ANYONE USING A PILA GL4

[shuter]

I have been reading about the Pila GL4 light that produces 550 Lumens on four CR123 batteries. Has a LED tailcap for low light needs. Currently selling for under $100.00. Anyone here using one of these? Would like to hear what you think.

 

[greenLED]

One of the brigthest lights I've owned. I don't use mine much since I favor smaller lights, but it's a great light nevertheless. The new LA's make it even more impressive.

 

[shuter]

One of the brigthest lights I've owned. I don't use mine much since I favor smaller lights, but it's a great light nevertheless. The new LA's make it even more impressive.

Sorry but... What is an "LA" ??

 

[greenLED]

LA= lamp assembly - different from a "bulb" in the sense that the reflector and lamp are a single unit.

I'm a huge fan of Pila lights - well built, bright, you can use rechargeables or primaries, and the LED tailcap is a bonus for low light illumination.

 

[FlashKat]

Are the Lumens Factory LA's compatible with Pila?

LA= lamp assembly - different from a "bulb" in the sense that the reflector and lamp are a single unit.

I'm a huge fan of Pila lights - well built, bright, you can use rechargeables or primaries, and the LED tailcap is a bonus for low light illumination.

 

[dudemar]

Yep, I use the EO-9 in my GL3. I don't think you can use the 700 lumen lamp assembly in the new GL4, however the older model (like the one in GreenLED's sigline) or a Wolf-Eyes Rattlesnake can.

Dudemar

 

[chuck614]

I have a GL4 that I like, too. Aside from the fact that CR123 primaries rattle in the tube, they are a well made light. Kind of an in-between size. Smaller than a Mag. Larger than most Surefires. And bright!
:thumbsup:

 

[shuter]

chuck614 - Does your GL4 have the LED tailcap? If so, how do you like it? I hear it puts out about 85 Lumens. Do you have the white, green or red LED's?

 

[dudemar]

85 lumens sounds really high, at most it's gonna be 5-10 lumens. I hate to burst your bubble, heck I wouldn't mind having a tailcap that bright!:huh:

Dudemar

 

[shuter]

Quote - 85 lumens sounds really high, at most it's gonna be 5-10 lumens. I hate to burst your bubble, heck I wouldn't mind having a tailcap that bright!:huh:

dudemar - :mecry:I expect you are right. I see the run times are really high. Looks like about 20 hours run time on four CR123A's. I have been looking for information, reviews, beam shots without much luck. I was hoping someone here would have one and could describe the tailcap performance.

 

[indycrucible]

I have a white 4-led tailcap on a WolfEyes Raider 9D. It (the TC) is brighter than a SF A2 with a larger spill, but I don't find the double ended flashlight configuration to be very useful. To each thier own, but I get more use from my A2 than the 9D, even though I really like the 9D's incan beam.

 

[shuter]

I talked with people at two Pila distributors. One said the white LED tailcap produces about 5 Lumins. The other said 10-20 Lumen. Wouldn't something like 50 Lumens be a lot more useful?

I wonder.... Could the tailcap be modded with a brighter emitter?

If you could pick a lumen value for the tailcap on a double ended flaslight, what would be the most useful?

 

[greenLED]

Shuter, I'm not sure what the overall output of the LED tailcap is. Keep in mind Pila tailcaps have a cluster of 4x5mm LED's, not a high-powered LED emitter (Luxeon, Cree or Seoul). The LED tailcap is plenty bright for navigating around a house, but they won't "wow" if you're trying to illuminate something outside or at a distance. The tailcaps also come in different LED colors, so the output (and your perception of it) may be different depending on the color.

"Useful" brightness really depends on what you intend to use a light for. Some find that an ArcAAA is plenty of brightness for them (for reading, walking around at night, looking into dark areas in a house), and the new ones are around 5 lumens for a single Nichia LED.

Others prefer something brighter, like a Lux or a Cree, because they might want to illuminate objects at a distance or where ambient light is already present.

CPF'ers in general are getting hooked with the "brighter is better" mantra, but one can have *too much light* for a certain task as well... it really depends on how you plan to use your light.

 

[shuter]

GreenLED - Thanks for the thoughtful reply. As a new flashaholic I do not really know what lights best suit me for various tasks. I have been accumulating lights primarily to make comparisons and see if I can establish need or use of a particular light for a particular use. I have never carried a light but find the very small very bright adjustable lights like the Fenix LOD CE attractive and may well find that in the future I will always carry one.

The dual use concept of the GL 4 appeals to me. Thinking I might put one in each car. Great throw for finding addresses, reading street signs, that type of thing occasionally needed when driving. The extremely bright light also has its uses to discourage an aggressive dog or human as well. Way to much light for close up work such as taking a look under the hood , looking in the trunk, or a walk off the side of the road. It would be nice to be able to turn the light around and use the other end for those needs. How many Lumens do we need for those tasks? I really don't know.

Perhaps there is no perfect light. While this a learning experience, I am finding it fun to sample them and compare. It is a very exciting time with wondrous developments in portable lights and batteries.

 

[greenLED]

... It would be nice to be able to turn the light around and use the other end for those needs. How many Lumens do we need for those tasks? I really don't know.

Perhaps there is no perfect light.

