Well, I now have an EX10 with a Diamond Dragon in it. 
The Cree reflector ended up working better. The Diamond Dragon has a little bit narrower angle (140 degrees) than the Golden Dragon Plus. Also, the gummy silicone dome is much larger with the Diamond Dragon, it's about the same diameter as the Cree dome, so it fit the Cree reflector better. And it centers perfectly, since it's a very tight fit in the red holder.
Beamshots
EX10 Diamond Dragon Left, EX10 Q5 Cree Right
EX10 Diamond Dragon Left, EX10 Q5 Cree Right (3 stops underexposed)
EX10 Diamond Dragon Left, SPY 007 USW0H Right
EX10 Diamond Dragon Left, SPY 007 USW0H Right (3 stops underexposed)
Overall Impressions
The Good:
Excellent beam quality. No doughnut, no severe dark ring. Perfectly uniform tint, unlike the slight variation in tone with the Cree rings, and the nasty yellow to purple spread of the GD+. The only major artifact is at the outer edge of the beam from the crenelated bezel I'm using. (Russtang EX10 Ti Body).
The Bad:
Not really any brighter than the Q5 Cree. The hot spot is a little more concentrated with the Cree, but the beam from hot spot to spill transition is very smooth. It does throw about as well as a Cree. Bascially the Diamond Dragon's beam is like a Seoul that throws like a Cree, but with a less power consumption. 500mA is just not enough to get full brightness out of the Diamond Dragon (they are rated up to 1400mA). But it would probably get too hot at anything higher.
The Ugly:
Runs hotter than the Cree, and significantly hotter than the GD+. But not dangerously so. Just noticeably warmer, heats up quick too, but I did use Arctic Silver 5 for the Diamond Dragon. For the mod I did, it's expensive. Not counting the cost of the Diamond Dragon, you need parts from TWO different EX10's (Cree and GD+ versions). Basically the Light Engine from the GD+ and the reflector from the Cree.
Overall, it fixes the main complaint I had with the my Cree EX10, the ringy beam. The Diamond Dragon is a white wall hunter's best friend. While a Seoul with a McGizmo Reflector is probably the smoothest beam I've seen, the Diamond Dragon is also an impressive thrower. Best of both worlds.
-Ed
The Cree reflector ended up working better. The Diamond Dragon has a little bit narrower angle (140 degrees) than the Golden Dragon Plus. Also, the gummy silicone dome is much larger with the Diamond Dragon, it's about the same diameter as the Cree dome, so it fit the Cree reflector better. And it centers perfectly, since it's a very tight fit in the red holder.
Beamshots
EX10 Diamond Dragon Left, EX10 Q5 Cree Right
EX10 Diamond Dragon Left, EX10 Q5 Cree Right (3 stops underexposed)
EX10 Diamond Dragon Left, SPY 007 USW0H Right
EX10 Diamond Dragon Left, SPY 007 USW0H Right (3 stops underexposed)
Overall Impressions
The Good:
Excellent beam quality. No doughnut, no severe dark ring. Perfectly uniform tint, unlike the slight variation in tone with the Cree rings, and the nasty yellow to purple spread of the GD+. The only major artifact is at the outer edge of the beam from the crenelated bezel I'm using. (Russtang EX10 Ti Body).
The Bad:
Not really any brighter than the Q5 Cree. The hot spot is a little more concentrated with the Cree, but the beam from hot spot to spill transition is very smooth. It does throw about as well as a Cree. Bascially the Diamond Dragon's beam is like a Seoul that throws like a Cree, but with a less power consumption. 500mA is just not enough to get full brightness out of the Diamond Dragon (they are rated up to 1400mA). But it would probably get too hot at anything higher.
The Ugly:
Runs hotter than the Cree, and significantly hotter than the GD+. But not dangerously so. Just noticeably warmer, heats up quick too, but I did use Arctic Silver 5 for the Diamond Dragon. For the mod I did, it's expensive. Not counting the cost of the Diamond Dragon, you need parts from TWO different EX10's (Cree and GD+ versions). Basically the Light Engine from the GD+ and the reflector from the Cree.
Overall, it fixes the main complaint I had with the my Cree EX10, the ringy beam. The Diamond Dragon is a white wall hunter's best friend. While a Seoul with a McGizmo Reflector is probably the smoothest beam I've seen, the Diamond Dragon is also an impressive thrower. Best of both worlds.
-Ed
