U2 vs Gladius
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zespectre
Flashlight Enthusiast
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Careful ... in a new U2 you cannot use 18650 Li-Ions unless you remove the plastic sleeve in the body, which isn't trivial. The Gladius accpets Li-Ion but the "low battery warning" flash will engage.
As for the beams ... the U2 has superior light output, a tighter and brighter corona, a bigger spot, but the Gladius has more thorw in the hotspot and a wider corona. Thnk of the U2 as a "ram of light" whereas the Gladius has a needle-like spot and a dim and big corona.
Sorry, I do not own a GLadius, so no beam shots.
Another important factor to consider is the user interface which is quite different in those lights.
bk
As for the beams ... the U2 has superior light output, a tighter and brighter corona, a bigger spot, but the Gladius has more thorw in the hotspot and a wider corona. Thnk of the U2 as a "ram of light" whereas the Gladius has a needle-like spot and a dim and big corona.
Sorry, I do not own a GLadius, so no beam shots.
Another important factor to consider is the user interface which is quite different in those lights.
bk
TENMMIKE
Enlightened
i certainly would not call a gladius beam a needle, it is far closer to a u-2 then you might think ,only the (spill) of the u2 is brighter , it is a fairly notacable difference but not a incredible amount , i pick my lottery winner gladius over my lottery winner u-2 for all around use any day.
I played with the U2 and Gladius last night at a CPF get together and liked the U2 much better. I like it so much that I might be purchasing one.
The only thing with the U2 is the fact that Surefire's QC has apparently been down lately
The Gladius interface in my opinion needs work and the tailcap looks cheasy being plastice. Also to dimm the Gladius takes way to long for my likeing. You need to hold the button for around 3 seconds before the brightness level changes. Though I don't know if this is user changeable??
Mac
The only thing with the U2 is the fact that Surefire's QC has apparently been down lately
The Gladius interface in my opinion needs work and the tailcap looks cheasy being plastice. Also to dimm the Gladius takes way to long for my likeing. You need to hold the button for around 3 seconds before the brightness level changes. Though I don't know if this is user changeable??
Mac
zespectre
Flashlight Enthusiast
cmacclel said:
I was one of the early people to mention these concerns and pursue them. This whole issue really has been laid to rest.
While I still feel that the single "allignment pin" is a weak area in the design, in the time I've owned my Gladius (and taken it on a number of backcountry camping trips and been less than gentle with it) there hasn't really been a problem with the pin.
At this point though I have to strongly disagree about the switch and dial. Yes they are plastic and yes I had strong initial concerns, but in the time I've had and used mine the switching mechanism has proven to be extremely tough and reliable.
TENMMIKE
Enlightened
I WONDER HOW THIS CONTUES TO COME UP, iv never seen people so stuck on a non issue in my life , its almost if the persons are predisposed to not understanding the features and why they are the way they are, i don't like the little key way either but ITS NOT A BIG FRIGGEN DEAL, i can change my batteries just as fast in my gladius as my u-2 (12-13 seconds)(acutualy a little faster as it easier to get turn the cap on and off ) having a u-2 that flat wont turn on as is a problem with them ( not mine) would sure as hell be a bigger issue to me, the cap on the gladius was designed the way it was on purpose ,not to be cheap, its designed so that it will work if dropped in mud ( the grit wont jam the cap up)and to handled by a person wearing gloves. .. BTW iv got both lights
cmacclel said:
TENMMIKE said:
Gee I guess I shouldn't voice my opinion it might offend people. Like I said I got to play with both units on Friday night................I guess it KEEPS COMING UP as you so put it because PEOPLE MUST NOT BE HAPPY about it....................make sense? During the Pass around people where warned about the difficulty with installing the tailcap and yet some "Flashaholic" still managed to break the NUB off after being warned numerous times about it. So the tailcap design is plastic so mud won't JAM it up? Could this only be acheived with plastic?? Why not aluminum?
Mac
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Gentlemen ... please keep your cool. We aren't here to fight.
And after all, everyone knows that *I* am right and everyone who opposes me is automatically wrong, which eliminates the need for any heated arguments anyway :nana: :wave:
bernie
And after all, everyone knows that *I* am right and everyone who opposes me is automatically wrong, which eliminates the need for any heated arguments anyway
:nana: :wave:bernie
I went through the same decision making process between these 2, and settled on the Gladius.
One has superior flood, the other superior throw, the throw suited me better.
One thing I did want was the ability to use the light without affecting dark adapted vision, the Gladius is a clear winner here. Many U2 owners have said they'd like a lower lowest level. The other advantage is approx 400 hours runtime on the (very useable) low versus approx 40(?) with the U2.
The tailcap/lug issue with the Gladius is a complete non-issue for me, you take a bit of care the first time you fit the cap and from then on it's obvious and easy to use, even in the dark. The one exception may be if someone else changes the batteries.
The very few issues reported with Gladius switch breakages (2? when dropped on the switch with the switch locked out) pale into insignificance compared with the litany of problems that continue to plague the U2. When I first saw a U2 I knew I wanted one, and if I did manage to get a good one I know I'd love it, but things being as they are I am very happy with the Gladius and would no longer go for a U2 even if the issues were addressed.
