# Getting more light from the Microfire Warrior



## Morepower! (Apr 15, 2008)

Ok I found out the hard way(don’t ask) that the frosted finish on the Microfire Warrior’s reflector is some type of a paint like coating which can be sanded back and polished. After doing mine (see pic) it now puts out quite a bit more light, was putting out 53,000Lux @ 1m, now puts out 92,000Lux @ 1m. Just a warning though if you decide to do it it's not an easy job because they have sand blasted the reflector first in order to get the coating to stick. And this means LOTS of sanding before being able to buff it. I used a dremel with a 30mm buffing wheel and some Autosol, though the proper buffing compound for aluminium would probably be better. I'm going to get some and redo it later. Note that the pic dosn't do it justice, it really is a mirror finish now. The only drawback that I can see with this mod is there are now some artifacts in the beam, this dosn’t bother me though as I’d rather have the extra light ! Just thought I’d share with those that can’t leave things alone like myself.
I also have a question, should these lights flicker slightly ? Mine seems to flicker, shifting slightly to red and back again almost constantly. Could it be a bulb problem ?


----------



## dwminer (Apr 16, 2008)

Is there a chance that you have a picture of the reflector before you polished it?
Thanks Dave


----------



## Morepower! (Apr 16, 2008)

dwminer said:


> Is there a chance that you have a picture of the reflector before you polished it?
> Thanks Dave


 

Yep sure do.


----------



## Patriot (Apr 16, 2008)

Wow...yeah, you had one of the frosty ones reflectors.


Yes, the flickering is normal with this light. It's usually not detectable in actual use but against walls it's noticeable. After 10-15 hours on mine it hasn't been nearly as bad. I think the bulb has a break in period.

I'd love to see a couple of close ups of your polished reflector.

Thanks


----------



## Wolf-Eyes fan (Apr 17, 2008)

Hi everybody,

I hope you (Morepower!) it´s Ok to ask some questions:
How much does this torch flicker? Is it disturbing?
I asked Fenix-store about the reflectores and I was told that they only had frosty OP reflectores in their Warrior III. 
Is it possible to buy a relative smooth reflector that fits the Warrior III because i don´t like the frosty OP´s?


----------



## accr (Apr 17, 2008)

Wolf-Eyes fan said:


> I asked Fenix-store about the reflectores and I was told that they only had frosty OP reflectores in their Warrior III.


 
I talked to them regarding the same matter but have yet to get any result.

The frosty reflector is really cutting down on the throw of the light :thumbsdow


----------



## Patriot (Apr 17, 2008)

Wolf-Eyes fan said:


> Hi everybody,
> 
> I hope you (Morepower!) it´s Ok to ask some questions:
> How much does this torch flicker? Is it disturbing?
> ...




It's only a mild flicker that usually happens after you rotate the light or point it straight up. No, it's not disturbing at all.

HID reflectors are pretty specific and I doubt that you find another aluminum reflector, say...from another light, that fits. There are some reflectors made new that might fit, but they're about $600 dollars.....so, not very practical.


----------



## Patriot (Apr 17, 2008)

accr said:


> I talked to them regarding the same matter but have yet to get any result.
> 
> The frosty reflector is really cutting down on the throw of the light :thumbsdow




You say they "have yet to get any result," but if that's how the light is made by Microfire what result do you want from the Fenix Store? All they can really do is tell you what's available. If you're looking for a result perhaps write Microfire a letter and share with them that you'd prefer smooth reflectors. I'm sure their marketing team researched what style would be most popular with users and decided upon the frosted OP. I have to agree with Microfire's decision for the frosted or OP reflectors since the light they produce is fairly smooth. They're perfect for walking or other task associated lighting while still throwing light 200+ yards in a light polluted city....300 yards in the country.

Certainly the OP cuts down some on throw but even an OP reflector in a 24W boxer throws out to 300 yards. How much throw are you looking for from a handheld, 800 gram light? Maybe you should look into some lights which are designed to throw more like the N30 or the up and coming L35. Magnalight sells the RL-11. The Xenide 25w also has a smooth reflector and throws well. If you have the means then get a Polarion. 

All in all, I find the 6000K color of the K3500 far more objectionable than a reflector which was designed for a smooth beam.


----------



## Morepower! (Apr 17, 2008)

Yeah as Patriot36 said the flickering is really not disturbing, It's only an annoyance to me when I have the light on inside the house, but outside it's barely noticable if at all. Being somewhat new to HID I had to ask the question. I read in a post here, can't remember which one now though, that someone bought a smooth reflector for the K3500. I'll see if I can find it and edit it in. 

