Just got a Solarforce L2 (R2-Grey Anodized)

I have to say I'm quite impressed, the body and finish is very nice. The drop-in isn't too bad either, probably as bright as my Dereelight Q5 Drop-in, though the solder job from the back edge of the driver to the pill is very sloppy. Beam is smooth though, and seems to work decently with 1 Li-Ion battery (RCR123A) and isn't that much brighter with 2. I might upgrade the driver to get a little more output later. Since the AMC7135 drivers seem to be the right size, and output higher with 1 Li-Ion.

I have an older Surfire 3P, and I would say that the finish is break even, with the advantage of the lens being replaceable in the Solarforce.

I also want to give a thumbs-up to Flashlight Express (Ebay seller) for selling this at a decent price, with pretty fast shipping from HK, and received in excellent condition, at least no worse than KD/DX. Much better communication that KD.

I also have to say I originally tried to get this through Lighthound, initially they were responsive, but then decided not to keep me updated, even though I sent several other e-mails (I waited over a month and a half). Others may have had different experience, but so far not real impressed, don't say I didn't try to keep it at least in the US retailers.

What type of switch is it?

Push momentary and twist on like the 6P?

Clicky? Forward or reverse?

Hi,
That's good news seeing as I have one on the way from flashlight_express as well. Hey, did it come registered mail where you will have to sign for it? I know sometimes from DX thing do and sometimes they don't. I hope it does not so they will just leave it in the mail box. I know probably a lot of people would rather not have it left, but where I leave it is really not a worry. Did you try it on primaries? Very bright?

-Jon

OldGreyGuy said:

What type of switch is it?

Push momentary and twist on like the 6P?

Clicky? Forward or reverse?

Click to expand...

Well for me, I prefer this clicky switch to the 3P momentary, twist on. It is a reverse clicky, so I guess this isn't considered "tactical". It's got a good feel to it though IMO. The threads are exactly the same, so if you really wanted to, you could replace the switch with a Surefire switch. Solarforce also has one of those remote momentary "tape" switches that can be used in that circumstance as well.

oronocova said:

Hi,
That's good news seeing as I have one on the way from flashlight_express as well. Hey, did it come registered mail where you will have to sign for it? I know sometimes from DX thing do and sometimes they don't. I hope it does not so they will just leave it in the mail box. I know probably a lot of people would rather not have it left, but where I leave it is really not a worry. Did you try it on primaries? Very bright?

-Jon

Click to expand...

It didn't come registered, which didn't surprise me much. On the one hand it's nicer, because I don't have to wait an extra day and then go down to the post office to sign for it, on the other hand it always makes me a bit nervous if it never shows up, and the seller or me has no way to prove they sent it, or I never received it. I have a locked mailbox, so I don't worry about it being left there, and it's always nice to open it up and say "hey it came!!"

I didn't have 2 primaries handy, but I did try it for a little bit with one RCR123 + CR123, I wouldn't run it like this for any amount of time like this, because of the whole Li-Ion batts being touchy. It was hard to tell which was brighter, the Dereelight Q5, or this Solarforce R2 drop-in. So yeah it's pretty good, the color was definitely cooler than the Dereelight.

I really bought it more as just a host for the Dereelight drop-in, but the price was awesome, almost half of what everyone else is selling it for, and much better communication then KD, what's not to like.

I also bought the colored lenses just so I could have a light that I could do different colors on if I wanted to.

i have three of these lights. great cheap, bright, rugged light.

I have one of them with the UI bulb, 3 brightness levels, SOS and strobe.

Hi,
Just got mine in the mail today (non-registered, which was nice for me as well.) It's the Cree R2 5-mode Grey. It is definitely brighter than my Advance Auto 2C with a Q5 swapped in if that tells you anything. I'll see how much brighter tonight when I take the dog out. Threads are very smooth and for 26 bucks is very well built compared to a lot of the other cheapos I've tried. I'm using primaries in it, no problems. After playing with it for 5 minutes I'd say it's definitely worth the money, time will tell if it will hold up.

- Jon

Construction wise, I would put them up there with my friend's Wolfeyes Sniper, and his Surefire Kroma. The switch seems sturdy enough, I prefer clickies over twisties. Yeah it's a direct clone of the 6P which doesn't really do much for originality but other than that, IMO it's a steal at $26, not so much at $46, still decent, but definitely more competition at that price.