Help me mod Klarus RS20 for more throw

I was going to sell my RS20 to get a dedicated thrower. But then I figured out that the LED can be accessed very easily. It seemed at first that the bezel was glued on or something because I couldn't unscrew it, but eventually I was able to get it off.

Once it is off, the glass lens, o-ring, and reflector slide off. The LED board has some thermal grease, not epoxy, so it should come off easily after I de-solder the wires.





So, what is my best option between de-doming the stock XM-L2, or getting an XP-L HI to swap in? The XP-L HI is obviously a cleaner solution with no tint shift, plus I've never de-domed an LED before. Would there be any beam artifacts with either approach? What kind of increase in lux can I expect? The beam is already fairly well focused, and according to Klarus, the throw is 316 m.

You have 3 main options for more throw:

1. De-dome the LED as you say. This is free and requires no outlay, so might be worth trying. Lots of ways to de-dome. I normally just soak the LED in petrol overnight and the dome falls off. But there are other ways. Biggest downside will be the tint shift. But it might be acceptable. Beam should be tighter more intense hot spot, with slightly duller spill beam.

2. XP-L HI. Get the tint you want. Beam should be very similar to de-domed XM-L2. Both might be a little ringy, but you won't know until you try. They might be fine.

3. Swap in an XP-G2. Less lumens but should offer slightly more throw than the XP-L HI.

3a. Go extreme and de-dome an XP-G2.....

Chicken Drumstick said:

You have 3 main options for more throw:

1. De-dome the LED as you say. This is free and requires no outlay, so might be worth trying. Lots of ways to de-dome. I normally just soak the LED in petrol overnight and the dome falls off. But there are other ways. Biggest downside will be the tint shift. But it might be acceptable. Beam should be tighter more intense hot spot, with slightly duller spill beam.

2. XP-L HI. Get the tint you want. Beam should be very similar to de-domed XM-L2. Both might be a little ringy, but you won't know until you try. They might be fine.

3. Swap in an XP-G2. Less lumens but should offer slightly more throw than the XP-L HI.

3a. Go extreme and de-dome an XP-G2.....

Click to expand...

Thanks. Hadn't thought about XP-G2. Think I'll get an XP-L HI and a de-domed XP-G2 and see which one I like better.

The Whispering Gallery said:

Thanks. Hadn't thought about XP-G2. Think I'll get an XP-L HI and a de-domed XP-G2 and see which one I like better.

Click to expand...

Having tried dedoming with both XML2, XPL and XPG2, I highly recommend using XPL-HI.

Dedoming CREE LEDs seems to almost universally produce a horrible greenish tint. XPL-HI with perfect tint out of the reel is definitely the way to go, unless you're looking for absolute max throw and don't care about tint.

Fireclaw18 said:

Having tried dedoming with both XML2, XPL and XPG2, I highly recommend using XPL-HI.

Dedoming CREE LEDs seems to almost universally produce a horrible greenish tint. XPL-HI with perfect tint out of the reel is definitely the way to go, unless you're looking for absolute max throw and don't care about tint.

Click to expand...

I ordered the XP-G2 S2 1D bin, which supposedly is less green than other bins after de-doming. I ordered from MTN Electronics and just had them do the de-dome and application of LED-seal. Maybe the LED-seal also helps improve the tint since it does basically the same thing as a dome except magnify the emission. Since I'm a noob to flashlight modifications, I figured I'd lean toward more of a learning experience . Admittedly, I'm also a bit of a tint snob so I may have to switch to an XP-L HI.

I have a de-domed XP-G2 S2 1D in an aspheric thrower. Tint is actually lovely on my sample. Sort of a warm golden tint.

It's the one on the right. The other is an early Olight M3-XS UT.