Discussion: Magic Shine Wide Angle Lenses
in: Orienteering; Gear & Toys
Dec 1, 2011 10:27 PM
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Note on 10/28
The MagicShine is a great headlamp for the price, but one drawback is the tight beam pattern throwing the light onto a tiny spot. A narrow spot is good for long distances, but not so good for peripheral vision and seeing what is almost under foot.
I just ordered a replacement lens (1x Lens-Wide-Elliptical) that purports to scatter the beam in a wide elliptical pattern that may be work better for biking, running and orienteering.
***Update**** 11/9
I received the lens from robx.com. It arrived with a crack in a tab at the base of the reflector. Rob wrote that he would send a new one, but explained that the tab is not necessary for the lens to function, so I let him off the hook. I find no fault with his service.
During installation of the lens I discovered that it did not seem to fit very well and decided to trim a strip of the plastic reflecting material that was taped on the reflector cone with a razor blade. After that, the lens fit into the MagicShine well. Seems like the plastic reflector film was added as an afterthought and never tested for fit.
In testing the quality of the beam pattern in the field, I have been disappointed. The light is scattered evenly over a wide area, but it seems much dimmer than I would have expected. I know that spreading out the available light will make the beam seem dimmer, but I think that too much of the light is being absorbed by the grooves and ridges on the surface of the lens.
The lens is a solid, conical chunk of plastic and not just a flat disc. It replaces not just the lens, but also the original aluminum reflector. It seems too heavy for the job and I suspect the fact that the plastic surrounds the LED emitter hampers the cooling of the LED, which is important, especially because my primary use for the light is orienteering and running where I do not move very fast and often pause. The light is intended more for bicycling and requires some dynamic airflow for cooling, so I am concerned about anything that will degrade the ability of the light to cool itself.
In summary, I am unsatisfied with this purchase. I may even reinstall the OEM lens for the night-o at Sunfish later this week.
And so the quest for brighter, safer, and cost-effective lighting for night time training goes on....
I have found another lens at Amazon that claims to accomplish the same thing. In the photo, it looks more transparent than the rob-x model. Hopefully it will spread the light while still maintaining adequate brightness. I also hope that the lens is flat and will utilize the OEM reflector and thus be lighter and cooler. The price is certainly negligible so I might as well try it.
***Update**** 12/1
I finally had occasion to test the new lens, and it worked great. The installation of the thin plastic lens with vertical ribs went smoothly, and it mated well with the original Magic Shine aluminum reflector cone. Instead of a super bright round spot light, I now have a dimmer but wider area of illumination, which works better for orienteering. With original lens I constantly found my self turning my head back and forth to scan the terrain with the narrow shaft of light, but with the new lens the could see the terrain in my peripheral field of vision, much more naturally without turning my head. The lens is cheap and effective, just like the magic shine I installed it on.
The MagicShine is a great headlamp for the price, but one drawback is the tight beam pattern throwing the light onto a tiny spot. A narrow spot is good for long distances, but not so good for peripheral vision and seeing what is almost under foot.
I just ordered a replacement lens (1x Lens-Wide-Elliptical) that purports to scatter the beam in a wide elliptical pattern that may be work better for biking, running and orienteering.
***Update**** 11/9
I received the lens from robx.com. It arrived with a crack in a tab at the base of the reflector. Rob wrote that he would send a new one, but explained that the tab is not necessary for the lens to function, so I let him off the hook. I find no fault with his service.
During installation of the lens I discovered that it did not seem to fit very well and decided to trim a strip of the plastic reflecting material that was taped on the reflector cone with a razor blade. After that, the lens fit into the MagicShine well. Seems like the plastic reflector film was added as an afterthought and never tested for fit.
In testing the quality of the beam pattern in the field, I have been disappointed. The light is scattered evenly over a wide area, but it seems much dimmer than I would have expected. I know that spreading out the available light will make the beam seem dimmer, but I think that too much of the light is being absorbed by the grooves and ridges on the surface of the lens.
The lens is a solid, conical chunk of plastic and not just a flat disc. It replaces not just the lens, but also the original aluminum reflector. It seems too heavy for the job and I suspect the fact that the plastic surrounds the LED emitter hampers the cooling of the LED, which is important, especially because my primary use for the light is orienteering and running where I do not move very fast and often pause. The light is intended more for bicycling and requires some dynamic airflow for cooling, so I am concerned about anything that will degrade the ability of the light to cool itself.
In summary, I am unsatisfied with this purchase. I may even reinstall the OEM lens for the night-o at Sunfish later this week.
And so the quest for brighter, safer, and cost-effective lighting for night time training goes on....
I have found another lens at Amazon that claims to accomplish the same thing. In the photo, it looks more transparent than the rob-x model. Hopefully it will spread the light while still maintaining adequate brightness. I also hope that the lens is flat and will utilize the OEM reflector and thus be lighter and cooler. The price is certainly negligible so I might as well try it.
***Update**** 12/1
I finally had occasion to test the new lens, and it worked great. The installation of the thin plastic lens with vertical ribs went smoothly, and it mated well with the original Magic Shine aluminum reflector cone. Instead of a super bright round spot light, I now have a dimmer but wider area of illumination, which works better for orienteering. With original lens I constantly found my self turning my head back and forth to scan the terrain with the narrow shaft of light, but with the new lens the could see the terrain in my peripheral field of vision, much more naturally without turning my head. The lens is cheap and effective, just like the magic shine I installed it on.
Dec 6, 2011 2:37 AM
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Got one, too, on your recommendation. Works fine on the DealX copy. Will have to decide whether I like the loss of distance projection.
This discussion thread is closed.