Two lights that really should have had smooth reflectors...

1) NovaTac(s)
2) Fenix T1

Okay, first off, the Seoul emitters behave very nicely in a smooth reflector. I replaced the LuxIII in my L1T, which has a smooth reflector, and the beam is perfect!

Next, isn't the Fenix T1 supposed to be a throw monster? Don't the pre-release pictures show a smooth reflector? Don't get me wrong, the output is impressive, and the hot spot is still tight, but still, why not go with the smooth reflector?

how many reflector types are there? what differences do they have?

warriorz said:

how many reflector types are there? what differences do they have?

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There are two main kinds: smooth and textured. Smooth offers a throwier beam, but can have artifacts (mainly with Cree LEDs). Textured offers a smoother beam, sacrificing a little throw for it.

There are mainly three types:

Smooth, most throw but potentially more artifacts, also the most efficient.
Orange peel(Different levels from Low-high), less artifacts but also less throw.
Stippled, Least artifacts, smoothest beam but also least throw.

LukeA beat me to the answer, oh well

Agreed.
I really hope that there will be a smooth reflector option for the T1.

What is the perfect beam?

How long is a piece of string?

My interpretation of Gunners very accurate description (thanks)

Smooth, most throw but potentially more artifacts, also the most efficient.
-For most people the most unusable beam shape. Newbles tend to think a hot pointy beam is what makes the best beam/flashlight.

Orange peel(Different levels from Low-high), less artifacts but also less throw.
-Broader beam and more useful for most daily tasks.

Stippled, Least artifacts, smoothest beam but also least throw.
-Most useful beam for most of us.

Don't get me wrong. If you live out in the boonies and need to track black bears in trees or inspect machinery from a distance, You need a concentrated hot pointy beam. I'm just gonna guess here and assume that most of us here are city dwellers that use our lights to assist us in every day life in the city.

Your eyes will always tend to focus on the brightest point or the strongest pattern. Having a broader beam usually is easier on your eyes as it doesn't have to process a such a large latitude range.

Smooth reflectors are needed for those few who really need it.

frisco

I would prefer Orange peel. Stippled cuts down too much of the punch IMO(Beamshots, Beamshots, beamshots).

For some LED(like the Seoul P4) you can still get a very good beam with a smooth reflector.

Gunner12 said:

For some LED(like the Seoul P4) you can still get a very good beam with a smooth reflector.

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:thumbsup: Exactly what I'm saying. I'm not saying that every light should have smooth reflectors. I agree that on 80% on the lights out there an OP or stippled is best for general use.

However, frisco, my point is that on these two particular lights a smooth reflector would have been best. To reiterate, the seoul gives an artifact-free (for all intents and purposes) beam with a smooth reflector and the T1 is meant for throw, so why not smooth?

The reason why the Novatac didn't go with the smoothy isn't because of the artifacts. It's because the beam is too tight with the smoothy. The Novatac is a focus on maximum usability, and a wider beam profile is more usable than super tight throw.

My bud and I took a 15 min walk around his property tonight. We were looking at some clearcut he just had done.

He grabbed a flashlight out of his truck, so I pulled my novatac 120p out of my pocket.
(it was much brighter than his BTW :devil

I was admiring the beam pattern thinking to myself how novatac nailed it. It was very rough terrain, and I don't think a tighter beam would have helped at all.

I must disagree with you on this one. Just my opinion.

Valpo Hawkeye said:

1) NovaTac(s)
2) Fenix T1

Okay, first off, the Seoul emitters behave very nicely in a smooth reflector. I replaced the LuxIII in my L1T, which has a smooth reflector, and the beam is perfect!

Next, isn't the Fenix T1 supposed to be a throw monster? Don't the pre-release pictures show a smooth reflector? Don't get me wrong, the output is impressive, and the hot spot is still tight, but still, why not go with the smooth reflector?

Click to expand...

I'm not sure why you keep bringing up Seoul with the T1, the specs clearly state:

• Cree Premium (Q5) 7090 XR-E LED with lifespan of 50,000 hours

So a LOP is probably a good thing for the folks who insist a beam must look perfect on a white wall, but yes it cuts down on the throw. A few manufactors are doing a half LOP/half smooth reflector that could work out very well to combine a smooth flood with a tight beam.

frisco said:

What is the perfect beam?

How long is a piece of string?

Click to expand...

Indeed.

frisco said:

Don't get me wrong. If you live out in the boonies and need to track black bears in trees or inspect machinery from a distance, You need a concentrated hot pointy beam. I'm just gonna guess here and assume that most of us here are city dwellers that use our lights to assist us in every day life in the city.

Your eyes will always tend to focus on the brightest point or the strongest pattern.

Click to expand...

Yup. There have been several lights over the past few months I considered that I ultimately passed on because they were too throwy and insufficiently floody.

For the average person, even one living out in the boonies (I live on a barely-suburban acre): More flood and less throw is usually more useful, IMO. A light that's a throw-monster is certainly almost never optimal for indoor use.

What we have going on here in CPF is a population of mostly flashlight addicts--people that buy flashlights sheerly for the sake of collecting/owning flashlights. Laser-like throw looks cool and impresses people, so that's what many flashlight collectors like. So that's the market for which the manufacturers that concentrate here design. Mostly. This is not intended to be a criticism or to denigrate they buyers or sellers of these products, but is simply an observation.

Jim