Surefire L1 still relevant?

[Filip]

Sorry for the OT but could you be more specific, please?

...the only drawback is that the QTC can be a little less precise after a lot of use but i have found a couple of fixes that solve the problem...

 

[manoloco]

Sorry for the OT but could you be more specific, please?

Sure, sorry to leave the idea hanging and not explaining it.

For the Peak Eiger QTC v2 i just slice in half (half the thickness) a new square of QTC material that goes inside the pill, so its left thinner but with the same surface.

i take out the circle of QTC material that comes with the pill and insert this thinner square, works great.

What this does is stabilizes the top part of the pill (the one with the hexagon), so the sides of the top part stay parallel to the bottom part, this prevents imprecision with the high mode, or full conductivity.

Dont know if it will be less durable this way, i also want to try making a bigger circle and just found the right tool to make it (the sleeve of a mechanical pen), looks like its the perfect size, just have to trim it in it widest part to make it work, will try later at home.

But its working great and reliably as it is.

Chalk it up to answer #987234567889 to the question: "What the hell do you need to carry a knife for?"

 

[Filip]

Thank you, manoloco, I will give it a try (since I have a spare QTC).

 

[Blindasabat]

Recently I noticed that if I hit the low momentary, release and press again in less than 1 second I will have a second low mode at less than half the regular low mode. When it is in this lower low, I can twist the tailcap to leave it on in this mode. I find the regular low to be quite bright for navigating around the house at night, but the lower low seems perfect. Has anyone else experienced this with their L1s?

I posted about this effect on L1's modified with higher resistance tailcaps. I have modified all but one of mine with 30-100 ohm resistors. The effect is far more pronounced with very high resistance. My 100 ohm modified L1 has an ultra low second low. Much lower than the original gen1 low and even lower than the HDS lowest setting.

 

[anethema]

If you can name another light with that amount of output, with the intuitive convulsive interface able to get to high mode under stress without looking at the light, the option of a lower-output setting, with the solid Surefire build quality and product support, handy enough to keep with you 24/7, I'd love to hear about it.

This obvious answer to this is an HDS clicky LE/Tactical.

Instantly get to high from off or low, momentary or latched, with 0 thought or under any stress. I'd put the build quality above surefire, there is a VERY low option, or a normal low option, and the product support is supposedly second to none. Not to mention the output BLOWS the surefire away on one 123 cell.

I'm sure there would be other options too but maybe not so many that can combine it all so well in one package. There is a reason the HDS threads have 100's of pages of posts and is now at least on its 16th iteration of such.

 

[manoloco]

Thank you, manoloco, I will give it a try (since I have a spare QTC).

I just tried making a bigger circle of QTC material (a size almost identical to the identation on the top pill part on an Eiger) it works good too, but will have to see if it keeps like that in the coming days, hoping the QTC material is now wide enough to keep the discs parallel, and also by fitting with less play inside the little identation the disc should tilt less.

will let know

a couple of notes : if you decide to go with the thinner QTC it might not last as long as a circle that can fit inside the identation because nothing is preventing it from being compressed too much, also something that could be considered a pro or a con depending on the subject is that with the thinner QTC, its more sensitive and requires less force to push the momentary or twist.

 

[FPSRelic]

This obvious answer to this is an HDS clicky LE/Tactical.

Instantly get to high from off or low, momentary or latched, with 0 thought or under any stress. I'd put the build quality above surefire, there is a VERY low option, or a normal low option, and the product support is supposedly second to none. Not to mention the output BLOWS the surefire away on one 123 cell.

I'm sure there would be other options too but maybe not so many that can combine it all so well in one package. There is a reason the HDS threads have 100's of pages of posts and is now at least on its 16th iteration of such.

One thing you don't get with the Clicky is the ability to use momentary low OR momentary high with one press - it's either one or the other depending on what you program it for. The build quality is certainly better than Surefire's, but not by a grat margin. And I'm sure that the light output of the clicky can blow the Surefire's away in a Light Integration Sphere, but the L1 beats the HDS for throw. I find the L1's low mode more serviceable for general purpose tasks. It's all fine and good to have a light that will last for 144 hours on paper, but if you find yourself using it at one or two levels above medium, the runtime benefit sort of goes away.

As for the 16 thread HDS discussion, well, I think a lot of it has to do with it being one of the more feature rich lights out there. 200 lumen high, sub-lumen 144 hour runtime low. Built in power management for rechargables, the ability to program it up with a multitude of different outputs and modes. Potted electronics, Acme threads, excellent build quality, lifetime warranty. Even with the stuff that I can rattle off the top of my head, it's one of the more intelligent light's out there, and a flashaholic's wet dream.

But as for usability, I tend to prefer my 6th gen L1. Your mileage however, may vary

 

[anethema]

Yeah true but whichever you program, a double click press gets you either. Hold for momentary or just click to stay on. Amazingly easy. I have mine click and hold for momentary use on medium, and a double click for max output.

