Solarforce Masterpiece Pro-1 Mini-Review vs. DBS, RRT-2, M20: lux measurements inside

Hi guys,

This is my first mini-review so bare with me. I got a lux meter to play with so I could get an idea of output from the lights I have. One light in particular made me want to do a mini-review.

I recently got the Solarforce Masterpiece Pro-1, and was really impressed by its throw. Just looking at the beam on a white wall against the DBS V3 was enough to know that it could easily out throw the DBS.

I'm not going to review much about the Pro-1 except that the quality is outstanding. For pics, beamshots, and a more extensive review, please see csshih's review found here.

Mainly I wanted to show the comparison numbers I got with the lux meter. The only mod I did to the Pro-1 was add an UCL from flashlightlens.com. The Pro-1 uses the same lens as the D-sized Maglite (52.1 mm).





I tried to keep the format and numbers the same as selfbuilt's since he seems to publish a fair amount of output reviews. As you can see, the numbers we got for the M20 and RRT-2 are fairly similar. And accordingly, the SMO reflectors showed an increase in throw.

The first column is the square root of the lux for comparison. The number in parentheses are the lux numbers @ 1 m calculated from the actual readings. Actual readings were done at 5 meters using a Mastech 1330B. All lights used fresh Rayovac CR123's.

Sorry, I don't have other throwers to compare it to, but as you can see just from the numbers that while the DBS throws pretty well, the Pro-1 throws even further.

Supposedly there is an SST-50 pill for it in the works, although I'm not sure on the time frame on its availability. The drop-in itself is also serviceable for an LED upgrade, although the driver is held in by a brass ring with what looks like a contact fit.




Edit: I was asked to review the Pro-1's output with the stock lens. I may or may not get to it since I have a SHELF exam coming up. Note that the other lights come with an UCL. And from what I've read, an UCL can increase either output by 5-10%. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.






mike

Re: Solarforce Masterpiece Pro-1 Mini-Review: Lux measurements

:candle::candle::candle:

That is the farthest throwing LED handheld without an aspheric. An aspheric R2 DBS puts out 65k lux tops, closer to 60k. That's simply insane.

Does anyone know the lux for a DBS R2?

swrdply400mrelay said:

Does anyone know the lux for a DBS R2?

Click to expand...

I've seen them from 27,000 to 29,000 for XRE's.



Here's one,

http://www.light-reviews.com/dereelight_dbs/

daimleramg said:

I've seen them from 27,000 to 29,000 for XRE's.



Here's one,

http://www.light-reviews.com/dereelight_dbs/

Click to expand...

Yes, I too get numbers around this if measured directly at 1 m. If I measure at 5 m and calculate back like Mike has done I get higher values. This is a method which is more representative for actual throw. My DBS R2 WH has better throw than my DBS R5.
Jens

jenskh said:

Yes, I too get numbers around this if measured directly at 1 m. If I measure at 5 m and calculate back like Mike has done I get higher values. This is a method which is more representative for actual throw. My DBS R2 WH has better throw than my DBS R5.
Jens

Click to expand...

Hey Jens,

I was told calculating an estimated lux at 1 meter was more accurate in comparing lights. Mainly because for throwers, the beam of the light has not fully converged by 1 m.

So although the raw lux measurement at 1 meter might be true, it may not be a realistic measurement of throw at longer distances.



mike

I fully agree with you, and that was also what what I was trying to say above. Actually I have done quite some experimenting on this that you probably can find in older treads by me.

Added pic of accessing the LED; see OP.

With my Dereelight DBS OP with Dereelight R2 pill that does 225 OTF lumens.

I get 529 lux at 5 meters, calculated for 1 meter = 13,225 lux.

I put the same pill in a TLS 2.5in OP and get 1026 lux at 5 meters, calculated for 1 meter = 25,650 lux

In a 6P at 5 meters I get 371 lux, calculated for 1 meter = 9,275 lux

bigC

Your numbers for the Solarforce Pro are just about identical to mine. I of course have not added the UCL lens, so my readings are a little less than yours.

Calculated for 1 meter with stock lens = 48,750 lux:thumbsup:

bigchelis said:

With my Dereelight DBS OP with Dereelight R2 pill that does 225 OTF lumens.

I get 529 lux at 5 meters, calculated for 1 meter = 13,225 lux.

Click to expand...

Hmmmm, I wonder why so little with the DBS + R2? It seems like the R2 would have better throw than the R5, and lightreviews.com got about 27,000 lux @ 1 m with a Q5.

not a smooth reflector?

Pacecar said:

not a smooth reflector?

Click to expand...

Hmmm, maybe, but I don't think an OP would decrease throw by that much (almost half).

If you compare the numbers I get compared to selfbuilt's, and smooth reflector increased throw by about 1000 lux in the RRT-2 and M20.

bigchelis said:

Your numbers for the Solarforce Pro are just about identical to mine. I of course have not added the UCL lens, so my readings are a little less than yours.

Calculated for 1 meter with stock lens = 48,750 lux:thumbsup:

Click to expand...

:twothumbs I like those numbers

I'm using a Mastec Multimeter so maybe it is more sensitive to the Solarforce than My A9 Aspheric....But a 10 Meter test shows A9A 63,000-81,000 (Aspherics read hotter at the lower edge of the emitter) And My Solarforce 67,000. I took it outside tonight and it is hard to see any difference between it and the A9A. Of course the Solarforce has a spot about 2/3rds the size of the A9A's square. There is a white house 2100 feet away that my A9A will light up. The Solarforce does too. I can't see any difference at all. As for the SST-50....It does look good with an SST-50. I have a Tiablo A50 and the 2 reflectors are interchangeable. I got 28,700 with the A50, and 26,500 with the Solarforce reflector. The Tiablo reflector does look much better. I've heard the Solarforce uses the same reflector as A-10. If they could source the same reflector as the A50 it will be a real winner with the SST-50.

Edit....Obviously my light meter is more sensitive to the R2 emmiter in the Solarforce. I get 48,000 lux when I mate the Solarforce reflector to the A9 emitter. No way 275 lumens would make that much difference in Lux over the A9's 255 lumen.