TrueBlue
Flashlight Enthusiast
It is just a little light configured like a TW4. It has the TW4 configuration of a Surefire KL4 head and a CR123A body. The difference in the internal parts. What set this light apart from other lights are the replaced converter and a new Lumileds K2 emitter.
CPF member ARC mania has crafted a beautiful little can to house an MJ07 converter. He has seamlessly integrated the can to fit the body of the KL4 head. On top of the head sits the soon to be in production, white beam, K2 emitter.
Specs from Lumileds information about the K2 emitter.
More specific about the K2 emitter information from Lumileds includes:
• Highest operating temperature 185 degrees C
• Up to 60 lm/watt at 350mA
• Highest drive currents- up to 1500mA
• 9 degree C/W thermal resistance
• Highest lumen maintenance- 50,000 hours life at 1000mA with 70% lumen maintenance
This emitter/converter mod looks good. I'm really impressed with the first-class job of combining the K2 with one of his hand-made converters; the finished drop-in look professionally installed. The converter fits the custom can/heat sink seamlessly. Since the drop-in is installed inside the light it is too bad people cannot see and appreciate the quality installation.
I understand that this is quite a job to mount the can and converter in a Surefire head. When I talked to ARC mania on the phone he relayed that the Surefire head, while very well built on the outside, has uneven tolerances internally. ARC mania went to the extra trouble to make sure his custom made the K2 module fit precisely at the focal point of the KL4 head. If the emitter wasn't focused the sharp beam of the light wouldn't exist. ARC mania carefully adjusted the converter-can to focus the emitter in the reflector. The finished piece has a very nice spot, smaller secondary beam and surrounding spill beam. There is no donut ring beam after 4 ½"; that is impressive. It is a solid beam after that. The extra step of focusing the beam was well worth the effort.
The K2 emitter is fed power through ARC mania's nicely designed MJ07 boost converter pushing 1100mA through the emitter. It is clean, straight, sharp and cool looking. This completed module is supplied with 3V of power so it would work nicely with a CR123A, RCR123A (3V) or two AA/NiMH batteries. If you want to see what the K2 module looks like in a Surefire L4 you'll have to wait; it is being made now. For now you'll have to wait. Beggars, like me, can't be choosy!
The mod couldn't be easier. I put a CR123A battery in my Vital Gear FB1 body, screwed the modified head on then the light was ready to play with. The whole light is a basic, EDC, light that from head to toe looks good. The precise internal parts and the K2 emitter make the light perform as good as it looks.
Great job, ARC mania. I couldn't have done better myself…really!
Here are more pictures.
This picture is the configuration for 2xAA alkaline or NiMH batteries using the DSpeck Universal Battery Holder (UBH.)
Here are some photos with a couple of beam shots for comparison. The camera has the white balance custom set by me using a photo gray card. The balance is set for sunlight. The orange trees are approximately 25 feet away. I aimed the beams at one little orange near the top of one tree about 12 feet above the ground.
The KL4/K2 head. The K2 beam looks more like a Lux III than a Lux V beam. The little flood reflector of the KL4 head with the K2 have been converted to a throw beam. As for the U2 beam is doesn't look normal. I've adjusted the focus of the emitter and doctored the Lux V emitter for a more focused spot beam.
The Surefire L2 light. This is a stock light and closest I have to the L4 light. To make the KL4/K2 a small sacrifice has to be made; the stock emitter and converter had to be sent to Japan and swapped out for the new converter and K2 emitter. I'll have to get a new KL4 head later. Until I replace my L4 body with a new KL4 head all I have is my L2 light. The beam from the L2 is very close to the beam pattern of my old KL4 head.
For the fun of it I threw in a LongBow Mini light. It has been modified with a Turbo Head, Downboy 917 and a UX1J emitter.
Finally, here is a picture of the currently popular Fenix L1P V.2.5 and the Elektrolumens XM-3 for comparisons.
CPF member ARC mania has crafted a beautiful little can to house an MJ07 converter. He has seamlessly integrated the can to fit the body of the KL4 head. On top of the head sits the soon to be in production, white beam, K2 emitter.
Specs from Lumileds information about the K2 emitter.
More specific about the K2 emitter information from Lumileds includes:
• Highest operating temperature 185 degrees C
• Up to 60 lm/watt at 350mA
• Highest drive currents- up to 1500mA
• 9 degree C/W thermal resistance
• Highest lumen maintenance- 50,000 hours life at 1000mA with 70% lumen maintenance
This emitter/converter mod looks good. I'm really impressed with the first-class job of combining the K2 with one of his hand-made converters; the finished drop-in look professionally installed. The converter fits the custom can/heat sink seamlessly. Since the drop-in is installed inside the light it is too bad people cannot see and appreciate the quality installation.
I understand that this is quite a job to mount the can and converter in a Surefire head. When I talked to ARC mania on the phone he relayed that the Surefire head, while very well built on the outside, has uneven tolerances internally. ARC mania went to the extra trouble to make sure his custom made the K2 module fit precisely at the focal point of the KL4 head. If the emitter wasn't focused the sharp beam of the light wouldn't exist. ARC mania carefully adjusted the converter-can to focus the emitter in the reflector. The finished piece has a very nice spot, smaller secondary beam and surrounding spill beam. There is no donut ring beam after 4 ½"; that is impressive. It is a solid beam after that. The extra step of focusing the beam was well worth the effort.
The K2 emitter is fed power through ARC mania's nicely designed MJ07 boost converter pushing 1100mA through the emitter. It is clean, straight, sharp and cool looking. This completed module is supplied with 3V of power so it would work nicely with a CR123A, RCR123A (3V) or two AA/NiMH batteries. If you want to see what the K2 module looks like in a Surefire L4 you'll have to wait; it is being made now. For now you'll have to wait. Beggars, like me, can't be choosy!
The mod couldn't be easier. I put a CR123A battery in my Vital Gear FB1 body, screwed the modified head on then the light was ready to play with. The whole light is a basic, EDC, light that from head to toe looks good. The precise internal parts and the K2 emitter make the light perform as good as it looks.
Great job, ARC mania. I couldn't have done better myself…really!
Here are more pictures.
This picture is the configuration for 2xAA alkaline or NiMH batteries using the DSpeck Universal Battery Holder (UBH.)
Here are some photos with a couple of beam shots for comparison. The camera has the white balance custom set by me using a photo gray card. The balance is set for sunlight. The orange trees are approximately 25 feet away. I aimed the beams at one little orange near the top of one tree about 12 feet above the ground.
The KL4/K2 head. The K2 beam looks more like a Lux III than a Lux V beam. The little flood reflector of the KL4 head with the K2 have been converted to a throw beam. As for the U2 beam is doesn't look normal. I've adjusted the focus of the emitter and doctored the Lux V emitter for a more focused spot beam.
The Surefire L2 light. This is a stock light and closest I have to the L4 light. To make the KL4/K2 a small sacrifice has to be made; the stock emitter and converter had to be sent to Japan and swapped out for the new converter and K2 emitter. I'll have to get a new KL4 head later. Until I replace my L4 body with a new KL4 head all I have is my L2 light. The beam from the L2 is very close to the beam pattern of my old KL4 head.
For the fun of it I threw in a LongBow Mini light. It has been modified with a Turbo Head, Downboy 917 and a UX1J emitter.
Finally, here is a picture of the currently popular Fenix L1P V.2.5 and the Elektrolumens XM-3 for comparisons.
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