Battle or not to battle.

Right, U2 again....

As some of you may remember reading, i have a U2, clickie issue, dust inside reflector and donut hole, but has a nice blue/white tint.

Im beginning to hate the donut hole and dust, they send me a new clickie and it hasnt missed a beat even after hundreds of clicks.

Should I send it back and request one with no donut hole or dust?

Im sure they will send a new one, a donut cannot be corrected and dust is inside.

BUT what if they send me a green tint one!!

If i ring them up and say "im not happy with the tint, its all green" would they send me another and another and another until im happy?

Or would they get p****d off with me and just say, green tint, tought luck on you! The warranty doesnt cover that!

Not to mention im probably going to be without my U2 for about a year from the sounds of it from others if i keep sending them back.

Also, if i ring and say "I want NO donut, a BLUE tint and NO dust", would they actually look at lots of U2 and find the perfect one and send it? or would they just say "of course sir", then send any old crap my way or even the one im sending in back!? At the end of the day, ive paid $250 dollars for a flashlight dammit and i want $250 dollars worth perfection!

Yours thoughts are, as always greatly appreciated

From a CPF'er at his tethers end!

Craig.

I would return it for refund, if possible, and get a Kroma later.

But then, I don't have a U2 now, so that tells you how enamored I am of the light.

Funny thing about SureFire 5 watt LEDs. I never noticed much of a donut hole in my L2's beam. I hadn't used it in a while, and then whammo -- donut hole. It's like the light grew a donut or something. I have an L4 which is great, but its LED is a bit off-center. To a certain extent I think donut holes are a fact of life with SureFire LuxVs.

Scott

I think for me it will depend on how bad the donut hole is. If its not very evident under normal usage then I would keep the light. If the donut hole can be seen anywhere within the range of 1 or 2 yards then I would send it back.

~Stephen

I think they will just send another one and not really take any time at all to find the perfect one for you. I have been tol that a perfectly focused LED in this light will have a doughnut hole. Mine has a slight one, but in real world use, I can live with it.

Ron

Yup, you're not getting yours fixed, they'll just send you a new one. That's what hapenned to me. I actually got a horrible one as replacement (more lint in the reflector, black debris on the Lux's dome, still strobing, green tint on all levels...) so I sent it back. If the replacement comes in with similar issues I'm breaking the %&*@ seals and fixing things myself.

Why are you even looking into the barrel of your light anyway? I've a few dust specks in my A2 bezel (probably my fault) and I never see them... because I'm never looking into the light when it's on. I thought the point of a light was for illumination, not to blind yourself?

Since it sounds like the tint is good and the donut is not too pronounced, I'd say you easily risk getting a worse one, at least until Surefire QC cleans up their act with the U2.

If you're patient and willing to crack open your U2, you might be able to contact a modder (like Chop) to do an LED transplant... and fix the donut in the process. I'm of the opinion that although you risk voiding the warranty, it's the "safer" option. (But possibly pricey!)

Did you buy the light online or from a local Surefire dealer. If its from a local dealer take it back and exchange it for another one.

If it was online do you have any recourse through that dealer?

As a last resort i'd send it to Surefire at least once to see if you get a better light than the one you have.

Surefires turnaround time is pathetic at best but it also seems to be hit and miss depending on who you are.

Good Luck whatever you decide and keep us up to date.

Green, sorry to hear your replacement was a dud. Keep at it; Surefire will send you a good one eventually.

Englander, it's tough to get perfection in a U2. This_is_nascar went through five of them before he found one that he was willing to tolerate, and even then it wasn't perfect. Last I read, he was willing to trade it for something he really wanted. I sent back my first one because of donut and clicky issues. It had a really beautiful tint. My replacement has a slightly off tint, a less noticable donut, and a good clicky. Is it perfect? Not really, but I'm scared to send it back a second time. I figure it's above average now, and my chances of getting a worse one are high.

I find it helps a lot to read the tales of U2 woe. If you see that others have a U2 that is worse than yours, it makes you start to think that maybe you can live with that donut. Of course, then someone like Joema will pop by and mention that his U2 is whiter than snow and brighter than the sun, but I think those are the exception. (Just kidding, Joema )

Seriously, though, if it's really driving you nuts, maybe you should consider trying to return it, or sell it to someone else. Take the money and buy something custom where you might be able to request a specific bin, like a Superflashlight III or a HD45. Or, buy a cheaper Quicksilver V or a Nuwai ALX-352 and replacement the emitter yourself with a known bin.

