A2 - LED colours ?

[firefly99]

Planning to purchase an A2.

Should I get the A2 with white LED, then add filter ?
Should I get the A2 with the colour LED?
But which LED colour should I choose ?

How do you guys make the choice ? Thanks.

Please do not ask me to get an A2 for each LED colour. It is out of my budget and I would have a problem deciding which A2 to use.

 

[7bears]

I vote for the white LEDs. Unless you have a specific purpose in mind for use of the colored LEDs, get the white. The white is the most useful for general purposes.

 

[elgarak]

I second the whites. Can't go wrong with those.

One of the more common special usages is a nighttime hobby, where you do not want to destroy nightvision, like stargazing/astronomy. In this case choose reds. Other usages might include chemistry. Some reactions are photoactivated, so you need low-energy light = red. Example: Black & white photography.

All other colors are more specialized. Some are cool.

White is the only overall usageable color.

 

[beezaur]

I don't know if there is a filter that fits the A2.

The reason to choose white is for general use. You would maintain color rendition with white.

The other colors are for specialty uses. I have red and yellow-green. I like both colors for reading in dark places like vehicles, where I don't want my light to distract othres. Especially the yellow green is a pleasant and easy color to see by when reading.

The red A2 is my "bump in the night" light. I can navigate without advertizing my presence or wrecking my adapted vision with the red, but then the bright white beam is there instantly if I want it.

Red beams like the A2's are really crappy for seeing very far with. Other colors of the same brightness will let you see much farther because of the way human eyes react to red light. The yellow green is much better for walking around in rural/wilderness settings. I think green would be even better in that role, but white would be the best for walking around outside. I am not sure about the advantages of blue. I suspect it would make things like arrow fletches flouresce, but I have never tried that.

I guess you can sum up my preference for other colors as a desire for low observability with the bright beam instantly available. When I get lights for multiple levels of white light, I just get a dimmable LED.

Scott

 

[quokked]

Ahhh
If you are thinking about applications with certain colours of A2's

<Snip SF Product Catalogue>
Hunters find the red LED version ideal for predawn
movement without spooking game. (Some
animals can't see in the red color spectrum.)
Medics like the blue LED version because
blood is more easily discernible under blue light.
Hunters like the blue light too, for blood trailing.
Campers gravitate toward the white LED
version because of the general utility of white
light. Police officers tend to favor the green
LED version because even though the light
level is same as the other colors, the human
eye perceives the green wavelength approximately
six times brighter than any other color.
For snooping around the attic, a green LED
version would be great.
<End Snip>

Personally i'd go with a Yellow Green A2 Aviator, it just looks damn sweet...
:candle: I'm still stuck with my E2e
all wells...

 

[Gone Jeepin]

I have to agree on the white for good overall useage. I personally have e A2 w/blue LED and am very happy. I like it as a dog walking light and around the house at night. It is also one of the lights that goes in my EDC bag. The weakness of the blue is that it appears "darker" than other colors when shined on dark colors. I notice this on dark green plants and dark carpeting. The upshot of the blue is that it is great for low level lighting when bounced off a white ceiling in a dark room or the sidewalk when walking at night. I recall Shelby (Aluminum Overcast) used his blue A2 to walk the streets during the blackout of '02 with great results as well.

 

[leukos]

I own the red, green, and white A2's and like them all for different uses. If I had to pick just one, I would go with the white and get one of SF F05 red filters for it so I could have a third low-light option.

 

[TorchMan]

Quokked,

What does it say about yellow-green, if anything? I've been wondering about the color uses for a while, and had read or guessed most of the things the catalog says. Thanks.

I went with white, myself. I just find it to be superior for my basic uses to any monochrome, but choice is good. I've only seen, in person, white and blue, btw. Blue was not doing it for me!

 

[wquiles]

I would go with white and then update the cheapie white LED's with the 35K's that KevinL is selling. I like my A2 much more now without angry-blue

Will

 

[chuck4570]

You can't go wrong with white, good for general purpose.

Chuck

 

[quokked]

Quokked,

What does it say about yellow-green, if anything? I've been wondering about the color uses for a while, and had read or guessed most of the things the catalog says. Thanks.

I wanna yellow green aviator! not that mine would ever
get near the it's intended usage but meh

<Another Snip of the SF catalogue>
Yellow-Green Aviator
The dual-level A2 Aviator has a new LED
color for 2005, a special blend of yellow and
green that's designed for use with military night
vision devices (NVDs). A little-known fact is that
the U.S. Army, not the Air Force, has the most
pilots. Army helicopter pilots rountinely fly night
missions with NVDs and our new yellow-green
Aviator will be ideal for such applications.
<End Snip>

 

[firefly99]

I own the red, green, and white A2's and like them all for different uses. If I had to pick just one, I would go with the white and get one of SF F05 red filters for it so I could have a third low-light option.

