ROP high worse beam than low? help

[apete2]

I built an ROP a few months ago using a 4d mag and 6 GP 3300mah SubCs. I have tried the high and low bulb, but the low bulb throws much better and is much whiter. I have a few ideas on the problem

1. I de-anodized the tailcap using only a screwdriver, i wonder if properly doing it will take out resistance

2. Every time I switch bulbs there is always a burning smell after unscrewing the head and exposing the switch and holder. When I click the switch i hear a pop always right after changing.

3. I still have stock reflector, would switching to a orange peel help with the high? I only use the high for 30 secs max and it doesnt damage the reflector. It can only focus to a big blob, not really a hotspot. Is there a way to focus it better?

4. I have used these cells hard in a 15A draw application for 2 years, i wonder if they are getting worn out

Any other ideas

One unrelated question, would using the ROP low on 2 parallel stacks of 123s be in instaflash range?

 

[Norm]

Some hints here may be helpful Mag Switch Resistance Fix.. 1/6th stock! - CandlePowerForums
Norm

 

[Illum]

Low orange peel to medium orange peel is around optimum for a good beam profile. But if throw is your primary concern LOP is the highest you'll want to go

Batteries is certainly a possibility.

Some older maglites lamp towers does not seat the PR lamp as snug as some recently manufactured ones...If the lamp isn't seating properly and the filament is off axis to the focal point of the reflector...yeah the profile is going to look horrible. One way to tell of this is to stare directly into the reflector with the lamp installed and see if the reflected image of the lamp is elongated or elliptical