TITAN PLUS

[DimmerD]

I disagree that the main feature is the 300 lumens output. I primarily use mine on low and medium, I rarely use high. Low is actually pretty bright and is sufficient for looking inside PC's and printers. Medium is in case low isn't enough and high is for showing what the light can do on full for a brief period. If you need all 300 lumens for more than a few minutes then this light is not for you.

 

[Sean]

Well, back in the not so distant past, Surefire was very open about their run times and even included graphs in the instructions. I remember that time well because people complained that Surefire wasn't creating bright enough flashlights. They generally balanced brightness and run time. But the competition was making brighter lights! Yes, they were. With shorter run times. Now Surefire is going that route. Why? People want the big lumen count.

Are there those who don't want this? Sure. The light for you is the Titan-A. For those who want the 300 lumen "boost" mode then the Titan-B is for you.

I hear you with the claims of deception but this is how many things work in the real world (think about gas mileage calculations and stereo amplifier power claims). At least there is a standard for flashlights. The reality is that people need to be informed buyers, not gullible ones. This is up to the individual. We can't let the industry do the thinking for us. This is why people here who do runtime tests are so valuable!

 

[Kestrel]

I disagree that the main feature is the 300 lumens output. I primarily use mine on low and medium, I rarely use high. Low is actually pretty bright and is sufficient for looking inside PC's and printers. Medium is in case low isn't enough and high is for showing what the light can do on full for a brief period. If you need all 300 lumens for more than a few minutes then this light is not for you.

[...] Why? People want the big lumen count.

Are there those who don't want this? Sure. The light for you is the Titan-A. For those who want the 300 lumen "boost" mode then the Titan-B is for you.

Lots of wisdom in the above two posts, just had to quote. :thumbsup:

IMO SF has done a good job of covering both aspects of the popular 1xAAA market with these two differing designs.

 

[magellan]

Lots of wisdom in the above two posts, just had to quote. :thumbsup:

IMO SF has done a good job of covering both aspects of the popular 1xAAA market with these two differing designs.

Yes, agree with all that.

The thing is, I sorta feel if I'm paying the extra money for a Surefire the high can't just be 100 lumens anymore.

 

[scout24]

Magellan- I can't help but think the Titan and Titan plus compare favorably as far as outputs, number of modes, beam and build quality to pretty much anything else on the market. Not bad for first efforts in this format from SF. The price point gets you their customer service and warranty, in addition to peace of mind that may be absent from some other brands which become disposable if they stop working. This is coming from the guy who still espouses the virtues of the lowly cockroach of AAA lights, the E01. I may be behind the curve, if there is something better out there please let me know! My PM box has room if you'd rather not discuss here. Thanks!

 

[Beckler]

It's partly a matter of being disappointed that the 300 lumen, 1-hour claim basically has nothing to do with anything but more just that they make the claim in the first place. That some say they don't need a 300-lumen light isn't really relevant. It would be something like gas mileage that drops off to garbage after 10 miles but they claim '500mpg for 800 miles'. They wouldn't get away with it and no 'standard' would be created to let them say it either. Anyway I don't care at this point, I just ordered a Fenix E15. I know it won't go the full charge at 400 lumens but I doubt it'll level off at 80 either! I do appreciate this forum exists where we can find out actual (presumed) facts instead of relying on marketing BS which I nearly did.

 

[scout24]

Not to take the thread off topic, I think you'll get a brief 450lm turbo mode, with an abrupt stepdown to the next lower level (110lm) leveling off with the E15. And, that's on a Li-ion 16340 with lower capacity than the 123 primary that gives lower max output... Different lights for different purposes for different folks, apples and oranges. It's a good time to be a Flashaholic!

 

[Kestrel]

Honestly if/when I finally get one of these, I'm not sure which of the two will be more useful for me.

Rating them as follows (IIRC on the performance specs), it looks to be a toss-up:

Titan-A:

• 125 lumens for ~30 mins

Titan Plus:

• 75 lumens for ~2 hrs
• ~300 lm burst mode - which will certainly be less useful than the long-running medium mode IMO

Is the low mode for each of them pretty much the same? :thinking:

Edit: Honestly, the clip (included with the 'Plus' but not the -A) might actually be a deciding factor.
Such a long 1xAAA light may ride better with a clip than at the bottom of a pocket ...

 

[pjandyho]

Honestly if/when I finally get one of these, I'm not sure which of the two will be more useful for me.

Rating them as follows (IIRC on the performance specs), it looks to be a toss-up:

Titan-A:

• 125 lumens for ~30 mins

Titan Plus:

• 75 lumens for ~2 hrs
• ~300 lm burst mode - which will certainly be less useful than the long-running medium mode IMO

Is the low mode for each of them pretty much the same? :thinking:

Edit: Honestly, the clip (included with the 'Plus' but not the -A) might actually be a deciding factor.
Such a long 1xAAA light may ride better with a clip than at the bottom of a pocket ...

Hi Kestral,

You are right about the clip. It is much more convenient to clip it to your pocket. Overall the clip is not that fantastic, being sharp on the edges and it doesn't clamp down well thus leaving some free play on the pocket. With jeans and tactical pants it's not too much of a problem for me, but people with thinner business pants need to pay more attention.

I say get the Plus. I hardly use high output but it is good to have in case you need it for a short burst. Need I add that it looks lovely too? Heehee... It is slightly heavier than the Titan-A but I don't really feel the weight in my pocket. Hope this helps.

