Surefire mods

I've been getting emails and PMs asking about mods to Surefire LED heads so I thought I'd try to kill a bunch of birds with one stone.

Due to a recent project, I was able to set aside a small quantity of IMS SO17XA reflectors. These are the old style with with the full skirt. The reason that I set these aside is that they work really well in KL1 and L1 heads. The skirt allows the use of an o-ring which serves to center and retain the reflector.

The available mods are as follows:

KL1:
I can mod your KL1 with a high dome luxeon (if you don't already have one or want to upgrade to a 3W), overdrive the circuit to 700mA or 1A, and add a reflector to it.

L1:
I can upgrade the luxeon to a 3W highdome and add a reflector.

KL3:
The KL3 can be modified with a 3W highdome luxeon. The circuit can also be overdriven. I usually bias the KL3 to about 800mA or 1.2A. I could also add a Pelican reflector for that monster throw that is typical of lights equipped with a PR.

If you're interested in any of the above mods, PM me for details. I'm NOT looking for trades. I would prefer that you provide your own luxeons; however, I do have a few left that are of a good bin.

Thanks,

Tony,

PM sent.

These are definately worth having.
I can attest to this since I have a KL3 modded by Chop with a Pelican Reflector that is way nice. Great tint and awesome throw.

Can't remember though if it can still use it on 2 AND 3 cells or just two /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon3.gif

Chop, maybe I'm asking too much, but is there any chance you would ever put up a tutorial on how to mod something like the KL3? I could probably work out the purely mechanical side of things but how you re-bias the circuitry to deliver higher current has me puzzled.

hey Chop, might want to put this in the "modder's yellow pages" sticky !?!
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
bernhard

PM sent.

Requesting KL3 upgrade.

[ QUOTE ]
Kiessling said:
hey Chop, might want to put this in the "modder's yellow pages" sticky !?!
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
bernhard

[/ QUOTE ]

I second that, now that I just convinced McGizmo to re-sticky it, someone should fill the thread with life.

chrisse

Tony,
You can put the IMS SO17XA reflector in my High Dome / 700mah KL3. The IMS reflector is a good compromise between throw and flood.

I e-mailed you for prices.

Thanks,
Tim

Just got my KL3 mod back and I absolutely love this thing!
It's a 1.2A circuit and when I put it on my old z3 the beam output closely approaches, if not matches, the original incand bulb, which I think was rated for 105 lumen. This of course is just my naked eye measurement. The beam pattern, hotspot, sidespill and such is very close to the original z3 which suites well for my personal preference.

Due to manufacturing variations this particular KL3 of mine is a tough egg to crack and I really appreciate the extra effort that Tony puts in to get the job done. This definitely save myself loads of nightmare scenarios had I done it myself. Many kudos to Tony!

Now that I'm a happy camper with my "new" z3, I wonder what I should do with my other KL3 that's lying around...^_^

Mobius,

Thanks for the kind words, and I'm glad that you like the mod. If you have a second KL3 and don't have a need for another super bright light, you could just have the emitter swapped and a reflector added in the second one. This would give you a moderate output/long runtime option.

Congratulations, Mobius!

Tony sure turns the KL3 into a beast, doesn't he? That Z3 grip is so comfortable and Surefire does such a beautiful job on machining the KL3. That is a very nice setup you have.

[ QUOTE ]
Chop said:

KL1:
I can mod your KL1 with a high dome luxeon (if you don't already have one or want to upgrade to a 3W), overdrive the circuit to 700mA or 1A, and add a reflector to it.


[/ QUOTE ]

Here's the KL1 Chop did for me. Which is a 700-750ma with a Lux III. I just got this Balrog 1.5 body and the SF Z52 tailcap in today. The rechargable cells specifically for this body haven't arrived yet. So I'm running it on one of JS Burly's R123 cells and a 1/2 123 dummy right now.

The 1.5 body is about perfect in length for me. I need that 1/2 123 additional length. Shorter and the side of my hand folds over and occludes part of the lens. I have to hold Arc LSs in a different grip.

Beautifully centered and focused, white and bright.

I like the look of this old style KL1...reminds me of the cooling fins on an old Hotchkiss or Nambu Machinegun.


Below: The sleek look of the KL1/BE1.5 makes the McL1 look super "busy".