Good old classic Surefire A2

teak

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Since the wind has been let out if the sails on the A2 these days I thought I would start a topic just to keep it going. It's still one of my favorites and I am not happy that surefire discontinued making MA02s. Lumens factory is still making them but they are so inconsistent with working reliably I personally don't even consider them an option, or atleast used to not..lol. I am going to start purchasing a bunch if MA02s before they dry up altogether. I sure wish now I would have bought more if them when they were readily available.
 

Minimoog

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Since the wind has been let out if the sails on the A2 these days I thought I would start a topic just to keep it going. It's still one of my favorites and I am not happy that surefire discontinued making MA02s. Lumens factory is still making them but they are so inconsistent with working reliably I personally don't even consider them an option, or atleast used to not..lol. I am going to start purchasing a bunch if MA02s before they dry up altogether. I sure wish now I would have bought more if them when they were readily available.

I really loved the A2. One thing I did do was change the LED's to 'warm white' which were almost the same tint at the bulb. What I like about it is the UI (two stage press) and the whole feel of the light. Mine are all 'four flats' versions. What do SureFire say when you ask them for a bulb I wonder? It seems a bit recent to be no longer supported to me. I bought some bulbs at the same time as my lights, but only one spare left now.
 

teak

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I really loved the A2. One thing I did do was change the LED's to 'warm white' which were almost the same tint at the bulb. What I like about it is the UI (two stage press) and the whole feel of the light. Mine are all 'four flats' versions. What do SureFire say when you ask them for a bulb I wonder? It seems a bit recent to be no longer supported to me. I bought some bulbs at the same time as my lights, but only one spare left now.

Mine all have koala rings as well. I'm not sure what surefire says about the lamps. I haven't personally called them and asked. I think I will though. They do not offer them on their website anymore. There is a few places that has them in stock but who knows for how long.
 

Minimoog

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Mine all have koala rings as well. I'm not sure what surefire says about the lamps. I haven't personally called them and asked. I think I will though. They do not offer them on their website anymore. There is a few places that has them in stock but who knows for how long.

If you do call I would be very interested to know what they say. There must be some kind of support in place, even if it just a discount on a new light.
 

m4a1usr

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The availability of the MA02 is definitely a concern however the lamp assy has an NSN assigned to it which makes me think somewhere there's a stash stowed away. Maybe in some dark, hidden away, long forgotten location but to be discovered one day. Well at least that's what I'm hoping.

:santa:
 

teak

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The availability of the MA02 is definitely a concern however the lamp assy has an NSN assigned to it which makes me think somewhere there's a stash stowed away. Maybe in some dark, hidden away, long forgotten location but to be discovered one day. Well at least that's what I'm hoping.

:santa:

Yes I do hope that is the case. Until then we probably should buy atleast 10 to have on hand if we want to continue using these things in years to come..lol
 

teak

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Guess everything that can be said about the a2 has already been said years ago. Lol..they've all been sold off and put away!
 

ShineOnYouCrazyDiamond

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Wow - was surprised to read this thread. I didn't realize the MA02 has been discontinued. After reading this and having a browse around the web I see that it's now out of stock most everywhere. I have a few bulbs but I'll have to keep my eyes out for any sales.

I don't use mine too often so I don't foresee a long term problem with bulbs but always good to have some spares.
 

teak

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Yes. They show out of stock most places, as you found out. Lumens factory still makes thier bulb, but as I stated in a previous post they are so inconsistent that one may work in a particular a2 and it may not. I recently received a new a2 white and it came with an extra lumens factory lamp. It wouldn't work in any of my a2s but I could get it to light when testing. I've had that problem in the past so I always stayed away from them. Lumens factory tells you to put a piece of foil on the contact so it will make contact and work..I used to solder a small bead on the lamp but honestly I shouldn't have to mess with them to get them to work, so another reason to not use them..they did say they would send me a replacement but I never heard anything back after a follow up email on my end. I'll just keep an eye out for ma02s. I still haven't called surefire yet and gave them my concern.
 

m4a1usr

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Guess everything that can be said about the a2 has already been said years ago. Lol..they've all been sold off and put away!

Not sure if folks use bookmarks anymore but if you want the "Definitive/ cover all bases" on the SF A2 save this guy. But I warn you. You can lose your train of thought grazing thru all of the links/ lessons guys have passed along. And a big THANK YOU to Daniel for spending the time to compile this info. Should be a sticky. http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?199396-The-SureFire-A2-Thread-Index
 

Kestrel

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Not a big A2 fan (my interests took me in a different direction), but IMO one of the brilliant design aspects of that light was to combine a 'throwy' main beam with a 'floody' secondary output.

Which is why I have never been able to explain the design of its "replacement" A2L - going to a floody primary LED configuration and that bluish SSC P4. :confused:
 

bykfixer

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archimedes

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A2 is one of my favorites.

Fortunately, the soft-start helps preserve the lamps, but I hope replacements or alternatives somehow stay available.

Still nothing like an A2 out there ....
 

teak

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So who outbid me 50 cents on the ma02 on the bay?.. lmao. It's been many years since I've bid on anything over there. Lol
 

wolfstyle

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So who outbid me 50 cents on the ma02 on the bay?.. lmao. It's been many years since I've bid on anything over there. Lol

Wasn't me, but I was watching that one. The ad says they have more available. Maybe worth reaching out to them if you need one.
 

m4a1usr

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So who outbid me 50 cents on the ma02 on the bay?.. lmao. It's been many years since I've bid on anything over there. Lol

Wasn't me. I made the second bid but decided to take the sideline and see where the bid topped out. Besides you guys got me thinking about a making a version with replaceable bulbs. And after studying the LF brass base I can see host potential for a bi-pin holder. It looks pretty simple to me. Just need to buy a series of bulbs that have the correct physical and electrical properties and the rest is easy.
 

wolfstyle

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If you weren't aware member Fivemega has made bi-pin adapter in the past that uses Streamlight Strion bulbs. Not currently available but could give you some ideas.
 

teak

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Yes I have thought about that myself. The LF brass may be a good start!
 

ShineOnYouCrazyDiamond

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So who outbid me 50 cents on the ma02 on the bay?.. lmao. It's been many years since I've bid on anything over there. Lol

Ha! I was watching that one as well. It was only $3 this morning and I thought maybe I had a chance to grab it for under $10. Then I got busy at work and completely forgot until you posted this message. I guess I'm not surprised it ended selling for over $16.

I would say if you're really concerned about bulbs get yourself a Strion kit. Maybe a bit hard to find but persistence will pay off - there's got to be over 200 of them floating around the CPF herd. Strion bulbs are cheap and plentiful and you'll have a lifetime of even higher CCT goodness than the stock bulb.

Makes me want to try and run a test on a brand new Strion bulb and see how long it takes before it burns out. I was looking through some of the other A2 threads and found the one asking about who actually had to replace a bulb on there A2. Seems almost no one has ever had a bulb go on them - most replaced it because of dimming because of the tungsten deposits on the inside of the bulb. I remember this issue with my old 2xAA MiniMag back when that was the only light I had and used it all the time. Even with that I don't remember going through more than 2 or 3 bulbs over a 10 year period.
 
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