I Found My SF L4!

Ginseng

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Feb 27, 2003
Messages
3,734
I lost my beloved L4 a few weeks ago in the big snow storms here. Thought it was gone forever but hoped it would be in a snow pile somewhere. And so I waited for the warmup.

Today it turned up in a snow pile. It had been picked up by a gas powered snow blower, chewed up and spit out. It now has a lot of character with gouges and dings all over the head and body tube. The glass was intact but I got a graphic lesson in the fact that steel is much harder than aluminum.

The good news is that it still works and with a Pila 168S from JS Burly's , it lit right up bright as always. The other good news is that comparing it to a new X4T L4 I had made up, this is most definitely an X but greener, maybe an X3.

So, anyone want to buy my other L4-X? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Wilkey
 
Good for you Wilkey. If you think your L4 looks chewed up, I wonder what the snow blower operator thought as it got sucked through his blower /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif (if he was paying attention that is).
 
Surefire might like that one, to show how tough their flashlights are. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
I'll see if I can get a picture up tonight. It's pretty gnarly. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

I have new found respect for the toughness of Surefire lights. I don't think any other light I own would have survived this punishment.

WIlkey
 
Congratulations on your L4! We told you it would return!!

As for the L4-X, how much is it going.. them CPF folks are egging me on to get a L4. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif is the L4-X ia custom or a stock light?

And we want to see pics of a true survivor, snow, chopped up and all.. it's as tough as they come!
 
Kevin,

Thanks!

It was built for me by "cm" from a mediocre L4 and an X4T Luxeon Star. So, bin is for certain and performance is verified.

Wilkey
 
dood! we need pics! Lights don't get chewed up and spat out by power tools every day... not to mention finding it a month or so later. Cool story.
 
Good news, Wilkey, but too bad you couldn't have found it sooner, before the snowblower and before you had replaced it. Ah, well. Still. Glad you found it.
 
Glad to hear you found it. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/clap.gif I didn't know it was an X-bin. No wonder you were distraught about losing it.

So you are keeping it and selling an X4T? Isn't the X4T the Rolls Royce of Lux V LEDs?
 
Is the L4 still sealed as in water resistant. If that battery starts showing any ill effects I will replace it for ya.
 
cool, Wilkey! those Surefires are pretty tough lites, huh? glad you found it, and ya didn't haveta wait til spring, either

cheers
daloosh
 
Hi Jon,

The body tube seems to be fine. All O-rings are intact even though the head was pretty gashed up. The Pila itself seems to be in perfect condition. Thanks for the kind offer!

Hi Max,
Yeah, the X4T is a real performer. They all seem to have a slight bluish-greenish tint but the output just can't be beat. This particular unit was brighter than all four of cm's L5's including his hand-picked unit. It's not arctic white like a good TWOJ (or something like that) but it sure cranks out the photons.

Wilkey
 
ttiwwp2rg.gif
 
Very awesome. Congrats on your "find" /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Now, I hate to be redundant, but were are the pictures !!!

Will
 
Pictures of \"Ol Trusty\"

Here are some pics.

The head is the fattest part of the light so it took the most damage. In this shot, you can see the reddish brown rust from the snow thrower blade smashed into the aluminum head. The force actually bent the flangy thing near the head-body joint.
L4Manglehead01.jpg


A huge open screw shoves the snow into the throwing assembly. This assembly consists of steel blades mounted on a rotating platter that propels the snow out the chute. This side of the head looks like it took a direct hit from the corner of one of these steel thrower blades. The aluminum of the middle ring on the head was sheared into the lower ring. There is now a solid bridge of metal packed between the two parts.
L4Manglehead03.jpg


This shot shows a deep gouge in a crenelation of the middle ring. The front crenelations also took a battering probably from knocking around the screws and blades.
L4Manglehead02.jpg


I hope those photos were enough to satisfy your hunger for carnage. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Wilkey
 
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