just got my black UKE SL4

[nihraguk]

i couldn't resist it any longer, so today i went to a nearby shop specializing in camping equipment (sngarms) and bought an SL4 for $46 (US$26).

from the basic wall test, it appears to be only slighlty dimmer than my 6P, and the beam is oval in shape and not smooth like the surefire. that's ok with me though, considering the price i paid for it. the only gripe i have with it is the switch is painful to operate without any gloves, and i'm wondering if the lens will stand up to the heat produced by the lamp. has anyone ever had the lens melt before?

anyway, i'm now anxiously awaiting for the next few hours to pass so the sun will set and i can play with it

 

[makar]

congrats to the new light

 

[Nerd]

Aww... Why not the SL6? I prefer the SL6 although it's MUCH heavier... Was thinking of making some sort of body which operates of 1/2 C cells, got the lamp assy... but still haven't build the body... haha.. another stagnant project.

It shines well.... a lil' brighter than the PT Surge, The SL6 shines ALOT better than the Surge (30% or so)

 

[nihraguk]

marc: thanks

have you gotten your ultrastinger yet?

nerd:
part of the reason why i wanted this light was because it was used in an early episode of X files

besides, i think buying 6 batteries at a time is going to add up, so i decided to go with the SL4, which everyone feels is the best balance of light output, size, and battery consumption.

btw, has the lens of your SL6 melted before?

 

[Nerd]

I only have the Lamp Assy... not the SL6

 

[Monsters_Inc]

Woah, even you Singaporians get decent prices! I couldn't find the SL4 under $AU80 ($US40) around here! :C

Bear in mind they're primarily designed as dive lights, with the cool ocean water factored in as cooling so be careful if you switch it constant on for like 20-30 mins.

 

[Nerd]

Yep, the lamp assy I have got REALLY HOT! after like 5 mins. I mean hot man, I mean so hot you can't pick it up. I mean so hot that if you run it for 15 mins and you put it on any rubber band, it's going to slowly melt.....

 

[nihraguk]

Onyx:

yes we do

usually sngarm's prices are very reasonable, being at the MSRP of the manufacturer or just slightly more than the MSRP. they also stock products from almost any brand there. knives, flashlights, anything to do with camping or outdoors.

they used to sell surefires at an overly-inflated price. at the time when i bought my 6P from them, it was going for $230. today when i checked back at the surefire section, the 6P was only $156, which is more or less the MSRP. when i enquired about it, they said they had lowered the prices. i honestly suspect that they had initially priced them wrongly, and corrected their error afterwards. i don't think i'd be able to get a refund though

Nerd:
yea i noticed...i left it on for a few minutes, and the lens was already hot to the point it was painful to touch it. surefire's HOLAs are probably much worse though

 

[Nerd]

nihraguk, I have to disagree with you on certain points. I got my PT Surge for $88 SGD - 15% discount. The one in US runs at $22 cheapeast. Add shipping of $9 and you get $31. That's $55 SGD. I got mine for $79.20. Big diff..... *angry actually, feel ripped off...*

 

[hotfoot]

winston,

I'll have to agree with nerd on sngarms - they're pretty much a cutthroat if you buy retail! For eg, they're selling Eternalight Elite XRays there for SGD$320.00!!! I'm selling them for SGD$165.00 SRP. Go figure, even with a 50% discount, they'd still be only at $160.00.

btw, congrats on your SL4!

nerd, how are you running your surge? series or parallel?

 

[nihraguk]

Nerd:

i guess my number of purchases with sngarms are rather limited. all i know is that they have the best prices on maglites, and i got the UKE SL4 for a reasonable price...that is, about the same as the MSRP.

i too feel very sour about my first surefire purchase, which was the 6P. i didn't know about the MSRP then, and i assumed they had the best prices cos their maglites are rather cheap. they were selling the 6P for $230, and even after the 15% discount i got it for $195, which is still way over the MSRP of the 6P.

anyway, i learnt my lesson after that so now i always do some research online before paying them a visit. that is why i bought the SL4, as it being sold at around the MSRP.

they told me they revised the surefire prices, and i suspect they might have revised the prices for their other products, though i didn't check to make sure.

oh well.....what's done is done

just don't make the same mistake next time.

hotfoot:

thanks...the beam is very ugly though, even compared to maglites. its not round, and its very ringy, but i'm ok with it

now i just need that M2

 

[gb6491]

thanks...the beam is very ugly though, even compared to maglites. its not round, and its very ringy, but i'm ok with it

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">That sounds like a bad light assy. All the SL4 & 6s I've handled have had tight hotspots with slightly split but clean coronas. The 6 has a larger hotspot, but the center seems as bright in both and I like the size of the 4 better. Enjoy your new light.
Regards,
Greg

 

[nihraguk]

Greg:

i don't think its a bad lamp...the shape of the beam is oval and not distorted, but after being spoilt by surefire beams, the rings formed by the filament coils look ugly to me

i still think this is a well made light for the money though, and thanks

 

[makar]

@nihraguk
I haven't bought the ultrastinger yet. I like the surefire better in design.
Also I sent in a story to Ken J. Good an hope to win a surefire!

I was so enthusiastic when I read about winning a surefire that I couldn't sleep. So I sat down at 2:00 am and wrote down my story I expierienced about three weeks ago.
So wish me good luck!
greetings Marc

 

[nihraguk]

marc:

all the best!

you're hoping to win the z2? so you've decided to wait for the surefire rechargables to be fixed?

by the way, you can also try submitting a true story to surefire, and you can win a gift voucher which you can use to buy surefire products...good luck!