Surefire A2 overrated?

[The Toecutter]

I'm starting to think that my Surefire a2 is a bit overrated.

Mine is dropping out of regulation as the batteries wear down. The whole reason I bought it was so that the brightness of the lamp remained constant till the very end. Mine does not. Is it defective, or is this how they perform?
If this is how they work, I am not impressed...

The light is nice and white, but the run time is pretty crappy on the main light.

I also have an issue with the colored LED's. Lots of artifacts and rings. I taped the tips and it cleared it up, but for that type of money, they should be cleaner..

Opinions/Comments?

 

[Size15's]

Welcome to CPF

I'm not quite sure what you mean - The A2's regulation means the output of the incandescent bulb does not decrease as the batteries are used up. When the juice in the batteries drops below a certain point the regulation electronics can not make use of it and so the beam drops to a small fraction of what it was (dim and yellow). This lets you know the batteries need to be changed. If you continue to run it the bulb will go out after about 10 minutes (if I recall correctly) so that only the LEDs remain lit.

The runtime should be at least 40 minutes regulated output (more if not used constant-on)

If you constant-on run an A2 next to an E2e or P60 for example, you notice that A2 remains constant high quality light output compared the gradually yellowing and dimming light from the other lights. Even though the other lights have a 60 minute runtime, in my experience, the light quality of the A2 will give me more high quality light output for longer.

Sometimes it's difficult to tell how much a unregulated light has dropped in output until you compare it to a fresh version. The eyes can play tricks. Also, I can certainly tell when unregulated flashlights are best their best output which happens about 10-20 minutes into a 60 minute runtime. After this I get strong urges to change to fresh batteries.

I am a white light junkie and so the A2 suits me very well.

With regards to the LED beams - the coloured LEDs will have such beams. For the general use of the LEDs - if it's an issue for you, you can scuff the tops of the LEDs to 'frost' them to give a more diffuse uniform beam.

Al

 

[JohnJ80]

The A2 is probably the best light I own.

The choices when you design the regulation electronics are to (a) do as surefire has done and just let the light go dimmer when it drops out of regulation or (b) shut it off as soon as it goes out of reg. I think (a) is the smart choice. If you needed SOME incan light, you still can get it when it is out of reg.

That all being said, the regulation helps you get the most out of the battery with the most light for the longest time. That is a good tradeoff.

Having the LEDs for low light needs is amazingly useful. I probably use that more often than the incan.

This is a great light.

J

 

[Mark2]

It is not possible to run the Incan at full power 'to the very end' because there comes a point in the batteries' life where they cannot provide enough power to do so. To compensate the loss of voltage during the depletion of the batteries, the regulation circuit draws more current from them. When they can no longer deliver enough current, there is no way to run the Incan at full power, but there is still energy left in the batteries which can be used for driving the LEDs or the Incan at lower power.

 

[Hoghead]

I think the A2 is the most underrated light on CPF.

IMHO the A2 would be the most popular light on CPF if it sold for less that $50.

The incandescent will dim & yellow as an indication to change your batteries. The A2 doesn't run dim or yellow until the batteries are depleted. The first time this happened I thought something was wrong with my light, now I just use it as a battery indicator.

 

[turbodog]

I agree with hoghead. However, Surefire will never sell it at that price. It's overpriced like all of their models. However, I don't mind the price as much as the inefficiency of the regulator. Maybe that's why I have a U2 ordered.

 

[glock_nor_cal]

I think the A2 sucks frankly. the batteries last noticibly shorter then my L4. the light's not waterproof. i put it in the sink to test it like i did my L4 and the head filled up with water - and just recently the light just stopped workign in led mode, just incandescent. And 185 dollars! I think its worth half of that. The L4 is immesurably better. Albeit they are used for different purposes. Ill never buy another A2.

 

[Size15's]

If the SureFire will never sell the A2 as the price it is at, why can't SureFire keep up with the demand for it then?

"glock_nor_cal",
What is the serial number of your A2?

If you compare the L4 to the A2 then on most fronts the incandescent will get beaten apart from beam intensity/throw/output for bezel size and fuller spectrum colour rendition.
Compare the A2 to another incandescent and the A2 really shines.

Al

 

[glock_nor_cal]

i dont know al. the incan on my a2 wasnt perfectly centered off the leds. maybe i got a lemon i dont know. i was not impressed by this light. it was not up to the quality im used to from surefire. the serial on my light is A06709. id love this light to be what it is supposed to be. the idea is great. if this light was the quality of the l4 id be stoked. im goign to write surefire a letter about every problem its having and hopefully they can fix it.

 

[Size15's]

Perhaps having the whole A2 replaced is the easiest way? Perhaps you can call SureFire and see if they can do this for you?

Al

 

[glock_nor_cal]

you think they'd really do that Al, i mean this light does seem to be a problem child? i dont have the box for it any more. id be thrilled if they could. Do you know anyone in particular I should talk to or how to approach it?

 

[astrogrub]

It doesn't seem like anyone really does any major modifications to the A2 so either it doesn't need any (is that possible?) or its not worth modifying or you've discoverd some areas that could use some help. Then again its primarially an incandescent at heart--what can you really do?--turn it into an "L2" perhaps?

It may indeed be overrated depending on your perspective and needs. It seems to suit my purposes fine although I find my L4 "overrated"--a luxeon lottery sort of thing, I tell myself

 

[glock_nor_cal]

astrogrub, true about the l4. i just got my second L4 and the led is noticibly better then the first one. this one came in the newer package so im assuming its newer. their is no doughnut hole in this one and the clickie is buttery smooth unlike my old L4 which was stiffer. i found a store near my house which has a large stock in store. thats the best way to buy a light i've found.

 

[Size15's]

The way to find out is to ask them.
I suggest that a polite and honest approach could help.
I guess if I didn't know people at SureFire I would naturally head for tech support but that's only because my questions are usually more techie.

Al

 

[glock_nor_cal]

the guy i talked to gave me an ARS# which i promptly lost cleaning my house. im going to call them again and explain the whole situation. surefire has exceptional customer service, im sure they'll help me out. A question. Do all of you guys A2s perform well, and are they airtight underwater?

 

[Floating Spots]

I personally like my A2.
However, I'm not using the main lamp a lot.
I use it for short bursts.
The main use is the leds.

Like tonight, I probably have an hour on the leds and 10 seconds on the main beam...

As for water tightness, mine doesn't seems to be fairly water tight. I hasn't ever had moisture in it, but I've never done more than splash it...

 

[machulu]

I'm going to agree that the A2 is overrated or maybe I got a dud. I hate the beam of the A2. It has a little hotspot that's about as intense as a E2e then followed by very little spill and outlined by a thick nasty corona. When used outdoors, that thick corona is simply wasted light that doesn't light up anything in front of you. I've tried three lamps with the same result. Maybe it's just my light. I previously had problems with the A2, it was sent back to Surefire for repair last year and took them weeks to return the light back to me. I can edc an ARC4 for low light needs and bring an E2e or L4 if I need more light. I would rather carry 2 small lights than carry one larger light like the A2. The A2 is simply too long and heavy for my pockets.

~Stephen

 

[Hoghead]

I have two A2s and they are great. I EDCed one from the time they came out until recently. I had it paired up with a LSH-P and then a ARC4x. I replaced it with a McGizmo modified black L1/ 2x123/ PR/ X4T. I have quite a few lights, but the only ones that can even compete with the A2 are the L1/ 2x123/ PR mods. If you use your light on low most of the time the A2 might win out because it has a wider beam on low than the PR with either Lux3 or 5 watt. My use is intermittent on high most of the time, so I like the 5 watt because it just puts out more lumens.

I carry my A2 in a holster and I haven't done a dunk test.

I have some L4s too, but for my use I prefer the A2. If you want to use Pilas the L4 wins out over the A2.

 

[kz1000s1]

The A2 is the best all-around light made IMO. When it first came out I lost interest because I thought it was too big compared to an E2e, and the short incan runtime. Last November I got an A2 in trade and rarely use any other light. Even my L4 was collecting dust, and that was my favorite. It's brighter, whiter and more throw for a longer time than an E2e and most of the time the LEDs are all you need, so batteries last for two months of constant use. The L2 should be a good light, but you won't have the A2's throw.

My A2 never has a yellow beam. When it starts dropping out, there is a hesitation when pushing high beam, next you will have to push it again to come on, lastly the bulb goes out and you get two LED light levels.

As for the size, It's not been a problem. I just wear 5.11 style pants or carpenter shorts with pockets, or use a V21 holster.

I think it's underrated.

 

[ygbsm]

Another vote for the A2 -- the ones I have (2xwhite LED, 1Xred) are the most useful lights I own. The A2's not a serious tac light, but neither are any of SF's pure LED lights like the L4. I don't expect the A2 to be one - for that I carry the G2Z or M3. It not a "gee whiz it's so tiny yet so bright" light for impressing non-flashaholic friends either, but that has become a criterion of lesser importance in my light purchases lately. The A2 is just an all around general utility light (with the white LEDs that is). I did not even realize how true this was for me until the blackout last summer when, given a large array of light choices, I found myself inevitably reaching for the A2. For most uses, the white LEDs are more than adequate and hardly deplete the 123s at all. And if you need a nice bright clean white light it's at your fingertips.
I do find the colored LED versions -- I have a red LED A2 also -- to be less satisfying, but I look on it as a special purpose light -- red LEDs to navigate to a tree stand etc. I also do agree that for the money, there should not be any issues with quality, watertightness, etc.