of close ups of your polished reflector.

Thanks

 

[Wolf-Eyes fan]

Hi everybody,

I hope you (Morepower!) it´s Ok to ask some questions:
How much does this torch flicker? Is it disturbing?
I asked Fenix-store about the reflectores and I was told that they only had frosty OP reflectores in their Warrior III.
Is it possible to buy a relative smooth reflector that fits the Warrior III because i don´t like the frosty OP´s?

 

[accr]

I asked Fenix-store about the reflectores and I was told that they only had frosty OP reflectores in their Warrior III.

I talked to them regarding the same matter but have yet to get any result.

The frosty reflector is really cutting down on the throw of the light :thumbsdow

 

[Patriot]

Hi everybody,

I hope you (Morepower!) it´s Ok to ask some questions:
How much does this torch flicker? Is it disturbing?
I asked Fenix-store about the reflectores and I was told that they only had frosty OP reflectores in their Warrior III.
Is it possible to buy a relative smooth reflector that fits the Warrior III because i don´t like the frosty OP´s?

It's only a mild flicker that usually happens after you rotate the light or point it straight up. No, it's not disturbing at all.

HID reflectors are pretty specific and I doubt that you find another aluminum reflector, say...from another light, that fits. There are some reflectors made new that might fit, but they're about $600 dollars.....so, not very practical.

 

[Patriot]

I talked to them regarding the same matter but have yet to get any result.

The frosty reflector is really cutting down on the throw of the light :thumbsdow

You say they "have yet to get any result," but if that's how the light is made by Microfire what result do you want from the Fenix Store? All they can really do is tell you what's available. If you're looking for a result perhaps write Microfire a letter and share with them that you'd prefer smooth reflectors. I'm sure their marketing team researched what style would be most popular with users and decided upon the frosted OP. I have to agree with Microfire's decision for the frosted or OP reflectors since the light they produce is fairly smooth. They're perfect for walking or other task associated lighting while still throwing light 200+ yards in a light polluted city....300 yards in the country.

Certainly the OP cuts down some on throw but even an OP reflector in a 24W boxer throws out to 300 yards. How much throw are you looking for from a handheld, 800 gram light? Maybe you should look into some lights which are designed to throw more like the N30 or the up and coming L35. Magnalight sells the RL-11. The Xenide 25w also has a smooth reflector and throws well. If you have the means then get a Polarion.

All in all, I find the 6000K color of the K3500 far more objectionable than a reflector which was designed for a smooth beam.

 

[Morepower!]

Yeah as Patriot36 said the flickering is really not disturbing, It's only an annoyance to me when I have the light on inside the house, but outside it's barely noticable if at all. Being somewhat new to HID I had to ask the question. I read in a post here, can't remember which one now though, that someone bought a smooth reflector for the K3500. I'll see if I can find it and edit it in.

Oh I only have one other pic of my reflector for you Patriot36

 

[Joe_torch]

Regarding the distance of throw, what's the acutal difference between the Frosted & Smooth reflector?

Joe

 

[HIDSGT]

Howbout a side by side comparison?

 

[Patriot]

Howbout a side by side comparison?

His original picture is in post #3

 

[Patriot]

Regarding the distance of throw, what's the acutal difference between the Frosted & Smooth reflector?

Joe

I can only compare the 24W Boxer w/op reflector to the the AE/24W w/smooth reflector. The difference in throw was 20% or less.

 

[Patriot]

Yeah as Patriot36 said the flickering is really not disturbing, It's only an annoyance to me when I have the light on inside the house, but outside it's barely noticable if at all. Being somewhat new to HID I had to ask the question. I read in a post here, can't remember which one now though, that someone bought a smooth reflector for the K3500. I'll see if I can find it and edit it in.

Oh I only have one other pic of my reflector for you Patriot36

Thanks for the picture Morepower.

Here is a picture of my factory "smooth" K3500 reflector. I don't think they made many of these.

 

[Morepower!]

I can't get mine that shiny yet, I need a cloth buffing wheel that will fit the dremel. The wheel that came with it is some kind of stiff felt that leaves very tiny scratches/buff marks. But still it's 100% better than stock.

Also this is the thread I was talking about earlier in regards to someone getting a smooth reflector.

Duckski
Unenlightened Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 1

Re: Microfire Warrior III - Focus???
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi, I have a Warrior III also & had issues with the beam. Your problem could be the reflector - mine came with a dull, rippled reflector & I have since fitted a smooth, shiny one & the focus adjustment is much more responsive.

 

[Joe_torch]

Quoted:
"They're perfect for walking or other task associated lighting while still throwing light 200+ yards in a light polluted city....300 yards in the country."

Patriot 36: You mean the microfire K3500 in general can throw this far or just your smooth version?

Joe

 

[Wolf-Eyes fan]

I would also like to know this
Can the Warrior III only throw 200-300 yards with the frosty OP reflector? (My Dereelight DBS can throw up to 225 yards even with the OP reflector)
The Warrior (with the frosty reflector) should easily be able to out throw the DBS or am I completely wrong here?

Marcus

 

[Patriot]

Well...actually, this was the whole quote:

Patriot36
I have to agree with Microfire's decision for the frosted or OP reflectors since the light they produce is fairly smooth. They're perfect for walking or other task associated lighting while still throwing light 200+ yards in a light polluted city....300 yards in the country.

Yes, I was referring to my own K3500 but a couple of points about that:

1) Although my reflector is smoother than the OP reflectors, I still don't really consider it smooth, since it is full of machine marks and really not all that reflective compared to almost any other HID light.

2) Yes, the an OP reflectored K3500 will easily throw to the distances mentioned in my quote since the 24W boxer can throw over 200+ in the light poluted city also. I have a powerline tower 227 yards from my driveway and even the Boxer lit that up pretty well. It of course also has an OP reflector.

With regards to my own light, sure...it probably throws a little bit better than the OP version K3500 but probably not much better. Because my reflector isn't all that smooth, it provides a surprisingly smooth beam and usable beam, probably almost as usable as the full OP lights.

My opinion about smooth, precision reflectored HIDs is that they're not very useful for general backyard tasks, camping tasks or as walking lights. They're only good at throw. Because of this I think all smooth reflectored, super throwers really need a diffuser to be good at things we normally use flashlights for.




Here is a closer picture of my reflector with a different color light to help show the machining marks. As you can see, it gives the effect of a micro-texture...not a truly smooth reflector. It's only smooth by microfire standards.

 

[ampdude]

That looks much better. I'm not a fan of frosted reflectors or bulbs.

 

[climberkid]

yeah im with u on that. since i have two reflectors i think i am going to outfit one as OP and one as smooth as i can get it. i like having the huge variety of tasks. i was thinking about all this while i was playing with my Warrior II tonight.