Advise needed!

[Arg]

Hi everybody. I am doing a little research before buying a Surefire Flashlight, maybe you can help.
I want it for general outdoor use, from close range working to relatively long range such as search of wounded animals when hunting.
I think that some of the multi stage flashlight might be a good option, but I have not been able to find information about how far do they reach in high output mode. The L2 seems impressively powerfull, but I understand that it has a broad short beam, but how short? I am not sure how powerfull the A2 is. And could not find anything about the U2 in high mode.
Any comments will be appreciated!
Thanks!

 

[Size15's]

Welcome to CPF!

Quite how "far" a flashlight beam reaches is extremely dependant on your own eyes and the surrounding conditions. For example the standard SureFire 6P can have a reach of 30 to 60 yards depending on who you ask.

If you application is outdoors & hunting then I'm not sure a single flashlight can do close range and tracking. For example, close range infers a rather low output and broader beam compared to tracking which (although I have no experience) seems more the realm of a more intense incandescent beam.

Therefore the A2 to me seems the logical choice if only one flashlight can be used. I certainly rate the A2 extremely highly.

I am finding the L2 impressive for my use of light. I do find it lacking in terms that it doesn't have an intense beam for longer throw but I usually don't need such illumination and so use a more dedicated SureFire (usually an incandescent) when I need to.

It may be useful for you to search CPF for reviews and feedback of the A2.

I hope you enjoy your time here and find the flashlight(s) you need!

Al /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Arg]

Thanks Al.
I am looking for something light and compact, I know that I will not get the power of a large flashlight, but I would like some throw if it becomes necessary.
The A2 seems to me to be too low in low setting, how would it compare with a Petzl Tikka? I think that probably the lower setting of an L2 would be my choice...
The U2 might be an option, but I have not been able to find information about it bean, does anybody know if it is wide or narrow?
Maybe I should stick to my tikka and get one of the more powerfull models for longer ranges... Or maybe get more than one... this seems to be contagious!

Thanks a lot!

 

[cliff]

Arg:

I have a U2 and plan to use it for the exact purposes you describe. The area I hunt is fairly brushy and the U2's throw is more than enough. For most purposes, level 6 on this light is way too much and I usually have it down on levels 1 - 3. On level 1 it will burn for 40 hours.

If you follow blood trails, consider a tip-up blue filter also. They say it makes the trail easier to see, though I have never needed to do that type of thing in the dark.

 

[Arg]

Thanks Cliff, I will try to have a look at the U2 at some retail store. I couldn't find any beam shot of the U2, does anybody have one? Is it flood or throw?
Last question... for now: what about the throw of the C3?
Thanks a lot!

 

[Arg]

BTT!

 

[Mattman]

If you've got your heart set on a Surefire, the A2 probably comes closest to meeting your needs (Al knows his Surefires). The catch with Surefire is that their claim to fame is more in the beam quality department than the throw department. To get better throw, you frequently have to step up to a 3 cell Surefire to match the best throwing 2 cell lights from other manufacturers. If you check the output and throw charts on flashlightreviews.com, you'll notice the Surefires put out competitive amounts of light for a given number of cells, but their throw is usually below the lights they ranked with in the output chart. Therefore, you get good output, excellent beam quality and good (but not the best) throw.

I'm a little biased since my tastes lean more towards bang-for-the-buck lights, so read some charts and reviews of the Surefires and let us know what you think. I don't want to sell you other lights if you want a Surefire, but if you decide you want to shop around, just ask and we can come up with other options for you.

 

[Arg]

I thought about Surefire because if I am going to spend a large amount in a flashlight I want it to last a lifetime. I would go for another brand on that basis.
The problem I see with the A2 is that low seems to be too low. With L2, not enough throw. With the U2, us$ 300... my wife would kill me, as she does each time I buy a weapon, a gps... ja
Probably the thing is that a light that covers all my needs does not exist. Maybe I should get 2, say an L2 and anotherone for throw...
Bottomline, I don't know what to do!

 

[mokona2]

An A2 will most likely fill most of your everyday flashlight needs, but if you want something to cover everything, then you may have to invest in several different types of flashlights (both LED and incandescents) /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/broke.gif As I EDC an A2 now (retired my L2), I find for the price, size, output, and beam quality, it's the best for my needs. Granted the run time is somewhat short, but I do carry spare CR123s and also other flashlights just in case.

 

[Arg]

As I said before, the low setting in the A2 seems to me to be too low. If it was a bit higher I would go for it.
The A2 seems to cover everything excepting the throw, pity there are no turbo heads available for this model.
As for the U2, does it outthrow the L2, both in high?

 

[Cornkid]

The L2 and the U2 use the same 5 watt LED... It is likely that the high on the L2 is similar to that on the U2.. The low on the L2 is not really low though.. It is pretty bright and may make you lose your night vision when looking at things closely.

-tom

 

[deranged_coder]

Well, the type of LED used is only part of the equation. The U2 has a larger diameter bezel than the L2 which will change the beam characteristics. The type of reflector / optic used will also make a difference.

 

[leukos]

One major thought, Arg, is that if you are out in the woods when it is dark, it is a good idea to have at least two lights in case one malfunctions.
I currently have an L2 that works great as a navigation light, though most 1 or 3watt lights could also fit the bill.
From what everyone says, the U2 is a great light and has better throw than the L2. I would discourage you from getting an LED light for spotting though because of the difference in color spectrum. Incandescents perform significantly better for spotting because of this.
I use a C3 for tracking and spotting. I have a lot of extras for it too that make it more versatile: turbo head, beam shaper, red and blue filters, Pilas, etc.
These two work for just about every situation I need them for in the great outdoors.
If you do just want one flashlight, you might consider Pila's GL3XR it has decent throw, can use rechargables or primary cells, and has LED's in the tail cap. Maybe that is more what you are looking for? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[Arg]

If the C3 has good throw, the combination of C3+L2 seems interesting. Thanks Leukos!
Another reason for choosing Surefire that I forgot in my previous post is that in the next months I am going back to Argentina, and surefire and maglite are the two only big flashlight firms with good support down there. If I got a Pila, it would be impossible to get any kind of spares down there.