Oh I only have one other pic of my reflector for you Patriot36


----------



## Joe_torch (Apr 17, 2008)

Regarding the distance of throw, what's the acutal difference between the Frosted & Smooth reflector?

Joe


----------



## HIDSGT (Apr 17, 2008)

Howbout a side by side comparison?


----------



## Patriot (Apr 17, 2008)

HIDSGT said:


> Howbout a side by side comparison?




His original picture is in post #3


----------



## Patriot (Apr 17, 2008)

Joe_torch said:


> Regarding the distance of throw, what's the acutal difference between the Frosted & Smooth reflector?
> 
> Joe




I can only compare the 24W Boxer w/op reflector to the the AE/24W w/smooth reflector. The difference in throw was 20% or less.


----------



## Patriot (Apr 18, 2008)

Morepower! said:


> Yeah as Patriot36 said the flickering is really not disturbing, It's only an annoyance to me when I have the light on inside the house, but outside it's barely noticable if at all. Being somewhat new to HID I had to ask the question. I read in a post here, can't remember which one now though, that someone bought a smooth reflector for the K3500. I'll see if I can find it and edit it in.
> 
> Oh I only have one other pic of my reflector for you Patriot36




Thanks for the picture Morepower.

Here is a picture of my factory "smooth" K3500 reflector. I don't think they made many of these.


----------



## Morepower! (Apr 18, 2008)

I can't get mine that shiny yet, I need a cloth buffing wheel that will fit the dremel. The wheel that came with it is some kind of stiff felt that leaves very tiny scratches/buff marks. But still it's 100% better than stock.

Also this is the thread I was talking about earlier in regards to someone getting a smooth reflector.

Duckski 
Unenlightened Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 1 

Re: Microfire Warrior III - Focus??? 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi, I have a Warrior III also & had issues with the beam. Your problem could be the reflector - mine came with a dull, rippled reflector & I have since fitted a smooth, shiny one & the focus adjustment is much more responsive.


----------



## Joe_torch (Apr 18, 2008)

Quoted:
"They're perfect for walking or other task associated lighting while still throwing light 200+ yards in a light polluted city....300 yards in the country."

Patriot 36: You mean the microfire K3500 in general can throw this far or just your smooth version?

Joe


----------



## Wolf-Eyes fan (Apr 18, 2008)

I would also like to know this
Can the Warrior III only throw 200-300 yards with the frosty OP reflector? (My Dereelight DBS can throw up to 225 yards even with the OP reflector)
The Warrior (with the frosty reflector) should easily be able to out throw the DBS or am I completely wrong here? 

Marcus


----------



## Patriot (Apr 20, 2008)

Well...actually, this was the whole quote:



> *Patriot36*
> I have to agree with Microfire's decision for the frosted or OP reflectors since the light they produce is fairly smooth. They're perfect for walking or other task associated lighting while still throwing light 200+ yards in a light polluted city....300 yards in the country.


Yes, I was referring to my own K3500 but a couple of points about that:

1) Although my reflector is smoother than the OP reflectors, I still don't really consider it smooth, since it is full of machine marks and really not all that reflective compared to almost any other HID light.

2) Yes, the an OP reflectored K3500 will easily throw to the distances mentioned in my quote since the 24W boxer can throw over 200+ in the light poluted city also. I have a powerline tower 227 yards from my driveway and even the Boxer lit that up pretty well. It of course also has an OP reflector. 

With regards to my own light, sure...it probably throws a little bit better than the OP version K3500 but probably not much better. Because my reflector isn't all that smooth, it provides a surprisingly smooth beam and usable beam, probably almost as usable as the full OP lights. 

My opinion about smooth, precision reflectored HIDs is that they're not very useful for general backyard tasks, camping tasks or as walking lights. They're only good at throw. Because of this I think all smooth reflectored, super throwers really need a diffuser to be good at things we normally use flashlights for.




Here is a closer picture of my reflector with a different color light to help show the machining marks. As you can see, it gives the effect of a micro-texture...not a truly smooth reflector. It's only smooth by microfire standards.


----------



## ampdude (Jun 21, 2008)

Patriot36 said:


>



That looks much better. I'm not a fan of frosted reflectors or bulbs.


----------



## climberkid (Jun 22, 2008)

yeah im with u on that. since i have two reflectors i think i am going to outfit one as OP and one as smooth as i can get it. i like having the huge variety of tasks. i was thinking about all this while i was playing with my Warrior II tonight.


----------



## Flashanator (Jun 22, 2008)

Can you get a 4300Kbulb for this light? Isnt the orig like 7000K?


----------



## climberkid (Jun 22, 2008)

yeah i have the original 7000K. its not TOO bad, but i would prefer something a little less. around 5300K, same color temp of a moving light. the conventional light temp is something like 3500K and thats too orange for me.


