What lights do you have?

[InfinitusEquitas]

I didn't realize there were TIR lenses out there on cheaper lights!!!

That's awesome.

I love throwers, it really annoys me that I can't EDC a powerful thrower... the reflector is always too big. Lenses would help...

+Rep for the awesome bit of info

 

[BShanahan14rulz]

TIR are still made from plastic. Maybe it will deform from the intense heat from the direct-driven XML. Metal reflectors has no problem with heat.

You can make TIRs from glass if you'd like. It might be a problem if you used tinted plastic that absorbs light, but they are generally designed to transmit light through them. Besides, sometimes you need a particular beam pattern and don't feel like fiddling with a reflector/lens combo when you can just use a TIR. They each have their strong points, but the main thing to remember is that both are like reflectors, just one uses a metalized surface, while the other takes advantage of the fact that light hitting a boundary at an angle less than its critical angle of refraction will be reflected. TIRs, however, can have additional components that can collect some of the light that doesn't hit the "reflector" portion of the lens and add it to the hotspot. Kind of like taking a mini aspheric and putting it above the LED, inside the reflector, in such a way that the light that doesn't hit the reflector hits the lens and is directed to the hotspot, and the light that is reflected from the reflector isn't blocked or redirected by that additional lens.

That got really wordy, really fast... I think the main thing people forget is that the term TIR refers to any optic that relys on that principle, but that there are many different basic designs of TIRs that each have their own benefits and drawbacks. Just because it is TIR doesn't necessarily mean it throws better than a reflector of similar size, but it does have that potential.

 

[InfinitusEquitas]

Just ordered the EagleTac G25C2 MK II. Also just FINALLY got the extension tube for my jetbeam M2S

The Jetbeam is a beast of a thrower... I hope the eagle tac is half as good.

Thinking of ordering a replacement Jetbeam BC25, I had one for a while, and put it through some decent use, then lost it.

I'll post pictures of the lights if anyone is interested.

 

[weidmark]

My lights:

2D Maglight XM-L (jayrob built)
Fenix LD10
Fenix PD32
ebay 75w HID (steer clear of this one)
Dereelight DBSv3 XR-E R2 with aspheric head

I just ordered:

Crelant 7G5v2
Sky Ray King Black U2 CW

Just ordered the EagleTac G25C2 MK II. Also just FINALLY got the extension tube for my jetbeam M2S

The Jetbeam is a beast of a thrower... I hope the eagle tac is half as good.

Thinking of ordering a replacement Jetbeam BC25, I had one for a while, and put it through some decent use, then lost it.

I'll post pictures of the lights if anyone is interested.

I was actually just thinking of picking up either the EagleTac G25C2 MK II or the ArmyTek Predator. No XM-L in the predator yet but it is a mighty fine light. Need to do some more reading before I pull the trigger

 

[InfinitusEquitas]

I just ordered:

Crelant 7G5v2
Sky Ray King Black U2 CW

I was actually just thinking of picking up either the EagleTac G25C2 MK II or the ArmyTek Predator. No XM-L in the predator yet but it is a mighty fine light. Need to do some more reading before I pull the trigger

:crackup:

I made an offer on a Crelant 7g5V2 with the aspheric head last night.... If the offer is accepted, getting that light as well.

The SkyRay King is nice light floodlight, I have an Apex 5T6, which is by far my most powerful light, beats out the Skyray King, though maybe not the new version.

The Armytek Predator wasn't even on my radar before. With the smaller emmiter size, probably a much better thrower. Basically my criteria was maximum power, and maximum throw in a pocket size... I was torn between reordering another bc25, or something else... the something else eagletec won out. Although at almost double the price. Hope I see the difference... the bc25 was GOOD, but tbh, I really wasn't impressed with it's throw. Also the low power mode is way too high for low light application.

 

[weidmark]

:crackup:

I made an offer on a Crelant 7g5V2 with the aspheric head last night.... If the offer is accepted, getting that light as well.

The SkyRay King is nice light floodlight, I have an Apex 5T6, which is by far my most powerful light, beats out the Skyray King, though maybe not the new version.

The Armytek Predator wasn't even on my radar before. With the smaller emmiter size, probably a much better thrower. Basically my criteria was maximum power, and maximum throw in a pocket size... I was torn between reordering another bc25, or something else... the something else eagletec won out. Although at almost double the price. Hope I see the difference... the bc25 was GOOD, but tbh, I really wasn't impressed with it's throw. Also the low power mode is way too high for low light application.

Yea. I dont really have a floody light and I heard good things about that sky ray king so I picked it up... safe bet for $65 bucks.

