# P7 Beam. Hows yours?



## yaesumofo (Apr 26, 2008)

HI guys I have been fiddling around with a P7 emitter mounted in a Mag host. I am using a 3 "D" cell unit running 3 "D" nimh cells. I figure there is enough current to get close to maximum output from the P7.
Here is the problem. When using the stock reflector (no cam) the beam has a bit of a clover leaf as opposed to a donut hole. I am thinking a larger reflector is in order.
Maybe a five mega cam-less number would do.
I have a couple of aluminum reflectors which are going in next, I am thinking the added aluminum may help with the heat which is generated by this sucker which is PLENTY, on the other hand I doubt there is good heat transfer at the connection between the reflector and the heat sink....
Anyway how have you guys dealt with the beam quality of the P7 emitter?
I am looking to the P7 to be a replacement for the LUX V emitter.
I have a number of LUX V lights which have great beams. I am hoping to turn this mag into a light with a really good beam.

BTW there is NO Doubt that the P7 is one hell of a bright number I mean like WOW!! When pushed with the 3 "D" NiMh cells there is a heck of a lot of current running to the emitter. I am guessing there is 3 plus amps...the light is running at close to 9 watts.
I really like the idea of tossing a regulator in there (I am now in search for a good regulator).
The P7 is a powerful emitter. IMHO it is NOT suitable for use with small single cell lights. But give the emitter some current and WOW!
I will whip out the power (I use an astroflight) meter and measure it for certain. I will also whip out the meterman 631 and measure the LUX at one meter and see what it is doing.
I sort of want to wait until I get a decent beam out of the thing before measurements are taken..If that makes any sense.
Ideas and comments are welcome here. I really want to hear how you are dealing with the BEAM cloverleaf and what you think about reflector size in relation to how well the P7 works.
Yaesumofo


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## Greg G (Apr 26, 2008)

I would like to see a beamshot of what you have. I have a [email protected] 3D P7 build planned. I have all the parts including a FiveMega LOP reflector, just need to sit down and build it.


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## darkzero (Apr 26, 2008)

Greg G said:


> I would like to see a beamshot of what you have. I have a [email protected] 3D P7 build planned. I have all the parts including a FiveMega LOP reflector, just need to sit down and build it.


 
You're probably gonna need at least a MOP reflector to get rid of the donut hole. I've tried LOP & the donut is still noticeable.


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## TexLite (Apr 26, 2008)

yaesumofo,mine is pretty good with a MOP reflector.Even with the factory smooth reflector I can get a decent useable beam if I screw the head in to the place where I get the donut hole,then adjust it out just a little.Theres pretty good throw with the smooth adjusted like that.There are some very faint artifacts or shadows,but there barely even visible,its still better than some factory lights I've owned.

I only get that strange cloverleaf if I unscrew the head out way past where the donut hole.this may be a dumb question,but are you sure the reflector is travelling down past the emitter far enough?I get the donut hole with the opening of the reflector just about at the emitter/sink junction.I can try to get some beamshotes if it would make it more clear.

I'm going to try some different textures with some automotive clearcoat and refinish equipment.I think something between LS and MOP will work well.

You could do like Streamlight,just call it a Firemans beam.Is that really what there talking about?http://www.streamlight.com/education/glossary.aspx#6

Michael


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## Lunal_Tic (Apr 26, 2008)

The Lux V in a L6 has a pretty nice beam. Perhaps a FM deep 2" reflector would accomplish the same thing for the P7.

-LT


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## Supernam (Apr 26, 2008)

Yaes.. 

Did you check out my thread of the 2 P7 mag builds? The cloverleaf as you described disappears with textured reflectors. I did it by sputtering. See the pictures: https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/195590


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## Greg G (Apr 26, 2008)

darkzero said:


> You're probably gonna need at least a MOP reflector to get rid of the donut hole. I've tried LOP & the donut is still noticeable.


 
I posted wrong. I do have an MOP reflector. I went back and looked at the ad where I bought it.:twothumbs


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## darkzero (Apr 27, 2008)

I agree with Texlite, you should only be getting the clover leaf if the reflector is backed way off the emitter out of focus.


