# kaidomain reflector vs fivemega for ROP?



## copperfox (Dec 28, 2007)

I'm building a 2D ROP using fivemega's 2D -> 6AA adapter, eneloops, borofloat lens, and some resistance fixes. Now I need to buy an aluminum reflector. I could buy kaidomain's reflector with 8.4mm opening ($15) or I could buy fivemega's reflector with 8.38mm opening ($33). In both cases I would choose the MOP, not SMO.

The shape at the bottom of the reflector adjacent to where the bulb sits appears to be different; Fivemega's appears to be smooth all the way down while kaidomain's appears to have a flat spot. I assume this affects the look of the beam, but in what way? I would like to get the reflector that reflects the most light, but I still want bang-for-the-buck. Is the difference only a few percent or is it actually noticeable to the eye? It would help immensely if someone with both reflectors could post beam shots (same battery, bulb, host, lens etc. for consistency). Thanks in advance.


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## medicmerlynn (Dec 28, 2007)

fox, thanks for posting... i logged on just now to ask this very same question, but i also wanted to get opinions whether to use the mop or smo reflector. i understand the beam of the mop to be much smoother (how ironical) but the smo to throw much farther. i can't imagine what i'm getting into between the two, but i do know that i want a friggin awesome reflector. mind you (anyone entailed) i have a TL3 that provides a decent beam (op reflector) and a p3dq5 that hasn't left my hands since i got it. i like the p3dq5 beam too. i have a really nice spotlight my father gave me from days gone by that will out-throw any other light i've ever seen. i just wanted a rather beefy and impressive beam... seems all the other posts i've read favor the orange peels... any thoughts from anyone else?


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## Valolammas (Dec 28, 2007)

I had to go look at Kai's website to see what you mean. I have looked before, but never noticed that. Now I'm curious to hear in anyone actually has them and knows about this.

My guess is that it won't matter. That flat area is so small and near the bottom that it probably won't affect the beam much with a MOP reflector. Besides, a brightness difference of only a few percent will be unnoticeable to the human eye. Of course, that's no reason at all not to obsess about it...

Looking forward to beamshots, if anyone has any to post.


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## DM51 (Dec 28, 2007)

If you want the 8.4mm opening, you will have to get the KD one. FM has none for sale at the moment. He has 10.5mm & 12.7mm only (SMO and MOP) in his sales thread.


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## Valolammas (Dec 28, 2007)

Medicmerlynn, yes, a MOP reflector will produce a much smoother beam, but won't throw quite as far. However, since this is the ROP we are talking about, there will be a lot of light projected forward either way, so the MOP will throw very well, too.

Since the examples you mention are LED lights, I think it's worth mentioning, that LEDs naturally produce much smoother beams than incans. An incan with a smooth reflector will have a lot of beam artifacts. If you are looking for throw, this will not matter, as further away only the hotspot will be visible. A MOP reflector will smooth out those artifacts and produce a beam more like the ones you get from LED lights. So if you plan to use your light at close distances, the MOP reflector will produce a much nicer beam. Myself, I have both types (and a VLOP as well) and MOP is what I use in both my ROP and Mag85. But it's up to what you want your light to be like and what you expect to do with it.

(P.s. Buy both. Seriously, they aren't that expensive.)


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## medicmerlynn (Dec 28, 2007)

valo, thx for the response! i meant to say my TL3 is the incan version and i LOVE it. i use it so much for so many things you might say it gets abused, but it hasn't failed me yet. i was actually looking for a vlop reflector but couldn't find any. the one pic that turned me onto the mop reflector was the comparison pics of FM adapter and the kaidomain adapters. those shots were just incredible. i'm looking to make a typical ROP with no resistance mods (as of yet) and something easy and practical. i was going to buy a set of Eneloop AAs to run in the light also. i'll prolly do some more research and see what is the best but for the most part Eneloop seems to be doing the job just fine. i think i'll prolly keep the MOP i had in mind to order... at least that's what i posted anyway... stand by for the link to the comparison shots i'm talking about...

EDIT= https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/182204


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## who (Dec 28, 2007)

I put together 4 ROP High and 3 Mag85 this Christmas, and used 4 different reflectors for testing:

FM MOP
Litho MOP
Kai MOP
Kai Smooth 
The FM and Litho MOP reflectors put out beautiful beams. The Kai reflectors do NOT.
Do not overlook a LDF len, as a beautiful and bright flood beam would be the result. If the SF L4 is a wall of light, then this ROP/Mag85 + LDF is a waterfall of light.
For this LDF combo, a Kai smooth reflector could be used, as it does nothing to the beamJ, just projects it forward. The LDF will handle the rest.

I hope that helps.


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## bimemrboy318 (Dec 28, 2007)

Beam shots?

I put together my first ROP and I find the Kai reflector satisfactory. It's much wider than a stock reflector as its tightest point. But with this much light it seems appropriate.


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## mdocod (Dec 28, 2007)

I have a SMO Kai reflector, And I think I can give a little insight into the differences that the design will have on the beam.

