A2-HA-RD Beam Quality

After much research and study of this very informative forum, I bought a SF A2. Well, that is after having a piece of junk combo LED (Coast LED) fail while I was on Final Approach under a simulated electrical failure to a very dark airport. I already own a L5 and love it so I was expecting greatness from the A2. No doubt the Incand. is true to SF standards but I my A2 has a very blotchy beam (the three LED's are very defined) while running on the three red LED's. Is this normal? I have looked through the reviews, looked at the beam pictures (which are mostly white LED's) and they all look pretty smooth. Can anyone confirm this? Have any suggestions?

I know the LED's are recessed in the reflector, thats why I have the three hotspots but can I tweak them or sand them?

Normal. They're nichias and that's pretty normal for them. It's for up-close work, so the beam quality isn't so important. The light is very functional - I wouldn't worry about it. Some of the guys here sand the leds, but I don't think it's worth the effort or the chance of screwing something up.

Welcome to CPF!

It's normal for the LEDs to produce the beam you are seeing.

You could remove the LED ring from the reflector and gently sand the tops of the LEDs to scatter the light. Using the finest grade paper you can get hold of if you want to try it.
I've not done it personally and it's a one-way no-returns 'mod'
Start off gentle - I suspect it will take several tests (of replacing the LED ring and trying the beam) before you decide you've sanded enough.

Al

Thanks. I do love the light, thinking about getting one with the white LED's for a good friend who backpacks a lot. Just curious, do the white LED's give a better pattern? I would only assume that the whiter light would reflect more thus giving more spill.

Greetings and Welcome to CPF!

Enjoy!

Thank you CHC.

SureFire do not sell the LED Rings by themselves. If you want white-light LEDs you'll need to buy a whole A2.

I have red and white A2's. The white is brighter and has a much smoother beam although you can still see the individual LED's a bit. The red was "blochy" as you described and the individual LED's were very pronounced. I sanded the LED's and got a MUCH smoother beam, perfect in fact. However, they also became considerably dimmer. I actually prefer the dimmer beam since it was a bit too bright to maintain night vision. If I had sanded a bit less or used a finer grade of paper, I'm sure the beam would have been brighter than it is. It's too bad Surefire won't sell just the LED ring. Then you could have one A2 and all the colors you want.


JimmyB

Here's mine:



I call it "Biohazard-esque Throw Enhanced" or a ringy multi-LED beam. It does give more throw, which can be nice.

Scott

Thanks to ImageShack for Free Image Hosting

Yep, thats the beam.. Thanks beezaur. Its actually a pretty cool beam, just not what I was expecting.

Shame SF does not sell the individual LED rings.. Jimmy, you got the right combo..

beezaur said:

I call it "Biohazard-esque Throw Enhanced" . . .

Click to expand...

:huh: It sure does look kind of that symbol. Good One! :wave:

Welcome Furls, from a fellow pilot. I notice you're from california, what part? I fly out of Fullerton in the L.A. area. I've got a white A2 I use for flying and I LOVE it.

My white A2's beam is very smooth on both high and low. I wish Surefire would sell an entire bezel, not just LED rings because I can't see myself carrying around a LED ring. A bezel, maybe. Maybe someone could ask Surefire CS if they'd sell you an A2 bezel?

SCblur: I fly out of Santa Barbara, just finishing my private.. One more Solo Cross Country to go.. Love the A2 in the air.

That's great. An early congrats, I'm sure you'll do great. I'm going the career route. I started my private last july, and I just got my instrument rating two weeks ago. I'm in the process of time-building right now for my Commercial. Trust me, the more you fly, the more you want to. Have fun in the air.

furls, here's a step-by-step for you about fixing that ringy beam: http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=100819&highlight=tune

Thanks leukos, I'm probably going to try it for a while then make the choice. I'm a chicken when it voids the SF warentee.