Need info about McR-- series reflectors...

Hello. I feel bad about bringing this up, but I never have any luck finding more information about these reflectors. I tried the McGizmo section of the CPF forum, but I might have posted too long of a message so my thread received no attention.

Anyways, I will soon be working on a 2D quad Luxeon III Maglite revision (an upgrade to Seoul P4s), and I need help with my choice of reflectors. I am already using the IMS SO20XA reflectors (20mm -they fit perfectly), but I am unsure if McGizmo's McR19 or McR20 are a whole lot better.

I cannot afford to pay $60+ on reflectors that I may not be happy with, so I hoped that some people here can help me out. There should be a lot of people who have had experience with these.

Now this is what I needed to know. Which reflector (the IMS 20mm or McR 19/20mm) provides the most amount of light output when used with the Seoul P4 (or any other high-flux LED really)? I need something that can output the most light in the most tightest beam. The more flux, the better. I am assuming that because the McR reflectors are aluminum and hand machined, they are better designed (with a better parabolic shape for today's Lumileds, Cree, and Seoul brand LEDs).

I was concerned how every McR reflector that I have seen has that sputtered finish on it (like orange peel). This will give you a soft beam (eww), even though the beam quality is pretty nice. I seen this thread by Nereus where he made a quad SSC P4 Maglite using the McR 20mm reflectors (still very nice). However, the beam was way too floody and soft (more than I expexted). Here is a link:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/158259
Scroll down a little and you will see the beamshot of the Quad P4 light shining down at the snow. I know that my Quad LuxIII light, using the smooth IMS 20mm reflectors, throw much better than this. Am I totally wrong? I know the larger McR27 and 38 reflectors are very nice when it comes to throw, but I am not so sure about the smaller 19mm and 20mm ones. I have seen the McR19XR version used with the XR-E, but I am not very pleased with those beams, either.

I understand that I will have to trim the IMS 20mm reflectors about 0.030" or so to properly focus them. I do not mind the little extra modification. If the trimmed IMS 20mm reflectors provide a lousy beam with the SSC P4s, please tell me. I need to know if I have to start saving for some McR 20mm reflectors. I do plan on using the preferred reflector in my future LED headlight project (once I finish my current one).

Finally, I am open to trimming and turning the nicer McR27 (maybe long or Seoul version) so they have the 20mm diameter. I am assuming that the deep part of these reflectors are what allows for the tight beam, so removing the upper part will only get rid of the less-valuable reflective surface. Too bad McGizmo does not offer smooth reflectors.

So, any help would be greatly appreciated. I understand that there is a lot to read. I felt that I could not say what I needed to say any shorter. Thank you all!


-Tony

Gryloc, for me the best reflectors are the McR's. Beside the perfect beam, it's a good feeling to know, owning the best, made from AL, without any deformation due to the plastic, durable forever.
In a cheap llight, I can live with the IMS, but not in a high quality light.

Best regards

____
Tom

Long John,

I understand the beam is nice. I have always heard great things about these, but what about its throw and overall efficiency compared to the smooth IMS reflectors? For my needs, it is okay if the quality and durability does not match up to the McGizmo's McR reflectors. Anybody out there able to do a comparison between the two, even if any Luxeon I, III, or K2 LEDs are used instead of a SSC P4? Screen shots? That would be nice. Thanks!


-Tony

Obviously these lights are much less bright than what you are going for, but to give a rough idea, the first is an IMS and the second is a McR. By the ceiling bounce test, they look exactly the same brightness.

These are single reflectors vs multiple reflectors but this is indicative of the difference between the IMS reflectors and the McR reflectors. The McR reflectors are typically perfect beams giving decent throw and a bright spillbeam. The IMSs are very usable reflectors and they are what I have in both of my multi Lux Mag mods. The McR has a smaller but more intense hotspot while the IMS has a larger, less focused hotspot.

For me, the big difference is how much brighter the spillbeam is with the McR reflectors though that's kind of hard to tell from these pics.

Cratz2,

Ahh, just what I was hoping for: beam shots! Thanks. What McR reflector and IMS reflector did you use in those pictures? Hopefully it was close to the 20mm size. Which LED did you use? If you used the new Seoul P4 emitter with the IMS, was it perfectly focused?

What do you think caused the brighter spill? That is interesting. I am still unsure about the McR line just because of the sputtered reflector coating (that scares me a bit). From the looks of the pictures, the McR reflector won when it comes to brightness in the hotspot, but I just want to be totally safe. Those are great pictures! It is nice seeing clear comparisons like that. I am never usually satisfied with certain things until I see it for myself, instead of just word of mouth. I hate how I have become so picky with flashlight components. I try to do the most with the small budget I have, so I can be skeptical like this. Sorry about that...


-Tony