TITAN PLUS

[shiawyih]

My titan plus the United States have been returned by my friend to help me deal with local, believe that we can have a good result, but I still hope surefire initially good quality control, you can save yourself time and consumers.

 

[Kestrel]

I've been thinking about this light for quite some time now; while I believe the minor QC issues that have been reported (front seal etc) are of little significance, having to get the timing 'just right' for mode changes is a big issue for me - this is a design issue rather than a production issue. My relatively few multimode lights are rock-solid in this regard - it is very difficult (even when I really try) to get my OR V3.1 Triple or my two Fenix LD01's to skip or lag modes. I don't know if I'm interested in having to concentrate on the light to get the mode I want - the flashlight is a tool that provides something I need, not the end in itself.

 

[Flashlike]

I've been thinking about this light for quite some time now; while I believe the minor QC issues that have been reported (front seal etc) are of little significance, having to get the timing 'just right' for mode changes is a big issue for me - this is a design issue rather than a production issue. My relatively few multimode lights are rock-solid in this regard - it is very difficult (even when I really try) to get my OR V3.1 Triple or my two Fenix LD01's to skip or lag modes. I don't know if I'm interested in having to concentrate on the light to get the mode I want - the flashlight is a tool that provides something I need, not the end in itself.

I've owned my Titan Plus for about a month. When I first started using it the mode changing irregularity was really bothersome. However, with a little bit of practice (and it didn't take me very long) switching modes is easy and failsafe. You just can't change modes super fast. My advice would be to count about one second between twists (i.e. "one thousand one, one thousand two, one thousand three").

 

[Woods Walker]

I've owned my Titan Plus for about a month. When I first started using it the mode changing irregularity was really bothersome. However, with a little bit of practice (and it didn't take me very long) switching modes is easy and failsafe. You just can't change modes super fast. My advice would be to count about one second between twists (i.e. "one thousand one, one thousand two, one thousand three").

My advice would be to return the light and not accept it. There are plenty of twisty lights which are fully capable of simple mode changing without practice. Count one second......by the one thousands? Nothing against you in anyways but it's just a twisty 1XAAA flashlight. It's not that hard or revolutionary thing to make.

 

[Robin24k]

My advice would be to return the light and not accept it. There are plenty of twisty lights which are fully capable of simple mode changing without practice. Count one second......by the one thousands? Nothing against you in anyways but it's just a twisty 1XAAA flashlight. It's not that hard or revolutionary thing to make.

My thought is that the delay might be intentional, as the 75 lumen output mode is probably more frequently used.

 

[parnass]

For me, the Titan Plus' mode change hit/miss is not overly bothersome. Mode skipping isn't any worse than most of my other twisty flashlights and the Titan's other qualities outweigh the occasional mode changing misfire.

 

[Woods Walker]

My thought is that the delay might be intentional, as the 75 lumen output mode is probably more frequently used.

I kinda heard the same logic about the battery fitment issues and other problems with the last Titan. Didn't believe that then and was proven right. Given all the problems I don't think whatever team was responsible for these products are competent enough to do anything correctly intentionally even bad things and flaky mode changing on a twisty is bad thing. It's a shame because I really like the brand but have seen enough to hold off on these but to each their own.

 

[pjandyho]

The battery fitment issue seems to be a thing of the past. The Titan Plus' mode switching issue is not a defect but a feature. I don't really understand why Surefire decided that this is the best feature for the Plus and I do agree that other Chinese made twisty AAA flashlights operates much more intuitively, but as was said the other qualities of the Titan Plus outweighs the UI. I wasn't sure I would like it when I first heard about how the UI works and I was pretty sure I would hate it, but I went ahead and bought one for myself. It is the brightest AAA light I ever owned and its very floody beam sure make up for the slight greenish tint. It felt beefy as well and I am really digging it.

 

[Woods Walker]

The battery fitment issue seems to be a thing of the past. The Titan Plus' mode switching issue is not a defect but a feature. I don't really understand why Surefire decided that this is the best feature for the Plus and I do agree that other Chinese made twisty AAA flashlights operates much more intuitively, but as was said the other qualities of the Titan Plus outweighs the UI. I wasn't sure I would like it when I first heard about how the UI works and I was pretty sure I would hate it, but I went ahead and bought one for myself. It is the brightest AAA light I ever owned and its very floody beam sure make up for the slight greenish tint. It felt beefy as well and I am really digging it.

