Are solarforce any good ?

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jamie.91

jamie.91

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Joined
Aug 28, 2008
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Gooooood Morning CPF! i love sundays.

but if theres one thing i love more than no work and staying in bed, its a new light!

in my recent search for a new EDC my attention has been brought to the solarforce brand on more than one occasion, i read about them taking "Drop in's" which im not too familiar with as i do not have a light capable of taking drop ins but i hear good thing about them especially with Malkoff drop ins.

at first i thaught they were just surefire 6p replicas ( the L2 if i am right ?) but thay must be of a decent quality as there are many people who have them.

so CPF please educate me

firstly which is the solarforce light to get and where is the best place to buy them from.

secondly do i really need a light that can take dropins ?

thirdly is there a better option rather than solarforce ?

also i have seen this
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Solarforce-L2M-Mini-BLK-300-Lms-Cree-R2-Combo30100_W0QQitemZ270471467794QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_SportsLeisure_Camping_LightsLanternsTorches?hash=item3ef95b1312
and was wondering if it is cheap ?

thanks jamie
 
Havent really tested the durability of the solarforce but it feels pretty hefty to me, head here and check out the options available. they even have a new 2xAA option. You can pick and choose among the various options to get a light that suits your requirements.

I own a Solarforce L2 which i'm using on 2xRCR123s and a Lumens Factory HO-9 drop in and i really like it. I got the aftermarket clip too.

Back to your questions:

firstly which is the solarforce light to get and where is the best place to buy them from.
the link to the site is above, they have the L2 (takes CR123s/RCR123s or 18650) and the new L2-R 2xAA tube which can accept P60 drop ins
secondly do i really need a light that can take dropins ?
dropins are great, as technology improves, you can simply replace the LED/incandescent dropin module instead of having to get a new light. Think upgrades instead of replacements
thirdly is there a better option rather than solarforce ?
yes, Surefire 6P/G2, these accept dropins as well

I have a few hosts now and more dropins than i do hosts, so i can switch in and out as suits the need.

Personally, I'd get my solarforce from that site instead of that ebay link
 
Gooooood Morning CPF! i love sundays.

but if theres one thing i love more than no work and staying in bed, its a new light!

in my recent search for a new EDC my attention has been brought to the solarforce brand on more than one occasion, i read about them taking "Drop in's" which im not too familiar with as i do not have a light capable of taking drop ins but i hear good thing about them especially with Malkoff drop ins.

Drop ins are nice because they allow you to upgrade the light as new LEDs are released and more flux/color BINs become available. The yar ealso very DIY friendly, should you ever get the itch to try the DIY hobby.


at first i thaught they were just surefire 6p replicas ( the L2 if i am right ?) but thay must be of a decent quality as there are many people who have them.

They are basically replicas, but they are well made too and IMHO do enough things right to deserve your attention.

so CPF please educate me

firstly which is the solarforce light to get and where is the best place to buy them from.
Only you can decide which one is "right", what are your cell preferences? How big/small do you want the light to be? How much light do you want OTF? Any specific wants or dislikes in terms of form? As far as where to buy, lighthound sells solarforce.

secondly do i really need a light that can take dropins ?
Need?.... no, want?... possibly, depending on your preferences.


thirdly is there a better option rather than solarforce ?
Surefire should also be considered, but they do not accept 18mm diameter cells, and the P60L is out-dated by CPF standards.

also i have seen this
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Solarforce-L2M-Mini-BLK-300-Lms-Cree-R2-Combo30100_W0QQitemZ270471467794QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_SportsLeisure_Camping_LightsLanternsTorches?hash=item3ef95b1312
and was wondering if it is cheap ?

I am not a huge fan of ebay, I think your $$$ is better spent at lighthound or some other retailer with a CPF following.

thanks jamie
Sure np... and welcome to CPF!!
 
If you flick your nail against a Solarforce it goes "click"
If you do it on a Surefire it goes more like "tock"
Apart from my L2m Special Edition stainless ;)

The walls are thicker and of a denser aluminium.

The lens and retaining rings are of the best you can find anywhere , the bezel is good but lacks the little heat transporting ring the Surefire has. On my G2 with P60L the bezel does not get as warm as the 6P one, it does not conduct heat as well.
The switches are solid but mostly reverse clicky. I don't like this setup with anything but a multimode LED but others are comfortable with it. Modify it if you want or buy any of the aftermarket ones. Even Surefire.
The drop ins that come with the Solarforces are pretty good, no hassles to report. The Solarforce Li-Ion cells are top notch, I love my 18650's and the 16340's I just got are doing well so far.

The L2P HA-III has the potential to be the best commonly available body for a custom light, I cant wait to get one to confirm this.
A good LED and a surefire rear switch and you have close to the ultimate P60 Host.

