What is your Favorite BEAM PATERN ???

Please tell us about your favorite beam partern, and what light and configuration you are using to get it.

My favorite is my E1 Mod. If uses the stock reflector, with a R2K BB500.
If has a very tight hotspot, with a very wide and smooth flood.

The hotspot isnt the brightest, and doesnt throw all that much, but it makes up for it with the huge amount of lumens put out as smooth even flood.
The light will easily light up an entire room, with no need to aim the light around. But, if you want, you can aim it at an object to the small hotspot hits it to see ti better.

The Arc4 has a similar beam patern, but the E1 Mod has ALOT wider spill patern.
Makes an excellent indoor light, or for hiking at night to light up the path around your feet.

The light is so smooth due to the stippled reflector. Saddly, that also makes it alittle ineffecient.

I might as well through in a Poll, just to see what type of patern people generally like.
Please post a description explainning your vote.

Choose your Favorite Beam Patern.

Flood with large hotspot for me. I liked the E2e/MN03, and like the L4 even better for its color, brighter spill, and constant output throughout the life of the batteries (not to mention the ability to use Pilas...).

If I can't have a focus mechanism, then flood with large hotspot (SF 6P or my MR-X) is a good compromise for me. -RussH

Depends on the application. If i were only allowed one light, i'd say "Hotspot, with flood."

medium flood with a big hotspot and some power in the light /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
I am a no-throw guy ...
bernhard

How would you describe the beam a 1W Low Dome Luxeon coupled with EL's 30mm optics yield?

This is by far my most favorite beam!

I can't vote based on those choices!

Wall of light is my fav, SF p60, Tec 40 some other Incandescents, most LED lights. I guess in the case of MOST led lights that would be flood/no spot.

Number two would be a soft edged medium spot with good spill. Rayovac Industrials, some others.

Wow, I'm so confused!

My favorite beam pattern would be flood with a large hotspot.
But the light should have enough Lumens to provide some throw anyway. L4 or L5 would have the perfect beam pattern for me, I suppose (don't have either one..).

My favorite beam pattern depends on the use of course, but for general around the house use I like the broad hotspot with no sidespill, like an Arc LS with a fraen optic would provide. The hotspot is large enough to be useful, but bright as well.

I really enjoy the Arc LSL style beam for certain applications as well.

My least favorite beam would be the Arc4 style beam, sadly. The hotspot so outshines the sidespill that the beam might as well not have any sidespill, imo. Plus the hotspot is so small as to not be very useful. I would never use this light for what the beam was designed to use it for. I don't mind these beams in my mags though because I love the throw in a modded 3D mag and the light is SO bright with that TWAK that the sidespill is bright anyways with the hotspot being overkill.. great for long and ultra long throw applications. Still, a beam style more to the likes of an electrolumens FT-3C is preferred for short to moderate/long throw applications.

For most applications the optics seem to be preferred over reflectors, at least for me, but of course as a flashoholic I must have a light for every application.

If it is my only light, then hotspot with flood.

Aloha

I don't know how to choose a category, but the Arc LSL beam is my favorite.

In a mod I made for myself, using a Red Luxeon high dome, I like the NX05 optic (more flood) better than the Fraen LP (well defined hotspot with no flood). And I prefer the NX05 to be in contact with the emitter rather than slightly above it (more flood, more light).

Hotspot with flood (usably bright corona).

hehe.. I love my electrolumens illumalux after I took the luxeon included out and swapped it with a nice red one.. I can literally turn that thing on in the middle of the night and my eyes don't squint at all, and it's an overdriven red one watt luxeon... must be that red light.
Likewise using the Arc AAA RGB I'll squint on the green and the blue, but not at all on the red.

Makes for a great midnight snack light /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

I like the tight hotspot with a fair amount of flod. When I'm working a show I carry two lights. A SF 9P with P91 to check out the far corners fo the venue or to stun a drunk getting too close for comfort. An Arc LSH on a lanyard around my neck for nearly everything else.

-F

Hey you forgot to put:

-Medium size hotspot w/ large dark rings w/ lots of artifacts

You know...for M*g fans /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif. Sorry, I couldn't resist!

By now it's the pattern of my modded Walther tactical light with svok LuxIII and stock reflector. It has a nice mid-sized hotspot with lots of usable sidespill. The hotspot ist bright enough to light up items in a distance of about 10 to 15 meters, the sidespill serves for walking or riding my bike at night, since you can easily see what is on the ground five to six meters in front of you and about two meters to each side.
But I'm still in search for something I can take with me when I need throw.

Chrisse

Hotspot with medium sidespill for me. I'm not a real fan of flood light for some reason, although small ones really do come in handy for close up work.

-Mike