SolarForce L2 w/Cree P4(lots of pics)

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streetmaster

streetmaster

Enlightened
Joined
Feb 16, 2008
Messages
944
Location
Binghamton, NY
I just got this light from eBay. I'm sure there have been reviews of this light before since it has been around for quite some time. But I thought I'd put up a few pictures for those who have been considering buying one. I have to say I am very impressed with the quality of the build. I tried a Cabela's XPG and it was so terrible that I returned it. This SolarForce is fairly close to the quality of the SureFire. Definitely not equal, but pretty darn good. I like it a lot.

The Cree P4 drop-in is good enough. It has a pretty visible dark donut in the beam. You will see it in the beamshots below. For white-wall hunters it will be annoying. In real life, not a big deal. I am very happy with what I received for the price I paid. For $35.98USD I got the SolarForce L2, a matching holster, 2x SoShine RCR123 3.0v rechargeable batteries(the add said 3.7v but I rec'd 3.0v), and a charger. One nice thing is that all parts from the SolarForce are interchangeable with my SureFire 6P. So if I want to use the SolarForce clicky switch on my 6P, I can. Or any other part for that matter.

SolarForce L2 next to the SureFire 6P
SolarForceL2P4018m.jpg



SolarForceL2P4025m.jpg


SolarForceL2P4026m.jpg


SolarForceL2P4028m.jpg


SolarForceL2P4040m.jpg


SolarForceL2P4062m.jpg


And finally, the beam shots. The light was approx. 3 feet from the wall.
Note: the wall has textured surface, the beam is not grainy as it appears.
SolarForceL2P4beamshots004m.jpg


This one is minus one stop to show more detail of the beam.
SolarForceL2P4beamshots001m.jpg
 
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You said."...I tried a Cabela's XPG and it was so terrible that I returned it. This SolarForce is fairly close to the quality of the SureFire....".

Please tell me why you feel this way. What exactly did you find terrible about the Cabela's XPG. I ask because I happen to think that it's every bit as good as the Solarforce, and I own several of both.
 
nikon said:
You said."...I tried a Cabela's XPG and it was so terrible that I returned it. This SolarForce is fairly close to the quality of the SureFire....".

Please tell me why you feel this way. What exactly did you find terrible about the Cabela's XPG. I ask because I happen to think that it's every bit as good as the Solarforce, and I own several of both.
Click to expand...
The clicky switch on the Cabela's was terrible. It actually squeaked when pressed. It felt like it was going to break. The whole light just had a cheap feel about it. Maybe it was just because the switch, I don't know. It has been some time since I had the XPG, and I didn't keep it very long, so I don't remember everything about it. All I know is I didn't like the XPG and I do like the SolarForce. I hope I didn't offend you with my opinion of the XPG.
 
Very nice pics, thanks! I just bought one a few days ago, and I eagerly await it's arrival! less than $30 including shipping, comes with R2--which I think I'm going to run with two 3.7 123's....
 
foxtrot29 said:
Very nice pics, thanks! I just bought one a few days ago, and I eagerly await it's arrival! less than $30 including shipping, comes with R2--which I think I'm going to run with two 3.7 123's....
Click to expand...
First and foremost: :welcome:

I think you will be very happy with it. Although, I was just outside comparing my SureFire 6P with the DX R2 drop-in against the SolarForce L2 with the P4. Shining both of them on the yard and into the trees, both are really good. There's really not a huge difference as far as throw and spill. The R2 is slightly brighter, but not amazingly so. At least this is how it appears to 44 year old eyes. Nonetheless, the DX R2 drop-in in whichever host, whether in the 6P or the SolarForce L2, is my brightest and most impressive LED to date.

Also, I have a pair of Trustfire Protected 3.7v RCR123's coming soon from DX. That is really what I wanted to run in both my P60 type lights. Unfortunately, the dealer on eBay sent me the 3.0v instead. I just need to know if I can charge the 3.7v Trustfire's in the charger that came with my SolarForce. I tested the 3.0's after a full charge and they are at 4.0v when done. The back of the charger says Output 4.2v = 600mAh

Another note: when comparing the two, the SureFire 6P was using SureFire CR123 primaries, and the Solarforce was using freshly charged SoShine 3.0v RCR123's
 
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I'm glad you like your Solarforce L2...I have mine running a dereelight 3SD Q5 droppin with protected 18650. It took me awhile to file it down to fit it in though.
 
streetmaster said:
I hope I didn't offend you with my opinion of the XPG.
Click to expand...

No worries there...I'm not the type to get offended by a complaint about a flashlight.

Some of the tailcaps do indeed make a bit of rubbing noise when operated. It's a result of the same glitch that the early Surefire clickies had, that is, they could stand to be lubricated better. The rubbing noise comes from the rubber tailcap cover moving against the top of the clickie switch when depressed. Not all the tailcaps make this noise and it's easy to fix with a spot of grease.

Speaking of the XPG tailcap, it's the only tailcap I've seen that has reverse polarity protection. If you use an unprotected LED module and insert the batteries backward, the light will not pass current. Pretty neat. The light also has double o-rings front and rear.
 
Nice pics... some GREAT looking lights you got there.

I found the difference between the DX6090 and DX11836 to be small but noticeable and definitely worth the extra $$ for the 11836. Both DX modules use identical springs, reflector, pill, driver circuit and emitter board. The only difference is the emitter used. 6090 uses a silver-back Cree P4, 11836 uses a silver back cree R2.