Best of luck. I know it's tough when you shell out good money for a premium light, and it doesn't live up to expectations.

i think it sounds to me like you're a little unhappy with it, and as long as you're not completely satisfied with it, it's going to constantly nag at you. i would go for either the mod/transplant fix or try to have surefire fix the problem.

I can see the dust when the light is off, there is even a black piece stuck on the glass on the inside of the window.

As for the donut, is seems to be more noticable now ive used it more. I would say it is noticable. Comparsed to a mag, its non existant, but I can see it all the time. Its kinda yellow in the middle and bright white outside, more noticable at lower levels and not just on white wall either, done it on black carseat backing material (the lining in the trunk) and it was visible in daylight amongst other situations aswell, basically anything flat. Its not heavily noticable, kinda a trick of the eyes, but its there constantly, you know when you accdiently blind yourself with a light and see faint yellow, though its faint almost not there, but you can see it, its like that in the middle of the hotspot.

I bought the light from Lighthound.com, id expect their policy on returns to be "contact surefire"? Im thinking i might give them a ring and just have a nice chat with them and see if that makes me feel better lol. Though ill wait a couple days until ive gotten most people's opinions before i make a final decision.

The Kroma does look like a nifty light, but id say a pefect U2 would fit my bill far more than a Kroma, not to mention the fact no-one has one yet, it looks like a U2, it may be dogged with just as much or even more problems. I do think the Kroma will be a test to see whether Surfire is going down the tubes or not quality wise anyway.

Thankyou for your continuing support of my ranting

Craig.

I imagine they'll replace them for as long as you're willing to send them in and eventually you'll get the one you should have gotten from the beginning. Sadly, the real question is "how long are you willing to be without a torch you paid over $200 for?"

My $.02... Its a $200 LIGHT! if your not happey with it, send it back or get your $ back. Thats what I would do.

KE7AYF said:

My $.02... Its a $200 LIGHT! if your not happey with it, send it back or get your $ back. Thats what I would do.

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I would agree with you, but I want the U2, its perfect for my applications, large spill and throws quite far, the multi settings seal the deal, i just want the damn thing to work properly thats all. Not to mention the very long run time.

The poll seems to be straight down the middle lol, so that wasnt as decisive as i had hoped, though i aggree that it will nag me to death, so ill probably "go to war" in the end.

Ill keep you all posted as to how it goes, and keep my eye on this thread incase poll changes or more opinions are added.

Thanks again.

Craig.

Does the green tint affect its usefulness as a flashlight?

Handlobraesing said:

Does the green tint affect its usefulness as a flashlight?

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Not to my knowledge, in fact green is a better light source for lighting things up from what i understand, i just prefere white light, more on the bluish side of white than green. I just really dont like the green ones, especially because i have another light that goes green when its dying, so it brings back bad memories lol

Its personal preference more than anything.

Craig.

I agree that you should get what you want. A small blemish that starts out as a minor annoyance will probably grow into pure disgust in a few months and then into absolute loathing in a years time. On the other hand, if you count the number of people in CPF who have gotten "perfect" U2's, the number is quite low.

Before you "go to war" with SF, make sure that you have the resources (ie alternative lights) and stamina for a LONG war... Personally, I would return the U2 and get something else.

I saw a U2 at the gunshop today. Those things are HUGE! I never realized the Centurian was so big either. Hadn't really looked that closely before.

Englander said:

...in fact green is a better light source for lighting things up from what i understand...

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I thought that was just something that those of us who got stuck with greenies say to make ourselves feel better.

"Oh well, my light looks like the cat just barfed, but at least I can see better!"

Sorry for the bad flashlight humor... :lolsign:

Ty_Bower said:

I thought that was just something that those of us who got stuck with greenies say to make ourselves feel better.

"Oh well, my light looks like the cat just barfed, but at least I can see better!"

Sorry for the bad flashlight humor... :lolsign:

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LOL, good humour Ty_Bower, gave me a chuckle anyway