----------



## Patriot (Jun 22, 2008)

Flashanator 500mW said:


> Can you get a 4300Kbulb for this light? Isnt the orig like 7000K?




To date, no one has successfully exchanged bulbs in this light for a lower color temperature.


----------



## climberkid (Jun 22, 2008)

nooooo! oh well.


----------



## Morepower! (Jun 22, 2008)

Patriot36 said:


> To date, no one has successfully exchanged bulbs in this light for a higher lower color temperature.


 
I'll let you all know if it is possible, i'm waiting on a 4100K bulb to arrive as I type this. My only concern ATM is the new bulb length vs the amount of focus adjustment. See this thread: https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/2481983#post2481983

Also I have 2 other HID projects I'm nearly finished that if they work as expected should be something a little different.


----------



## AncientSword (Jul 28, 2009)

Ever get that other bulb to work?


----------



## Patriot (Jul 28, 2009)

AncientSword said:


> Ever get that other bulb to work?




Thread here:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/203789


----------



## AncientSword (Jul 28, 2009)

Thanks Patriot.

I just bought a Warrior-II off someone in CPFM. I was going to get a Tactical HID, but I got a lot of extras and what I think was a good price in the Microfire.

Patriot, what are your thoughts on the Warrior after a couple of years of them being out? I see you are pretty into HID and I am new to it, so share some stuff if you can. I can only absorb so many threads at once ....


----------



## Patriot (Jul 28, 2009)

This has been the only Microfire that I've owned so my experience is pretty limited. I will say that it's been a great light and that it's actually sitting on my desk at the moment. I usually head out to my parent's place one a week for dinner and take a powerful LED, 1185 Incan, and some form of HID with me. They're fun to play with and I've got the proper light for whatever the purpose. Usually it's spotting wildlife. Due to it's size, the K3500 is often the HID that goes along with me, since it's not much larger than a 24/25W light. Actually, it's smaller than my AE lights. That particular evening (Sunday) at watched a small family of Javelina from the back porched and followed them for about 150 yards with the K3500 until they crossed the road and dropped into a ravine. Later that night I pulled over and watched 4 1/2 foot Diamondback cross the road and used the incan for that...great colors!

Until I get a Polarion X1, the Microfire will probably remain my "quick grab" HID light. The PS series is just a bit to large to stuff into a small pack and thus the PH50 usually stays home for those quick trips. These days certain Microfire lights are a bit pricey compared to what's available out there, but I bought my cheaply at the time from Optics HQ and can say I've received my money's worth from it. 

I think the K2000 will be a solid, reliable and compact light for you. There's just something cool about being able to stick a HID light in your back pocket to momentarily free your hands up while working on something. Btw, K2000 reviews are really lacking. Please post a review for use if you're able to.


----------



## AncientSword (Jul 28, 2009)

I will plan to do a review and I will try and take some beamshots. My brother is a decent photographer, so maybe I can get him to help me (and he has very nice, expensive cameras which I don't). I can compare it with a couple of P7's I have and some Q5's etc.

I should have the light by this weekend, so we will see how it turns out. I am getting two rechargeable bodys and 1 - 8 CR123 body with it. 

Now I need to find all the other threads on it that I have not read yet.

Thanks Patriot, there are a couple of you HID guys who are amazingly helpful. I think more helpful than the other parts of the forum that I have been on. I appreciate it.


----------



## Patriot (Jul 29, 2009)

You're welcome AncientSword and thanks for the kind words. 

I'll look forward to your review and I think the P7 vs. HID shots will be very popular with people. We don't seem many comparisons and flashaholics are always asking.


----------



## AncientSword (Jul 31, 2009)

Well, I got the Warrior in and I like it. It takes a little long to boot up, if I had my choice about it, but I can deal with it. It doesn't seem much brighter than my direct drive P7 Mag up close, but when you put some distance in front of you, there is not a lot of comparison IMO. I will have to figure out how to set my brother's camera up for pics. He has a couple good cameras and he let me borrow one. So sometime in the next few days I hope to take some comparison shots. Do you know of any threads on taking good beam shots? I need to read up on suggestions....


----------



## Patriot (Jul 31, 2009)

Congrats man! It's a nice size isn't it?



I'm sure there are some beamshot instruction posts scattered around but here is the quick start version.

Camera and light stationary.

Manual camera settings

Sunlight white balance, some prefer to use auto WB. 

ISO 50-100 

F5.6

8 second exposure.



Take a few pictures at that exposure and an and move the shutter speed up or down for the desired exposure. If you shutter speeds are over 12 seconds use F4.0. The best beamshots are usually slightly over exposed by 1-3 stops.


----------

