H1 reflector question

[W6CZ]

I have 2 sets of H1s - and in both pairs - the high beam reflector on one is mirror like and the other isn't - like one is supposed to diffuse the light some. Is this normal? They don't appear that they were ever "mirror-like".

[70SATMan]

Well, the timing sucks but,......

Could be one of two things. Oxidation or a difference in the production plating process in a particular period of time. I'd have to see all of the light buckets and the reflectors with the lenses off to try and date them.

I've seen differences in plating and how it holds up in other lights too. I sometimes think of the heat and how it reacts (wearing down) the plating. For instance most all of the Mercedes TN6 lights (6 inchers) I've looked at or worked on had reflectors that looked very dull. More than just the typical fogging. Has to be some commonality since the bulb shields in these same lights blue more than other series of lights. In some cases even though the reflector had been adequately sealed from the outside environment, the plating looked thin in spots where you could see the base metal underneath. Again, I've seen TN6s that were in excellent shape that had shiny reflectors. Hours of use???? I can only assume so.

I do know that all of the NOS or excellent H1 sets I've looked at have had equally shiny primary and secondary reflectors.