Adjustable focus, useful or useless?

Double_A

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jul 15, 2003
Messages
2,042
There are a few companies out there who really market the adjustable focus feature. Another company says it's a worthless feature.

What do you say? How often do you adjust the focus? Do you fined it helpful?

GregR
(Me, I find it a waste, I never fiddle with it after I get the best looking beam)
 

JohnK

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Dec 7, 2002
Messages
1,534
Location
Tennessee., USA
I find myself in the minority here, but I LOVE an adjustable focus light. Even if the range of focus is not terribly large, it is nice to adapt the light to the task at hand. A pencil beam is almost useless when the task requires more of a flood (and vice/versa).

Lights with at least useful focus adjustment include my Streamlight TL-2 LED, TL-3 LED, TT 3AA, TT3C, TT 1L, 2L, and even my Task Light 3AA Lux has useful, if not huge adjustment. The PT Surge does well also.

Ditto the SL Scorpion.

All these lights need not be "loosened" to the point of unwanted artifacts to work well.

The exceptions: Maglites simply go from hideous to horrible.
 

Kiessling

Flashaholic
Joined
Nov 26, 2002
Messages
16,140
Location
Old World
I agree. For me it is worthless. To much work and alway worried that I do not have the true hotspot ... and I do not know a light with adjustable focus that has a good beam for all adjustment levels.
bernhard
 

JohnK

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Dec 7, 2002
Messages
1,534
Location
Tennessee., USA
I do not know a light with adjustable focus that has a good beam for all adjustment levels.>>>>>>>>>>>

Another way of saying this is: I know a lot of lights that come with a poor beam, and cannot be improved without adj. focus.
 

BlindedByTheLite

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jul 6, 2003
Messages
2,170
Location
Bangor, Maine
well i think it's a very useful feature.. sometimes when i'm using my legend lx, the hotspot is just too damn bright and i have to open the flood beam to provide a more useful light..

but alotta activities you use a flashlight for don't require this feature.. i find that the hotspot doesn't bother me at all when i'm hiking at night for instance..

and as long as a prefocused light has a decent amount of sidespill then it wouldn't need to focus anyway.. just aimed differently..
 

jtice

Flashaholic
Joined
May 21, 2003
Messages
6,331
Location
West Virginia
I used to like the adjustable lights alot more. But now, I have my trusty Arc LSH-P, which, in my opinio, has the perfect balance of hotspot and spill light.

Although, it would be a nice feature of coarse. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

I find alot of lights, that have a really tight focused beam, dont have enough spill light. In those lights, it would be really nice to get alittle more flood out of them.
 

Catapult

Enlightened
Joined
Apr 17, 2003
Messages
383
Location
NYC
I usually keep my lights adjusted to the tightest spot possible, but I do prefer to have the option of adjusting to flood.
 

outlaw918692000

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Aug 20, 2003
Messages
144
Location
Odessa Texas
I hate them they always have a doenut and I am afraid that I may have bumped it out of focus while on my duty belt, rendering it useless to blind a suspect. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/twakfl.gif
 

Overamp

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Nov 2, 2002
Messages
58
Location
Las Vegas NV
I want a spot, I want a flood, I don't want everything in between, and I'd rather not have to turn the business end of the flashlight to get it.
 

mahoney

Enlightened
Joined
Jan 7, 2002
Messages
603
The only thing I missed about my 2AA Mini-mag when I switched my EDC to an ARC LS was the adjustable focus. Sometimes you need a spot, sometimes a flood. So now I carry 3 flashlights...
 

PaulW

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Mar 23, 2003
Messages
2,060
Location
Laurel, Maryland
I like to have the option of adjusting the beam size of a light. I rarely use a flood, but when I do need it I want a wider spread than can usually be obtained by focusing the light. I'd like to have at least 90 degrees. That's why I'm going to order an F04 diffuser filter for my L4 when I next order SF batteries.
Paul
 

Unicorn

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Sep 19, 2000
Messages
1,339
Location
Near Seattle, WA
If it wasn't for the poor beam quality, I'd like adjustable focusing much better. I like the beam diffusers by Surefire, except like the LDF on the lenses by Flashlightlens and using Writeright, it reduces the output a little too much. Sometimes that isn't a bad thing, but usually when I want a flood, I still want it pretty darn bright. Texturing the reflector has the same problem I feel.
 

SilverFox

Flashaholic
Joined
Jan 19, 2003
Messages
12,449
Location
Bellingham WA
Hello GregR,

After years of using plastic EveryReady's with crappy beams, the adjustable crappy beam on the Mag Lite was a welcome improvement.

After more years using Mag Lite's with adjustable beams, the smooth even beam of ARC, SureFire, ElektroLumens, Dat2Zip, and others is a welcome improvement.

Years ago, I touted the virtues of having one light that could be used both as a spot and a flood. Now I have specialized lights for each use.

Tom
 

Blikbok

Enlightened
Joined
Apr 10, 2002
Messages
898
Too often I find adjustable focus introduces holes into the beam. If that wasn't the case, I'd be all for them.
 
Top