Solarforce L2 Upgrade...

[Ian2381]

Hi Guys,

I just came from a vacation and I used my Solarforce L2 in outdoors and it seems it doesn't throw that much as I would expected.

Is there any new upgrade to the L2 that will make it a thrower or should I buy a new thrower Light, But I'm in a budget so my price range will be that of my Solarforce L2 or a bit higher.

I really need a thrower light, thanks in advance for your suggestions...

 

[Fichtenelch]

What kind of module do you have now? There are plenty of options to choose from, for flood and a wall of light i would go for a mc-e or p7, for more throw maybe a xp-g r5. the xp-e r2 is a bit more throwy than the xp-e, but the efficiency on the xp-g is higher and you can also have a higher drive current.
Nailbender offers a lot of custom drop-ins. It also depends on the runtime you want. You could also go for a SST-50... So there are many options...

 

[Black Rose]

Part of the limitation of throw for the Solarforce L2 (and all other P60 hosts) is the design of the P60 module itself.

The reflectors are all basically 26mm wide and 19mm deep.
I have heard that there are some modules available that have reflectors that are a bit deeper than the regular ones, but I'm not sure which ones they are.

If you want more throw, you can use a smooth reflector, but be aware that with Cree XR-E LEDs you'll get nasty "Cree rings" if you go white wall hunting.

My best thrower is actually a Rebel 2D Maglite.

 

[old4570]

Buy a thrower ... They start around $20 shipped ...

 

[Ian2381]

Buy a thrower ... They start around $20 shipped ...

Which thrower are you suggesting?

Currently my L2 has the stock R2 drop in.
I was thinking of using a aspherical lens but if there is other cheaper way, I really need your suggestions.:candle:

 

[It01Firefox]

You could just upgrade your L2 to be a thrower with the Solarforce Masterpiece Pro-1 head. Check out this great review http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=257948

Markus

 

[Ian2381]

You could just upgrade your L2 to be a thrower with the Solarforce Masterpiece Pro-1 head. Check out this great review http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=257948

Markus

How much does this cost and how can I get one?

 

[It01Firefox]

How much does this cost and how can I get one?

It sells for 59.99 USD from lighthound for example http://www.lighthound.com/Solar-Force-Masterpiece-Pro-1-Cre-XR-E-Head-for-L2-Host_p_3475.html.

Markus

 

[Ian2381]

It sells for 59.99 USD from lighthound for example http://www.lighthound.com/Solar-Force-Masterpiece-Pro-1-Cre-XR-E-Head-for-L2-Host_p_3475.html.

Markus

Wow it's really expensive and out of my budget.
Is it better to get the tiablo A9 for the price? If I ever thought of spending that much.

 

[It01Firefox]

Wow it's really expensive and out of my budget.
Is it better to get the tiablo A9 for the price? If I ever thought of spending that much.

I can't comment on that, as I don't have an A9, but here's a quote from the review I linked:

From my archived beamshots, it appears to beat the Tiablo A10-G in throw.

 

[old4570]

Head on over to Dealextreme or Kaidomain , and check out the large head 1x18650 lights ...

I think the cheapest thrower starts around 17-18 Dollars shipped ...
ProductId=10270 / ProductId=1010 @ KD

dx/sku.26797 - dx/sku.33782 - dx/sku.16538 - dx/sku.19372

Just to give you an idea .

 

[Wolf359]

you can increase your throw by using a smooth reflector instead of the light orange peal type.

sku.5937
26.5mm Smooth Aluminum Drop-in Module Set (without Emitter) for $3.13 and swapping of the emitter pill maybe a cheaper option if the threads match. Down side is that it will be abit ringy and show artifacts.

the L2 with a P60/D26 module will never be a real thrower more a medium distance all rounder.

sku.6951
WF-600 3W Cree Q2 LED Flashlight (18650) is what i use for a thrower while rabbiting, fixes a rabbit good to about 150m

 

[old4570]

How well a P60 throws is very dependent on the emitter - reflector relationship .

Due to manufacturing variations one drop in will throw better than another .
I have some that will throw around 100 meters , and then a few that will double that ...

Hot spots may vary from 4000Lux to over 8000Lux , and not have any relationship to actual output ..

I have R2 pills that might do 240 OTF and lux readings @ 1 meter can vary from 5000Lux to 8000Lux , and its the intensity of the hotspot that will dictate throw capability , which is dictated by the LED / reflector ..

So unfortunately , unless you own a lot of R2 P60 hosts [ for some reason I do ] , you may think that they all perform about the same , which they dont .

 

[Black Rose]

So unfortunately , unless you own a lot of R2 P60 hosts [ for some reason I do ]

Could be related to the 12+ Solarforce L2* hosts you have

 

[old4570]

And the rest !!!

I wonder what it is about P60 hosts I like ???

LEGO , easy to upgrade , do your own drop ins ... Hard for manufacturers to stuff it up [ No lemons yet ]

MC-E / SSC P7 / SSC P4 / Diamond Dragon / Luxeon K2 TFFC / XR-E / XP-E / XP-G / :candle: oh dear ! They do make nice toys ..Eeeer.. tools !