mdocod
Flashaholic
Mark over at LumensFactory contacted me about a 2 weeks ago offering up a titanium flashlight for review. Today was the day of obtainium.
Luckily the package arrived on one of my days off, so I was able to sign for it and take delivery immediately.
If you have ordered a Seraph then you are probably familiar with this packaging. It's basically a fancy cardboard gift-box with foam inserts. I've never owned a titanium flashlight so I'm not sure what the comparison in packaging quality would be from other sources. Not that I would care too much about the package myself, after-all, the only thing I concern myself with is whether or no the package protects the contents at the bottom of the pile on an over-loaded plane landing.
Getting things unwrapped reveals a familiar looking unit with a new sheen. First thing that came to my mind was "ooo look, shiny." I immediately wanted to call it Seraph Chrome. The unit appears to share identical form with it's aluminum brother. Though there are a few very minor differences.
I have found that taking things out-doors in the sunlight always produces much finer picture quality. It's a beautiful crisp aired 20F and sunny! Perfect picture taking weather. muahah....
Manufacture Listed Features:
LED 3 Mode Model with
D26-LED 3 Mode, 6V-13V Multi Mode Reflector Module (250 Lumens)
(5%-30%-100% with Memory Function)
• Ti-6Al-4V, TC4 Grade Titanium Alloy Body.
• Tactical Cigar Grip Design.
• 18xxx Compatible, Most Popular Brands, Pila, Wolf-eyes, AW Li-Ion Batteries
(note inserted by me: 18650 cell will not run included lamp assembly)
• Compatible with Surefire P and C Series.
• Able to use Surefire P and C Series Accessories.
• Forward Clickie Tailcap
• Able to Tail Stand.
• Lanyard Holes (Lanyard Included)
• Para-cord Hole
• 2 Stainless Steel Bezel Rings Included (Scalloped and Flat)
• Extra O-Ring Set
• 2 Panasonic Industrial Grade Batteries Included
• Fully Upgradeable
The Titanium Seraph SP-6 and other Seraph flashlights from LF are essentially SureFire "C/P/G" series compatible flashlights with support for 18mm cell diameters much like the line of SolarForce flashlights, but of course, with their own unique styling.
I hope Mark does not mind me sharing this but he has told me that the titanium run of SP-6s had it's machine work outsourced to a machine shop in Taiwan. I would say that the results were worth the effort of finding a different location. While the normal Seraph line is perfectly acceptable IMO given it's price range, the machining quality of a Titanium light must be excellent to justify the use of an exotic material. The titanium used for the unit is grade 5. (This is the strongest commonly available titanium). I have no idea what grade is normally used to make Ti flashlights but this one is made from "the good stuff."
On my unit I was not able to find any imperfection worth noting and perhaps the most important thing is that the unit appears to have been through some good polishing and grinding to ensure that there aren't any sharp edges. It's very hard to even find evidence of the machining proccess at all. The surfaces are very smooth and approaching that "mirror" polished finish you get on metals when you put them in a tumbler with some polishing material. The surface of the titanium in the "flats" of the unit appears to have some of that natural random coloration (like a very subtle grain of coloration). I assume that this is normal with Ti products but don't have much to compare to.
On the first few assembly/dissemblies I didn't feel that the threads were as nice as I would have liked, however, after spending some more time and taking the plunge and doing a little lego with these Ti parts and some SF aluminum parts, getting the lube to flow around a bit, I have to conclude that the Ti SP-6 threads are every bit as buttery smooth as the best SF threads I have felt. They just need a quick work-in time and a chance to spread the lube around.
The Titanium SP-6 will ordinarily include a 6V-13V compatible 3-mode w/memory LED module. This module is only usable on 2xCR123 cells or greater (unit will not operate below ~5V). In other words, while the host will support an 18650 size cell, the 3 mode LED module will not work with one. It seems to me like almost a waste of an 18650 host to be forced to buy another lamp for it just to actually use an 18650. Then again, with the price tag of a Ti host, picking up a few lamps to play with is not going to be the budget breaker. In fact, the important point is that this is one of very few if not perhaps the only D26 compatible and 18650 compatible host available in Ti. If you prefer CR123s or would likely only use this particular light with CR123s, then there isn't a real problem anyways.
The 3 mode module is listed as being 5%, 30%, 100% with a 250 lumen Maximum. I believe that all of the 3-mode units shipping with Ti SP-6s will be the Nuetral tint versions. The version I received is in fact a Nuetral Tint. In my experience, the memory function of these modules is pretty intuitive and reliable. The percentages listed are fairly close to reality though I suspect that low may be closer to 8%. I'd like to see a lower low mode, (seems to be a hard to find feature in multi-mode flashlights). Testing done by MrGman and others have shown that this "class" of modules (R2s slapped in D26 reflectors on brass pills at around an amp) produce about 200 true torch lumens. With that in mind, I'd call the modes something like 16 lumen, 64 lumen, 200 lumen. Low and Medium use PWM that is visible if you look for it by producing fast motion in the light.
