Is a Dimpled or Polished Reflector Better at Reflecting Light?

SmokeyMacPot

New Member
A dimpled pattern will be better, as they produce balanced light footprints, the flat polished type can produce hot spots and uneven light distribution.

(snoofer) High quality reflectors have a 'hammer specular' finish (to distribute the light evenly) and titanium dioxide (for max. reflectiviety) paint. The surface feels slippery.

Author: MedMan
 
:high-five:i have a wall mirror we installed when daughter was young. looking at the garden thru mirror gives a different view. We made removable mylar walls we can snap around edge of garden and placing foil around base of plant, covering soil, lite reflects upward so vegetation is lit from beneath. works very well on houseplants that have to come in for winter where the lite is dimmer than they're used to. With all gardens, the more light, the bigger and more abundant the blooms. HAVE A STELLAR DAY.
 
IMHO diamond-mylar is much better than regular, because it's diffuse:

Notice the grey ray, that is all you get from specular reflection (I know, it's stronger but it's not covering your room evenly).
 
:bravo:

I got a mirror that moves! My plants get light all day. I found this thing called a heliostat, it sits outside and reflects the light in. How does your mirror work being inside? :hmmmm:

Dude can you please show us some pics and maybe where you got it? This sounds really cool. Would love to see more about it if you are willing and can.
 
Idk how to put my own pictures on here so I took one off their Facebook. Company is wikoda and I got mine on sale they also gave me a discount when I asked.
 
I've done tests with a lux meter. THe dippled metal reflects more lux than smooth metal, and flat white paint reflects better than smooth metal. Mirrors reflect worse than brown paint and even worse than human skin.
 
I've tried just about every reflective surface that is available. Dimpled metal panels are the bomb and return the most diffuse light. BUT for real cost efficiency, it is about impossible to beat a coat of cheap white flat paint. My light meter agrees that white flat paint is about the best value in reflective materials. Just my two cents though, your light may vary!:idea:
 
Dimple is best, as said already. About mirrors, don't bother. best thing you can do indoors is train your plant. Use flux or LST, then you will have a nice even canopy
 
I had never thought of it, my HID light came with a dimpled reflector. I knew it was a measure to increase reflection but I wondered if it was efficient, thank you very much for shedding some light into this question
Reps+
 
I know this is a very old post but the reason that glass or plexi-glass mirrors reflect light so badly it the reflective surface is painted on the back side of the glass as a photon passes through the glass it is refracted ( the light exits the glass at an equal and opposite angle)so if light enters at 45 deg from the south it exits at 45 deg to the north. Then it hits the reflective paint and it happens all over again.
Since glass is never perfect; tiny air bubbles, micro cracks, impurities and so on; The light actually gets reflected and refracted several times. This causes the photon to lose energy, change color, (look up prisms) and. A photon of light or any radiation source lose 1/4 of its energy every time you double the distance. (Inverse Square Law). Glass makes the distance traveled much greater.

I am an electronics guy so I know alot about energy.
Refraction - Wikipedia
Also google Neets Mod 1 " Intro to matter and energy. (Naval Electrical and electronic training series).
 
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