I just learned about the ArmyTek products today... If I were to choose an XP-G Predator vs XP-G G25C2 mkii I think I would go for the Predator... but because the G25C2 MKii has the XM-L i think I would go for that one more. Hopefully the predator comes in an XM-L version soon to make my decision easier.

 

[Dr_Evil]

I should have a Skilhunt K30 in my hands within a couple weeks. I'm hoping it will be here by the end of next week. It is being shipped directly from them using DHL.

 

[Dr_Evil]

Okay, the light came a lot quicker than I thought it would. This light is a beast. I'll work on getting some photos over the next few days. Hopefully I'll be able to come up with some sort of review over the weekend.

 

[InfinitusEquitas]

The Crelant with Aspheric has absolutely blown away my expectations. Now I need to really bug a friend to mod that light to push it further....

It's nowhere near the brightest, but the throw, with the aspheric lens, it's just insane. I really can't wait to try it out next to my friends surefire m3lt to see which thrower wins

 

[Paddy]

This is probably the wrong place to ask this, but any suggestions on a relatively cheap 18650 aspheric thrower?
I have the sipik sk68 AA but was after something with a little more output, i've seen a few candidates but i don't have the money to risk buying a crappy one.

Ontopic- I have a fenix TK45, TK70, the sipik and this is one of the best AAA flashlights i've seen so far MX Power ML-108 Cree Q3-WC 150-Lumen LED Flashlight (1*AAA) - Worldwide Free Shipping - DX.

 

[Blord]

I have the Ultrafie G01, NEW-G01 Cree XR-E Q5 350LM 3-Mode White Light Zoom Flashlight - Coffee (1 x 18650) - Worldwide Free Shipping - DX
The throw is very good and it uses 1x 18650 battery

 

[Paddy]

Cheers Blord i'll give it a go!

 

[BShanahan14rulz]

on the topic of glass TIRs,
These are from cpf member/demigod Ra.

35mm custom

30mm for ssc p4

64mm what a monster!

And yes, they were DIY, hand-made :cryyy:

 

[InfinitusEquitas]

Hand made... holy crap

I have the Ultrafie G01, NEW-G01 Cree XR-E Q5 350LM 3-Mode White Light Zoom Flashlight - Coffee (1 x 18650) - Worldwide Free Shipping - DX
The throw is very good and it uses 1x 18650 battery

How is the overall quality?

I'm in the market for a mid-high quality aspheric flashlight.

Absolutely love my Crelant 7G5CS U2 (well actually T6 I guess... neutral white) with the aspheric head. Up close of course it's ugly, seeing the led die, but outside, holy crap does it have some throw.

Unfortunately it's way, way too big for pocket use.

Heads up to anyone considering it, the U3 version just came out 11/02/12. Difference is negligible, but there. Apparently warmer tint vs U2, 25 lumens more, more efficient driver with one more mode added, and better finish. The only part I'm kind of ticked about, is the finish... on my crelant there is already one small nick on the head.

I'm extremely impressed/happy with the side button control, and the ability to adjust brightness exactly to the level I want instantly. So much so, that I'm actually thinking of getting a CRELANT V9CS V9 CS Cree XM-L T6 Neutral White NW from ebay right now. Probably going to hold off a week or two though, in the event they release follow up models with the new circuit, finish, etc,.

I'll google this later, but also probably stupid question... what is the difference between ashperic vs TIR lenses?

 

[Blord]

Aspherics use the light bending principals of the lens and a TIR is basically a glass reflector.

I have only one aspheric flashlight. The build is very well. The zoom works smooth without rattle or changing beam. The star is directly connected to the host but the driver has no heatsinking. I have already mod the driver to 1.7A from <1A stock.
Not much more output but it is nice to have a little more output.

 

[BShanahan14rulz]

cheaper TIRs are basically reflectors that use snell's law to ensure that any light emitted into the optic gets reflected forward by the air-acrylic interface. Depending on your engineering budget, they can also incorporate an inner refracting chamber to increase LED coupling efficiency, and changing the front surface to increase or change the focusing ability. Sometimes you'll see beehive pattern or frosting to disperse the light less harshly or get rid of the octagon projection, sometimes you'll see a strange curve to the front face, don't know what effect that has on output. Sometimes, you'll even see a tiny convex lens in the middle that helps redirect light that didn't get reflected forward into the hotspot instead of spill.

Aspherics are just a type of convex lens that is made to a particular, non-spherical curve. They have the effect of reducing/eliminating abberations in the image. It's like, why use a bunch of spherical achromats and doublets when you can just use an aspheric.