If you have a U2, do you still like it?

[socom1970]

My wonderful wife (fledgling flashaholic) wants to get me (hopeless flashaholic) a Surefire U2. Those of you who have a Surefire U2, what do you think of them? Do you still like it? What do you like about it? Is it worth the price knowing what you know now from having owned one?

 

[TENMMIKE]

my u-2 is great ,very bright very white , no problems at all, it has a very nice "wall of light" and still a good hot spot, its worth the price at about the $200-220 range ( look for dealers that give cpf discount), if you dont know who they are i (we) will most certainly help you , all in all its a excellant light if you dont get one of the unusualy large amount of somwhat defective ones,the low is not low enough though in my opinion , i also have a gladius and the u-2 puts out more light but if i only could have 1 light id take the gladius, ....good luck

 

[a99raptors]

No. I don't quite like it. For the price, I recommend getting two lights instead of one big one. My U2 is great by the way. Good tint, good throw. But, like many things that try to be many things, the U2 is good in a bit of everything, but not really excellent in anything.

As for me, my most frequently used lights are the L4 and the E2e. LED, Flood light, 160 lumen total output, spare tailcap, excellent throw, backup light, 4 hours bright runtime.

 

[grnamin]

I owned 3 U2s and sold all 3. I would purchase one again if only Surefire would do the following:

1) Have it available in HA III natural
2) Not threadlock the bezel pieces so I can easily mod it if I don't like the tint or if there's a donut
3) Redesign the reflector in order to get rid of the donut altogether
4) Have it available with the TIR optic
5) Fix the tailcap problem altogether or don't threadlock it so it can be opened and fixed without resorting to special measures
6) Have it available with a Lux III or a K2.

I was recently offered a U2 as payment for fixing a computer. I opted for an E2L instead. I'm happy with my KL1-R for now.

 

[cheapo]

if you dont already have a multiple stage light, you'de probably like it. I got to mess with one yesterday, and i thought those six stages were awsome... but of course, i am new to the multiple stage thing. The beam was flawless at a close range, but at a distance a donut did show up. The clicky had a slight flicker... but i was messing with the older version, and I ordered a new version a few weeks ago, and hope to see that some of the problems have been smoothened out.

-David

 

[nethiker]

I love my U2, even more than when I first got it. It was one of my first lights purchased over a year and a half ago. As a newbie round here, I soaked up every post about my new light I could find. This caused some anxiety as I began to worry that my most expensive flashlight purchase ever was: not bright enough, had a donut, was of questionable tint, had clicky problems, had an overly stiff selector....

After a while, with some experience of other lights to compare with, I realized how awesome this light really is. It's a rock solid variable power light that has become my mid-sized go to light. At first I imagined carrying the U2 in my pocket. I soon gave that fantasy up and reassigned it to my man bag. I also agree that the low could be lower, but it's not too much of an issue for me since I carry a HDS for those discrete moments.

The other light I seriously considered in place of the U2 was the Aviator. With some of the great threads out there regarding the Aviator, one from JS comes to mind, I still wonder If I would be just as happy or more so with the Aviator. Someday I'll get one and then I'll know.

 

[a99raptors]

I love my U2, even more than when I first got it. It was one of my first lights purchased over a year and a half ago. As a newbie round here, I soaked up every post about my new light I could find. This caused some anxiety as I began to worry that my most expensive flashlight purchase ever was: not bright enough, had a donut, was of questionable tint, had clicky problems, had an overly stiff selector....

After a while, with some experience of other lights to compare with, I realized how awesome this light really is. It's a rock solid variable power light that has become my mid-sized go to light. At first I imagined carrying the U2 in my pocket. I soon gave that fantasy up and reassigned it to my man bag. I also agree that the low could be lower, but it's not too much of an issue for me since I carry a HDS for those discrete moments.

The other light I seriously considered in place of the U2 was the Aviator. With some of the great threads out there regarding the Aviator, one from JS comes to mind, I still wonder If I would be just as happy or more so with the Aviator. Someday I'll get one and then I'll know.

Got the Aviator after I got my U2.

I think you will like it. It really IS as great as JS said.

