SureFire A2 Lamp Life

Hi Gang:

I am considering the purchase of a SureFire A2. I have purchased a number of LED lights (Including the L4, X5, & XO3) because I like the long term durability and cost savings of the LED style lamps. I do however, recognize the better color rendition offered by an incandescant lamp and that is an important consideration during night operations with the various emergency services I volunteer with (Search and Rescue, animal rescue, emergency communications, etc...). I prefer a small llight such as the A2 and LED lights I already have over the more powerful spotlights due to the amount of gear I already need to carry. Before I drop another $200 on a light, a spare bulb, and a bulb/battery carrier........Can someone provide some real world experience on how long the A2 lamp will operate before a replacement is necessary? I realize that there are variables. I am interested in learning how it has worked for you so that I can obtain a rough estimate of the long term operating costs.

I am interested in the A2 because of its regulation, ability to maintain a crisp white light, lamp protecting soft start feature, and ability to operate on low power when feasible. I am open to suggestions about other lights that might fill the need.

Thanx to all in advance for your help!

Alan

the lamp is rated somewhere along 30hrs, but i have read other CPF'ers having put more hours than that on one lamp without it blowing. over time the bulb will get darker due to the filament, but it will still be performing as it should be. personal experience says i havent put in that much over the 30hr rating yet, but i do constantly use the incan, even during some light showers outside, and im quite happy with its performance.

will you be using the incan for long periods of time or in short bursts?

btw, welcome to cpf!

mark

Some CPF'ers are getting over 60 hours on the lamp but choose to install a new one as by then, the envelope is black (from the tungsten deposits evaporating off the filament), and the brightness is not as good as a new lamp by then. Very long life, quite amazing when considering the lamp is operating near the melting point of the filament.

Welcome to CPF Alan, some guys even says that they put 45 sets of batt. through the A2 and haven't change the bulb yet. Cheers!

Frids

Thank you for the welcome. I have been lurking for a long time, and thus taking advantage of the wealth of information present.

I would most likely be using the light for more than short bursts. I would likely use my XO3 and L4 most of the time and use the A2 incandescant when operating in locations (such as wooded areas) where the output from the LEDs just does not cut it at long range. It is almost as though the light from the LEDs is absorbed by heavy vegetation rather than reflected back. An incandescant seems to work much better under those conditions, and I think it will cut through fog and smoke a bit better. That's just a guess at this point though. So, once in use it will likely be on for longer periods of time.

Alan

one should not worry about bulb's life... if you really care then buy some other light like right now, go to lighthound's ebil(evil and cute) site and you will find something extra ordinary at the top left hand side.

Hi there!

This might help. A poll I started because I shared the same concern.

CORRECTION
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...ad.php?t=118931
(Thanks leukos)

I've put over 45 sets of SF123A batteries through an A2 on the original lamp.

if you'll be using it more with short bursts and then occasionally using the incan for prolonged periods, im sure it will last you a long long time. the soft start is a great feature to help prolong the life of the bulb. just be sure not to drop it, the head of the A2 seems quite fragile to me with the addition of the led ring in the bezel (though ive never really tested it nor would i want to :laughing: )

mark

Mark,
I've dropped my A2-HA plenty of times. With the exception of my current EDC (an L2 which I've EDC's for far longer), the A2 has performed without fault against many character-marking incidents.
The bezel and TailCap both have the character to prove it.

I can post a current photo showing this later if requested.

Al

Al,

Well its good to know the A2 bezel can take a beating after all,true trade mark of a SF light. just looking at the led ring alone makes me scared to accidentally drop it, the LEDs looks so fragile and "snapable". well no need for me to test it out...

:lolsign:

mark

My A2 fell 14 inches off a shelf on to a plywood table top and the lamp quit working. I'm a huge Surefire fan so I'm not bashing. I was quite surprised. I called Surefire and told them and they shipped me a new lamp. I've been a little hesitant to bang it around since then.

edited to add that I had around 1 hour on the lamp at the time.

The A2's lamp seems to do much better than other lamps (SF or otherwise), and for a couple reasons.

Firstly, the A2 has a digitally controlled "soft start". Unlike other incandescent flashlights, where the cold filament gets a full blast of juice each time you turn it on, the "soft start" hits the bulb with less juice, then ramps it up to full blast. It only lasts a fraction of a second (your eyes probably won't even notice it), but that little bit does wonders for bulb life. Like letting your car warm up (and let the oil circulate) before letting it loose.

