KL1 Query ...

[tardis]

Hi !

I'll be shortly getting a KL1 for my E2e-HA. As I've never seen or handled one before and the fear of maybe getting old stock, is there anything I should be aware of ? Are there different versions or modifications which I need to check for. Certain serial numbers to avoid or go for etc ? Is it true that the lastest version comes with a scalloped/porcupine head ??

I just want to make sure I get the right one for my E2e.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Tardis /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[this_is_nascar]

Yes, you want the one with the scalloped bezel.

 

[Size15's]

Two of the obvious changes were the positive contact change made early on and the scalloped bezel rim being the latest change.

Al

 

[tardis]

Thanks for the fast responses /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowdown.gif

 

[Gandalf]

IMHO, the scalloped bezel is purely cosmetic, and it really doesn't matter, to me at least, whether the bezel is uniform, or scalloped. Many SF dealers proably have the 'older' plain bezel KL1's still in their inventory.

 

[SUREFARC]

You should always try to get the lastest one. Mine is scalloped, very cool indeed!

 

[Kanai]

Sorry for my ingnorance, but what is scalloped? Maybe a pic. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/twak.gif

 

[KDC]

I notice that Bright Guy has the KL1 on sale, probably the
straight bezel version. If you trade off $$ for not the
latest model...

 

[SUREFARC]

[ QUOTE ]
B1 said:
Sorry for my ingnorance, but what is scalloped? Maybe a pic. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/twak.gif

[/ QUOTE ]
here:

 

[brightnorm]

[ QUOTE ]
tardis said:
..... is there anything I should be aware of ? ....


[/ QUOTE ]

Tardis,

As you know, the KL1 is an excellent, quite bright fully regulated unit. You should also be aware, based on a number of reports and my own observation of my 8 KL1's, that many of them are very purple, enough so to be rather off-putting to some purchasers. I bought my first KL1 when they were first available and my most recent one a few weeks ago and beam color has remained consistant over that period.

Of the eight that I own, four appear to be colored LED's rather than white LEDS. Of the remaining four three are quite but not as severely purple and one is actually quite nice. It is a relatively subtle purple-white, quite bright and with a more broadly dispersed beam than most of the others.

Mounted on a UBH, It is now my alternate EDC (after a particularly good ARC LS 2nd - 2AA/lithium). It gives me a little more than six hours of fully regulated light.

So it is possible to get a very nice KL1, but I do believe that the odds are against you. Of course many people don't mind the color and some actually like it, but if accurate color rendition is important to you these units might not be your best choice.

Please understand that the KL1 is a first rate unit, but since you wanted comments I felt that this was worth mentioning.

Brightnorm

 

[tardis]

Thank you for all your comments, in particular Brightnorm. This was the kind of thing that worried me, i.e. LED colour variations as I've heard of this before.

I think I'll probably take my own E2e along with me when I purchase the KL1 and try a few different ones to make sure the LED suits me....but I'm buying from a quality flashlight manufacturer..???

... shouldn't these all be standardised somehow ? Surely Surefire should guarantee some kind of colour consistency between unit to unit. Is LED technology that hit and miss with regards colour output i.e. "subtle purple" when it should be white ?

Someone, (probably Al /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif ) will no doubt set me straight on this, but it does worry me a little.

I guess the best thing for me to do is try one and see the results for myself.

Thanks again for your valued help and time.

Tardis /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[FalconFX]

Tardis,

Lumileds has had some early trouble with their production of their Luxeon Stars.

Earlier on, a high number of LSs were green in tint, and often not as bright as one would assume. Thus, was born the infamous "Luxeon Lottery", in which when you ordered from distributors, you had no idea what you were going to get, and the variations of tint and brightness varied wildly.

Nowadays, the production process is much more refined for the 1W LSs, and the more common problems of tint are minimized. But at the early end, SureFire's concern for the green tint led them to make sure their selection in the rankings of the LSs were more towards the blue/violet end than it was the green end (a P/Q-5 was preferred rather than a P/Q-2)...

There's almost no way to know the variations of one LS to the next, so a "standard", per se, is still far from being perfected. But at least Lumileds has felt it safe enough to now allow Future Electronics (a supplier) to allow for specific bin orders above a minimum; which if I'm correct, is a first...

There you have it, the quandry of the LSs, and the reflections of this problem onto the KL1...

 

[Size15's]

From my perspective the 1W Luxeon has been a technology stepping stone towards 5W Luxeons that can replace bulbs - An LED that can replace an MN03/P60/P61/P90 lamp. The KL1/L1 etc have never been bright enough for most of my uses and often too bright for the sneaking around illumination I also need. It's light that I have no real application for (hence why I stopped carrying the E2e+KL1 when the A2 came out)

I suppose that 1W Luxeons don't interest me the same way 5W Luxeons do. I've always been into high power rather than long runtime...

Coloured 1W Luxeons are a different matter. I don't use them for the same applications as white light - they are more for fun.

Al

 

[e=mc²]

Speaking of Lumileds, et al, does anybody know the deal on the 5W White? Initially Lumileds offerd them as "portable", a euphemism for "reject" IMHO. Are they finally stable, matching the longevity of their cousins? I just hope that the 500 hour lifetime portable ones are just clearance items, and the real ones are forthcoming. I'm a bit confused on the 5W white front. Could some one please clarify.

Tazed and confused,

Ed Einstein

 

[Skyline]

Hmm, maybe I just haven't seen enough LED lights, but my early KL1 doesn't seem purplish to me. I have an early Arc AAA as well, and that one looks distinctively purple.

Is there an easy way to measure the tint of the light? My digital camera has adjustable white balance, but I've never played with it. Can this feature be utilized to measure the whiteness of my KL1 beam?

 

[chamenos]

skyline: the tint of any flashlight beam is usually subject to one's perception, relative to the ambient light. as a comparison, my arc LSH-P is as white as the flourescent lamp in my store room, so that's a pretty good indication of how white luxeons can be. in comparison my arc AAA is very blueish.

then again, if you haven't felt your KL1 is purple then its alright /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[FalconFX]

I am starting to hear some of the newer KL1s aren't as "purple" as the earlier models tend to be. So at least that's a good direction.

On the part of the 5Wers, the lastest seemingly is only the doubling of MTBF, and not much more. Aside from the ranking hitting max 250lumens/5watts, the 5Ws are still a long ways away from their little brother's MTBF rating...

 

[The_LED_Museum]

My KL1 has a *slight* purplish tinge toward the center, but it doesn't have that "rotten dog urine green" color at all, anywhere in its beam, unlike another LS product that shall remain nameless. My KL1 is a very early production, so SureFire could have hand-picked the LED specifically to avoid that yucky urinous color. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif

The slightly purplish center color doesn't bother me at all. Things shot at by the KL1 still look natural, like they were illuminated by a cloudy day in Seattle.

 

[tkl]

i prefer the KL1's slight blue/purplish color. the LSL-P i had was very blue, i sold it for the KL1.

 

[Minjin]

I bought a new style KL1 from a forumite. Its very white. Almost identical beam, color, and brightness to my Lamda Ill Pill with the q2h (his last ill pill run). A very Arc LE style beam. Its only when I fire up my Blaster II do I notice a slight blue tinge to the center spot of the KL1.


Mark