Get a L2m with a few extenders, a few different voltage LED's and you can run anything from 1x CR123 to 3x18650 with so many options and voltages in between. Get a .8v-4.2v for AA and 1 cell Li-ion setups and a 3.6-13v (both 1 mode and 3 mode) for everything else.

If you want to run a SSC P7 with a good reflector the Lumens Factory P7 turbo head fits.
Anything from a single CR123 to a 700+ lumens P7 , sorted.
 
Thanks everyone for all the great replies!

i have modding in my blood lol but this sounds to good to be true

can someone tell me more about the different drop in configs and more about the P60 as it seems popular

i would prefer single 123a but if the outputs are drasticly different i wouldnt mind 2x 123

thanks jamie
 
With the .8-4.2V dropins, 1xRCR123 is just goin have shorter runtime compared to 1x18650. 1:30 hours compared to 2:30
 
Search is your friend.

Note in all this the voltage, jake (posting above) references a 0.8 to 4.2V dropin - this can be run on one CR123 (or rcr123), or presuming your "tube" will accommodate a 18 mm cell - a 18650 Li-ion (which is the length of 2 CR123. Realize though that 2 CR123 is 6V so cannot be used with the 0.8 to 4.2V dropin.

For LED - it's a "sticky" P60 sized led drop-ins (part 3)
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=217252
The above also has a link to pt 2, which I imagine has a ling to Pt 1

Nailbender also makes very nice drop ins - if he isn't referenced in the above - he's also good at customizing (more throw, less throw, more flood, less hotspot, runtime important, etc...) if you tell him what you want he can steer you in the right direction. NEW XPG ARE HERE plus SST-50 -90 & MCE/P7 P60 dropin Modules for Sf product (part 3)
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=239719
Even though he custom makes them on demand I've never had to wait longer than a week for delivery (I've bought 3 from him). Faster than buying one from DX and his service (if required) is MUCH BETTER. He also sends a nice note with the drop-in telling about it as well as a label on the drop in so you know what it is and what the voltage limits are.


For incandescent (I don't have any Lumens factory drop-ins - but this will give you an idea
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=219435
I usually use a FM bulb holder and use WA1185 bulbs or CL1794
 
Last edited:
thanks for all the replies, i just baught a L2m i think from the website that "hyperloop" posted a link to

Thanks hyperloop

its 1 cr123a i think, so now i need a drop in because i orderd it with no drop in to keep the price down as i gathered i would be changing it anyways

so could you please recomend me a drop in lol

i will be using Rechargeable 123a's just incase it makes a difference!

thanks jamie
 
what sort of beam profile? flood? throw? you may have made a mistake not ordering the drop in from jake (sbflashlights) as the dropins there are tailored for the hosts they sell, ranging from 1 mode - 3 mode - 5 mode.

I'm considering getting an L2M with an extension tube too.

Off topic: jake if you're reading this, can i get an extension tube to get my L2 upsized to a 2x18650/4xRCR123?
 
hyperloop said:
what sort of beam profile? flood? throw? you may have made a mistake not ordering the drop in from jake (sbflashlights) as the dropins there are tailored for the hosts they sell, ranging from 1 mode - 3 mode - 5 mode.

I'm considering getting an L2M with an extension tube too.

Off topic: jake if you're reading this, can i get an extension tube to get my L2 upsized to a 2x18650/4xRCR123?
Click to expand...

Use the L2-E18 extender or 2x L2-ECR.
I use my full size L2 with an E18 to run 2x18650.
The L2m would make no difference unless your specific L2m was not suited to 18mm cells. I think some were like that.
The extenders are 18mm so no problem there. (the ones I have anyway)

L2p oooooooh.
Switch 5 , ooooooooh.
 
hyperloop said:
what sort of beam profile? flood? throw? you may have made a mistake not ordering the drop in from jake (sbflashlights) as the dropins there are tailored for the hosts they sell, ranging from 1 mode - 3 mode - 5 mode.

I'm considering getting an L2M with an extension tube too.

Off topic: jake if you're reading this, can i get an extension tube to get my L2 upsized to a 2x18650/4xRCR123?
Click to expand...
I'm always reading everything:grin2: Just don't post as much as I used to. Did you make an order? Yes the E18 extension does do that. Not quite sure what you're asking. PM me.
 
hyperloop said:
I'd advise getting a clip from Jake too, useful little things they be.
Click to expand...


its funny you should say that, i have been looking at them and they look quality but im not a fan of clips so i will wait and see weather i need one before i just buy one

jamie
 
I bought a L2 body from ebay for £6 and used some batteries I already had for my other bodies to power it up. I used the "special" D26 LED drop-in from Lumens Factory. I have to say that the solar-force body is excellent, and does the job, with the newer increased capacity AWs the LF D26 LED is awesome, and this setup gives you one hell of a light. I've no experience of the standard SF LED modules tho.
 
i have a solar force with cree r2 superb light plenty of throw and flood .hey jamie how did you get on with that driver for the eastwood m8
 
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