Surefire’s 2010 New Lights Discussion

[c0t0d0s0]

I too would have like to have seen the Lux V U2 upgraded to something like the MC-E to keep a similiar beam profile, and some added lumens. This did not happen, but there is an alternative. We have several good modders on CPF who could do an MC-E swap, and if the vf is low enough, it would run perfectly in the U2, with an 18650. I am considering that for my Lux V U2. In the meantime my U2 is still pretty much perfect for me.

Bill

It works just fine on batteries if wired in 2s2p configuration, regardless of Vf. So is KL4 head. So is KL5.

 

[souptree]

I still say that SF should pack all the new gee-whiz U2 derived technology into lights just like the UB3T, then release the original "simple" U2 cut down to 1x123 as a U1. I think a U1 would be the perfect bridge light between the Titan and UB3T.

Sorry, is this off topic?

 

[DM51]

Sorry, is this off topic?

The light you are describing may belong in a thread with the title "Surefire’s 2030 New Lights Discussion", not 2010, so maybe it is just a teeny weeny bit off-topic, lol

 

[Flashlightboy]

SF AA light; bodies?

Somewhat overlooked in the 2010 SF lights discussion is the light that uses 2AA batteries. Obviously SF knows it can't win the world over with 123s so why not get them to come aboard to SF through the AA light.

Now I like my 123 lights although I can see a huge advantage to having a light that uses AA batteries so my question is assuming the AA light sees the market, will bodies be available and can they be retrofitted to other E series light?

 

[KeyGrip]

Re: SF AA light; bodies?

SureFire has never, to my knowledge, sold just the body of a light. You can get a tailcap, and in many cases you can get an LED head, but not just a body. Luckily, there are some CPF members who buy up large quantities of SureFires and part them out over on the Marketplace. Hopefully that happens with the AA Outdoorsman.

As for the retrofitting question, all of the pictures from SHOT show the light with what looks like a KX1 head, so I'll say the AA body will work with other E series parts.

 

[jp2515]

Re: SF AA light; bodies?

There's not much to the E2L AA Outdoorsman, its a KX1 head fitted to a E series body that has been lengthened and bored to accept AA cells (from the prototype it will only fit AA cells, not both). Like most of their other products it will probably be sold as a whole unit so if you just want the body, it got a extra KX1 head to sell or retrofit to your other lights.

 

[Size15's]

Re: SF AA light; bodies?

Somewhat overlooked in the 2010 SF lights discussion is the light that uses 2AA batteries.

I've merged your thread into this main one because it follows discussion here on the E2L-AA...

 

[souptree]

The light you are describing may belong in a thread with the title "Surefire’s 2030 New Lights Discussion", not 2010, so maybe it is just a teeny weeny bit off-topic, lol

There's no technical reason the light I'm describing couldn't be released this year if they wanted to do it. :shrug:

OK, I'll shut up now. :nana:

 

[Monocrom]

There's no technical reason the light I'm describing couldn't be released this year if they wanted to do it. :shrug:

OK, I'll shut up now. :nana:

U1 would be a sweet idea! L1 in size, with the performance of Surefire's U2 model. Something like that wouldn't even be 20 years down the road. My Novatac 120P is in the same ballpark. I'd love using a selector ring instead of a tailcap.

OK, I'm done drifting off topic.

 

[KDOG3]

Anyone notice that the L5 is not in the catalog? I still don't get why no one is talking about the runtime/output oddities with the Stratum and such.

 

[Tempest UK]

Anyone notice that the L5 is not in the catalog? I still don't get why no one is talking about the runtime/output oddities with the Stratum and such.

I think we're just used to runtime/output numbers of SureFire's new offering changing (perhaps multiple times) between their announcement at SHOT and their eventual release. Take the Titan, for example.

Regards,
Tempest

 

[Beretta1526]

I too would have like to have seen the Lux V U2 upgraded to something like the MC-E to keep a similiar beam profile, and some added lumens. This did not happen, but there is an alternative. We have several good modders on CPF who could do an MC-E swap, and if the vf is low enough, it would run perfectly in the U2, with an 18650. I am considering that for my Lux V U2. In the meantime my U2 is still pretty much perfect for me.

Bill

I want to do this myself, but I like my current U2 a LOT and don't want to chance getting disappointed with the result.

.

 

[Raymond3]

I hate to even participate in this subtopic but what 2 x AA light is actually 230L OTF ?????

I don't have a lightmeter, but my quark mini AA on 14500 is visibly brighter than my 235 lumen Fenix PD30 R4 on high.

 

[MattK]

Not really meaningful given the overdrive.

