perfect beam from flood to spot

mccririck

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Which flashlights would you say have perfect beams in the full range from flood to spot?
 

sol-leks

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Are you looking for a flood to zoom light, similar to a maglite? There a few good choices but I don't know about perfect.
 

Gunner12

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IMO, none. All have either a ringy beam when defocused (reflector based light)

Or the beam has no spill (optic based).
 

Billy Berue

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Not sure if you're asking about a focusable beam or a fixed beam that has a good combination of spot and spill? If the former, I agree with the previous posters that I haven't seen one that didn't involve noticeable compromises in beam quality at one or more points in the focus range. If the latter, then I've yet to find a more pleasing and usable beam than my TK40. :thumbsup:
 

mccririck

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Hmm, I see. ok, then what would be a good spill flashlight? I guess it's best to buy a separate spill and spot light.
 

Gunner12

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Spill is the light around the hotspot, it is not a beam pattern. Flood is a beam pattern that consists of a very wide hotspot if there is any at all. A flood light can still have spill if it has a hotspot.

Are you looking for a good flood light?

If yes, look at the Zebralights. All flood and are also small for their respective battery size. They are angle lights though so if you want something more like a normal light, look at something with a floody optic like a P60 accepting light and the Malkoff M60F.
 

Hooked on Fenix

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2009 Inova XO with the textured reflector, Solarforce L2 with Thrunight Cree XP-G R5 drop-in, Cabelas 6 volt light (Surefire 6P knockoff made in U.S.) with Solarforce Cree XR-E R2 drop-in, Fenix L1T version 2.0, ITP A3 EOS, Inova X1 version 4, Inova T1 2007 & 2008 versions (don't have 2009 version so I won't comment on that one).

IMHO, all of these lights have flawless beam patterns with an excellent balance of spot and flood light with no gaps and little to any artifacts.
 
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monanza

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I do not know your criteria for a good beam pattern but I can suggest a Ra Clicky Tactical. It has a nice smooth transition from hotspot to spill.
 

zven

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Just in case you're looking for a fixed-focus light with a perfect spot-to-flood pattern, I'd recommend Malkoff's M60/M30 modules with the F (flood) optic. In my experience, this is one of the best throw/flood compromise beams out there, and is PERFECTLY seamless from its gorgeous spill to its smooth hotspot. Mind you it doesn't excel in throw (too much light is directed to the spill), nor is it perfect in flood (strangely, the hotspot ends up feeling a little too narrow).

Of course, the ideal solution to having the best flood/throw I've found is to use a SureFire C2 (any comparable model would do) with an FM34 flip-up diffuser. You can go from an unobstructed throwy beam to perfect, wide flood in half a second, and back again just as fast. Of course, I suppose that doesn't meet the "full range" of flood to throw you mention, as it's either one or the other... But it's better at the extremes than any focusing light I've ever used.
 

hyperloop

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i don't have any white wall shots, but take a look at the shots of my LED Lenser P5. I also own the P14 but on full flood, there are some rings in the flood but the spot is very nicely focused.
 
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