 

[HistoryChannel]

I just got an alert from UPS that a package is arriving tomorrow from SF. Since I received everything I've ordered from them for the Black Friday sale already I'm assuming it's the Titan Plus I sent for repair. 5 week turn around for the flickering issue. I wonder if they really fixed it? I'll see tomorrow.

 

[warpdrive]

ok guys, I'm still torn between the Plus or the regular A.

For those who own both, how much "happier" are you with the Plus? I'm thinking I'll be happier with the plus but I can't imagine being disappointed with the regular A either.

Sitting on the fence and waiting for somebody to push me over either way

 

[HistoryChannel]

ok guys, I'm still torn between the Plus or the regular A.

For those who own both, how much "happier" are you with the Plus? I'm thinking I'll be happier with the plus but I can't imagine being disappointed with the regular A either.

Sitting on the fence and waiting for somebody to push me over either way

Well the Titan A is half the price at $49.99 on Amazon right now. The price fluctuates between $45-59 so it's a good time to buy if you want one. It's much lighter, and I mean MUCH lighter than the Titan B.

The 300 lumen is more so I can wow my friends because it only lasts for a few seconds before it drops significantly and keeps dropping. I generally only use it on medium because of this. It is nice to have a burst of lumens for a few seconds when needed but that's rare for me since medium is bright enough.

Pros for the Titan B for me are the pocket clip, detachable key ring (very nice feature for me so it's not stuck to my keys) although I could use a NiteIze small clip for the Titan A.

I'm happy carrying ever one. Have you looked at the new Surefire Sidekick 300 lumen rechargeable keychain light?

 

[jon_slider]

ok guys, I'm still torn between the Plus or the regular A.

The Plus weighs Two Ounces, more than TWO Titan A's
let me add to your dilemma
The Sidekick is the same weight as the Plus but different shape and UI

Pretend for a moment that all 3 lights have the exact same brightness.
Figure out which one you would pick then, that will make you smile the most. There is no wrong choice if it makes you smile.

Do you want a lightweight Aluminum light, or a heavy Nickel plated brass one, or a flat polymer bodied rechargeable one…?

the simplest solution is to buy one of each

pushing you off the fence:
Im getting the feeling you wont be happy until you try the Titan Plus for yourself, partly because you called the Titan A the "regular" one. Im pretty sure you really want the Plus.. Go for it! I mean, this is the Plus thread, you wont not be proud to post, I got the Regular one, would you?

 

[HistoryChannel]

the simplest solution is to buy one of each

This solution will solve the dilemma..... Lol.

let me add to your dilemma
The Sidekick is the same weight as the Plus but different shape and UI

The Sidekick has an internal rechargeable battery built in, so we can't swap batteries and keep going if we need to. That's the reason why I like swappable batteries like the Titan Plus and similar. If the Sidekick runs out of juice it's paperweight until it can be recharged where the Titan takes a few seconds to pop in a fresh battery.

It would be nice if it could be charged by an external port, yet still have swappable battery capability (like the Nitecore MH series).

Also, it would be nice to see them stop using the old antiquated MicroUSB for charging. A Qualcomm Quickcharge port to charge at 9v at 2a. Can we dream?

 

[kaichu dento]

I still haven't re-ordered but if I had to choose one or the other my feelings lean towards the plus since the output of medium won't be really visibly different from high on the two level model, but it will have noticeably longer run time and also have the much higher output level available for a short burst when needed.

 

[jon_slider]

food for thought:

it shows 20% of 300 lumens at the 1 Hour mark for the green line (NiMH), so about 60 lumens

now medium

it shows 95% of 75 lumens.. about 71 lumens on the green line, at the one hour mark

and for the Titan A:

RUNTIME UPDATE: Member run4jc was gracious enough to do some RUNTIME tests on the light using the factory supplied rechargeable cell. Following is a lightly edited summary of his findings.


Turn on - 123 lumen (122.85, but who's counting....) Battery voltage at 1.51V
15 minutes - holding steady same reading
30 minutes - ditto - head temp at 85 degrees
45 minutes - somewhere between 30 and 45 it dropped out of regulation - 30 lumen - 82 degrees
50 minutes - 11 lumen - 77 degrees
55 minutes - 7 lumen - 73 degrees
60 minutes - 3 lumen - 71 degrees

 

[warpdrive]

@jon @history

Thanks for the feedback, I guess I was tempted by the fact that I could get two A's for the price of the Plus which was throwing me off.

Maybe I will get the Plus because it's those little extras that make it seem like the more complete, ultimate keychain light. The runtime, clip and detachability make it seem more versatile especially since I'll likely keep the light separate from my keys most of the time as a pocket carry light.

The main thing I like about these lights is the beam profile.

 

[Robin24k]

Maybe I will get the Plus because it's those little extras that make it seem like the more complete, ultimate keychain light. The runtime, clip and detachability make it seem more versatile especially since I'll likely keep the light separate from my keys most of the time as a pocket carry light.

Another thing to keep in mind is the spacing between output levels - medium mode on the Titan Plus offers a better tradeoff between output and runtime. On the Titan-A, high mode has short runtime and low mode is not very bright.

 

[warpdrive]

yeah, the medium is what I'll use a lot so the additional runtime is definitely important.

The Plus is more a more emotional light with its brass build, it's more like a little luxury trinket. The A is all business with its light weight and simple attachment as a keychain light.

So it seems I've practically ruled the A out as I an thinking out aloud, unless I see it for like $40 or less which would be too tempting to buy just because I can't resist a deal!

 

[djdawg]

Does the Titan plus have the same life time guarantee as other SF lights ??