When the 2010 SF catalog came out, two lights caught my eye – the LX1 (which I knew about from the 2009 catalog) and the Z2-S. The Z2-S caught my eye because I had always wanted a Z2, but I prefer HA (Mil Spec Type III) lights. The Z2-S was HA and had a nice output (150 lumens), so I waited for SF to release it.
I knew SF had changed the way it packaged newer lights, and when the Z2-S arrived, I was glad to see that it came in the new packaging. Inside the sleeve is a study black cardboard box with the light, lanyard, and user manual.
Packaging:
Z2-S in Box:
The packaging is superb and much better than the old plastic clamshell arrangement. The new packaging allows you to actually try out the light for ergonomics, beam, tint, etc in a B & M shop before you buy it. With the plastic clamshell arrangement, you had to rely on a store demo unit (if they had one), and you had no idea of LED tint prior to buying.
The packaging says 160 lumens maximum output and 4.5 hours useful runtime. The user manual says 2 hours of tactical runtime (runtime until output drops below 50 lumens).
Here are some side views of the Z2-S. I'm not a big fan of the FCC CE on the bezel, but I guess these are there to show FCC and CE approval.
Here is a close-up of the scallop for the engraving. The body is round except for the scallops on each side.
Here is a close-up of the bezel. The bezel retaining ring is serrated and protrudes slightly past the aluminum bezel to offer some protection. The serrations do result in edge artifacts in the beam (see beam shots later), but the spill is so huge, so it becomes a non-issue in real world usage. The new "knurling" is unobtrusive and does the job so far. Because the groove edges are not rounded, I expect this to be one of the first areas to show anodizing wear. How quickly this will happen, only time will tell.
Here is the Z2-S disassembled. As usual, there's an o-ring at each end of the body. The design of the front end of the body is quite different from that on my C2 and G2Z. It may be new. It does provide a stable, secure, and tight fit between bezel and body.
Here's a close-up of the front of the body. The inside of the body does not have the typical yellow coating. I believe I had read on CPF that SF had moved to a clear coating.
Here are some close-ups of the bezel. As you can see, the reflector has a significant flat portion. This may account for the tremendous spill.
The bottom of the bezel is uncluttered.
Here is a close-up of the serrated bezel retaining ring. For those wishing to put an aftermarket SS bezel retaining ring on this light, I don't know if there's enough bezel lip to do so.
Here's the Z2-S compared to a C2 and G2Z. The Z2-S is shorter than both. This is due to the Z2-S having a shorter bezel. The Z2-S body is also shorter than that of the G2Z. Note that the anti-roll hex on the Z2-S is thinner than that on the C2 and G2Z.
Here are some beam shots 10" away from the wall. From left to right: Ra Clicky Prototype GT on high (140 lumens), P60 in a G2Z, and Z2-S. The spill of the Z2-S is significantly larger than the others.
Here's an idea of beam pattern. From left to right are Z2-S, Ra Clicky Prototype GT, P60 in a G2Z, and a M60W in a C2. The angular distribution of light from the Z2-S is much greater than the others. You can see that the tint of the Z2-S is not quite as warm as that of the Cree 5A in the M60W, but it is much warmer than the GT of the Clicky.
Here's the beam pattern 2.5 feet away with the same line-up as above. You can't get much of an idea of spill here; most of this is hotspot.
I tried to take some inside shots, but I wasn't able to accurately capture the tint and spill. I will keep trying.
In regards to the strobe function, you have to rapidly press the tailcap button three times and hold the button in on the third press for momentary activation. For constant-on strobe, you have to rotate the tailcap to constant on while maintaining constant pressure on the tailcap button. Not sure how easy constant-on strobe would be in real life. Momentary strobe is easy and requires deliberate action to activate.
Verdict: SF has a winner in the Z2-S.
Indoor shots were taken last night with a Nikon CoolPix camera. I had to play around with the scenes to get one that fairly represented the beams. As it was, the exposure time varied somewhat for each shot. So. I'll post the information next to the picture.
Ra Clicky Prototype GT on Burst (140 lumens): 1/6 sec, F2.7
SF Z2-S: 1/4 sec, F 2.7
P60 in G2Z: 1/3 sec, F 2.7
M60W in C2: 1/6 sec, F 2.7
Took some outdoor beamshots the other night. Environment would be what one would call "dirty lighting" - in other words, it was not pitch black as my neighbor's spotlight was on as was other lighting a couple houses down (see lit up tree in left of pictures). Camera was set to "Night Landscape." Exposure time was the same for all four shots, so they should accurately show the differences between the four lights.
Ra Clicky Prototype GT on burst (140 lumens)
SF Z2-S:
P60 in G2Z:
M60W in C2:
The P60 is totally out-classed by the other three - which shouldn't be a surprise as the other three have 140 or more lumens output. The Ra has little hotspot at this distance and a narrower spill but the spill is brighter than the others. The M60W puts the most light on the target 60 feet away (the green covered chimnea) ... thanks to its optic ... and has good spill. Colors are nicely rendered. The Z2-S has a well-defined hotspot and the most spill. It also renders colors nicely.