 

[Kiessling]

I am in love with this light since day one. Even more so nowadays ... it is my favourite light of all my collection and has been my number one since it appeared and even before, in anticipation.
I now have three U2s ...
bernie

 

[a99raptors]

Just wanted to add one more thing. The number one problem I have with the light is that it is too bulky to carry in a pocket.

For those who love the U2, how do you carry it, if at all? And still look smart day to day...

 

[Kiessling]

I cannot EDC it for the same reason ... for me it is a grab-light in the house and rides in my coat pocket or fatboy when travelling. I would love to have it on me 24/7 ... but I can't ...

 

[wasBlinded]

I have two and really like the light. It is bigger than I like to carry routinely, so it sees duty around the house, on the bicycle, and when I go somewhere that I know I will be using a light a lot (camping for example).

 

[cheapo]

its a shame that the clip is backward, because if it werent, it would be easier to edc, because the huge head would be poking out of your pocket... also.... there is no holster or lanyard available for it... darn.

-David

 

[Chaz]

its a shame that the clip is backward, because if it werent, it would be easier to edc, because the huge head would be poking out of your pocket... also.... there is no holster or lanyard available for it... darn.

-David

The holster made for the Gladius actually fits the U2 better than it does the Gladius. It is the only holster that I have found that is a good fit for the U2.

 

[NoFair]

I love mine. Best general purpose flashlight I've ever had or tried, but it is too large to edc unless wearing a holster or cargo pants is OK with you.

Mine has a slightly warm tint which gives great colour-rendition and is very bright (guessing WW0? tint). The doughnut is only visible on white walls when you look for it.

It is wonderful with 18650 Li-ion cells and since I get Sanyos free it really is free lumens. Li-ions lets you use it with full batteries always instead of swapping out half spent cells you really don't have any other need for. This is it's biggest advantage over lights like the Gladius and A2.

If it is the best light for you depends on what other lights you have and what you're going to be using it for.

If you had no lights (very unlikely on this forum ) I'd advise you to get a HDS and a Wolf eyes 9DX, both with Li-ions

Sverre

 

[greenLED]

its a shame that the clip is backward, because if it werent, it would be easier to edc, because the huge head would be poking out of your pocket

The clip is close to the tail; you carry bezel-down in your pocket.

I still love the U2. I still think it's a great utility light; go-to as Bernie said. i still consider it "top of the line" in the SF LED line. That said, allow me to be devil's advocate for a bit:

Consider what you'll be using the light for. Maybe an A2 will be as useful (if not more) than a U2. The LED's are nice surrogates for "low" (and plenty useful), and the incan beam is very bright, regulated, etc. Like others have said, you can basically get 2 (other) lights for the price of a U2. The comparison is not really fair between the A2 and the U2, but I just wanted to get you thinking about other potential options that may suit your needs better.

Kroma, anyone? :devil:

 

[karlthev]

I have too many lights. Nuf said. The U2 is a good one and used. I like mine very much and have some of the very best lights out there.


Karl

 

[Ty_Bower]

I like mine. I don't plan to part with it any time soon. Initially, I expected too much of it. I wanted it to be brighter, whiter, and with a flawless beam. Well, it's still the brightest LED I own, but it doesn't compare to a 20 watt incandescent light. Mine tends to the "warm" side of tints. Typically, I think people are more impressed by colder tints, but I'm finding this one is easier on the eyes. And, the beam in mine has a very slight donut. It's not worth sending it back, but it isn't perfect either.

I think someone above said the U2 is good at many things, but isn't really perfect at any one. I'd probably agree. Regardless, it's still a very good light, and I don't hesitate to reach for mine.

 

[cheapo]

if anyone has a u2 and an l2 or l4... how big is the hotspot of the u2 compared to it?? Brightness of spill? Amount of spill? Throw? Too many questions??

-David

 

[fieldops]

remember that mission=the best light

That being said, I love my U2. Great light, but not for all missions.

 

[nc987]

GOt mine last summer and love it. Ive even got a donut but it doesnt matter in real world applications as it lights up just fine and has the most perfect white tint of any of my Surefire LED's. Great all around light.