I took both lights out for a night hike the other day through a heavily wooded oak forest. ~100++ yards away I could see 4 shiny little eyes peering at me through the foliage. At that distance I could not tell how tall the animals were or what type.... using the DX6990/P4 module in a Superfire host. I whipped out the Surefire hosted DX11836 and the brighter Cree R2 penetrated through the shrubs more, and I could just barely make out the back and hind-quarters of the two deer that remained motionless, staring at me from the distance.
 
Not bad flashlight, SolarForce. I bought one just to try it out and end up bought two Solarforce dropin for my Surefire 6P. The SolarForce dropin fit nicely and now I have a brighter Surefire 6P
 
Wow, guess I caught this thread a little late...

As I've have said here on MANY occasions that I the Solarforce L2 is a surprisingly good product. I myself own a few Surefire 6Ps and I love the fact that the Solarforce parts are interchangeable. I too agree with the Cabellas XPG as I didn't care for the tailcap on it myself along with the fact that the threads also weren't very good on the one I got. The L2's threads are surprisingly quite good. For the price, the Solarforce L2 is definitely a bang for the buck flashlight.
 
ace0001a said:
Wow, guess I caught this thread a little late...

As I've have said here on MANY occasions that I the Solarforce L2 is a surprisingly good product. I myself own a few Surefire 6Ps and I love the fact that the Solarforce parts are interchangeable. I too agree with the Cabellas XPG as I didn't care for the tailcap on it myself along with the fact that the threads also weren't very good on the one I got. The L2's threads are surprisingly quite good. For the price, the Solarforce L2 is definitely a bang for the buck flashlight.
Click to expand...
I seem to remember the threads on the one I had weren't so smooth. But I think if the switch was better, I most likely would have kept it.

One of the things I really like about the SolarForce L2 is the tactical defense bezel. It is very nicely machined. I wanted the stainless steel strike bezel version, but decided the price jump wasn't worth it at this point. I may buy one seperately so I can have one on my 6P as well.
 
nikon said:
No worries there...I'm not the type to get offended by a complaint about a flashlight.

Some of the tailcaps do indeed make a bit of rubbing noise when operated. It's a result of the same glitch that the early Surefire clickies had, that is, they could stand to be lubricated better. The rubbing noise comes from the rubber tailcap cover moving against the top of the clickie switch when depressed. Not all the tailcaps make this noise and it's easy to fix with a spot of grease.

Speaking of the XPG tailcap, it's the only tailcap I've seen that has reverse polarity protection. If you use an unprotected LED module and insert the batteries backward, the light will not pass current. Pretty neat. The light also has double o-rings front and rear.
Click to expand...
It felt more like a plastic-on-plastic creaking noise. I could feel it as well as hear it. Not especially good if you're trying to sneak up on someone. It was harder to press than what I consider normal. nikon, I don't remember what the inside of that tail cap looked like. Could you add a picture showing the reverse polarity protection?

I'm not purposely trying to trash the XPG. It was a very good deal for $19.99. I really liked the knife that came with it. I wanted to keep it, but Cabela's wouldn't let me return just the flashlight alone. On a side note, Cabela's did not charge me for the return shipping!
 
streetmaster said:
It felt more like a plastic-on-plastic creaking noise. I could feel it as well as hear it. Not especially good if you're trying to sneak up on someone. It was harder to press than what I consider normal. nikon, I don't remember what the inside of that tail cap looked like. Could you add a picture showing the reverse polarity protection?

I'm not purposely trying to trash the XPG. It was a very good deal for $19.99. I really liked the knife that came with it. I wanted to keep it, but Cabela's wouldn't let me return just the flashlight alone. On a side note, Cabela's did not charge me for the return shipping!
Click to expand...


Below is a picture of the inside of the tailcap showing the housing which it contains. Inside the housing is a large diode, and above that is the clicky switch. The housing easily unscrews using a needle nose pliers. The second picture shows the housing removed. If desired, one can put a drop or two of oil directly into the clicky switch from the top without further disassembly. The diode (reverse polarity protection) is inside the housing.

cabswitch.jpg
cabcap.jpg
 
nikon said:
Below is a picture of the inside of the tailcap showing the housing which it contains. Inside the housing is a large diode, and above that is the clicky switch. The housing easily unscrews using a needle nose pliers. The second picture shows the housing removed. If desired, one can put a drop or two of oil directly into the clicky switch from the top without further disassembly. The diode (reverse polarity protection) is inside the housing.

cabswitch.jpg
cabcap.jpg
Click to expand...
Thank you so much for the pics and explanation.
 
This is the one that I got.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Solarforce-20...yZ106987QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Notice the specs state 3.7v RCR123's, but mine came with 3.0v. I really wanted the 3.7, but oh well. I have some 3.7 Trustfires coming from DX.

Btw, I was told by one of the sellers on eBay that the SpiderFire is made in the SolarForce factory. So it should be the same item, just rebadged as SpiderFire.
 
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I bought a Solarforce L2 w/R2 from ebay, took 5 weeks to arrive from seller ITC but for $35, was worth the wait as others are selling for $10 more. I love the feel of the light in comparison to other cheaper China built lights. The clickie feels solid, the build is great, and the R2 hot spot is a great tight with great throw. The R2 slightly out throws my Q5 lights as well as my P4 lights. Makes me want to buy more Solarforce lights.
 
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