MagLED AA - not enough spill?

PhotonWrangler

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I used my MagLED AA to search for something in a dark storage unit today and I realized that there's so little useful sidespill that I had to keep waving it left and right to illuminate a useful amount of floorspace. After awhile the constant waving of the spot started to give me a headache and I had to go outside and rest my eyes for a moment before continuing.

Anyone else have this problem with their MagLED AA?
 

Matt Sutton

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No. All 3 of mine will focus to the point where the beam is nearly all flood with little or no spot.
 

l1s125

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Photonwrangler, I was just in a similar situation, looking for stuff in my basement when the lights went out. I pulled out the mmag led 2aa and the beam profile just wasn't wide enough to be useful. I had to get my inova X1 to finish the job.
 

NightHiker

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I know what you mean. That's the only think I dont like about it. I really prefer wider beams (spot and spill), and i like my nite-ize minimag or SMJLED in cheapie host better for indoor usage.
 

fireboltr

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my magled 2aa is in the glove box of the car for about that same reason dont get me wrong it is a great light when you need some throw and good runtime but i find myself reaching more and more for the fenix l2p as it is very usefull an that arena
 

PhotonWrangler

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I just compared it to my QIII on a wall. The QIII has a slightly wider spill but the spill is considerably brighter than that of the MagLED, and that's with the Mag adjusted to maximum flood.
 

Bright

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A Surefire F04 Beam Diffuser fits the old M@g 2AA. With a Terralux LED it gives a very smooth beam with no real hot spot and very soft edges. At 10 feet this combination has a spill slightly larger than a Surefire U2, although with much softer edges.
 

selfbuilt

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The MalgLED2AA is one of the most narrow spillbeams among my lights. When focused for throw, the light only covers about a 40 degree arc - even at flood, you only get about a 55 degree arc. Compare that a Fenix L2T or similar light, which gets more like 75 degrees at all times.
The MagLED2AA spillbeam is also dimmer than my other 2AA luxeon lights - closer to a 1AA light actually. For that reason, I don't like it for up-close tasks - it's really designed to be thrower for distance.
 

Streak

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Did side by side tests of the L2T and the Magled 2AA.
Yes the Magled does have a much tighter beam regardless of the focus setting.
It does appear to have more throw than the L2T but on the counter side less spill.
 

Tesla

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Hasn't been a problem for me with the two 2AA models I have, but as previous poster said, candle mode would give more coverage for really close work.
 

Genxsis

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I noticed the same thing with my 2AA minimag LED. I did a side by side test between it and my River Rock 2AAA, and I liked my River Rock so much better because it's beam was so much wider, even though not quite as bright. And since the MM cost 2.5 times more, I decided to return it and buy another RR2AAA in it's place. Now I'm happy!
 

peacefuljeffrey

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It's irrelevant to me. I am no longer carrying my month-old 2AA MiniMagLED because something's wrong with it, and it flickers off when it should be on.

(I started a thread about it, actually, and others chimed in with the same problem. Someone said that positive battery contact corrodes easily inside the flashlight. This should not be so. I'm sorry, I waited too damned long for Mag to make LED flashlights to be this disappointed this quickly. A flashlight that never gets used because it's malfunctioning produces ZERO useful sidespill. :mad: )
 

woodrow

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I thought my 3AA had a wide spill (when focused on flood) until I put my tl3 (incan with stock bulb) next to it. Even with the tl3 focused on spot, it had a way bigger sidespill than the Mmag3AA. That being said, I still like using it, it is nothing like my old inova t4 or 5 with their laser like beams.
 

Led_Blind

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Incans have almost a 360 degree emission pattern, leds like luxeons are closer to 170 degrees.

What does this mean?
- An incan will focus more of its light into the spot so does not need a deep reflector, ie more spill
- an incan's spill will be less bright when compared to an equivalent output led.
- to get decent throw in a led you need a deep reflector
- a deep reflecor gives less spill.

Its a trade off. If you want more spill in a led then prepare to sacrifice throw or use a much larger shallow reflector.
 

pedalinbob

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Has anyone figured out how change the reflector? I gather that the heads aren't compatible.

The SO17 provides very nice spill...as does the NX05 optic....so It might be a mod worth trying.
 
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