finally, I understand that Cree-RingS thing

... and it is wrong

because recently a member typed - describing the "bad ringy cree beam" something like this:
* a bright main beam, then
* a wide, considerably lower ring of light, then
* a small, bright (less bright than main) gold ring, then
* even another considerably lower ring of light
---> making main and three! "rings"

and thats what I (or maybe he) was wrong of: all the time I considered it as ONE ring , as there is
* main beam
* spill
and in the middle of spill the
* one gold colored "Cree Ring"
(which comes only by using an non perfect reflector, which means when using anything else than Sandwich Shoppe's XR-E reflectors)

Pic showing that one Cree ring:

unfortunately shot at day, so the end of the spill is not there. Just for the record: the gold ring usually near the middle of the spill circle

Interestingly I only notice the Ring when whitewall hunting, in real use it is the main beam only I look at (more or less),
that there is something in the spill - who cares?
(while the ringy main beam of the Inova trios optics made me crazy)


... that way of thinking about those "bad Cree rings" might be of importance for new members deciding what to get:
I say: ignore the Cree-Ring-thing

When I hear "Cree ring" I think of the dark area around the hotspot as that was the common problem with a lot of beam patterns when the Cree emitters were coming into use. Depending on the reflector the dark area was wider or thinner. I returned a P1D when it first came out because it actually had a dark crescent around the hotsopt because the emitter was not quite centred. The Cree lights that I have do not have a gold ring, just the darker area around the hotspot.:shrug:

but is this not simply the "spill" :thinking:
... what one gets with Cree and Seoul and Luxeon and any other led and with incans, too
(the non focused part of the light that gets out the front directly from the source)
so to critizise it only for the Cree led, is wrong again
:thinking:

depending on optic or reflector the transition from beam to spill can be nice, or a brutal line.
Has nothing to do with the light engine

Oddjob said:

When I hear "Cree ring" I think of the dark area around the hotspot as that was the common problem with a lot of beam patterns when the Cree emitters were coming into use.....The Cree lights that I have do not have a gold ring, just the darker area around the hotspot.:shrug:

Click to expand...

Me too, bright spot, darker circle in spill, then brighter spill. My E01 has a bright golden halo, that doesn't bother me, it's the dark circle between the spot and the outer spill of some Crees.

hmmm :thinking:
all my cree lights have a totally even spill, imho
be it with or without the golden halo

how should it be other? It is the light emitted from the led but not focused.
When looking at the torch, the light that comes out front at the angles where one would see the led (but not the main beam)

wondering ...
gotta check for that

When you use a cree that has the worst rings possible, your never going to notice it in actual use.

Quit shining your lights on white walls unless your looking for something on it.