orange peel vs smoothe

mcl2u

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what is the difference between an orange peel reflector and a smoothe reflector.
 

Chop

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An orange peel reflector will blend the beam to make it smoother. Many get orange peeled reflectors to get rid of artifacts in the beam. This smoothness comes at the cost of a bit of performance. The more texturing there is, the smoother the beam will be and the more performance you will sacrifice.

I tend to like the light to medium orange peel reflectors.
 

Solstice

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A smooth reflector is like a curved mirror. An orange peel reflector is the same basic shape but has a subtle texturing on it. The general opinion is that a smooth reflector will throw farther but may have annoying artifacts in the beam from the perfect mirror reflecting the imperfections of the emitter. The orange peel sacrifices some throw in order to smooth out the beam by diffusing the perfect reflection. Take a look at this page to see descriptions of different reflectors: http://www.flashlightreviews.com/qa.htm
 

357

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Previous folks answered original question well I feel.

I just chime in with what my opinion says. I prefer orange-peel reflectors that are textured enough to get the job done (removing artifacts). If a slight texturing is all that is required on a certain light to remove artifacts, so be it. If severe texturing is required to remove artifacts, so be it. I gladly give up throw in exchange for beam quality.
 

Solstice

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Artifacts are any irregularities in the beam. An ideal beam (by most peoples opinion here) is perfectly round with a bright hotspot in the center and a less bright corona tapering off from it. Artifacts would be images of the LED die, or holes or gaps due to bad focusing that distract from the object being viewed and call attention to the beam of light itself.
 

MaxaBaker

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I like a light orange peeled surface because you get a slightly blended beam but you don't lose much of the performance. If you have to much of an orange peel you can lose a lot of throw.
 

cratz2

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These are different lights, but to convey the idea...

Standard smooth reflector in a Mag 2D:

1M%20Mag%202D.jpg


Textured reflector Princeton Tec Surge:

Legend%20LX%201Ma.jpg


Though the Surge is obviously much brighter, see how much smoother the beam from the Surge is? The Surge has an orange peel type finish.
 

TORCH_BOY

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I agree with Garage boy, I have the same Flashlight,

My Elektrolumens XM3 has a smooth reflector, but no artifacts. It's GREAT!
 

Anglepoise

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Part of the tremendous popularity of the QIII is its very well made and designed reflector. It is deep , solid aluminum and orange peeled. For EDC use, this reflector design seems hard to beat.
 

wquiles

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Yes, my QIII has a very nice reflector. Beam quality is very nice, plus it has reasonable trow vs. flood for everyday use.

Will
 

MaxaBaker

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Maybe because it looks nicer. They don't show fingerprints,smudges, or any other things that would get on reflectors as well as a smooth one.
 

LightObsession

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[ QUOTE ]
scudinc said:
You don't need a stippled reflector with LEDs. Why people like it is beyond my comprehension.

[/ QUOTE ]

Some LED lights do have poor quality beams. Some are ringy, some are blotchy. Stippled reflectors may be beneficial in some cases.
 

357

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[ QUOTE ]
scudinc said:
You don't need a stippled reflector with LEDs. Why people like it is beyond my comprehension.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think this is a generalization. My XM3s have minor beam artifacts (smooth reflector). My Streamlight 3AA Luxs have moderate artifacts (smooth reflector). My Terra-Lux Mini-Star-2s have extreme artifacts--terrible beam quality, and smooth reflector. Granted, the Terralux is a side-emitter which may be part of the problem. My EverLEDs produced bad (but NOT terrible) beam quality until I added an LDF lens. The list of smooth reflectors that have LEDs as a light source that produce at least minor artifacts goes on and on, I'm just naming the ones that stand out the most to me in my collection.

I guess its personal preference. Some want throw and don't mind losing beam quality. Others want (as near perfect as possible) beam quality and don't mind losing a little throw. I happen to not care about throw--an ugly beam that goes for doesn't do ME much good, my opinion says.
 

357

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[ QUOTE ]
LightObsession said:
[ QUOTE ]
scudinc said:
You don't need a stippled reflector with LEDs. Why people like it is beyond my comprehension.

[/ QUOTE ]

Some LED lights do have poor quality beams. Some are ringy, some are blotchy. Stippled reflectors may be beneficial in some cases.

[/ QUOTE ]

Agreed. And it all comes down to personal preference. Does one want optimal throw and little beam quality, optimal beam quality and limited throw, or some compromise in the middle.
 

PlayboyJoeShmoe

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I'm one of the orange peel lovers.

I will give away some throw for a nice beam.

However, I am finding that superbulbs can somewhat overcome the artifact thing...

They are so bright you can't look at the white wall for long! And out in the real world the 1174 on 7AA puts out a LOT of light!!!
 

joshwang

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In the most recently relesed E2d and X200 from Surefire have been changed from medium orange peels to smaller ones, any know why?
 
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