The Z2-S serves its purpose well.
I knew SF had changed the way it packaged newer lights, and when the Z2-S arrived, I was glad to see that it came in the new packaging. Inside the sleeve is a study black cardboard box with the light, lanyard, and user manual.
Packaging:
Z2-S in Box:
The packaging is superb and much better than the old plastic clamshell arrangement. The new packaging allows you to actually try out the light for ergonomics, beam, tint, etc in a B & M shop before you buy it. With the plastic clamshell arrangement, you had to rely on a store demo unit (if they had one), and you had no idea of LED tint prior to buying.
The packaging says 160 lumens maximum output and 4.5 hours useful runtime. The user manual says 2 hours of tactical runtime (runtime until output drops below 50 lumens).
Here are some side views of the Z2-S. I'm not a big fan of the FCC CE on the bezel, but I guess these are there to show FCC and CE approval.
Here is a close-up of the scallop for the engraving. The body is round except for the scallops on each side.
Here is a close-up of the bezel. The bezel retaining ring is serrated and protrudes slightly past the aluminum bezel to offer some protection. The serrations do result in edge artifacts in the beam (see beam shots later), but the spill is so huge, so it becomes a non-issue in real world usage. The new "knurling" is unobtrusive and does the job so far. Because the groove edges are not rounded, I expect this to be one of the first areas to show anodizing wear. How quickly this will happen, only time will tell.
Here is the Z2-S disassembled. As usual, there's an o-ring at each end of the body. The design of the front end of the body is quite different from that on my C2 and G2Z. It may be new. It does provide a stable, secure, and tight fit between bezel and body.
Here's a close-up of the front of the body. The inside of the body does not have the typical yellow coating. I believe I had read on CPF that SF had moved to a clear coating.
Here are some close-ups of the bezel. As you can see, the reflector has a significant flat portion. This may account for the tremendous spill.
The bottom of the bezel is uncluttered.
Here is a close-up of the serrated bezel retaining ring. For those wishing to put an aftermarket SS bezel retaining ring on this light, I don't know if there's enough bezel lip to do so.
Here's the Z2-S compared to a C2 and G2Z. The Z2-S is shorter than both. This is due to the Z2-S having a shorter bezel. The Z2-S body is also shorter than that of the G2Z. Note that the anti-roll hex on the Z2-S is thinner than that on the C2 and G2Z.
Here are some beam shots 10" away from the wall. From left to right: Ra Clicky Prototype GT on high (140 lumens), P60 in a G2Z, and Z2-S. The spill of the Z2-S is significantly larger than the others.
Here's an idea of beam pattern. From left to right are Z2-S, Ra Clicky Prototype GT, P60 in a G2Z, and a M60W in a C2. The angular distribution of light from the Z2-S is much greater than the others. You can see that the tint of the Z2-S is not quite as warm as that of the Cree 5A in the M60W, but it is much warmer than the GT of the Clicky.
Here's the beam pattern 2.5 feet away with the same line-up as above. You can't get much of an idea of spill here; most of this is hotspot.
I tried to take some inside shots, but I wasn't able to accurately capture the tint and spill. I will keep trying.
In regards to the strobe function, you have to rapidly press the tailcap button three times and hold the button in on the third press for momentary activation. For constant-on strobe, you have to rotate the tailcap to constant on while maintaining constant pressure on the tailcap button. Not sure how easy constant-on strobe would be in real life. Momentary strobe is easy and requires deliberate action to activate.
Verdict: SF has a winner in the Z2-S.
Indoor shots were taken last night with a Nikon CoolPix camera. I had to play around with the scenes to get one that fairly represented the beams. As it was, the exposure time varied somewhat for each shot. So. I'll post the information next to the picture.
Ra Clicky Prototype GT on Burst (140 lumens): 1/6 sec, F2.7
SF Z2-S: 1/4 sec, F 2.7
P60 in G2Z: 1/3 sec, F 2.7
M60W in C2: 1/6 sec, F 2.7
Took some outdoor beamshots the other night. Environment would be what one would call "dirty lighting" - in other words, it was not pitch black as my neighbor's spotlight was on as was other lighting a couple houses down (see lit up tree in left of pictures). Camera was set to "Night Landscape." Exposure time was the same for all four shots, so they should accurately show the differences between the four lights.
Ra Clicky Prototype GT on burst (140 lumens)
SF Z2-S:
P60 in G2Z:
M60W in C2:
The P60 is totally out-classed by the other three - which shouldn't be a surprise as the other three have 140 or more lumens output. The Ra has little hotspot at this distance and a narrower spill but the spill is brighter than the others. The M60W puts the most light on the target 60 feet away (the green covered chimnea) ... thanks to its optic ... and has good spill. Colors are nicely rendered. The Z2-S has a well-defined hotspot and the most spill. It also renders colors nicely.
The Z2-S serves its purpose well.
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