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## husky20 (Apr 27, 2008)

I also just got my mag p7 and noticed the beam indoors on a wall is not that appealing with alot of artifacts and lines shadows.if anyone can tell me were to buy a better reflector for this i will be stoked dont know if ive got the skill to mycgiver it like supernam:bow: but outside this thing is a prowlers worst nightmare!:eeksign:


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## LEDninja (Apr 27, 2008)

My MTE P7 5 mode has a haevy textured reflector.
L1T v2 RB80 left, MTE P7 right:


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## gojira54 (Apr 27, 2008)

With DX Al MOP reflector






With 'sputtered' stock reflector

P7 mod running DD with NiMh on both :0)


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## yaesumofo (Apr 27, 2008)

I found an old Otok aluminum reflector which is sputtered.
The beam is very acceptable now it is almost perfect.
So What I am seeing is a HUGE hotspot!!! It is like the LUX V on steroids.
I redmember when I first saw a LUX V compared to a LUX III the LUX V was a thick big beam. Now with the P7 the beam with all things being equal is MUCH thicker and of course Brighter! The P7 has real promise IMHO. I would like to see them slim down the whole package a bit.

I want to find a Five Mega reflector which is cameless. IMHO this is the best way to go for a thrower.
I love the Mag host in that I now have lights based on the Mag host with LUX I LUX III LUX V cree and seoul emitters and NOw the P7.
Each generation adds it's own character.
There is no doubt the P7 is By far the brightest and thickest beam of all.
I love what you guys are doing with the P7. We are certainly more imaginative than so many of the commerical flashlight manufactures out there.
How long will it be before sombody makes a P7 drop in for the Mag?
Yaesumofo


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## LEDninja (Apr 27, 2008)

Elektrolumens has a floody one:
http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=177861

He is selling his main P7 Mag installed though:
http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=177152
Originally offered as parts but thought better of it:
http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=177055


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## husky20 (Apr 27, 2008)

Thats were i got mine from wayne im happy with it i just want to get a better beam out of it.I know someone will find or make a better reflector for it and when they do i will buy it.:thumbsup:


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## AlexGT (Apr 27, 2008)

My P7 in a throwmaster reflector has pretty decent beam, I will post better nightshots than the originals using Stefan's camera setup tonight (f=2.8 Exp 8 sec. ISO 100 and WB= daylight)

http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=196283

AlexGT


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## TexLite (Apr 28, 2008)

Some Smooth reflector beamshots,done on low to keep the brightness from masking any artifacts.

Head screwed all the way down(bottomed out to sink)






Screwed out about 3/4 of a turn.Most throw(tightest focus) but the infamous donut hole appears.






Screwed out just a Little...useable.






Screwed out some more,almost a full turn...






Now a textured reflector...






The camera was focused on the spot,about 2 meters from the wall.All the pics are the spot only.The spill is not shown.

Michael

Edit:I found the reason for the horrible tint in these shots,I failed to remove the UV and Polarizing filters.The tint is actually much better.YMMV


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## toby_pra (Apr 28, 2008)

Nice Beamshots...


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## rizky_p (Apr 28, 2008)

can anyone tell me how to do a sputtering?


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## Norm (Apr 28, 2008)

rizky_p said:


> can anyone tell me how to do a sputtering?


Post here ; https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/2451202&postcount=19
and
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/2445095&postcount=15
Norm


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## IcantC (Apr 28, 2008)

With a SMO reflector, I was able to get rid of the clover design, but have a small donut.

Using a sputtered reflector, the beam is perfect. What if just the area near LED was sputtered and the rest left smooth?


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## forrest (Apr 28, 2008)

I,m going convert to a p7 a streamlight stinger HP that has a sputtered base to smooth reflector, I've ordered the parts will have to wait until they get here from the orient!


