Just got a Solarforce L2 (R2-Grey Anodized)

[wildstar87]

I have to say I'm quite impressed, the body and finish is very nice. The drop-in isn't too bad either, probably as bright as my Dereelight Q5 Drop-in, though the solder job from the back edge of the driver to the pill is very sloppy. Beam is smooth though, and seems to work decently with 1 Li-Ion battery (RCR123A) and isn't that much brighter with 2. I might upgrade the driver to get a little more output later. Since the AMC7135 drivers seem to be the right size, and output higher with 1 Li-Ion.

I have an older Surfire 3P, and I would say that the finish is break even, with the advantage of the lens being replaceable in the Solarforce.

I also want to give a thumbs-up to Flashlight Express (Ebay seller) for selling this at a decent price, with pretty fast shipping from HK, and received in excellent condition, at least no worse than KD/DX. Much better communication that KD.

I also have to say I originally tried to get this through Lighthound, initially they were responsive, but then decided not to keep me updated, even though I sent several other e-mails (I waited over a month and a half). Others may have had different experience, but so far not real impressed, don't say I didn't try to keep it at least in the US retailers.

 

[OldGreyGuy]

What type of switch is it?

Push momentary and twist on like the 6P?

Clicky? Forward or reverse?

 

[oronocova]

Hi,
That's good news seeing as I have one on the way from flashlight_express as well. Hey, did it come registered mail where you will have to sign for it? I know sometimes from DX thing do and sometimes they don't. I hope it does not so they will just leave it in the mail box. I know probably a lot of people would rather not have it left, but where I leave it is really not a worry. Did you try it on primaries? Very bright?

-Jon

 

[wildstar87]

What type of switch is it?

Push momentary and twist on like the 6P?

Clicky? Forward or reverse?

Well for me, I prefer this clicky switch to the 3P momentary, twist on. It is a reverse clicky, so I guess this isn't considered "tactical". It's got a good feel to it though IMO. The threads are exactly the same, so if you really wanted to, you could replace the switch with a Surefire switch. Solarforce also has one of those remote momentary "tape" switches that can be used in that circumstance as well.

 

[wildstar87]

Hi,
That's good news seeing as I have one on the way from flashlight_express as well. Hey, did it come registered mail where you will have to sign for it? I know sometimes from DX thing do and sometimes they don't. I hope it does not so they will just leave it in the mail box. I know probably a lot of people would rather not have it left, but where I leave it is really not a worry. Did you try it on primaries? Very bright?

-Jon

It didn't come registered, which didn't surprise me much. On the one hand it's nicer, because I don't have to wait an extra day and then go down to the post office to sign for it, on the other hand it always makes me a bit nervous if it never shows up, and the seller or me has no way to prove they sent it, or I never received it. I have a locked mailbox, so I don't worry about it being left there, and it's always nice to open it up and say "hey it came!!"

I didn't have 2 primaries handy, but I did try it for a little bit with one RCR123 + CR123, I wouldn't run it like this for any amount of time like this, because of the whole Li-Ion batts being touchy. It was hard to tell which was brighter, the Dereelight Q5, or this Solarforce R2 drop-in. So yeah it's pretty good, the color was definitely cooler than the Dereelight.

I really bought it more as just a host for the Dereelight drop-in, but the price was awesome, almost half of what everyone else is selling it for, and much better communication then KD, what's not to like.

I also bought the colored lenses just so I could have a light that I could do different colors on if I wanted to.

 

[aml]

i have three of these lights. great cheap, bright, rugged light.

I have one of them with the UI bulb, 3 brightness levels, SOS and strobe.

 

[oronocova]

Hi,
Just got mine in the mail today (non-registered, which was nice for me as well.) It's the Cree R2 5-mode Grey. It is definitely brighter than my Advance Auto 2C with a Q5 swapped in if that tells you anything. I'll see how much brighter tonight when I take the dog out. Threads are very smooth and for 26 bucks is very well built compared to a lot of the other cheapos I've tried. I'm using primaries in it, no problems. After playing with it for 5 minutes I'd say it's definitely worth the money, time will tell if it will hold up.

- Jon

 

[wildstar87]

Construction wise, I would put them up there with my friend's Wolfeyes Sniper, and his Surefire Kroma. The switch seems sturdy enough, I prefer clickies over twisties. Yeah it's a direct clone of the 6P which doesn't really do much for originality but other than that, IMO it's a steal at $26, not so much at $46, still decent, but definitely more competition at that price.