IMA SOL MAN
Flashlight Enthusiast
But can it take the heat?
The definitive Malkoff Hound Dog Super thread
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Microwave Safe! So it has to take some heat...
I've never had a problem but I've never done super long run-time test with it. It's on the outside of the glass with an air gap... 1 cent if it fails!
DC-Fix gives smoother beam though...
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This is the material Malkoff uses for the diffusion lenses (or something very similar to it);
www.luminitco.com
The circular 5-degree .010" polycarbonate sheet material works really well and with a 90% transmission rate, does not significantly degrade output. Unfortunately, Gene only has these to fit the Hound Dog and Wildcat heads, but this material would be outstanding for use with the HD Super.
LED Light Shaping Diffuser Sheets and Strips for Quality Illumination
Luminit manufactures quality LED light diffuser sheets, strips and films for all types of light panels. Our LED diffuser sheets homogenize the light with 85% to 92% transmission efficiency.
www.luminitco.com
The circular 5-degree .010" polycarbonate sheet material works really well and with a 90% transmission rate, does not significantly degrade output. Unfortunately, Gene only has these to fit the Hound Dog and Wildcat heads, but this material would be outstanding for use with the HD Super.
Interesting info.
The Pressnseal gives an Elliptical shape beam (middle) for the hound dog and the DCfix gives a round beam. Ace hardware sells a cheap diffusion film for showers that lets more light pass thru than DCfix with a round shape...
The circular holographic material provides a round shape. I have used this material in a WC 18650 and a E2XTD with great results.
Since the material is a thin polycarbonate sheet out of which a round lens can be cut, the diffusion lens can be installed and removed without much fuss. A high VLT (visible light transmission) rating is really important for flashlight applications and is usually quite low with any frosted or privacy window film;
www.decorativefilm.com
Since the material is a thin polycarbonate sheet out of which a round lens can be cut, the diffusion lens can be installed and removed without much fuss. A high VLT (visible light transmission) rating is really important for flashlight applications and is usually quite low with any frosted or privacy window film;
Decorative Films | Window Film | Stained Glass | Privacy Film | Window Treatments
Decorative Films, LLC provides decorative window film, stained glass window film, window privacy film, and frosted glass films.
www.decorativefilm.com
This is the thread I remembered but the pic links are gone...
www.candlepowerforums.com
Some Diffuser Film, DIY
I've always found the need to use diffuser to either re-shape the beam or to "re-tint" the light output. over the past 2 years, I've tried various material, some giving good results, while others make it worse. This thread is to share a couple of materials that I still keep around. Let's see a...
www.candlepowerforums.com
Improvised diffusion material (like a shower curtain) works well for photography where camera exposure settings can compensate for any light loss, and color correction can be made post-shutter with photo editing software.
With flashlights, it's a different story: no one wants their 1,000 lumen light to become a 500 lumen (or less) light due to the use of window film or other improvised diffusion material intended for other applications. I believe this is why most who try are underwhelmed with the results.
Yet, many flashlights can benefit from the use of a light-shaping diffuser lens to smooth the beam and remove rings, artifacts, etc. with minimal loss of output.
I've experimented with cutting lenses from the circular 5-degree material in the Wildcat 18650 and E2XTD heads and am more-than-pleased with the results. In these high-candela heads, the diffuser lens broadens the hot spot and provides a smooth, ringless transition to the spill. The Wildcat comes from Malkoff with a diffuser lens made of the 10-degree material, which is what gives it the smooth, floody beam. Wihtout any diffuser in place, the beam profile of the WC is very much like that of the Hound Dog: a narrow, high candela hot spot with "rings of Saturn" all the way to the edge of the spill. With a 5-degree diffuser the Wildcat produces IMO a beautifully smooth and useful beam that measures 20,000 candela in the center. With the E2XTD, the results are similar.
In terms of overall beam quality and usefulness, this is the best Malkoff in my collection with the 5-degree diffuser installed;
I'm betting the HD Super would take the Best Beam title with a 5-degree diffuser lens.
With flashlights, it's a different story: no one wants their 1,000 lumen light to become a 500 lumen (or less) light due to the use of window film or other improvised diffusion material intended for other applications. I believe this is why most who try are underwhelmed with the results.
Yet, many flashlights can benefit from the use of a light-shaping diffuser lens to smooth the beam and remove rings, artifacts, etc. with minimal loss of output.