The flat bottom section will cause a "corona" around the central beam that is not focused into the main beam. It's a good and bad thing, just depends what you like. Many spotlights like the thors and the power on board/illuminator have reflectors with "flat section" at the bottom, the result in those is the same as it is in my ROP, a wider section of beam around the central hotspot.

I personally really like this beam style on my ROP, but others might hate it.

The other issue I want to point out, is that the Kai adapter comes with some ragged edges around the hole, I went ahead and drilled it out to 3/8ths (9.5mm) on the drill press and that leaves a little clearance around the bulb and keeps it from rubbing if it isn't seated perfectly square.


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## bimemrboy318 (Dec 29, 2007)

Here's a ROP Low with a Kai MOP...




Here's a standard Mag reflector with a 5 cell bulb running off 3xCR123s...


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## fugleebeast (Dec 31, 2007)

Here's a couple of beamshots comparing the Kai reflector to the FM one. These are in a ROP HOLA, 2D host. FM 6AA-2D adapter, borofloat lens, fresh charged Eneloops, with resistance fixes. 

Same camera settings for each picture. The brightness is pretty close to what I saw but the hotspot is obviously not quite that bright in real life.

Please keep in mind that this is the 8mm hole on the Kai and the 10mm hole on the FM. FM was out of the 8mm ones so I had to buy the 10mm one. 

Here is the FM MOP reflector:









Here is the Kai MOP reflector:









Once again, 8mm hole on the Kai reflector vs a 10mm hole on the FM reflector. That probably explains why the Kai beamshot is the tiniest bit brighter.

My thoughts, opinions, etc...

Build quality goes to the FM reflector, hands down. It's just beautiful. Perfect threads, finish, etc. The build quality on the Kai reflector is much lower. Rougher threads, sharper edges, etc.

In terms of brightness, they are very similar. It looks as though the Kai reflector is a tiny (very tiny) bit brighter than the FM one, although that's probably because of the different size opening. 

Beam shape goes to the Kai reflector. It is hard to see on the photos, but the FM reflector produced a bit of an oblong shaped hotspot while the Kai hotspot was nice and round. Not a huge difference but I did prefer the Kai beam. 

My conclusions? For a ROP the Kai reflectors work just fine, at least the MOP ones. I haven't compared the Kai SMO to a FM SMO. I've used 4 or 5 of the Kai MOP reflectors for ROP LO and HI builds and they all have produced very pleasing beams. 

However, that is not to downplay the FM reflectors at all. They are beautiful pieces and I plan on buying more. I wish I had the same size opening on both reflectors as that may have produced similar shaped beams. Hope these pics help.


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## Deep6Osama (Dec 31, 2007)

I have a FM and Kai. I prefer the Kai as I like the beam just a tad better. The build quality goes to FM but the Kai has no issues that will effect the beam.


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## copperfox (Dec 31, 2007)

Thanks for the beamshots fugleebeast, they are very helpful. Those photos are both taken with the flashlight on narrowest possible focus, correct?

Have you tried the kaidomain reflector with a mag-num star xenon bulb? Does it fit?


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## fugleebeast (Dec 31, 2007)

Copperfox,

I've never tried the Mag-num star bulb but the stock Maglite bulbs will not fit with the Kai reflector. 

The camera settings were as follows:

Shutter: 1/10
F: 2.8 As low as my camera goes.
ISO: 200


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## medicmerlynn (Dec 31, 2007)

fuglee, first off, nice pics. secondly, i can't see that big a difference but i hope the FM reflectors are still quality... mine should be arriving next week some time. everything else i've seen from FM is top notch and expect the reflector to be the same. however, i just don't want to be disappointed with what i get out of my ROP. guess you can say i'm more anxious about getting it in the mail than anything else. i want to do some more mods to my other m*g hosts i have lying around, but i wanted to start out with the ROP and work my way up. hope the FM reflector delivers!! i'll probably end up buying a Kai reflector also...


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## 3rd_shift (Dec 31, 2007)

The kai mop reflector does have a ringy halo coming from the flattened out spot at the apex.
I put Europium ultraglow paint there and that got rid of the halo and added a cool looking afterglow to the reflector's apex.


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## fugleebeast (Dec 31, 2007)

medicmerlin,

Don't worry, the FM reflectors are quality pieces. You won't be disappointed. 

There is only a very slight difference in the beams and neither of them are bad.

I really don't want people I think ill of the FM reflectors. They are definitely worth it. Even though I slightly prefer the beam of the Kai reflector, if I had to choose only one, it would be the FiveMega one. Also keep in mind that the opening hole in my reflector is larger than the Kai one. If you also have the 10mm hole coming, then you can also use it for different size bulbs so it will be more versitile.


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## medicmerlynn (Dec 31, 2007)

fuglee, thx! yeah, it is the 10.5 mm cammed reflector. didn't really think about the versatility of it... good point. can't wait. do you know of any bulbs that won't fit?


