Why the heck is there a hole in my 120P beam!!!!

Tessaiga · Apr 5, 2008

I just bought a Black 120P off yourcornerstore and guess what, it has an irritating black hole right smack in the middle of the beam... :scowl: :scowl: :scowl:

Can be seen in all modes, but especially noticeable on very low. It was so depressing that I immediately put it back into the packaging and threw it in the drawer...

I have a olive 120P that I got many months ago and the beam on that one is flawless and very very nice...

What in the world went wrong with this Black 120P??? :shakehead :shakehead :shakehead

Anyone with similar experience??

AlexGT · Apr 5, 2008

How far away from the object are you shining the light? All reflectors have this small hole at very close ranges unless the reflector is heavy OP, if the hole shows at longer distances then the reflector is not in proper focus.

Light OP on a wall at 4 inches

Light OP on a wall at 12 inches and beyond, no hole

AlexGT

Tessaiga · Apr 5, 2008

Its maybe 5 cm away from the object, but I did this more as a comparison than for actual usage. In all fairness, I doubt that the hole would be visible in actual usage. It's just that with my olive 120P, there is no black hole at any distance, near or far... Period.

Just wondering if the QC on the black 120Ps are suspect as many have reported... :thumbsdow

BBL · Apr 5, 2008

Tessaiga said:
Its maybe 5 cm away from the object, but I did this more as a comparison than for actual usage. In all fairness, I doubt that the hole would be visible in actual usage. It's just that with my olive 120P, there is no black hole at any distance, near or far... Period.

Just wondering if the QC on the black 120Ps are suspect as many have reported... :thumbsdow

_Every_ beam from a reflector has a black hole when it is very close to the surface, thats just the way it works. I would not hurt you to get some basic flashlight knowledge, those things are not rocket science...

Illum · Apr 5, 2008

typical "donut" of luxV lights...boy oh boy there used to be complaints after complaints to surefire about donuts, white wall hunting of course, does it affect usage over 3 feet? no it doesn't, does it still get reported? all the time :ohgeez:

when Seoul SSC P4 came out, it kinda flattened out from there

yaesumofo · Apr 5, 2008

So you have become a microwall hunter?
At 2 inches this is a NON issue. Why would you post about a hole in the beam at 5cm?
IF you had a hole in the beam at 5 foot I would be concerned. But 2 inches?
How irritating can it possibly be at 2 inches?
This is a non issue unless you spend your time looking at white walls at 2 inches.
There is a good name for this activity. Microwall hunting.

Yaesumofo

Tessaiga said:
I just bought a Black 120P off yourcornerstore and guess what, it has an irritating black hole right smack in the middle of the beam... :scowl: :scowl: :scowl:

Can be seen in all modes, but especially noticeable on very low. It was so depressing that I immediately put it back into the packaging and threw it in the drawer...

I have a olive 120P that I got many months ago and the beam on that one is flawless and very very nice...

What in the world went wrong with this Black 120P??? :shakehead :shakehead :shakehead

Anyone with similar experience??

Patriot · Apr 5, 2008

yaesumofo said:
So you have become a microwall hunter?
At 2 inches this is a NON issue. Why would you post about a hole in the beam at 5cm?

:huh: Oh, my gosh....I thought this thread was a late April fools joke until I saw that he was actually angry for real.

RustyKnee · Apr 5, 2008

Patriot36 said:
:huh: Oh, my gosh....I thought this thread was a late April fools joke until I saw that he was actually angry for real.

I was thinking that too.

Stu

Tessaiga · Apr 6, 2008

Haha... yes, I'm a microwall hunter. I admit that the problem would be fine if I didn't have another perfect 120P to compare it with...

matrixshaman · Apr 6, 2008

I'll say my original Novatac was good very close to the wall - say 2" or more no hole. My newer black one has a hole that shows up a little farther out - so I think there is probably a little difference in something on the newer ones but I never gave it a second thought - it just doesn't effect any real world use for me and I can't imagine it ever being a problem.

Oddjob · Apr 6, 2008

I think all of my lights have a hole at less than 5cm.

greenstuffs · Apr 6, 2008

The mule doesn't have any hole

cave dave · Apr 6, 2008

Sheesh guys, tear him a new one while you are at it.

Tessaiga said:
Haha... yes, I'm a microwall hunter. I admit that the problem would be fine if I didn't have another perfect 120P to compare it with...

Tessaiga, thanks for being a sport. Technically the one with the hole should actually be more in focus and throw better because that means the beams are being reflected parrallel to one another. Try them both outside and report back. I doubt there will be much of a difference though.

The hole is created by the LED itself at the center of the parabola.

kramer5150 · Apr 6, 2008

FWIW, my DX drop in has that too. Never really noticed it till' I read this thread. I think the OP is merely pointing out that he notices some variation form unit to unit. I don't think it was meant to be a jeer at the manufacturer, although it kind of came out that way.

pbs357 · Apr 6, 2008

BBL said:
_Every_ beam from a reflector has a black hole when it is very close to the surface, thats just the way it works. I would not hurt you to get some basic flashlight knowledge, those things are not rocket science...

:thumbsdow Looks like that's what he's TRYING to do here... :wtf:

Both points are valid. Yes, reflectors can create a dark center at very close ranges, but the OP does own another one that doesn't do this. Giving negative feedback like that drives people away from the hobby guys...

Shocks · Apr 6, 2008

BBL said:
_ I would not hurt you to get some basic flashlight knowledge, those things are not rocket science...

Funny but I guess thats why he posted. Please accept that we cant all be as smart as you. I'm a novice too and it wasn't immediately intuitive.

Patriot · Apr 6, 2008

Shocks said:
Funny but I guess thats why he posted. Please accept that we cant all be as smart as you. I'm a novice too and it wasn't immediately intuitive.

:welcome:

Thanks Cave Dave for the diagram. I save stuff like that. :popcorn:

cave dave · Apr 6, 2008

Patriot36 said:
Thanks Cave Dave for the diagram. I save stuff like that.

In that case you will really like this one:
(note not hotlinked, source is ZEMAX)

Tessaiga · Apr 6, 2008

wow.. thanks for all the reply.. my point was exactly as kramer5150 has mentioned.. that why is there such a big variation from unit to unit, plus the fact that more than a few on CPF have also noted that the Black 120P seem to have some issues as compared to the olive ones, that was why I asked about the QC issues...

Like I said earlier too, i would not have said anything if I did not have a perfectly good one to compare against...

Why the heck is there a hole in my 120P beam!!!!

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