Yup, that's one of the things I like about the Pila lights with LED tailcaps.

How much light we need for a given task is hard to answer. Part of it depends on personal preference, the level of "dark adaption" your eyes have, ambient lighting, etc. As an example, the yellow/green (Y/G) LED's on the SF A2 seem really dim compared to the white LED's. However, once your eyes are fully dark adapted, the Y/G LED's are plenty bright to do all sorts of things normally. Under those circumstances, the white LEDs actually seem too bright!



'tween the two of us... there's no "perfect" light. All of them have compromises that you need to consider when thinking about what's most useful for your applications.


:thinking: For your use, maybe you can carry a spare Fenix L1D for when the GL4 beam is too bright and the LED's too dim. An alternative would be a multiple output light such as the SureFire U2. (I told you I was an LED guy.)
If you're intent on having incandecent lights, the only other light I've tried that also incorporates LEDs is the SF A2 (and with your use in mind, I'd go for the white LED version), although it's not rechargeable.

 

[shuter]

greenLED - It appears that the tailcap led's are not really very bright on the Pila GL4 Series "Imperatore". I find this to be disappointing. Clearly this feature is still useful for reading maps or maybe locating something in the car but the gap between 550 Lumens and 10 Lumens is to great. Not exactly what I want. I am ordering a Codex module for the GL 4 Imperatore that is in the mail. The Codex module is programmable and gives the user the ability to select various output settings and puts the user interface at the thumb where where it belongs for easy one handed use. http://www.pilatorch.com/codex.htm With the ability to turn the output down to a low level, the need for a second light becomes unnessary. This is the goal. On the down side it adds length and weight to the light. I will just have to see how I like it.

Seems to me that the ultimate utility/emergency light would have a thumb interface like the LRI Proton Pro. One push on the switch gives you instant maximum light. Continued thumb pressure ramps the output down to whatever level the user wants. The Pila GL 4 Imperatore uses four CR123A's providing enough power to throw an impressive beam. If LRI made a larger version of the Proton Pro with great throw.... It may be the ultimate utility/emergency light.

 

[Icebreak]

green -

I'd have never thought to buy a GL4. Our 'ol buddy Topper gifted me with some lights and one was the GL4. Having several HotWires for use, I was not impressed with the 12V LA. After installing the Lumens Factory HO-9L that all changed due to the terrific CRI.


shuter -

I think your approach to learning about lights is going to net you positive returns. The GL4 is a heavy light. I keep mine in my office as a dedicated power outage light. The cluster of amber nichias in the tailcap is plenty to navigate in a dark building. Great as area light for a small office. I think this torch would be good for your cars because the Pila batteries don't self discharge much and seem to handle cold and hot temperatures fairly well.

Also, I think you might be pleased with the output if you need to check under the hood or in the trunk. With strong incans often I'll sneak up on my target object (think carburetor, tire tools) by illuminating it with spill first then easing the hotspot closer until I get the image return I want.

I wanted to offer an opinion on something I don't have specific experience with regarding 4 X CR123 lights. I don't have a SureFire M4 nor do I run a Pila with 4 primaries. However, my experience experimenting with HotWires showed that there is a large degree of diminishing return on 4 primaries in series. One of the best aspects of the Pilas is the Li-Ion power source.

A little OT here but I think the best dual purpose light is the A2 especially with the FiveMega Strion lamp holder upgrade. Further off topic, I think the new Surefire U2 Optimus is going to be a stellar multi-purpose light, so good it might become legendary the first week it is available. Yet even crazy people like me are going to have to take a deep breath before pulling the $300.00 trigger on a production torch.

Back OT I think you'll like the GL4 for the car.

 

[shuter]

Icebriak - Thanks for the lengthy and informative reply. You have brought up a number of good points. Yes I have taken the thread a bit off topic but it seems necesary while exploring the light and it's uses. Since I started the thread, I think the moderators allow me some latitude. Hope so. I am learning a lot here.

As with you, I do not see the light as an EDC. Much to large and heavy for me to use in that way. I see it as a utility/emergency light much as you described using it. One for the house and one in each car. To fill the gap between 10 and 550 Lumens I have ordered a Codex module that will allow me to use the light with a thumb interface and adjust the lumen output from 0 to 550. That will give me the features I want. On the downside it makes the light larger and heavier. Not to mention more expensive. I found the light on sale for $88.00. The Codex module is $82.00. It's getting to be a pretty spendy light. Might be worth it though if it fills the need for two or three other lights.

U-2 Optimus? I'll have to see if I can find data on that. I see the U-2 is variable output. A necessary feature for a one light solution

I am planning on using CR123A's in the light. The tech data says: 4 CR123 A's will produce 550 Lumens V/S 2 Pila 600P Li-on producing 250 Lumens. I want the power so it's CR123A's for me.

 

[Icebreak]

Oh no I was just saying I was a little OT.

It's your thread to do with as you please, of course.

Well, one advantage of the primary CR123s is that they are the best at retaining capacity. They'll be ready to go when you need them. $80.00 for this solid performer is a good value IMHO. The Codex is something I've always wanted to try. Let us know how you like it.

 

[dudemar]

I have the Codex 3 (for GL3), it's awesome but fell short of my expectations. If you'd like you can check out me and Luigi's reviews by using the search function.