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## Valolammas (Jan 2, 2008)

Good pics!



fugleebeast said:


> I've never tried the Mag-num star bulb but the stock Maglite bulbs will not fit with the Kai reflector.



Maglite's xenon bulb (is it the Magum Star or the White Star? I always forget) does fit in FM's reflector, so it should fit in the Kai one too.


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## Kremer (Jan 28, 2008)

My Kai order arrived over the weekend. I got a SMO reflector for the 6D ROP-Hi and a MOP for the 2D ROP-Lo. The beams of both are very pleasing to me when set to tightest spot. Outside of that there's the standard mag-type kidney beans in the center. I'll leave them set to tightest, as both lights have enough sidespill to not really ever need to loosten up the focus.

Both reflectors fit the ROP bulbs perfectly with a little wiggle room to spare and had no burrs in the bulb opening, the other parts of the reflectors were a little rough though.

I'm happy with the products, other than it took a month to get from when my order was placed.
~Dougk

EDIT: I also picked up some 3AA->1D adapters from Kai, with Eneloops the ROP-Lo is a little brighter than my Tigerlight, which is about right. Every contact surface in the 2D has been treated with de-ox and pro-gold, and it has had the other standard resistance fixes done, the Kai adapters are as recieved, with eneloops jammed in and the light turned on, they could likely benefit from some pro-gold also.


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## bimemrboy318 (Jan 28, 2008)

Do any of you feel that the Kai MOP isn't tight enough? I'm pretty sure that the standard Mag reflector out throws it.

I'm running Eneloops with Kai adapters and a ROP Hi. I feel like the light is still choked off. Not as white as a Surefire 6P. Will it be whiter with a FM adapter?


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## 2xTrinity (Jan 29, 2008)

I have Kai SMO, Kai MOP, and Fivemega MOP.

The flat portion of the kai SMO makes for a poor beam pattern. The Kai MOP produces decent results, but doesn't throw as well as the Fivemega for two reasons:

the Kai has rougher texturing
The kai has a flat bottom, meaning that portion of the light output is not collimated with the "beam".



bimemrboy318 said:


> Do any of you feel that the Kai MOP isn't tight enough? I'm pretty sure that the standard Mag reflector out throws it.
> 
> I'm running Eneloops with Kai adapters and a ROP Hi. I feel like the light is still choked off. Not as white as a Surefire 6P. Will it be whiter with a FM adapter?


Your problem there is the resistance of the Kai Adapters, not the reflector. Try ROP low and you should notice the color temperature is much whiter -- resistance loss is proportional to the _square_ of the current, the "Low" bulb draws about half the current of the high, so resistance loss due to the adapters will be much less severe.

For ROP Hi, I believe Kai's 2D LiIon pack is a better solution, with over double the capacity of Eneloops, and no adapters to mess with, although I'd prefer if he came out with individual protected cells so I could use odd-numbers for things like 1185 mods.


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## bimemrboy318 (Jan 30, 2008)

Kremer said:


> My Kai order arrived over the weekend. I got a SMO reflector for the 6D ROP-Hi and a MOP for the 2D ROP-Lo. The beams of both are very pleasing to me when set to tightest spot. Outside of that there's the standard mag-type kidney beans in the center. I'll leave them set to tightest, as both lights have enough sidespill to not really ever need to loosten up the focus.
> 
> Both reflectors fit the ROP bulbs perfectly with a little wiggle room to spare and had no burrs in the bulb opening, the other parts of the reflectors were a little rough though.
> 
> ...



Careful with the Kai adapters and ROP Hi. First I fried some Duracell 2500s with Kai adapters and switch & tail spring resistance fixes. Now I've got Eneloops and the weak point were the adapters... I fried them after 10 minutes of constant use.


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## Kremer (Jan 30, 2008)

bimemrboy318 said:


> Careful with the Kai adapters and ROP Hi. First I fried some Duracell 2500s with Kai adapters and switch & tail spring resistance fixes. Now I've got Eneloops and the weak point were the adapters... I fried them after 10 minutes of constant use.



Yep, I have no intention of using the Hi with those adapters, they are for Lo only.


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## Fulgeo (Feb 4, 2008)

I have the kaidomain MOP and Fivemega MOP reflectors. I am new to modding and had the same question about 6 weeks ago, so I ordered both to evaluate. The kaidomain MOP has a poorer beam pattern, more atifacts and a slight halo effect around the central beam. Some of the earlier posts mentioned the flat portion of the Kaidomain MOP as the probable cause. Sounds right. One nice thing about the small 8.4mm opening of the Kaidomain reflector thou is it really does make centering the lamp a breeze. The Fivemega reflector has a smoother beam pattern, few artifacts and no halo effect. All in all I would say you get what you pay for. I am not saying the Kaidomain reflector is bad, just Fivemega's is better. If you are a perfectionist go Fivemega. Since my initial purchase I currently have the following: 1 Kaidomain MOP, 5 Fivemega MOP, and 1 Fivemega SMO. For my seat of the pants opinions I used the ROP hi bulb and AW1111 lamp.

Hope this helped, happy modding!


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