And yes being fully potted, amazing service and warranty, etc I think personally it fulfills that guy's request about a comparable light. You may like one thing on one a bit more than another etc but I would def put it in same league (or IMO, much much better due to the other criteria you list )

 

[skyfire]

Yeah true but whichever you program, a double click press gets you either. Hold for momentary or just click to stay on. Amazingly easy. I have mine click and hold for momentary use on medium, and a double click for max output.

And yes being fully potted, amazing service and warranty, etc I think personally it fulfills that guy's request about a comparable light. You may like one thing on one a bit more than another etc but I would def put it in same league (or IMO, much much better due to the other criteria you list )

HDS are great, i EDCed a clicky for well over a year. but i much prefer the UI of my L1. its quick and simple. one night my brother-in-law randomly grabbed one of my lights on the desk to check under his car hood, he came right back in and said my HDS sucked cause he couldnt work it LoL, I had it set up for about 2 lumens when it clicks on.
in terms of brightness, if you put a RCR123 in a 6th gen L1, its blazing! as bright as my E2DL. even with a primary its no slouch, it looks much brighter than its rated 65 lumens.

its runtimes are also very impressive considering you get alot more lumens than HDS' low low modes for around the same time. a test was done on a HDS rotary, and it got 128 hours of sub-lumen level. a HDS clicky would get better runtime but not by a whole lot.
i did a runtime test on my L1 and got well over 100 hours, but for half that time it was at about 7 lumens, then it would gradually drop down to a sub lumen.

i do miss having a low low mode on my EDC at times, i usually just cover part of the beam in those situations.
im not saying one is better than the other, just saying i like my L1 more. :thumbsup:

 

[leon2245]

Sorry for the OT but could you be more specific

Doesn't look too bad. IDK if they,re new, or how much use these had seen at by tme of this demo:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKY5A03q-Vs


Either way I like the L1, but no one can deny that "SLICES of Quantum Tunneling Composite" is one of the most awesome sounding features in a flashlight yet.

 

[anethema]

I think we're mostly in agreement Just sayin if you bought the light AS a tactical type light, program it to come on bright, and use double click as your dimmer mode. Then there is nothing to know. Click it comes on bright, or use it as momentary. Couldnt possibly be simpler.

 

[FPSRelic]

Couldnt possibly be simpler.

....Provided you don't have to program it that way yourself

 

[manoloco]

I think we're mostly in agreement Just sayin if you bought the light AS a tactical type light, program it to come on bright, and use double click as your dimmer mode. Then there is nothing to know. Click it comes on bright, or use it as momentary. Couldnt possibly be simpler.

But the L1 user interface is simpler, one push and thats it, and its more intuitive : more pressure, more light, also the button is (to me at least) a lot more comfortable to use and it can also engage when its pushed sideways, being mechanical it has some advantages but could be weaker than an electronic switch like the ones on an HDS

The Peak is simpler too (with a wide range of brightness), and i have found the twisty and the momentary on it to be a lot more reliable than any other type of switch i have tried

The HDS is however the sturdiest light you can truly tailor to your exact needs of light volume, with superb energy management, and probably the most versatile light out there.

 

[bigchelis]

Hi all,

Im curious. I have a XPG2 4*AA light which drives the LED at 3.3A.

So, does anybody here have an L1 with XPG2 direct drive off AW 17670 cell? The XPG2 should take the heat/current with ease.

My guess is at least 600 real OTF lumens and close to 20K lux. I need an L1 to mock up now...lol

bigC

 

[BenChiew]

You have to look carefully. You won't notice a drastic difference actually. Sometimes it's only a tad less bright but occasionally it's about half the brightness. That's why I said it is too troublesome to even bother trying.

For the life of me, I can't get mine to work. I am using rcr123 3.7v on gen6, will this make a difference? Do I need to use primary?

 

[pjandyho]

For the life of me, I can't get mine to work. I am using rcr123 3.7v on gen6, will this make a difference? Do I need to use primary?

I am not sure. I am using primary CR123 though.

 

[manoloco]

For the life of me, I can't get mine to work. I am using rcr123 3.7v on gen6, will this make a difference? Do I need to use primary?

No primary necessary, i have tested an AW IMR for the lower low sequence and it works flawlessly

 

[youreacrab]

I just picked up nib L1 with the new logo. Brightness on hi is a little lower than my e1b, but runtime blows it away. With a new battery it went over 2:15 continuous on hi and will still light up on hi. I'd say the light is still relevant.

 

[BenChiew]

Yup. Finally got the sub low to work. Great discovery.

 

[scout24]

I did a recent count. I own a stock gen 2 four flats, three Milky L1 four flats, a stock gen 6, and a Milky Arnor, which is a hot-rodded descendent of the L1... This may not be relevant. I may not be relevant. :nana: The light sure is. Relevant enough for Surefire to revisit the concept with the EB1 Tactical. You can call it an EB1 variant, but it's an L1 descendent in all areas that matter. It's still a fantastic UI, regardless of the head on the light. Compact, intuitive, robust. Add an LX2 or E1B pocketclip, depending on generation, and you're good to go.