One of the design differences between a Seraph series flashlight and many of the other D26 style hosts out there, is that the head of the body is designed a bit differently. I had hoped they would make the head of the Titanium unit more like that of other D26 flashlights to improve thermal conductivity of LED drop-in (to the body). The business end of the body is cut slightly longer and with a perfectly cylindrical opening that leads right down to the spring shelf. The problem with this, is that, the brass pill of the LED module will never make direct contact with the body, but rather, heat will have to migrate through the various points that the spring (which must be used to make electrical contact) makes contact with the body. Also, this design probably means that MalkOff modules are out of the question unless a modified insert or some wadded up aluminum foil was used. If you intend to use the unit primarily on low output modes, and keep high mode restricted to reasonable continuous runs (I wouldn't want to run it longer than 10 minutes), then this isn't going to be a problem for you. Now that I have pointed out the drawback of that design, I must point out, that there are benefits as well; Having a spring contact rather than the press-fitted brass pill to aluminum body contact prevents the loss of contact that can often be associated with sudden temperature changes in the body. (Like dropping the cold flashlight into a hot-tub, with the direct contact light, the aluminum will rapidly expand and contact will go intermittent, unless the head is re-tightened). The Other benefit to this design is the wider range of large-spring compatibility as found on D36 modules and the Seraph P7 head unit (version 1). The way I see it though, most people would not really want to play titanium lego with aluminum parts. The look of a complete Ti light is not something that very many of us would be willing to sacrifice (however, back anodized SF parts actually look pretty neat on it!), so with that in mind, there is almost no reason for the head to be designed as it was in the aluminum versions of the Seraph that are expected to play lego with the mini-turbos and such.
Putting things in perspective, the head design even if used with normal LED drop-ins on a spring would probably never cause any normal flashlight user a problem as the natural use of flashlights tends to be in short enough increments that the issue isn't likely to come up. If we we going for practical, it wouldn't be Ti anyways right?
The forward tailclicker found in the titanium rear end is identical to the mechanism found in the aluminum Seraph line (I disassembled it just to be sure). I haven't had one fail yet and I have run the few that I have over the 2A maximum rating a few times. The Ti unit does not have the little "2A max" notation on the switch, but I think we have to assume the same recommended maximum from LF considering that guts are still the same. The Seraph clickies are nothing to write home about in the "feel" department but they work fine. Tail-standing feature is present and works as expected. Obviously tail-standing vs easy switch access is purely personal preference so I'm not going to say yay or nay on that aspect.
The original Seraphs that I reviewed came with 2 O-rings installed on the tail end. The Ti version that I received only came with a single installed but the second groove is still present, so I took one of the included spares and doubled it up. Seems to be fine this way.
-------
Here's some pictures that will help point out the color and sheen difference with some other LF parts:
Doesn't this thing just look sexy? I honestly think that the Seraph "design" is very well suited for the reflective Ti/Stainless/Chrome look.
In this next picture I have rolled the body over so you can compare the "back sides" and what various minor etching/labeling differences there is between the original SP-6 and the Ti version.
-------
Having considered how I would want to implement this flashlight in everyday use has led me to believe that I would never be happy running the 3 mode LF module because I wouldn't be able to utilize the 18650 size li-ion cell.
The following configurations would need to be considered by anyone purchasing this light who intends to make it a work-horse on 18650 cells and not a shelf-queen (though I would not hold it against anyone if they made it a shelf queen as the unit is quite attractive):
1. Run a common wide-voltage single mode buck regulated module that runs at a reduced and diminishing output on a single li-ion cell. (I have found that these module types work fine even in plastic body lights when driven on the single li-ion cell setups). The LumensFactory 3.6V-13V modules would work fine for this. Such a setup will give a good 4-7 hours (depending on many factors) of diminishing but respectable output (like around 100 diminishing to 50 lumens through the run) on a single 18650 cell.
2. Pick a multi-mode D26 module from another manufacture that will run properly on a single 3.7V li-ion cell and has a similar brass pill design that will support the outer spring needed to provide electrical contact. Make a mental note not to operate the unit in high mode for extended periods of time. Or, use a different brand head and remove the spring, other heads are shorter and will seat the base of the brass pill down to the spring rim and provide better heat-sinking. Or wrap the module in aluminum foil and stuff it in there.
3. Go incan and make the light coming out the front look as good as the unit it's coming from. To heck with runtime or practicality.
