Surefire A2 Avaiator LED brightness

DimBeam

Enlightened
Joined
Feb 21, 2004
Messages
220
Location
CT
I am considering buying a Surefire A2 for the following reasons. I would use it for night walks and I know the high incan. beam would be typical Surefire quality plus it is regulated. My question is the low LED setting good enough for night walks also with my dog? I don't need L4 type of brightness but would it have enough illumination to see ahead a short distance.
 
DimBeam,

This is exactly how I often use my A2! So I would say that, yes, it is perfect for this. With the LED's constant on, you can fire the incan high mode only when you need it. It's a great combination.

BUT, I go walking in the country side, the fields and the woods, and there is little ambient light. The LED mode is dim enough that it doesn't mess with my night vision very much in this situation, which is why I like it, but I wonder about the A2 LED mode in a city situation, with lots of ambient lighting. It would certainly light the ground right in front of your feet, but that's all I will vouch for. Perhaps someone else will know.
 
JS,
I walk in and around my own neighborhood but it is dark......no streetlights and houses on 1 or 2 acre tracts. Thanks for your feedback...I think I may go with the A2!
 
The A2 with white LEDs has about the same brightness as a Opalec NewBeam.

In case you don't have a NewBeam, I'll try to compare it with other lights. It's probably about twice as bright as a Infinity Ultra, ARC AA, ARC AAA, Dorcy AAA, Sonic, Photon 2. Even though it's twice as bright as these lights IMO it would be used for the same tasks as these.

It is a great flood and it's great for reading without blinding you.

Other lights to consider are the L2 & U2.

The L2 on low is similar to a McLux with a McFlood. This is much brighter than the low beam of the A2.

I have all of these and I prefer the A2 for EDC partly because of size and partly because of the regulated incandescent.

For walking the dog I would prefer the U2 because it can use Pilas and I can choose the light level required. The L2 on low might be bright enough and it would be my second choice only because it can't use Pilas. The L2 is also smaller in diameter than the U2, if that matters to you. I live in the city and there is a lot of light pollution. If I lived where I had quality dark, I would prefer the A2.
 
Hoghead,
Isn't the throw of the L2 high setting somewhat less than the A2 on it's high setting?
 
[ QUOTE ]
DimBeam said:
Hoghead,
Isn't the throw of the L2 high setting somewhat less than the A2 on it's high setting?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, the L2 high throw is the same as the L4.
 
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