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## TexLite (Apr 28, 2008)

forrest said:


> I,m going convert to a p7 a streamlight stinger HP that has a sputtered base to smooth reflector, I've ordered the parts will have to wait until they get here from the orient!


 
forrest,how are you going to mount the P7,with a custom heatsink?
Are you building or ordering the parts?
If ordering do you have a link?

Michael


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## darkzero (Apr 28, 2008)

forrest said:


> I,m going convert to a p7 a streamlight stinger HP that has a sputtered base to smooth reflector, I've ordered the parts will have to wait until they get here from the orient!


 
I'm curious to see this mod too. I've got a Terralux drop-in in hand for modding & I don't believe there's much room inside the HP head for sufficient heatsink for the P7. :thumbsup:


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## forrest (Apr 28, 2008)

Texlite, I'm going to order these parts from DX http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.11809 , dark zero, I will be using an aluminum post to attach the p7 and the post will be attached to an aluminum disc. I believe it will provide plenty of sinking, it will also have a spring that will contact the disc to the metal reflector, I think it will workout great! I'm excited about it, will do it to my other hp's as well if all goes well with this first one, I will also consider a "high/low" board after the direct drive tryout first. There,s plenty of room in that head. I now have a terralux mod in one that I upgraded to the seoul p4.


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## Norm (Apr 28, 2008)

forrest said:


> Texlite, I'm going to order these parts from DX http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.11809


Just a suggestion you may want to order this https://www.kaidomain.com/WEBUI/ProductDetail.aspx?TranID=4312
the DX LED is only B bin the KD LED is C bin, the KD is also lower VF.
Norm


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## darkzero (Apr 28, 2008)

forrest said:


> Texlite, I'm going to order these parts from DX http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.11809 , dark zero, I will be using an aluminum post to attach the p7 and the post will be attached to an aluminum disc. I believe it will provide plenty of sinking, it will also have a spring that will contact the disc to the metal reflector, I think it will workout great! I'm excited about it, will do it to my other hp's as well if all goes well with this first one, I will also consider a "high/low" board after the direct drive tryout first. There,s plenty of room in that head. I now have a terralux mod in one that I upgraded to the seoul p4.


 
Sounds good. Looking foward to your post.

Why not order from Fred? He has bin CSWOI which is lower vf than the CSWOJ that Norm posted. Will be $3 more but you'll receive it in only a few days rather than a couple weeks if ordered from KD. 
http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=177367

Well unless you need the higher vf or will be placing an order from them anyways.


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## forrest (Apr 28, 2008)

Forgot to mention, that the "disc" will be a tight fit against the body with artic.a. also to provide extra sinking, should'nt be a problem. I also upgraded my rom. rc-t4 to a shark/rem sandwich and the head of that t4 can handle the heat running about 1600 ma. , I believe the p7 in this hp will be drawing around 1600ma @ 4.2 fully charged from the factory batteries (subc x3), also have the option of using the 3000ma. nimh batteries to bump this up if possible/needed.


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## Norm (Apr 28, 2008)

darkzero said:


> Why not order from Fred? He has bin CSWOI which is lower vf than the CSWOJ that Norm posted.


I've been giving this some thought, I have a P7 from Fred great tint but would't J bin suit direct drive with a Li-ion better than I bin?, my P7 from Fred draws about 3.2A on a freshly charged D Li-ion. I remember in the old Luxeon days we always bought LEDs with the VF to match battery voltage. I might be barking up the wrong tree. Curious to know what others think. 
Norm


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## darkzero (Apr 28, 2008)

Norm said:


> I've been giving this some thought, I have a P7 from Fred great tint but would't J bin suit direct drive with a Li-ion better than I bin?, my P7 from Fred draws about 3.2A on a freshly charged D Li-ion. I remember in the old Luxeon days we always bought LEDs with the VF to match battery voltage. I might be barking up the wrong tree. Curious to know what others think.
> Norm


 
Yes in dd cases that would make more sense. I had a I bin dd of 3x C4500 NiMhs & current was 3.1A freshly charged then leveled off to 2.8A shortlly after. With the stock Stinger battery the I bin should be good & even with the upgrade 3000mah NiMh pack. I was mainly recommending to order from Fred because of the quick delivery & great service. IMO I don't see a need to save $3 & wait 2 weeks than to have it in only a few days.

