why not more focus heads.......

like mag has and led lenser has??
all this talk about throw and flood on these diff leds and reflectors.......
why dont all these top dogs, fenix, olight, jetbeam, eagletac, etc make all their midrange lights and up with a head that can focus , so u can have the best of both worlds??

I think it has something to do with Maglite having a patent on a twist to focus system and being prepared to protect it with lawyers.

To be fair, the beam that you get out of a maglite with the twist to focus system does leave a bit to be desired anyway though so maybe we're not missing much.

As someone who had and asked those same questions I'll give you my take on it as I've learned a little more and tried out a few more flashlights.

It isn't the best of both worlds. The lights that you are mentioning, Mags and Led Lenser, aren't the best lights in the first place. They are the only lights that most people have seen that seemed reasonably bright before they came to CPF and started buying other lights.

First of all, if you don't like aspheric optics you eliminate most/many lights that focus. In general you end up with an odd looking beam regardless of how you do it.

Some people like them and that's why they sell a few. Most people don't care for them and that's why most lights aren't like that.

Even with camera's where the optics and therefore lenses are much more expensive and therefore better made a zoom lens is still not the best of both worlds. It may be a decent compromise but most lenses sold still aren't zoom lenses.

With flashlights the optics are far from camera-like quality.

Personally, when I've had one or tried someone else's light that focused I only used it on "throw". Therefore if I want a light that really throws I do go for the aspherics but if I want anything else I get a light that's made for general purpose lighting.

I just haven't seen a good focusable light. DX has a $10 model that does about the same job as any much more expensive focusable light out there that I've seen but that's not saying a lot. That $10 DX light doesn't exactly have a nice beam.

I'm sure others who have been around longer will have other thoughts.

gcbryan said:

Even with camera's where the optics and therefore lenses are much more expensive and therefore better made a zoom lens is still not the best of both worlds.

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It depends on the lens, actually. If you go with quality lens manufacturers like Nikon or Tamron then you can get some excellent zoom lenses that rival fixed focal lengths in terms of sharpness, clarity, minimum focusing distance, aperture, and distortion. Of course you'll be paying a premium for them.

nodoubt said:

like mag has and led lenser has??
all this talk about throw and flood on these diff leds and reflectors.......
why dont all these top dogs, fenix, olight, jetbeam, eagletac, etc make all their midrange lights and up with a head that can focus , so u can have the best of both worlds??

Click to expand...

I have a couple of dozen torches and judging by the performance of my Led Lenser P7, if they'd just make a similar style with similar brightness torch in 123 or 2x123 that could fit in my pocket I'd buy two and sell all my Eagletacs, Fenixes, Quarks, ITP's, Akoray, Romisen, Zebralight etc etc.

My P7 running on 4 measly AAA batteries is stronger on throw mode and brighter on spill mode than any of my other torches. It wastes no light on a spot when you want spill and puts all of it into the spot when you need distance. I think the flood to throw arrangement is far better and less of a compromise, than the spot inside spill that we see on all the others.

Why don't we see more doing it? Well I reckon that between them, Maglite and Led Lenser sell more torches than all the other makers put together so there already is more. Just my opinion of course...................

pending patents?

because full flood and full zoom are very, very special purpose, which - in reality - pretty noone really needs.

that "normal" medium flood ( 8 deg.) beam, with spill around main beam, is
* easy to do
* needs no gimmicky parts only prone to failure
* needs less space
* cheap
* easy to protect against elements
.
.
.
(endless list)



.. for whoever "needs" it, there are a few makers, LL f.e., as You mentionned.
Now, when they ever succeed in offering something that conforms in quality to the price tag + is really rugged (as in protected from rain, or more), then ...

The LensLights and the new Barbolight ZOOMs are nice, higher-end models. I'm sure the mid-range manufactureres have more in the pipeline.

Fraen OMG offers a Patent Pending Spot to Flood dual focus optical solution. Here is a link to the datasheet.

http://www.fraensrl.com/images/FXGR-N1-W1-XR79-0R-datasheet-Rev00.pdf


This new technology is being used in Coleman's new Dual Focus flashlight, which hit the market with the past two weeks.
Here is a link to the flashlight.
http://www.coleman.com/coleman/ColemanCom/detail.asp?CategoryID=26008&product_id=2000003692

I've had a few focusing lights over the years and I've used other people's focusing lights as well. They just never did much for me so I've never considered the focusing feature as a "must have."

I don't think it has anything to do with patents as fenix does have the E20 and it is actually a fairly popular light. I have one and I like it. However none of the major brands have a focusing aspheric light which is a pity I think as I have grown very fond of this type of light. However as people have said most people prefer a fixed focus light that is a mixed of hotspot and pill rather than a light that is all focus or flood. However, I think this focusing aspheric lights are growing in popularity and I wouldn't be surprised if we see offerings in this category from the bigger companies eventually.

sol-leks said:

fenix does have the E20 and it is actually a fairly popular light. I have one and I like it.

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I have one, and I like it to, so I wish they would make a TK series twist focus light.

The main thing I dont like about my E20 is the beam tint. If they would just make a new one with a better LED in it and multimode.

tx guys......interesting........

nodoubt said:

so u can have the best of both worlds??

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Jack of all trades - master of none.

.