Surefire U2 thoughts

Now that the U2 has been out for awhile what are your thoughts on it? Would you buy it again?

Only if I could handle it first to ensure that the tint and beam shape were satisfactory. If those are up to snuff, its a fantastic light. If I could also be sure it was among the brightest of a group, that would be good too, but not as important as the first two parameters.

I'm suprised I didn't get more response on this. I know your out there U2 owners. Is it worth the price?

That is a hard question to answer, because what is "worth it" to one person may not be to another. And people's circumstances vary.

Like cars, guns, knives, computers, photgraphic equipment, stereo equipment, watches, women's jewelry, and all kinds of other stuff - small increases in quality above a certain point cost increasingly larger amounts of money.

Is the U2 nice? Yes. Can you get something else almost as nice for significantly less money? Yes, I think so. Do I use my U2 most of the time, or even a lot of the time? No, I don't. Knowing what I know now, would I buy it again? Sure.

But I'll add this - most of "high-end" lights out there are pretty hard to justify on purely economic grounds. The same thing is true of all the things I listed above, too. So, if your view of this is that it is mostly a "bang for the buck" discussion, you might want to look at something else instead of a U2, get a light that is almost as nice, but a lot less $$, and keep a chunk of that money in your pocket.

Value is in the eye of the beholder ... newo covered it very well in his post.

If you want more info there are an abundance of [sometimes long] threads dedicated to the U2 elsewhere in this forum.

"most of "high-end" lights out there are pretty hard to justify on purely economic grounds.. . ."

I don't know about that. When you think about how much you depend on a flashlight -- fixing a flat, walking to the gas station, power outages, things that go "bump" in the night, etc. -- compared to a pistol with its extremely limited functionality, the flashlight comes out ahead. I mean, you spend many hundreds of dollars for a gun, ammo, hoster(s), practice. And for what? That once in a lifetime when you might shoot someone?

A lot of places people go these days you can't have a weapon of any sort without being some kind of LEO. So there you are, stuck in the 11th floor of some building, or on the side of a dark highway, helping a busload of nuns and children. The last thing you need is to have your light fail. You might really need all the features and reliability of the high end lights to keep someone from falling down the stairs or smacked by a drunk driver.

How could you live with yourself if you were too cheap to spring for the real deal, and someone died because your light failed? The guilt would eventually ruin you. Destroyed young lives for lack of the right equipment.

Think of the children, man! Buy the good light!


Or at least, that's what I tell myself when I ramp up for a big purchase. My wife thinks my "justification skills" are quite well developed.

But it's still less money than a pistol, and healthier than beer.

Scott

Hello Sbebenelli,

I think the U2 is a great light. I use it all the time.

Yes, I would get it again.

Tom

The best all-around light to date.
bernhard

i would get it again, its a great light. Easy to use, and the 6 levels of light is extremely handy in all situations.
The bezel is a little bit bigger, but its got really decent throw, at least i think so.
But, the luxeon lottery with the U2 is just too hard to win.

yes I would buy it again. It trashes any of my other lights.
But it could still be brighter. too much is never enough.
I love the new clip style too.
paul

I think the U2 is an outstanding concept and the best light I own, that is, it will be once again, after I get it back from Surefire. I returned it to them to see if they could eliminate a slight donut-hole problem the light was suffering from that I could just not seem to get over while actually using the light and not just staring at the beam on a wall. If only SF had not advertised the U2 on their website as having a "[f]lawless beam, no dark spots or rings..." I would have probably not returned it for repair/replacement. I mentioned in my letter to them that I do not expect to sacrifice the U2's balance of good throw and broad illumination in correcting the donut-hole problem. We'll see what they come up with. But for the not-quite flawless beam and some dust particles on the inside of the lens, it is an excellent tool.

O'DubhGhaill, out.

[ QUOTE ]
O_DubhGhaill said:
I think the U2 is an outstanding concept and the best light I own, that is, it will be once again, after I get it back from Surefire. I returned it to them to see if they could eliminate a slight donut-hole problem the light was suffering from that I could just not seem to get over while actually using the light and not just staring at the beam on a wall. If only SF had not advertised the U2 on their website as having a "[f]lawless beam, no dark spots or rings..." I would have probably not returned it for repair/replacement. I mentioned in my letter to them that I do not expect to sacrifice the U2's balance of good throw and broad illumination in correcting the donut-hole problem. We'll see what they come up with. But for the not-quite flawless beam and some dust particles on the inside of the lens, it is an excellent tool.