BTW, forrest, I have CSWOIs & the 3000mah NiMh Stinger pack on hand so if you need a current reading I'll be more than happy to help.


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## AlexGT (Apr 28, 2008)

I was thinking about the hole in the P7 Mag, can someone try an optic like the ones Jimjones3630 tried for his aspherical incandescents here

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/179681


This may be able to clear up the hole, just a tought.

AlexGT


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## Norm (Apr 28, 2008)

darkzero said:


> I was mainly recommending to order from Fred because of the quick delivery & great service. IMO I don't see a need to save $3 & wait 2 weeks than to have it in only a few days.


Agreed , Fred is a great guy to deal with, great service :thumbsup:
Norm


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## forrest (Apr 28, 2008)

That would be great Will if you could check that for me, and I will get the led's from Fred and possibly the battery also, Thanx for the info, I want these asap as I'm impatient! I will post the results as soon as I get this together , Thanx abunch!: Forrest


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## forrest (Apr 28, 2008)

That would be great Will if you could check that for me, and I will get the led's from Fred and possibly the battery also, Thanx for the info, I want these asap as I'm impatient! I will post the results of this bulid as soon as I get this together , I`ll be waiting for your results on the current readings, Thanx abunch!: Forrest


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## darkzero (Apr 28, 2008)

forrest said:


> That would be great Will if you could check that for me, and I will get the led's from Fred and possibly the battery also, Thanx for the info, I want these asap as I'm impatient! I will post the results of this bulid as soon as I get this together , I`ll be waiting for your results on the current readings, Thanx abunch!: Forrest


 
I got 2.5A direct drive with a CSWOI & a Kinetic 3.6V 3000mah NiMh Stinger battery pack.


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## forrest (Apr 28, 2008)

Thanx Will, just ordered the p7's from Freds, looks like this should be interesting and maybe... enlightening!?


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## Supernam (Apr 28, 2008)

rizky_p said:


> can anyone tell me how to do a sputtering?



https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/195590


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## IcantC (Apr 30, 2008)

For those using stock smooth Mag reflector and getting a good beam, do you cut off the whole cam? Or are you leaving some part of cam on there?

Thanks


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## DaFABRICATA (Apr 30, 2008)

I had good luck using an McR38 with the P7...
The donut hole is not noticable and the beam quality is nice!

I had also used the P7 in a Surefire KT4 Turbohead, but the donut hole is way more noticable.

P7 in an M3 head with a KD driver from Darkzero:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/196461


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## StefanFS (Apr 30, 2008)

IcantC said:


> For those using stock smooth Mag reflector and getting a good beam, do you cut off the whole cam? Or are you leaving some part of cam on there?
> 
> Thanks


 
The whole cam goes away.
Stefan


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## TexLite (Apr 30, 2008)

IcantC said:


> For those using stock smooth Mag reflector and getting a good beam, do you cut off the whole cam? Or are you leaving some part of cam on there?
> 
> Thanks


 
Yes,cut off the whole cam.If you leave too much the reflector will not travel down far enough to get optimal focus.

With the Smooth reflector,the beam is not perfect,but very useable in my opinion.I have tried different textures but keep going back to the smooth for the throw.May be different if I find a texture that I like.

Michael


NOTE:figured out that the reason for the awful tint in my above beamshots,I was in such a hurry I did not realize I failed to remove the polarizing and UV filters.


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## IcantC (Apr 30, 2008)

Thanks guys, I have the cam cut off all the way. I used the sputtered reflector, but it kills the throw. It did give great flood, I reverted to smooth and do not mind the hole.


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## darkzero (Apr 30, 2008)

IcantC said:


> Thanks guys, I have the cam cut off all the way. I used the sputtered reflector, but it kills the throw. It did give great flood, I reverted to smooth and do not mind the hole.


 
Try less sputter or a different technique. If your sputtered reflector is making the beam flood then it is sputtered way too much. Nice thing about sputtering, once you get the technique down, you can sputter just enough to smooth out the beam without a very large loss in throw.


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## IcantC (Apr 30, 2008)

darkzero said:


> Try less sputter or a different technique. If your sputtered reflector is making the beam flood then it is sputtered way too much. Nice thing about sputtering, once you get the technique down, you can sputter just enough to smooth out the beam without a very large loss in throw.


 
I have the Malkoff sputtered reflector. It still throws well, but floods as well. I guess the smooth just throws a lot more than the sputtered. Will try a light sputter soon. Thanks!


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## PhotonFanatic (Apr 30, 2008)

I've heard from one of my suppliers that this reflector, originally designed for the OSTAR 6-die LED works pretty nicely with the P7, once the opening is expanded a tad for the P7's dome diameter.

The size is roughly 22.85mm in diameter and 15.5mm tall:







I've asked for a quote and will most likely get some, once I get the pricing.


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## ceramide (Apr 30, 2008)

husky20 said:


> Thats were i got mine from wayne im happy with it i just want to get a better beam out of it.I know someone will find or make a better reflector for it and when they do i will buy it.:thumbsup:


 

Husky 20, I got my notice from Wayne today, likely i'll get mine in by saturday. I've got both an M2 camless SMO and an LOP from Modamag as sold at The Sandwich Shoppe reamed to 0.625". With luck they will fit as is or with only minor fitting. They are narrower than the stock reflectors which should trade back some flood for throw when using the LOP. If the LOP isn't adequate, I'll order an M2 MOP and see how it works. StefanFS in another thread said the KD MOP smoothed his beam but cut the throw significantly. However, the KD's medium orange peal looks pretty heavy compared to the pictures I've seen of the M2 MOP. I'll keep you posted. The M2's aren't cheap, but my waistline could stand to skip a lunch or three.


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## Norm (Apr 30, 2008)

P7 running 3A on a fresh Li-ion D cell, white ceiling shot about 8', hand stippled mag reflector LOP with no apparent donut, slightly yellow around the edges.






Norm


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## TexLite (May 1, 2008)

darkzero said:


> Try less sputter or a different technique. If your sputtered reflector is making the beam flood then it is sputtered way too much. Nice thing about sputtering, once you get the technique down, you can sputter just enough to smooth out the beam without a very large loss in throw.


 
Will,thats the balance I'm looking for.



PhotonFanatic said:


> I've heard from one of my suppliers that this reflector, originally designed for the OSTAR 6-die LED works pretty nicely with the P7, once the opening is expanded a tad for the P7's dome diameter.
> 
> The size is roughly 22.85mm in diameter and 15.5mm tall:
> 
> I've asked for a quote and will most likely get some, once I get the pricing.


 
Fred,those look like good candidates for a Tri-P7.
Any news on the Ostar reflectors,how do they work with the P7,are you going to get any more?

Thanks,
Michael


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## KrisP (May 1, 2008)

I just received the P7 reflector from DX... It has given a nice hotspot rather than the donut or clover leaf that I was getting with a FM LOP.

This is not an accurate measurement but at 1m the hotspot appeared to be about 18cm across with the light on a low setting. The reflector has quite heavy OP so I assume the spill is going to be bright. I can't tell yet as it's daytime, i'll check again tonight 

The only problem is that the bezel will not screw down completely... This is caused by the top of the reflector being too thick. Even with the head off the light the bezel won't screw down on the lens and reflector fully.


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## KrisP (May 2, 2008)

Pics...

Deal Extreme P7 reflector (SKU12229).




The bezel does not screw all the way down.




Quick beam shot. About 1.5m from ceiling. Camera on AUTO.