Also, 'visibly brighter' is a largely meaningless statement because, as has been beaten to death, of the optical differences. A light could have 2 x the output of but to many people it might be visibly dimmer if it had a larger hotspot or a floodier beam profile due to optical differences.

 

[Outdoors Fanatic]

Not really meaningful given the overdrive.

Also, 'visibly brighter' is a largely meaningless statement because, as has been beaten to death, of the optical differences. A light could have 2 x the output of but to many people it might be visibly dimmer if it had a larger hotspot or a floodier beam profile due to optical differences.

Sorry, but I completely disagree. Optics or reflector performance is also part of the equation. A good quality flashlight must also have efficient ways put those lumens where it counts. Output alone means little if you cannot make good use of it. A high output flashlight without a decent media to transmit light is like a a car with monster-sized engine and square wheels. So I bet must people would rather have a flashlight which appears "visibly brighter" than a light which is brighter on paper only.That's why I think Peak Beam System is the only Flashlight/Spotlight company to come up with a truly meaningful explanation of this phenomema.

"
Why is the Maxa Beam’s output measured in Candlepower rather than Lumens? Can I convert 7.5 million Peak Beam CandlePower into Lumens?
Very often we are asked to measure the output of the Maxa Beam searchlight in lumens because this is such a common way to rate a flashlight's power. It is not possible to convert candlepower into lumens because these units measure different aspects of a light's output.
Lumens measure how much light comes from just the bulb itself. Lumens are fairly standard based on the type of lamp (Xenon, incandescent, metal halide, etc.) and the wattage that the lamp is running. This measurement does not take into consideration the design of the reflector, the optics of the light unit and how focused the beam of light is. This is important to note since not all of the energy that the bulb puts out gets directed into the beam. The lumens measurement is very good for things like a household light bulb and other types of bulbs that do not create a beam of light.
Peak beam candlepower measures how much light reaches a surface set at some distance from the light unit. Candlepower takes into account the performance of the whole unit, meaning that this unit of measurement is more relevant than lumen output when comparing long range lights such as the Maxa Beam Searchlight. You can take a bulb with the same lumens rating and put it into different light fixtures and get a very different candlepower measurements. To get the Maxa Beam's peak beam candlepower measurement, Peak Beam engineers focus the searchlight's 1° spot on a target set at a distance of 100 feet. The engineers then measure the amount of foot candles illuminating this target with a light meter. The formula for the peak beam candlepower is the distance squared times the foot candle reading at the brightest spot in the beam."

I think they nailed it.:thumbsup:

 

[Kiessling]

The problem would be "where it counts" as that might very well be a floody type of light. MaxaBeam focusses on throw of course, but they are obfuscating the rest of the truth. It is a well-engineered marketing trap.
IMHO Matt has a point as the human eye can't compare flux, only lux.

 

[Kestrel]

I think both viewpoints above have merit IMHO - it's like thinking of the physical functioning of the flashlight by itself vs how it is used as a tool in a larger context. :shrug:

Edit: hmm, I think we're going OT tho...

 

[MattK]

Sorry, but I completely disagree. Optics or reflector performance is also part of the equation.

No, brightness is lumens, total output, and all too often, as I posted earlier, high LUX is mistaken for high output. Since 'visibly brighter' is often an inexpert measure of LUX I stand by my statement that it's largely meaningless.

LUX doesn't equal efficiency. A very floody light can be very efficient. Actually it could be argued that the most efficient light has no reflector or lense - just a bare emitter.

If Raymond3 had said, 'in a ceiling bounce test,' I would not have ene replied but I'm assuming he aimed them at a wall or a bush, saw a hotspot and thought, 'must be brighter.'

As Kiessling points restated, 'the human eye can't compare flux, only lux.'

Appears visibly brighter WHEN?
When I shine it on a white wall 1M away?
When I shine it doen a hallway?
Down the street?
Across the field?


"It is a well-engineered marketing trap." - LOL - nicely said! Nothing against Maxabeam, they make cool stuff, but that's exactly what that is. Engineering speak manipulated to show their product in the best possible light.

 

[KROMATICS]

That is a very wise thing. I just hope the UB3T gets released sometime this year. I'm interested in it more and more. Just wished SF also upgraded the good old U2. A U2 successor would also be nice.

I always thought the U2 successor was supposed to have been the UA2 Optimus. Of course they killed it and the UB2 morphed into a completely different kind of light. I'd love to know why this all happened.

How do you go from a 2-cell pocketable light with a clip to the UB3T? It's like a car manufacturer announcing a new 2-door sports coupe and delivering an SUV instead.

The whole ordeal reminds me of The Homer

 

[pm07]

I would like to see an upgrade for the 9N/9AN series . Either an upgraded bulb thats shock resistant or a LED upgrade.