LOP reflectors - I'm confused!

I'm fairly new to this whole subject but have been avidly reading reviews of various lights on this forum. Many manufacturers seem to prefer light orange peel reflectors, especially on smaller lights. I believe this is because they are supposed to smooth out any imperfections and give a better beam pattern.

I have three small flashlights, Fenix LD15, Nitecore EZAA and Olight i2. They all use XPG emitters, the Fenix is R4, the others are R5.

The Fenix is the smallest of the 3 and has the shallowest reflector, which is smooth. It gives a very nice smooth, even beam pattern, there is just a very faint ring about two thirds of the way to the edge of the beam.

The Olight has a LOP reflector. Its beam is quite smooth, but the spill area is not as bright as the others so it is difficult to see any artifacts.

The Nitecore has a quite heavily textured reflector, but has quite a few artifacts in the spill area, and some also outside the main beam area. These seem to be 'secondary' reflections caused by the heavy texture of the reflector. The Nitecore has a relatively deep reflector, giving the narrowest beam of the 3.

So my question is, why are LOP reflectors so popular when the smooth one on the LD15 can give such a nice beam?

Reflectors are a tricky business... Some LEDs, such as the CREE XR-E and MCE series and the SSC P7, produce strange beam artifacts due to their construction. Some of the floodier, newer LEDs don't really require an orange-peel reflector if a proper smooth reflector is used and the seating depth is correct. My guess as to why so many OP reflectors are still used today is that they're left overs from the era of when XR-E/MCE/P7s still ruled the roost.