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## husky20 (May 2, 2008)

ceramide said:


> Husky 20, I got my notice from Wayne today, likely i'll get mine in by saturday. I've got both an M2 camless SMO and an LOP from Modamag as sold at The Sandwich Shoppe reamed to 0.625". With luck they will fit as is or with only minor fitting. They are narrower than the stock reflectors which should trade back some flood for throw when using the LOP. If the LOP isn't adequate, I'll order an M2 MOP and see how it works. StefanFS in another thread said the KD MOP smoothed his beam but cut the throw significantly. However, the KD's medium orange peal looks pretty heavy compared to the pictures I've seen of the M2 MOP. I'll keep you posted. The M2's aren't cheap, but my waistline could stand to skip a lunch or three.


Thanks im hoping to find a reflector that smooths out the beem and improves the throw to.I think it looses throw because the gap is not butted up to the emmiter.I have been thinking of something i could put in there to but up against the reflector like a little mirror or something like the fenix lights have so there is no gap between the emitter and the reflector might loose the focusability but who care if it significantly improves throw and beem smoothness.us cpfers need to figure this out i think this has way more potential.:thumbsupf course i posted this before i saw the dx reflector should have read down a little further looks good just wish it screwd all the way down.think i will try it.


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## JamisonM (May 2, 2008)

KrisP said:


> Pics...
> 
> Deal Extreme P7 reflector (SKU12229).
> 
> ...


How well does the Deal Extreme reflector throw compared to the standard smooth maglite reflector? How does the it compare in side spill?


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## KrisP (May 2, 2008)

I haven't used the standard smooth reflector, only the Fivemega LOP and this DX MOP. The throw is quite reduced compared to the FM one and the spill is quite blinding which stops you from seeing the throw properly.

It's definitely not for throw, just a nice smooth beam.


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## ace0001a (May 2, 2008)

KrisP said:


> I haven't used the standard smooth reflector, only the Fivemega LOP and this DX MOP. The throw is quite reduced compared to the FM one and the spill is quite blinding which stops you from seeing the throw properly.
> 
> It's definitely not for throw, just a nice smooth beam.



Yeah it's a shallow reflector designed for the Ultrafire WF-500 series of flashlights. They all seem to have a real thick lip that doesn't let the Mag bezel to screw that far down. You either have to find a way to thin the lip down or remove enough material from around the reflector to get it to fit just inside the Mag head. People have done it here before, but never really explained how. I suppose a dremel/rotary tool is involved in accomplishing it.

I wouldn't expect a wide and shallow reflector to offer much throw, especially since it's so heavily textured. I think the Kaidomain MOP reflector is the easiest as far as a dropin solution goes, but some have said you lose quite a bit of throw with it...otherwise I'd say take a shot at texturing a stock Mag reflector yourself.


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## forrest (May 2, 2008)

Here's some of my converted to p7 streamlight HP compared to the romison rc t5 (converted with the shark/remora), the hp is awesome, probably brighter and I can adjust the beam also , very happy!


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## forrest (May 2, 2008)

The one with the bullet in fron is the rom. t5


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## forrest (May 3, 2008)

Post this in the other thread also,After going outside with this hp and comparing it with the t5, man this p7 in this hp blows away my t5 even with the shark upgrade!


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## JamisonM (May 3, 2008)

KrisP said:


> I haven't used the standard smooth reflector, only the Fivemega LOP and this DX MOP. The throw is quite reduced compared to the FM one and the spill is quite blinding which stops you from seeing the throw properly.
> 
> It's definitely not for throw, just a nice smooth beam.


I figured that. What kind of throw does it have? I'm guessing it's putting out quite a bit of light, but, in your opinion, at what distance does it start to lose it usefulness?


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## KrisP (May 3, 2008)

It's hard to tell, the spill is pretty blinding which makes it hard to see into the distance. I'll try to get some beam shots.


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## ceramide (May 3, 2008)

I received Wayne's Mag mod today. Bright, but with the stock reflector, lots of lumens lost up above your head, IMO. Both an M2 SMO and an M2 LOP improved the throw and also concentrated the spill (a narrower reflector) over the stock reflector. I also tested a Flashlight Lens UCL with and without the light diffusion film.

The M2 LOP almost, but not totally, smoothed out the donut hole. As I primarily use the mags out doors, the M2 LOP is good enough. Some will be annoyed by the residual hole but it's really not that noticeable. 

