do you use a lense with a terralux 300m

........i was thinking about getting a UCL for my mag but the drop in has it's own (3).........so should i use a lense for saftey or leave it off..???....cheers Pete

Which would you rather replace if it gets scratched...the entire drop-in or the lens (window) in front of it?

Kindle said:

Which would you rather replace if it gets scratched...the entire drop-in or the lens (window) in front of it?

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.....do i get time to think about it.................(i'll get a ucl)

FYI: A lens refocuses light. A window simply allows light to pass through, without significantly affecting its focus.

I can think of two reasons for a window. First, as has already been mentioned, it adds protection to the optic of your drop-in. For protection, a UCL window is probably not the best choice, as they can be fragile.

Second, is your light water resistant without a window? How does the drop-in seal to the head? A window and an o-ring may offer protection from the elements that you lack without a window.

see now i'm stumped......i just thought a UCL was a better/clearer thing to have.......so where do i get better "windows" from.........Pete

Pete Mcrash said:

see now i'm stumped......i just thought a UCL was a better/clearer thing to have.......so where do i get better "windows" from.........Pete

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UCL windows allow more light to pass through (by a very small margin). In practice, you're unlikely to notice the slight improvement. UCL windows tend to be more fragile than a Lexan, Pyrex, or Borofloat windows. Depending on how you use the light, that may or may not matter to you.

JCD said:

UCL windows allow more light to pass through (by a very small margin). In practice, you're unlikely to notice the slight improvement. UCL windows tend to be more fragile than a Lexan, Pyrex, or Borofloat windows. Depending on how you use the light, that may or may not matter to you.

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.......thanks for that....:thumbsup:

If you want your Maglite to still be water resistant after you install the TLE-300M drop-in, it will need to have a window. You can keep the stock plastic Maglite one if you want to.

Locoboy5150 said:

If you want your Maglite to still be water resistant after you install the TLE-300M drop-in, it will need to have a window. You can keep the stock plastic Maglite one if you want to.

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.........yeh i'll keep the original.....i was under the impression a UCL was "the dogs bollacks".........not in this case.....:thumbsup:

yes i use a stock mag lens, for all of the reasons mentioned above. manufacturer also thinks you need one, that is why it comes with a thick o ring.

FWIW... the Surefire 6P OEM Pyrex lens blocks ~10% more light out the front as compared to a UCL coated lens. My Malkoff M60 did ~205 OTF of a stock 6P with the OEM SF lens. Others are measuring theirs in the 220+ Lumen range using coated UCL.

kramer5150 said:

FWIW... the Surefire 6P OEM Pyrex lens blocks ~10% more light out the front as compared to a UCL coated lens. My Malkoff M60 did ~205 OTF of a stock 6P with the OEM SF lens. Others are measuring theirs in the 220+ Lumen range using coated UCL.

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Can you tell the difference in practice? Are there tasks that the 6P/M60 combo can accomplish with the UCL window that it can't handle with the Pyrex window?

I agree that UCL blocks less light than Pyrex, but I doubt I could tell the difference with my naked eyes.

JCD said:

Can you tell the difference in practice? Are there tasks that the 6P/M60 combo can accomplish with the UCL window that it can't handle with the Pyrex window?

I agree that UCL blocks less light than Pyrex, but I doubt I could tell the difference with my naked eyes.

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I have never actually A/B compared them... aside from measuring it in a sphere.

~10% is not too bad when talking 220+ down to 205ish, but when you are talking several hundred more lumens otf, then 10% could make a bit more difference. But honestly, you would still have to see two very closely matched units side by side to see the difference.

What I have noticed is that when the stock plastic window on mine started getting scratched up, it scattered more light in the immediate vicinity, so when spotting something over a fence, or near a tree, there was an increased amount of spill light...