Unless you can support this supposition I don't believe it was intentional no more than I believe the other quality control problems are intentional. I am moving on and will check back in this thread in say 3 months with the hopes these issues have been cleared up. I am honestly happy you're happy with the gear item. To each their own.

 

[Shoopmonster]

I ordered one of these and am very excited to handle it and learn how it works when I get back from my hunting trip.

 

[run4jc]

:sigh:

Here we go again. Fascinating at the range of comments - some from owners - some from those who may have never actually used the light. Although it isn't written anywhere and I have nothing to support my belief (other than many samples/comments), I think Robin24K may have called it correctly...the UI MAY be intentional. Every user claims that they have to either twist, twist/twist to get from low to medium to high, and others (me included) 'learn' the timing. I can - 100% of the time - make mine go from medium to high with the slight delayed timing of the twist.

And good grief, does it really matter that much? Perhaps it does to some - everyone is different. No big deal to me - I use mine on medium most of the time anyway.

The battery fitment issues on the Titan A were real and they were addressed. The 'issues' with the Titan Plus are out there multiple times. God Bless America - if you don't want to buy it, don't. If you do buy one, you'll probably enjoy it. If you have problems with it, send it back to Surefire. Oy.

 

[archimedes]

I'd consider myself fairly neutral on this topic .... I have a bunch of SureFire flashlights, but not this one. I don't plan on getting one of these, since there are a few features that just don't work for me.

I can definitely see both sides. Most of those who have them, seem to be very satisfied - sturdy, bright, relatively reasonably priced (at least for SureFire), runs on eneloops, etc.

Battery fitment (my initial concern) is apparently now fixed. The description sounds a bit large and heavy for my preferred use as a keyring light, though. The tint variation has been described from neutral to greenish, and that is close to a deal-breaker for me ... even frosty or cool blues bother me less. It is, of course, difficult to know how I might adapt to the UI without using it, but it does not sound as if I would like it. My preference is to always know exactly how it will respond to any given input ... :shrug:

I greatly appreciate the output regulation charts, from @Robin24k . I certainly realize the value of a brief "turbo" mode, but I generally prefer flatter regulation on high, even at (significant) expense to absolute maximum output.

I will say that I enjoy (respectful) discussion of these issues, as that is really the purpose of a forum like CPF. Without this information, it would be far more difficult to determine if this is a tool that might suit our (individual) needs.

However, I have never understood why SureFire, of all the other brands here (including both more and less expensive) , always seems to generate such ... spirited ... debate ?

 

[Kestrel]

It was me who stirred the pot this time, so it must be legal right? :devil:

I recall back to the OR V3.0 3-mode Triple; ElectronGuru rec'd a few early reports that the mode changes weren't 'snappy' enough, so the 'off time' needed to increment modes was decreased for the 3.1 revision - with the end result being a near-perfect multimode implementation.

I of course know that a small business can be much more responsive to suggestions compared to a larger company such as Surefire; we shall see whether SF gets enough feedback to warrant design changes with any future revision(s)?

 

[run4jc]

It was me who stirred the pot this time, so it must be legal right? :devil:

I know - and I probably should have just kept my thoughts to myself. Everyone has a right to say what they think and that's what makes this such a great forum.

Surefire has always been somewhat of an enigma to me...never been a fan boy. Two of my first "real" flashlights were a C2 and an ED2L. Loved 'em - but sold them a long time ago. OTOH, my original gun metal 6P is still in a kitchen drawer with a vinh drop in. An old G2 in yellow - complete with the original P60 engine - lives in my nightstand. But nothing else Surefire tripped my trigger, so to speak - even the DaFab modded T1A I had for a while nor the original Titans (I had 2).

