SureFire Power Regulation question

[Justboy]

does anyone know which models in the SF range offer power regulation? the idea of the light being at maximum brightness for the life of the batteries is very appealing, because it seems there's no point comparing lumen ratings etc. on some models when they're only that bright for the first 5 minutes.
I know Fenix lights are all digitally regulated, should I go for one of those instead?

thanks for the help! :wave:

 

[KeyGrip]

None of SureFire's lights are designed to put out maximum output for the life of the batteries because that could lead to a dangerous situation. As far as I know, Fenix is the same. How are you going to be using this light?

 

[senna94]

Justboy, I think what you are asking is which Surefire lights offer power regulation. As a rule of thumb all of the LED models offer regulation, and the A2 is the only incandescent to offer it. For more info on a specific light just check on Surefire's website. Some will argue that certain lights offer a flatter regulation curve than others and that is true. However, to the naked human eye these variances in the regulation curve are imperceptible to the human eye. What this means is that these regulated lights will try to keep the output brightness as consistent as possible for a large percentage of the usable power in the batteries. When there is not enough power left in the batteries then the light will "drop out of regulation" and you will see a noticeable drop in light output. This "moon" phase that most lights go into is designed to keep you from being completely in the dark and hopefully get you to where you can install new cells.

Paul

 

[Justboy]

OK thanks for the help!!

It seems like I've been misled by some claims made, particularly about Fenix lights. I thought that there was a way to get a single constant light output from a set of batteries and then when they ran out the light would simply go off.
But yes I see how this would be a problem in the more professional tasks SureFires are usually put to, because there is no warning before the cells run out and the light stops working.

I was just wondering because I can see myself changing the cells every time the light starts to dim, wanting the maximum output just because I know it's there. So I was hoping for something with a very consistent output.
I'm just trying to avoid the scenario of buying a light quoted at X lumens for Y hours and finding out it provides X lumens for 5 minutes and by the time it reaches Y hours you would be better off using a candle. This would cause me to only partially drain each set of batteries before wanting to put new ones in. Very annoying, wasteful and expensive! So I guess I'm asking which lights I should be looking at to get the most reliable consistent output that is actually close to the quoted lumens?

 

[KeyGrip]

Researching a light before purchase helps let you know if it will maintain it's output the way you want. Another option is to buy a second light that is low powered but will drain cells very well. An example of this combination is the SureFire L4 and the Inova X5. The L4 is bright for 1.5 hours then drops off to about a quarter of full output. You can take the batteries out of the L4 and put use in the X5 because that particular light runs very well on "dead" batteries.

 

[Lobo]

OK thanks for the help!!

It seems like I've been misled by some claims made, particularly about Fenix lights. I thought that there was a way to get a single constant light output from a set of batteries and then when they ran out the light would simply go off.

Fenix's current regulated lights has some of the finest regulation out there(allthough you might want to avoid using alkalines).

Check out theese graphs.
http://flashlightreviews.com/reviews/fenix_l1dce-l2dce.htm

And IMHO, a light going completely dead is not a good thing. Then you don't have a clue how much batterylife you got left and your stuck in the dark without a warning with a very dead light. A light that powers down to a lower level when the batteries no longer can power the higher levels is a good thing.

YMMV.