O'DubhGhaill, out.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm still waiting for mine to.

I have two Surefire lights (an L2 and a U2), like them both and would buy them both again. I do prefer the beam shape on the U2 (good combination of throw and flood) and the speed and handling of the L2 (2 levels immediately available). My ideal light would be smaller than either, have 3 levels (the lowest of which would be lower than the U2 or L2 on low), and a beam the same shape as that of the U2. Both are great lights though. Some say the L2 is a touch long, but it handles well and feels good in the hand. The U2 is noticeably bigger, but still handles pretty well (tougher to carry all day). Like many have said, the L2 is a flood light, great for camping and situations where you need to light up a large area. The U2 provides good flood and spill but more punch in the center.

Finally all the U2 owners come out of the closet and so I will too /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/nana.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

It is a good light and I consider mine irreplaceable. It answers the fundamental question - what happens if I need more battery power/brightness? Now I can adjust for either 45 hour burn time or 150+ lumens (note: this is my personal estimate and not an official spec). When conducting a tactical assault on a cockroach last night in dark corners (you know the cockroach *ALWAYS* hides in the most inaccessible, darkest place), the U2 proved itself invaluable in being able to spot and kill the beast. Constant on and a lanyard were extremely valuable /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

The donut hole appears to me like the Trinitron wires. On certain CRT monitors using Trinitron tubes, there are two tiny steel support wires for the aperture grille. These wires drive certain people CRAZY as it appears as two lines across the monitor. I've lived with and loved my Trinitron monitors for nearly a decade and I honestly wouldn't have it any other way. The wires don't seem to bother me. Off topic example but yes, the donut hole strikes me as something similar. When whitewalling, and purposely looking for it (like the lines) I can see it faintly. When hunting cockroach, I couldn't possibly care less... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

And it's a great light for the unannounced features. Incredible efficiency - twice the runtime of my KL1 on the same two cells, 18650 lithium ion support (does anybody OUTSIDE CPF know of this even?).. list goes on.


But as has been well said, what I find valuable may not appeal to the next person. Some of the people whom I have shown the U2 to appreciate a decent light, but they don't envision themselves needing the bleeding edge of illumination technology. All is fine and good, I wouldn't push them to get the U2 even though I have enjoyed it greatly.

I lik(ed) mine, but it fried after the first month and has been "back at the shop" for about a week and a half. Prior to that it was flawless and I used it constantly - on all six levels. Level 1 is particularly useful and doesn't appear to make any dent in the capacity of a 168A at all. I'm hoping to get this thing fixed and back in service. If this process takes a long time, I will consider getting another one to use when the alternate is "in for repairs."

[ QUOTE ]
cliff said:
I lik(ed) mine, but it fried after the first month and has been "back at the shop" for about a week and a half . . . If this process takes a long time, I will consider getting another one to use when the alternate is "in for repairs."

[/ QUOTE ]

What other company in the world could rely on a consumer base/mindset like that! Problem is, I've been thinking of doing the same damned thing! Persons have time and again referenced a certain, "SF sickness" suffered by light-afficionados here...I think I need to check into sick-bay....

O'DubhGhaill, out.

Yep, and if it wasn't for SF's customer service reputation there is no way I would have paid that much for a flashlight. Of course, if they don't fix this thing within a reasonable time frame my admiration for them may reach new limits but I'd still regard the U2 as critical gear for anyone who has to do "serious" business in the dark.

Of those who may have sent theirs back to SF for repair/replacement, has anyone received it back? If so, what was the problem you requested repaired and was it? SF received mine on 31JAN05 and they have not gotten to it yet as of 04FEB05. "Amber" of SF informed me of a 1-2 week turnaround, but I would expect it to take a bit longer?

O'DubhGhaill, out.

Absolutely, what other lights can do what the U2 does (six brightness levels, ALL REGULATED) that are significantly lower in price?

The new HDS look promising, but they have FOUR brightness levels, and probably less runtime due to only 1 battery.

Seems to me that for a flashlight this expensive, a relatively high percentage are being sent back to SF for one reason or another. This doesn't seem consistent with it's stratospheric price. Just my $0.02 observation..... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif