Aftermarket Reflectors For C & D Maglites?

Here is the situation. I don't use my C and D cell Maglites anymore (for at least 6 months) because the beam quality is horrible, and their output relative to their size is bad.

I can probably improve the output a bit by trying the Ever LED conversion kits?


But....what I really want is to improve the beam quality. Are there ANY aftermarket reflectors with texturing (orange peel) made for the C and D Maglites?

I'd hate to just give them away (but if I don't use them anymore and there is no hope for improving them, I will), as the fit and finish is good and they are well made overall, but the output really sucks compared to my better lights (Surefire, Arc, Elektrolumens, Pelican, etc). Anything out there that can improve the beam quality of C and D Maglites?

darkzero is working on finishing up some of his sputtered reflectors, i think /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif his list was full but some backed out.

lambda will also do a sputtered reflector for you for about $4 i believe.

Hi 357 -

There are a couple of options.
First, lots of people will replace the plastic reflector with an aluminum one from Carley. It's the Carley 1940 reflector. You have a selection of finishes that can be applied to it.

BARE - no coating at all, not very reflective
SMOOTH, a SMOOTH coating applied comes closest to the stock M@g reflector.
Light Orange Peel / Medium Orange Peel / Heavy Orange Peel
Most people use the MOP finish to blend away the "uglies" and make it look Surefire like.

The 1940 reflector is camless, so one has to shim the bulb into the focus they want. The reflector also has to be modified to drop into a M@g light. The current Group Buy is having Carley do the work for us at a significant PITA savings factor.

You'd need to get in on the next group buy to get some for yourself. You can try a WTB post, but it seems that no one wants to part with one at the moment.

Also, there are some of Oto's cammed PMR's out there. It's an aluminum version of the plastic M@g reflector. It was a limited, one-time run, and I've seen them selling upwards of $50.00 - that's when someone wants to sell.

I'd be interested in getting more info on the group buy. Where (which forum)/link would I go to find out when this takes place, and availability/pricing of the reflectors per options?

Under Buy / Sell / Trade
You'll see Group Buys and Passarounds. That's the area where you'll see if someone has a group buy in progress.

Basically a group buy starts off as a "Feeler" - to guage the interest to purchase. Once enough interest is generated, it will then move to the next stage - taking orders. Usually a week later, the GB will be closed to new participants and orders are confirmed, money collected, and then you wait until you get your stuff.

If you look at the "More than a feeler" and "Payment / Confirmation" thread for the current WA / CA June GB, you'll get an idea of how it is run.

Here's the thread that tells what you need to sputter your own reflector... worst thing that could happen is you need to replace it if it doesn't turn out that well. FWIW, I got the EverLED and the color and clarity got better, but the beam imperfections got much worse! I haven't sprayed my reflector yet, but it's coming... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

-Randy

Unfortunately, I already tried sputtering my own using those instructions. It turned out terrible. The corona now has even more artifacts, and the hotspot is smaller and duller. I guess I'm just not good at doing that kind of work myself. *shrug*

Check out the ucl-ldf lens at flashlightlens.com.It will really smooth out the beam.I have one I don't use and would sell it for half price if your interested.Pm me if you are.