Nice photos and great collection.

Guess I would go for the white A2 and get the color filters. Thanks everybody for your opinions.

 

[Phaserburn]

One of the things I don't care for with hybrid lights like the A2 is that in comparison, the blue tinted white leds always makes the incan beam look very orange-yellow, even though it's a very white incan like the A2's. It's a result of having the 2 colors in the same light. Unintentional comparison is unavoidable.

It seems to me the red or yellow/green leds would make the incan appear more white. I realize this is purely a cosmetic, non-functional comment, but we tend to deal in things like this around here! Anyone with a red or yellow/green A2 that can comment? Maybe the green does the same thing?

 

[leukos]

You're right, phaserburn, about the color temp difference between the white LEDs and the incandescent. Of the A2's I have, the one with red LEDs has the least problem with that to my eyes. I also sand all of my LEDs to diffuse them, and on my white A2, this has really done a lot to get rid of that angry blue, just a nice soft white (and it helps with the color temp thing too.)
I think the difference is most noticable if using the light indoors, outdoors it really doesn't seem to be a problem.
BTW, here's a thread about sanding A2 LEDs and other related info: http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=100819&highlight=tune

 

[thatguybme]

I own the red, green, and white A2's and like them all for different uses. If I had to pick just one, I would go with the white and get one of SF F05 red filters for it so I could have a third low-light option.

OK.. new guy here.. and just wanted to say this forum has great information.. I am going to purchase a surefire A2 in the near future (found out that my hotel points can be redeemed for gift certificates to Cabelas or Bass Pro Shops, so my light wont cost me anything - my job has paid for all my hotel points - shhh dont tell them) and was trying to figure out what color LED's I wanted.. I was leaning toward the red or yellow/green, but now I think im going for the white and get a red filter..

I just want to verify that the F05 filter will fit the A2 - they dont show a filter as an option on the webpage for the A2.. there also appears to be a size difference on the comparison chart between the E series (which the F05 fits) and the A2..

The webpage also show the F05 as a slip on (non flip up) filter, while cabelas show the filters that will slip on and flip up...

Just wanted make sure I was ordering the right thing..

thanks

brian

 

[leukos]

The flip-up F05 is not a perfect fit on the A2, but you can stretch it over the bezel to make it work. The F05 in the hex shape will not fit. I'm not sure which version SF is currently offering or what version a particular dealer may have in stock. I guess it is best to phone or email before purchasing. If you have trouble finding the flip-up filter, they are actually made by Quake and you could purchase one here: http://www.quakeinc.com/opt1.html

 

[mdtsl]

>The webpage also show the F05 as a slip on (non flip up) filter, while cabelas show the filters that will slip on and flip up...

>Just wanted make sure I was ordering the right thing..


Brian, I just ordered an F05 and F06 from Cabela's with the intention of using them on an A2, and even though I "confirmed" with them before ordering that these were flip-up style, they were actually the slip-on style when they arrived.

I don't want to open these to confirm they won't fit, but they look like they almost will in the package. Leukos, are you sure they won't stretch to make it? I read that they won't somewhere else too, I am just wondering if anyone's actually tried it.

Otherwise I'll order them from Quake (after essentially doubling my shipping costs with the Cabelas debacle!).

Thanks for the info about Quake, Leukos!

 

[SCblur]

I've tried stretch my E2e diffuser over my A2 bezel, and I can almost make it fit, but not quite. Maybe with some extra effort and patience I could, but I would be concerned about damaging the filter at that point. As hard as it would be to make the diffuser fit over my A2, it was just more trouble than it was worth.

 

[tsask]

Great pic of the green LEDs!!!:wow: Since I first saw it 2 years ago,I have been thinking about an A2, and learning more about it. at $180 USD retail it will pass my C3 as the most expensive light!

 

[leukos]

mdtsl,

I haven't tried very hard to get the hex style F0x filters to fit on an A2, they just don't seem flexible enough (I'm not going to destroy mine to find out either). You might want to hang on to the ones you bought as most likely you'll want them for another E series light, HDS, or McGizmo creation down the line. But for the A2, you'll need the flip-up style F0x filter to fit. I think SF switched back to the hex style recently (probably because the color quality of that brand is superior to Bushwacker), so you might need to order them from the Quake site.