I've experimented with cutting lenses from the circular 5-degree material in the Wildcat 18650 and E2XTD heads and am more-than-pleased with the results. In these high-candela heads, the diffuser lens broadens the hot spot and provides a smooth, ringless transition to the spill. The Wildcat comes from Malkoff with a diffuser lens made of the 10-degree material, which is what gives it the smooth, floody beam. Wihtout any diffuser in place, the beam profile of the WC is very much like that of the Hound Dog: a narrow, high candela hot spot with "rings of Saturn" all the way to the edge of the spill. With a 5-degree diffuser the Wildcat produces IMO a beautifully smooth and useful beam that measures 20,000 candela in the center. With the E2XTD, the results are similar.
In terms of overall beam quality and usefulness, this is the best Malkoff in my collection with the 5-degree diffuser installed;
I'm betting the HD Super would take the Best Beam title with a 5-degree diffuser lens.
Luminit (5 degree) is hard to find. You have a retailer source? I believe Luminit will do samples at $30 shipping if you have a shipper account... I'd get the 5 degree if I could find a source...
My recently bought Hound Dog 18650 came with no diffuser. I recently bought extra lens to do my own...
Decent 2017 thread on Luminit product test: (Hard to get)
Light diffuser material from Luminit
I’m subscribed to LED magazine and found this product mentioned. Diffuser film by a company called Luminit and as you can see from their website, they do a lot more than diffuser films. They sent me a sample. The filter is quite opaque and reminds me of Zebralight diffused lens. Luminit claims...
budgetlightforum.com
Thread on Duffusion film sales. DC-Fix tested by Selfbuilt at only 3.2% loss of light... The Ace Hardware film in previous thread posted was even less loss of light than DC-Fix...
DC-Fix Diffusion Film Sale
* Updated 11-01-22 Two - 3 " x 6" sheets of the "Famous Dc-Fix" only $3.50 Add $1.50 for extra sheets .50 US shipping +$1.50 - international shipping Dc-fix will take a really bad beam and turn it into soft buttery smooth delight with amazingly low light loss (3.2% ) I've...
budgetlightforum.com
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I don't know how the measurements were made, but only a 3.2% reported loss of light (inferred VLT of 96.8%) for a diffusion film seems a bit optimistic.Thread on Duffusion film sales. DC-Fix tested by Selfbuilt at only 3.2% loss of light... The Ace Hardware film in previous thread posted was even less loss of light than DC-Fix...
DC-Fix Diffusion Film Sale
* Updated 11-01-22 Two - 3 " x 6" sheets of the "Famous Dc-Fix" only $3.50 Add $1.50 for extra sheets .50 US shipping +$1.50 - international shipping Dc-fix will take a really bad beam and turn it into soft buttery smooth delight with amazingly low light loss (3.2% ) I've...
Consider the following products with a stated VLT specification;
- An AR coated clear acrylic lens has a VLT of 97%
- A clear luster film has a VLT of 89% - specs
- A clear frost film has a VLT of 76% - specs (this looks similar to the DC-Fix film referenced)
- A dusted etch film has a VLT of 30% - specs
How VLT is Measured | VLT for Nerds
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Purchasing the 0.01" polycarbonate 5-degree sheet material from Luminit and the tooling to professionally cut* round flashlight lenses is something I have in the works. The goal is to offer cut-to-order diffusion lenses up to about 55 mm in diameter, and pre-cut lenses to fit a variety of Malkoff heads including the MDX 22.3, E-series, VME, Wildcat, Hound Dog and Hound Dog Super.
*the material can be cut with scissors, but for us perfectionists the results of trying to cut a perfectly round disc with a smooth edge is what you'd expect.
FWIW, the Luminit sheet can be reasonably cut on a laser cutter, with only minor browning of the cut lines.
3.2% does sound too good to be true. Maybe @selfbuilt could give some insight on this for the DC-Fix 3.2% light loss...
I'd be interested in getting some 5 degree from you as I have a spare Hound Dog lens landing today that I was going to use as a diffuser since my HD didn't come with one...
I should have the material in about a week, I'll keep you posted!
The Luminit material showed up today - minimum order quantity was four square feet and the stuff is not cheap!
I cut a 52 mm disc, installed it in my HD Super and am very pleased with the results. It has transformed what I always considered a specialty light into something I can get much more use out of.
I will take a candela measurement and post some beam shots next week.
I cut a 52 mm disc, installed it in my HD Super and am very pleased with the results. It has transformed what I always considered a specialty light into something I can get much more use out of.
I will take a candela measurement and post some beam shots next week.
PM sent.