Secondly, although this might not be as obvious, we tend to quantify bulb-life in terms of battery changes. While the A2 might have a similar runtime-to-50% battery life as other 2 cell tactical pocket flashlights, we're not necessarily using the incandescent mode all the time. I know I don't. Lot of the time I'm just using the LEDs. Thus each battery change might only have 35-45 minutes per battery change of incandescent use rather than the full 50-55 minutes that it's good for.

Finally, (although I'm not absolutely certain this has much, if anything, to do with it), the A2 is digitally regulated, providing full brightness until the battery poops out. Unlike other incandescent flashlights which start bright but dim and yellow (and brown) out over the life of the battery. Odd as it may sound, but underdriving an incandescent bulb can damage the filament, as it's running at a level it's not designed to. Again, I don't know if this actually does make a difference or not.

chesterqw said:

one should not worry about bulb's life... if you really care then buy some other light like right now, go to lighthound's ebil(evil and cute) site and you will find something extra ordinary at the top left hand side.

Click to expand...

chesterqw,

Perfect...

I followed your directions expecting to see some new light or something and I was just planning on looking. One visit to the forbidden website, and now I am approx. $60.00 lighter because of a purchase of a new McClicky tailcap and a lamp assembly that I did not need but wanted to try out (G&P 9V for use w/2 x RCR123' in Surefire 2 cell lights).

Your a swell guy! This place is like a bar to an alcoholic.

I will be happier when the guilt subsides and my E1L is tailstanding! If I forget to thank you then, please accept my thanks in advance.

-Goatee

My Thanx to everyone who replied and to Steven at TacticalSupply. I understand that it might sound odd for someone to be concerned about the cost of replacement lamps when considering the purchase of such an expensive light. As with most volunteers, we are responsible for the purchase, maintenance, and repairs for all of our gear including lights, radios, first aid & safety gear.....essentially everything that we need to operate independently and safely for as long as one to three days in a worst case scenario. Thus, as a regular working guy who also has a family to support, I have to look at not only what equipment is best suited for the purpose, but also at both the initial purchase cost and operating expenses. I am a firm believer that you generally get what you pay for.

There is no doubt that the A2 is a terrific light with many qualities that make it an excellent choice. I was hoping that the regulation and soft start might yield a 75 to 100 hour lamp life despite its high output. While it doesn't quite make it that far, it does exceed that of most other lights of its type. Since I do already have a 3C Survivor safety rated xenon light I do not think I can justify the purchase of an A2 at this point in time. At some point when finances allow I will likely acquire an A2 or perhaps a 9P to take advantage of the size and weight reduction and the ability to carry only one type of battery.

I thank you all again and urge you to support the volunteers in your area!

Alan

There is one CPFer who gave an A2 to his cousin in IRAQ and the lamp lasted more than 100 sets of batteries. Ironically, one of my A2s had an LED that wasn't centered well and so I tried to fix it with plyers and brute force. I removed the LED ring from the bezel and expected the LEDs to be easy to bend around and straighten out, thus centering them better throught the reflector hole.
Boy was i wrong. those LEDs are utterly impervious to breakage/bending/straightening even with plyers..I gave up on it and just use the light how it is now. After all the rough abuse trying to straighten the LEDs..they weren't even damaged or bent whatsoever. whoever engineered this thing had WW III in mind.
The Surefire website has a testimonial of a paramedic in Iraq who frequently uses his A2 for lighting during emergency surgery.

marxs said:

Al,

Well its good to know the A2 bezel can take a beating after all,true trade mark of a SF light. just looking at the led ring alone makes me scared to accidentally drop it, the LEDs looks so fragile and "snapable". well no need for me to test it out...

:lolsign:

mark

Click to expand...

a99raptors said:

Hi there!

This might help. A poll I started because I shared the same concern.

http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=131700

Click to expand...

a99raptors,
I think you got the wrong link, maybe you meant this one? https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/118931

Man... sleep deprivation really gets to you. Thanks leukos!

I've never burned out an A2 lamp but I finally broke one which was stuck in an SC3 spares carrier...grabbed the wrong portion of the lamp while trying to get it out of the SC3 spares carrier so I could change batteries.

Richard