------
That's all for now, Thank you for looking and enjoy!
-Eric
Luckily the package arrived on one of my days off, so I was able to sign for it and take delivery immediately.
If you have ordered a Seraph then you are probably familiar with this packaging. It's basically a fancy cardboard gift-box with foam inserts. I've never owned a titanium flashlight so I'm not sure what the comparison in packaging quality would be from other sources. Not that I would care too much about the package myself, after-all, the only thing I concern myself with is whether or no the package protects the contents at the bottom of the pile on an over-loaded plane landing.
Getting things unwrapped reveals a familiar looking unit with a new sheen. First thing that came to my mind was "ooo look, shiny." I immediately wanted to call it Seraph Chrome. The unit appears to share identical form with it's aluminum brother. Though there are a few very minor differences.
I have found that taking things out-doors in the sunlight always produces much finer picture quality. It's a beautiful crisp aired 20F and sunny! Perfect picture taking weather. muahah....
Manufacture Listed Features:
LED 3 Mode Model with
D26-LED 3 Mode, 6V-13V Multi Mode Reflector Module (250 Lumens)
(5%-30%-100% with Memory Function)
• Ti-6Al-4V, TC4 Grade Titanium Alloy Body.
• Tactical Cigar Grip Design.
• 18xxx Compatible, Most Popular Brands, Pila, Wolf-eyes, AW Li-Ion Batteries
(note inserted by me: 18650 cell will not run included lamp assembly)
• Compatible with Surefire P and C Series.
• Able to use Surefire P and C Series Accessories.
• Forward Clickie Tailcap
• Able to Tail Stand.
• Lanyard Holes (Lanyard Included)
• Para-cord Hole
• 2 Stainless Steel Bezel Rings Included (Scalloped and Flat)
• Extra O-Ring Set
• 2 Panasonic Industrial Grade Batteries Included
• Fully Upgradeable
The Titanium Seraph SP-6 and other Seraph flashlights from LF are essentially SureFire "C/P/G" series compatible flashlights with support for 18mm cell diameters much like the line of SolarForce flashlights, but of course, with their own unique styling.
I hope Mark does not mind me sharing this but he has told me that the titanium run of SP-6s had it's machine work outsourced to a machine shop in Taiwan. I would say that the results were worth the effort of finding a different location. While the normal Seraph line is perfectly acceptable IMO given it's price range, the machining quality of a Titanium light must be excellent to justify the use of an exotic material. The titanium used for the unit is grade 5. (This is the strongest commonly available titanium). I have no idea what grade is normally used to make Ti flashlights but this one is made from "the good stuff."
On my unit I was not able to find any imperfection worth noting and perhaps the most important thing is that the unit appears to have been through some good polishing and grinding to ensure that there aren't any sharp edges. It's very hard to even find evidence of the machining proccess at all. The surfaces are very smooth and approaching that "mirror" polished finish you get on metals when you put them in a tumbler with some polishing material. The surface of the titanium in the "flats" of the unit appears to have some of that natural random coloration (like a very subtle grain of coloration). I assume that this is normal with Ti products but don't have much to compare to.
On the first few assembly/dissemblies I didn't feel that the threads were as nice as I would have liked, however, after spending some more time and taking the plunge and doing a little lego with these Ti parts and some SF aluminum parts, getting the lube to flow around a bit, I have to conclude that the Ti SP-6 threads are every bit as buttery smooth as the best SF threads I have felt. They just need a quick work-in time and a chance to spread the lube around.
The Titanium SP-6 will ordinarily include a 6V-13V compatible 3-mode w/memory LED module. This module is only usable on 2xCR123 cells or greater (unit will not operate below ~5V). In other words, while the host will support an 18650 size cell, the 3 mode LED module will not work with one. It seems to me like almost a waste of an 18650 host to be forced to buy another lamp for it just to actually use an 18650. Then again, with the price tag of a Ti host, picking up a few lamps to play with is not going to be the budget breaker. In fact, the important point is that this is one of very few if not perhaps the only D26 compatible and 18650 compatible host available in Ti. If you prefer CR123s or would likely only use this particular light with CR123s, then there isn't a real problem anyways.
The 3 mode module is listed as being 5%, 30%, 100% with a 250 lumen Maximum. I believe that all of the 3-mode units shipping with Ti SP-6s will be the Nuetral tint versions. The version I received is in fact a Nuetral Tint. In my experience, the memory function of these modules is pretty intuitive and reliable. The percentages listed are fairly close to reality though I suspect that low may be closer to 8%. I'd like to see a lower low mode, (seems to be a hard to find feature in multi-mode flashlights). Testing done by MrGman and others have shown that this "class" of modules (R2s slapped in D26 reflectors on brass pills at around an amp) produce about 200 true torch lumens. With that in mind, I'd call the modes something like 16 lumen, 64 lumen, 200 lumen. Low and Medium use PWM that is visible if you look for it by producing fast motion in the light.