With the LOP and LDF lens, one heck of a work light. Lit up half the backyard while still not being too bright up close to blind. Such a bright worklight with a three hour run time on 3 x 10,000 low discharge rechargables: pretty fair.

With the M2 SMO, I was lighting up a hillside about 175 yards away with about half the apparent intensity of a 5D Malkoff drop-in with an M2 SMO, but with about 4+ times the area. (The 5D Malkoff M2 SMO lit up the hillside with the same apparent intensity as an A9 or a MRV gen 2 (lottery winner) but with 3x the area. The P7 compared to the MRV was quite the contrast in styles.) The LOP couldn't reach the hillside well, but still better than the stock reflector. I'd guestimate the M2 LOP threw on the hill at maybe 135-145 yards what the M2 SMO threw at 175. 

Conclusion: for a longer throw searchlight, use the P7 with an M2 SMO as the donut is lost beyond ~75 yards. It may be even better for this function than the Malkoff due to the wider spill even if not as bright. However, if you need to reach across canyons/gullies/streams without moving closer, use a Malkoff (also longer runtime). For a general purpose worklight/searchlight, use the P7 with the M2 LOP and UCL lens. For an amazing portable worklight, use the P7 M2 LOP with a LDF lens. Could of used this a few weeks ago when one of the neighbor's horses went down. (I used two HID to light the area up but they were almost too bright for the task.)

PS I now understand the comments on it being hard to capture a P7 beam on camera: there's too much of it there to represent well.


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## KrisP (May 3, 2008)

What is the M2 reflector?


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## JamisonM (May 3, 2008)

KrisP said:


> What is the M2 reflector?


I asked myself the same question. Check it out. From what I gather, it's a narrower replacement reflector for your maglite. They're sold at sandwich shoppe. Here's the original thread.
ceramide, I'd love to see some beamshots. I had no idea there was a maglite reflector like the M2s.


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## KrisP (May 3, 2008)

Thanks JamisonM


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## ceramide (May 4, 2008)

JamisonM and KrisP,

After Post #59, I decided to go ahead and order an M2 MOP anyway. If the order processed Sat. am, it may come mid-week. I'll post how it turns out. (If you order, make sure to specify reamed to 0.625"). 

Originally, Modamag did such a great job on the Draco, I figured I'd try one of his M2's. You can read the spec claims, which I can't confirm, but _visually_ they are an improvement to the original reflectors. I've put them in all my mags from which I expect throw. Others are in a more informed position to opine if there are better replacement mag reflectors out there, but the M2's are pretty good. 

For P7 application, if you go to the original thread JamesonM posted (if you lose that, you can find the link at the Sandwich Shoppe after following links around a bit. Search under 'reflectors'), you can appreciate from the photos that the granularity on the textured M2's is much finer than some of the other available Mag replacement reflectors. I'm guessing this, and the narrower angle, is why they smooth the beam while retaining much of the throw. In this case, just a smidge more texture than the M2 LOP should completely remove the donut. I briefly contemplated misting a hint of acrylic down onto my current M2 LOP before common sense prevailed (a perfectly good $25 reflector is a perfectly good $25 reflector, afterall.)

I'm confident the MOP will eliminate the donut and the only question is the trade off in throw. So, what can a P7 be used for? What's the niche? I love Mag throwers and flooders (work lights). With either an M2 LOP or MOP, a P7 mag should fill the gap between the two and back up both functions, albeit with shorter run time (but 3 rechargable hrs should be good enough for most applications). 

Regards pictures: Alas, poor yorick, I've put my toy money into flashlights (and other good things), not cameras. The spousal unit already says that I need a 12 step program for flashlights. If I pick up a decent digital camera and start taking beamshots...she'll just use it as an excuse to buy food, medicine, or other such useless darn things (likely another saddle). 

But seriously, I'll try to figure out how to take and upload a wall shot with the wife's little camera. However, to really capture these guys outside, especially at distance, I guessing requires a decent camera with a good dynamic range to be truly informative.


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