Sealed beam quality

[hillbillytrucker]

Which brand 7" sealed beam of current production is your favorite? I've discovered that the most of the sealed beams you can buy today the reflector have some weird matt finish compared to old sealed beams, in the old ones the reflector is much shinier.

It's not only on the pictures, I have a couple of both old and new sealed beams and you can clearly see the difference if you hold one new and one old in your hands.

See the pictures and you'll understand what I mean.

 

[EJR]

I'm no optical engineer but I have a feeling that this may be to improve the uniformity of the beam pattern and reduce any "streaks" that may occur.

If you want the real answer to this you can reach out to lighting expert Dan Stern. He'll know for sure.

 

[jzchen]

Isn't that the old school equivalent of the blue tint they wrap around ultra high performance bulbs to keep the output within legal limits?

 

[EJR]

Isn't that the old school equivalent of the blue tint they wrap around ultra high performance bulbs to keep the output within legal limits?

The reflector finish is what is being discussed here.

General example of flashlight optics:

 

[jzchen]

I thought they could tint the reflector for a similar effect, but I guess not...