One of the design differences between a Seraph series flashlight and many of the other D26 style hosts out there, is that the head of the body is designed a bit differently. I had hoped they would make the head of the Titanium unit more like that of other D26 flashlights to improve thermal conductivity of LED drop-in (to the body). The business end of the body is cut slightly longer and with a perfectly cylindrical opening that leads right down to the spring shelf. The problem with this, is that, the brass pill of the LED module will never make direct contact with the body, but rather, heat will have to migrate through the various points that the spring (which must be used to make electrical contact) makes contact with the body. Also, this design probably means that MalkOff modules are out of the question unless a modified insert or some wadded up aluminum foil was used. If you intend to use the unit primarily on low output modes, and keep high mode restricted to reasonable continuous runs (I wouldn't want to run it longer than 10 minutes), then this isn't going to be a problem for you. Now that I have pointed out the drawback of that design, I must point out, that there are benefits as well; Having a spring contact rather than the press-fitted brass pill to aluminum body contact prevents the loss of contact that can often be associated with sudden temperature changes in the body. (Like dropping the cold flashlight into a hot-tub, with the direct contact light, the aluminum will rapidly expand and contact will go intermittent, unless the head is re-tightened). The Other benefit to this design is the wider range of large-spring compatibility as found on D36 modules and the Seraph P7 head unit (version 1). The way I see it though, most people would not really want to play titanium lego with aluminum parts. The look of a complete Ti light is not something that very many of us would be willing to sacrifice (however, back anodized SF parts actually look pretty neat on it!), so with that in mind, there is almost no reason for the head to be designed as it was in the aluminum versions of the Seraph that are expected to play lego with the mini-turbos and such.
Putting things in perspective, the head design even if used with normal LED drop-ins on a spring would probably never cause any normal flashlight user a problem as the natural use of flashlights tends to be in short enough increments that the issue isn't likely to come up. If we we going for practical, it wouldn't be Ti anyways right?
The forward tailclicker found in the titanium rear end is identical to the mechanism found in the aluminum Seraph line (I disassembled it just to be sure). I haven't had one fail yet and I have run the few that I have over the 2A maximum rating a few times. The Ti unit does not have the little "2A max" notation on the switch, but I think we have to assume the same recommended maximum from LF considering that guts are still the same. The Seraph clickies are nothing to write home about in the "feel" department but they work fine. Tail-standing feature is present and works as expected. Obviously tail-standing vs easy switch access is purely personal preference so I'm not going to say yay or nay on that aspect.
The original Seraphs that I reviewed came with 2 O-rings installed on the tail end. The Ti version that I received only came with a single installed but the second groove is still present, so I took one of the included spares and doubled it up. Seems to be fine this way.
-------
Here's some pictures that will help point out the color and sheen difference with some other LF parts:
Doesn't this thing just look sexy? I honestly think that the Seraph "design" is very well suited for the reflective Ti/Stainless/Chrome look.
In this next picture I have rolled the body over so you can compare the "back sides" and what various minor etching/labeling differences there is between the original SP-6 and the Ti version.
-------
Having considered how I would want to implement this flashlight in everyday use has led me to believe that I would never be happy running the 3 mode LF module because I wouldn't be able to utilize the 18650 size li-ion cell.
The following configurations would need to be considered by anyone purchasing this light who intends to make it a work-horse on 18650 cells and not a shelf-queen (though I would not hold it against anyone if they made it a shelf queen as the unit is quite attractive):
1. Run a common wide-voltage single mode buck regulated module that runs at a reduced and diminishing output on a single li-ion cell. (I have found that these module types work fine even in plastic body lights when driven on the single li-ion cell setups). The LumensFactory 3.6V-13V modules would work fine for this. Such a setup will give a good 4-7 hours (depending on many factors) of diminishing but respectable output (like around 100 diminishing to 50 lumens through the run) on a single 18650 cell.
2. Pick a multi-mode D26 module from another manufacture that will run properly on a single 3.7V li-ion cell and has a similar brass pill design that will support the outer spring needed to provide electrical contact. Make a mental note not to operate the unit in high mode for extended periods of time. Or, use a different brand head and remove the spring, other heads are shorter and will seat the base of the brass pill down to the spring rim and provide better heat-sinking. Or wrap the module in aluminum foil and stuff it in there.
3. Go incan and make the light coming out the front look as good as the unit it's coming from.
To heck with runtime or practicality. ------
That's all for now, Thank you for looking and enjoy!
-Eric
Last edited:
