Surefire addresses U2 "donut hole" problem. Sort of.....

[carrot]

Well, I've been thinking all night, and I may go with an L5. Simpler, smaller, still plenty bright (65 lumen) and I've seen no reports of "donut hole" in the beam, and a whopping 100 bucks cheaper. I'm going to start a new thread on it though since this one is dedicated to the U2. Still thinking about that one too though....

Buy both!

 

[KDOG3]

Yeah right - 500 bucks worth of lights. Nope, the wife won't mind at all!

 

[:)>]

KDOG,

Dont be afraid of your wife... Here is the secret:

1. When she is sleeping tonight, sneak out of bed; very quietly so that you don't wake her (this may cause you to lose your nerve).
2. Tiptoe over to where she keeps her purse...
3. Quietly reach into her purse and reclaim your family jewels
4. Then take your family jewels and buy both lights.

You will be happier!

-Goatee

 

[rudbwoy69camaro]

KDOG,

Dont be afraid of your wife... Here is the secret:

1. When she is sleeping tonight, sneak out of bed; very quietly so that you don't wake her (this may cause you to lose your nerve).
2. Tiptoe over to where she keeps her purse...
3. Quietly reach into her purse and reclaim your family jewels
4. Then take your family jewels and buy both lights.

You will be happier!

-Goatee

LOL

 

[KDOG3]

Yeah, sure. I'll be happier until the she finds out - then its HASSAN CHOP!

 

[ICUDoc]

Hey, WasBlinded,

Was the LED swap for the U2 easy to do?
Any tips or advice- I'm a bit nervous about this one- pricier than my average torch but I have a lovely WWOS sitting around.....

 

[grnamin]

Hey, WasBlinded,

Was the LED swap for the U2 easy to do?
Any tips or advice- I'm a bit nervous about this one- pricier than my average torch but I have a lovely WWOS sitting around.....

The swap itself is easy. You just have to be a little bit skilled with the use of a soldering iron. The difficult part is getting the bezel open to expose the LED. Some U2 have been easy to open. I had one that I was able to open by hand from the get-go. I've encountered others that required the tools in the following picture in order to open:

Red loctite breaks down at approximate 350 degrees. Prior to heating the bezel, I removed the plastic selector ring by first wrapping it with a narrow strip of duct tape, same with the bezel itself (for grip). I then twisted the selector ring counter-clockwise (in the direction of the lowest light level) in order to remove it. I also removed the O-ring that goes under the selector ring. I heated the bezel with the heat gun for about 2 minutes while continuously rotating the bezel with a gloved hand, then used Visegrips with strips of thick cowhide to protect the bezel to wrench the bezel open:

Here's the bracket where the LED rests (old LED already extracted):

I replaced the old LED with a WX0T Lux V. The owner is very happy now.

 

[wasBlinded]

I opened the bezel by using two strips of old bicycle innertube to wrap the upper bezel and also the U2 below the upper bezel. I then put the U2 into a vise and carefully fixed it in place. Applied some heat to the bezel with a heat gun, and opened it with a Vise-grip (the inner-tube rubber protecting the bezel).

The light sustained no damage, but it was something to do carefully.

Replacing the LED at that point is pretty easy, though the original one was destroyed when removed - no great loss there.

 

[grnamin]

wasBlinded, the inner tube idea is awesome. I'll try that next time. Better grip than cowhide.

 

[ICUDoc]

Gnarmin, wasBlinded,

Lovely description- thanks very much- I shall report back if I work up the guts.
Thanks again.

 

[IsaacHayes]

dont forget to use some thermal paste on the bottom of the emitter of course!

 

[Luna]

I just tried and unscrewed the bottom part without the aid of anything (not to brag but I have a pretty strong grip, so hopefully this gives an idea of the force necessary.)

 

[Safety1st]

I'm considering selling my U2..

There isn't much in the way of a donut at all...

the tail switch is perfect...

it's perfect all round...

if anyone wants it...PM me..

cheers