But this little Titan Plus just punches all the right buttons for me. Yes, it's too heavy to key ring carry, but that's okay - I EDC it in the bottom of my pocket and the extra weight is reassuring. It 'stays' down there, and I can easily find it in my pocket when I need it. The beam shape is near perfect - the tint on the one I have opened (I have 2) is NOT greenish but rather somewhat neutral. I've been carrying it alongside keys, pocket change, a Titan A on the keyring, etc....it's been dropped on concrete....yet it has no real / discernible marks.

And when I need light, it's there. The 75 lumen medium is perfect for 90% of what I need. Low is nice for helping light up fine print for my old eyes to see - and it's easy enough to get to high when I want that blast of output.

YES, I wish the mode switching were more simple - just twist twist twist to get to high. Heck, I wish it had mode memory. Perhaps Surefire will read the forum comments and take heart and make those changes, but I doubt we'll see that happen until they catch up with their backorders and get in an overstock situation.

So all this time that all this discussion has been going on, I've just been enjoying mine. And I carry it every day.

lovecpf

 

[Prepped]

With the announcement of the SF Sidekick, I'm torn between what to get now...

 

[Kestrel]

I know - and I probably should have just kept my thoughts to myself. Everyone has a right to say what they think and that's what makes this such a great forum.

Oh please don't do that - you're one of the best contributors to this thread.

But this little Titan Plus just punches all the right buttons for me. Yes, it's too heavy to key ring carry, but that's okay - I EDC it in the bottom of my pocket and the extra weight is reassuring. It 'stays' down there, and I can easily find it in my pocket when I need it. [...] Heck, I wish it had mode memory. Perhaps Surefire will read the forum comments and take heart and make those changes, but I doubt we'll see that happen until they catch up with their backorders and get in an overstock situation.

I agree that it does look to be a winner overall. I will probably still get one as its pocket clip looks pretty stout and the light could ride nicely near the top of my pocket. The performance is certainly superior to my obsolescent LD01.

Oh my goodness, but no mode memory please - that would be a dealbreaker lol.

 

[Sean]

Interesting. I don't have any mode switching problems. There is an intentional delay (which can be confirmed by trying to cycle from med to high mode super fast). This helps to prevent the light from skipping to high mode when you are twisting one handed and get the dreaded stutter-step. I've always hated multi-mode twistie lights because of this! But this light, at least for me, doesn't skip modes like other lights I have had. So I'm surprised to read of pjandyho's issues. Maybe too much lube on the threads?

 

[DimmerD]

My replacement seems to be able to switch a bit faster than the original I had. Like Sean said if you switch super fast it may skip but if you slow it down a tad it switches fine. When we say slow it's not really all that slow, just a tad slower. I really like mine now that I have used it for awhile, really nice light. Mostly used on low and medium, high is almost a show off thing although sometimes that extra light is handy.
I was at a customers the other day when the power went out, I had to use it on low for about 20 minutes while shutting down the 4 servers they have. The light held up well after that, I walked around checking that everyone had shut their computers down and powered off their battery backups too. Just had to listen for the beeping and follow the sound for those that had not. Got a few oohs and ahhs, especially when I showed off high mode. I showed off high mode too much (hehe) and it finally dimmed to medium letting me know the batteries were low, I had a few spares in the car just in case but it stayed working on low and medium modes until I left.

 

[pjandyho]

Interesting. I don't have any mode switching problems. There is an intentional delay (which can be confirmed by trying to cycle from med to high mode super fast). This helps to prevent the light from skipping to high mode when you are twisting one handed and get the dreaded stutter-step. I've always hated multi-mode twistie lights because of this! But this light, at least for me, doesn't skip modes like other lights I have had. So I'm surprised to read of pjandyho's issues. Maybe too much lube on the threads?

Yup, mine do occasionally skip direct to high output. Don't know how it happened but thankfully it doesn't happen many times. What really irritates me is that I may get it to unintentionally turn on in medium instead of low. I think this happened because of some thread play on the head and during the twisting action to switch it on I could have pushed the head to the side and thus closing the circuit to turn on the light before I actually complete the tightening of the head to actually switch it on. Quite common occurrence on a twisty type light but I was expecting a better thread tolerance coming from Surefire. Not a big issue but just irritating at times. I do however still like this light a lot.

 

[shiawyih]

I have returned to the United States titan plus processing, the following is flashing video Refer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uv2Zg6OGfZ8