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Wave of SunDrop and SunDrop XR-U

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I will, gunga. It's just that I rarely find use for ultra wide beam closeup lights, and I already (accidentally) have several. 🙂 Fyi this is on me for not doing more research.

This SunDrop is a beautiful light from a legendary builder so I hope my preference for a different beam profile hasn't offended anyone.
 
wimmer21 said:
Really... ok. I definitely don't want a mule. I've never owned one but from what I understand a mule provides wide flood with very little reach... not my cup of tea. I may need to put this SunDrop up for sale. It's such a great looking light though.
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Opinions on the SunDrop beam are ... ummm ... divergent 😉

In actual use (for me) , I greatly prefer it over both the Mule and the Haiku :shrug:
 
gunga said:
The SF04 is just a heavy diffuser.
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I wouldn't call it heavy. Any diffuser is characterized by its "core" or intrinsinc profile which can be seen directly when you attempt to diffuse a laser beam. I just measured, with a laser pointer, the FWHM of the SF F04 core and it is around 20 degrees. A nitecore 1" diffuser, for example, has much much wider core. While Phaseburn's film (by DC fix you mean this film don't you?) seems to have a core which is even more narrow than that of an F04.

Now, when you use a diffuser on a beam which is much wider than the diffuser core then you kind of smooth the artifacts of the beam, while not making the beam much wider. That is how an F04 works on a Sundrop, it removes the irregularities but does not make it look like a mule.
 
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Wimmer, the XPL Hi will give a more round, slightly smoother beam, but there might still be a hint of a outer ring. When I had the 119V in my Sundrop, I usually found it lacking for throw. (except if I was close up, inside) The XPL HI on the other hand, was much nicer outside! My XPL Hi was 5000k tint, so I ended up preferring the warmer tint of the 119v. I think a 4000k XPL Hi would be pretty nice in there! I agree, they are nice looking lights, especially with the 1XAA Pak.
 
egginator1 said:
Wimmer, don't forget, you can add different heads and use the same body. I have a Mule, a red LED Mule, a sundrop and a UV head that I can swap out. Its pretty cool that way...just a thought.
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Good idea. Maybe I need another Haiku head with an XML2 in it... I doubt that will ever happen though. I can't understand why every emitter option for this light would still have this brighter outer ring. That really surprises me.
 
K2-bk-bl-rd said:
Wimmer, the XPL Hi will give a more round, slightly smoother beam, but there might still be a hint of a outer ring. When I had the 119V in my Sundrop, I usually found it lacking for throw. (except if I was close up, inside) The XPL HI on the other hand, was much nicer outside! My XPL Hi was 5000k tint, so I ended up preferring the warmer tint of the 119v. I think a 4000k XPL Hi would be pretty nice in there! I agree, they are nice looking lights, especially with the 1XAA Pak.
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I'll probably ask gunga if I can send it to him for the emitter you've recommended here.

Thanks to everyone for their input today, it's much appreciated.
 
ma tumba said:
I wouldn't call it heavy. Any diffuser is characterized by its "core" or intrinsinc profile which can be seen directly when you attempt to diffuse a laser beam. I just measured, with a laser pointer, the FWHM of the SF F04 core and it is around 20 degrees. A nitecore 1" diffuser, for example, has much much wider core. While Phaseburn's film (by DC fix you mean this film don't you?) seems to have a core which is even more narrow than that of an F04.

Now, when you use a diffuser on a beam which is much wider than the diffuser core then you kind of smooth the artifacts of the beam, while not making the beam much wider. That is how an F04 works on a Sundrop, it removes the irregularities but does not make it look like a mule.
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Hey. Great info!
 
ive been on the fence about getting a sundrop for a couple years now. it seems one big problem with going the XP-L HI route is loosing the great color rendering that the nichia offers.... but better beam shape.
 
wimmer21 said:
I assumed as much... I suppose this light is simply designed for more closeup use, which I know is often the most needed for many.
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I find the SunDrop to minimize glare when illuminating things in confined spaces (such as inside of equipment with reflective metal surfaces) and still have some shape and throw to the beam
 
I just compared this SunDrop with the 4000K XPL HI that I have in another light, and the 119v does indeed provide superior color rendering... which everyone already knew. lol
 
I agree with Gunga. Use it for your intended application a bit before deciding.

Mules have perfectly flawless beams but very little throw. Good for certain applications but not all.
 
Oh wow... I compared it against a 4000K 219b with a cri of around 93. The 119v wins!

So far I've only compared closely using the color blue.
 
nbp said:
I agree with Gunga. Use it for your intended application a bit before deciding.

Mules have perfectly flawless beams but very little throw. Good for certain applications but not all.
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My intended application is shining this light on the trees in my yard. I have no plan to climb these trees... I can't even do one pushup. 🙂
 
archimedes said:
Opinions on the SunDrop beam are ... ummm ... divergent 😉

In actual use (for me) , I greatly prefer it over both the Mule and the Haiku :shrug:
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I guess we do disagree on something Don! Lol. 😉

I love my Haikus, I have two now and I'd have more if funds permitted. And I loved my Mule as well. I let it go in favor of a second Haiku as I no longer work in the lab where that beam pattern was ideal for me, but I always loved it. The medium throw with ample flood of the Haiku is great for most of my needs. I do have one of the ultra rare hi cri Sapphire Mules though, which IMO is one of the coolest things McG has ever created. I like it on a neck chain for camping.

I wanted to love the SunDrop but as you correctly noted above, the beam isn't for everyone. That said I kept it a long time before I could actually cut it loose recently.
 
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