KD5NRH,
The reflectors are made of thick walled aluminum, they are not really delicate, but the coating is. The coating is a metalizing process that leaves a highly reflective surface, but will wipe away easily if you rub it or will degrade it if you leave fingerprints on that surface.
You don't really need a separate reflector, or need to try different reflectors; the BOREALIS will put so much light all around, that even with the smooth long throw reflector you still have LOTS of side spill (flood).
And even with the Medium stippled reflector (which is an option for those wanting LOTS of flood) you still have a decent throw of more than 100 yards.
The Orange peel or light stippled will give you a flood like the Surefire M-6 or M-4 (they have the same or similar finish) and you don't hear complaints about the beam of those lights that don't have optional reflectors.
The four reflectors came about because I also make these lights for my flashaholic friends that are perfectionists and always look for the perfect beam to use in their white wall hunting.
The beam of a smooth reflector at short distance is not perfect (at longer distances it doesn’t matter). The smooth reflector, being mirror polished, will show the shadow of the filament at short distance.
Here is a picture that has the beam of the light stippled reflector on the left and the beam of the smooth reflector on the right.
Notice how the edges of the beam are cleaner in the light stippled, also notice how the shadow of the filament comes out of the smooth reflector (on right) at the 8 and 10 and at 2 and 4 o'clock.
If you are working with the light in conditions of heavy fog or smoke (as the firefighters), you want a more concentrated beam and the smooth reflector is for you.
The same goes if you are using the light to hunt varmints at night (coyotes), and you need the light to reach 220 yards.
If the shadow of the filament at short distance bothers you, a cleaner beam can be had with the Orange Peel reflector, without altering the long throw much.
If you are a police officer clearing houses and back yards, the more flood of the light stippled will let you see more real estate around the back yard, for the average room the smooth reflector will illuminate all you need.
The eye of the camera doesn't open as much as the human eye, and I can see much more of what the pictures show, but the camera is good for comparisons as it portrait the differences in amount of light, you can also appreciate part of the side spill, (your eye will let you see much more illuminated area).
Here are three pictures taken at 23 yards, the BOREALIS use here have the light stippled reflector, same finish as the other two, the Surefire M-4 and M-6.
Surefire M-4 (350 lumens)
Surefire M-6 (500 lumens)
BOREALIS 1050 lumens
I reiterate, you will see much more area than what is shown by the camera.
CHARGERS:
The slow 10 bay charger, have a 250 mah charging current, that means that to charge the new 2700's it will need about 12 hours or a little more. That 250 mah current is very gentle on the batteries, (they barely get warm) and they for sure will last the 1,000 recharges advertised by the factory.
The RC Fast charger have a double setting, .900 amps and 1,8 amps, it will do the batteries in a little more than 3 hours or in 1 1/2 hours.
The RC slow at 600 mah will do it in 4 1/2 hours.
These chargers feature pulse and reverse pulse charging, and the batteries will remain just warm until the very end of the charge.
The MAHA 777 plus II charge at 800 mah, about 3 hours or so, the advantage of the MAHA is that it will do any battery (camcorders, two way radios, lap tops, etc) and any chemistry (Ni Cads, Nimhs, Lithium Ion)
This charger doesn’t use pulse charging, but it has a heat sensor that will stop the charge if the batteries pass certain temperature, and then continue when the batteries have cooled down.
It all comes to what your needs are, if you are a police officer using the light on duty, you will not have time to bother with the 12 hours charger, and if you get your batteries to last 800 recharges instead of 1,000 it is well worth while.
RUN TIME:
The new Maha Powerex 2700 mah batteries will give the BOREALIS fifty minutes run time (after a few charges-discharges~~up from 45 minutes),
As the manufacturer states 1,000 recharges, that will give us 833 hours before a new pack of $30.00 is needed.
As the BOREALIS was conceived as a rechargeable solution to powerful lights like the Surefire M-6, (500 lumens, 20 minutes run on six 123's batteries) it is not out of place to comment that the M-6 will spend $36.00 in batteries per hour (at $2.00 a battery), it will cost $29,988 in batteries before it can run 833 hours.
Before I come out with the other three options on the reflectors, I make and sold over a hundred with the smooth reflector, and the customers are happy with them as they fullfill all the situations that you can put them too.
Best regards
black bear
Juan C.