I'm two weeks into the hobby and decided to purchase a premium quality light made in the USA. So I ordered a Novatac 120e after receiving my first two lights, a Jetbeam CLE V2 and a Fenix LOD Q4. I noticed the Novatac has a plastic (polymer?) lens. Is the plastic lens better than a glass lens? Secondly will I notice a real difference in quality? I also now know that stated lumens in specs does not necessarily relate wholly to the actual amount of light seen by the human eye. My Fenix seems brighter than my Jetbeam!:thinking:
Novatac 120 edc plastic lens?
- Thread starter lyrrag
- Start date
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gadgetnerd
Enlightened
The Novatacs ship by default with polycarbonate lenses because they won't shatter when dropped, thus adding to the torches' durability. However it is more easily scratched and slightly reduces light transmission (but only by a few % IIRC). If you're the kind of person who likes polishing your torch lens (I know I do) then you might be better off getting a glass one.
LA OZ
Enlightened
I replaced the plastic one with a glass lens. I got the lens from flashlightlens.com.
precisionworks
Flashaholic
Plastic covers a lot of territory ... the lens used by NovaTac is an engineering thermoplastic called polycarbonate, aka Lexan, which is tough enough that it's used for riot helmet shields and aircraft canopies. An optical coating is applied to both sides of the lens to increase transmission.
There are many varieties of Lexan, with a summary shown here: http://www.geplastics.com/gep/Plastics/en/ProductsAndServices/ProductLine/lexan.html
As tough as it is, the hardness is less than glass & it can be scratched by careless cleaning. To avoid or reduce scratching, hold the light under warm running water to wash away most of the dust, put a drop of liquid soap on the lens & continue to run the water, then dry with a cotton cloth (NOT a paper towel). If you always clean wet, the lens will stay scratch free for years.
There are many varieties of Lexan, with a summary shown here: http://www.geplastics.com/gep/Plastics/en/ProductsAndServices/ProductLine/lexan.html
As tough as it is, the hardness is less than glass & it can be scratched by careless cleaning. To avoid or reduce scratching, hold the light under warm running water to wash away most of the dust, put a drop of liquid soap on the lens & continue to run the water, then dry with a cotton cloth (NOT a paper towel). If you always clean wet, the lens will stay scratch free for years.
I very much prefer AR glass, but polycarbonate is less likely to break. If you were in a military setting, you would probably want polycarbonate because a broken lens in the field would be unacceptable. Your prescription glasses almost certainly have polycarbonate lenses.
Wattnot
Enlightened
Precisionworks covered this but I'm going to harp on it now!
The best way to ruin that lens or your polycarb glasses or the screen on your electronic device or the surface of your CD, etc., ad-nauseum, is to use ANY paper product. ALWAYS use a soft cloth on the above synthetic products. It does NOT MATTER how soft it feels . . . it could be the softest tissue. If it's from wood in any fashion, it is like sandpaper to plastic. The tissue feels soft to you because of how tiny the wood particles are but under a microscope, it's sandpaper to plastic! Most (if not all) glass can handle it but plastic cannot and that is how you end up scratching and "clouding" your plastic lenses.
Okay, stepping off the box now.
No wait. . .one more thing. Ever wonder why some people's window tint ends up looking like bubble wrap? Ammonia does that. One cleaning with a glass cleaner with ammonia and it's done!
Okay, now I'm getting down.
No wait . . . you know when you go to the :duh2:
The best way to ruin that lens or your polycarb glasses or the screen on your electronic device or the surface of your CD, etc., ad-nauseum, is to use ANY paper product. ALWAYS use a soft cloth on the above synthetic products. It does NOT MATTER how soft it feels . . . it could be the softest tissue. If it's from wood in any fashion, it is like sandpaper to plastic. The tissue feels soft to you because of how tiny the wood particles are but under a microscope, it's sandpaper to plastic! Most (if not all) glass can handle it but plastic cannot and that is how you end up scratching and "clouding" your plastic lenses.
Okay, stepping off the box now.
No wait. . .one more thing. Ever wonder why some people's window tint ends up looking like bubble wrap? Ammonia does that. One cleaning with a glass cleaner with ammonia and it's done!
Okay, now I'm getting down.
No wait . . . you know when you go to the :duh2:
gottawearshades
Enlightened
- Joined
- Sep 3, 2007
- Messages
- 986
Howdy. My two cents:
A 120P has ridden in my pocket for several months. The lens still looks pristine.
When dust and lint accumulates, I use one of those cans of compressed air (made for cleaning keyboards, etc) to clean it. This works great, and the look on my wife's face when she sees me doing it is priceless.
Cheers
A 120P has ridden in my pocket for several months. The lens still looks pristine.
When dust and lint accumulates, I use one of those cans of compressed air (made for cleaning keyboards, etc) to clean it. This works great, and the look on my wife's face when she sees me doing it is priceless.
Cheers