I think it comes down to relatively small usability differences (brilliantly described in Zespectre's review) and beyond that personal preferences. Get the one you think you'll enjoy owning and using the most.
Andrew
One has superior flood, the other superior throw, the throw suited me better.
One thing I did want was the ability to use the light without affecting dark adapted vision, the Gladius is a clear winner here. Many U2 owners have said they'd like a lower lowest level. The other advantage is approx 400 hours runtime on the (very useable) low versus approx 40(?) with the U2.
The tailcap/lug issue with the Gladius is a complete non-issue for me, you take a bit of care the first time you fit the cap and from then on it's obvious and easy to use, even in the dark. The one exception may be if someone else changes the batteries.
The very few issues reported with Gladius switch breakages (2? when dropped on the switch with the switch locked out) pale into insignificance compared with the litany of problems that continue to plague the U2. When I first saw a U2 I knew I wanted one, and if I did manage to get a good one I know I'd love it, but things being as they are I am very happy with the Gladius and would no longer go for a U2 even if the issues were addressed.
I think it comes down to relatively small usability differences (brilliantly described in Zespectre's review) and beyond that personal preferences. Get the one you think you'll enjoy owning and using the most.
Andrew
TENMMIKE
Enlightened
OF COURCe YOU CAN VOICE YOUR OPINION AND PERHAPS I WAS A BIT HASTY , ITS THAT I BELIVE THIS "problem" is over exgerated is brought up generaly by people that heard or read somthing a long time ago and it keeps beig passed along as a fact, the plastic tail cap actualy has two functins , one is the mud ( not the mud that is just a kinda like pudding, but more like mud/fine sand and gravel edge of a stream type stuff) , the polymer will yeald to the little gravel/sand and the cap will turn still,( a metal cap will just jam with the all that grit) also it serves a sacrafical part that the plastic does not transmit all the force of a drop to the cap acting sort of as a minor bumper to a point and it is designed so if the force is so great that if it breaks, the tail cap will still function thus the light is still functional.generaly most metal caps would just cease to work, one last thing the gladius has a great power manegment system, so that if left on say 20 min it turns itself down just a hair to save batts ( its hard to see the drop) but saves quite a bit of power, if you do notice it and want max again just push the button and back to full if thats what you want , the logic of this is that after 20 min you probobly need more runtime then full bright,( like say your on a search)( the brightness difference is small) all on its own, also fully temp regulated to protect itself ,BUT if you gotta push the light hard cause you have a life or death situation it can be forced to ignore its own self preservation by a simple push of the button, and it will soldier on ,back at full power sacraficing its own l.e.d life span, so that you may live to fight another day., i hope this helps.cmacclel said:
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There *is* a valid reason for the non-metal tailcap, but i fail to see why anyone would be surprised that not everyone would be a fan of it. Or why somone would seem to take it personally even when "for me" was added. The Gladius gets much dimmer than the U2, but the ratio of the spill to hot spot is such that if the spill is the "correct" brightness - read: very dim - than the hot spot will be annoyingly bright. It would definitely benefit with a diffuser. Granted, the U2 would as well - as would virtually every torch when used at close range - but compared at equal levels, everyone i've talked to preferred the U2's beam. People also should keep in mine that "a little bit of light while in bed" is a lot less than "a little bit of light when outside". Yes, the Gladius walks away with the Middle of the Night Use award, but i don't think that's one that the U2 was gunning for to begin with. Sure, we'd all like one torch that can do everything, but we're not quite there folks, and for as much as someone feels that it doesn't make sense to choose the U2 since the Gladius can be in constant low/medium and go instantly to high/strobe, someone else feels just as strongly that the Gladius would be a poor choice since you can't quickly choose which brightness level you want and have no real way to guage battery life since the levels aren't at discrete steps. They're both tools, but few people try to dig a grave with a spade.
magic79
Enlightened
I have owned both. No question, the Gladius is a 9 quality wise and the U2 is perhaps a 4.
Both are big flashlights, both have multiple, easy access brightness levels.
This "plastic tailcap" crap is a laugh. I have been a photographer since the 70s when I was in high school. I recall endless arguments denigrating "plastic" cameras. ALL 35mm SLRs and digital SLRs have plastic skins now.
The bottom line for me is this: Gladius - no donut, no switch failures to speak of; U-2 - lots of donuts, lots of switch failures. 'Nuf said.
Both are big flashlights, both have multiple, easy access brightness levels.
This "plastic tailcap" crap is a laugh. I have been a photographer since the 70s when I was in high school. I recall endless arguments denigrating "plastic" cameras. ALL 35mm SLRs and digital SLRs have plastic skins now.
The bottom line for me is this: Gladius - no donut, no switch failures to speak of; U-2 - lots of donuts, lots of switch failures. 'Nuf said.
I think not. Magnesium alloy bodies are still rather popular with the big boys. Lexan, Xenoy, etc are good stuff and have advantages that metal doesn't, but withstanding a beating isn't one of them.
Speaking to no one in particular - no, really - it would be helpful if people would promote their side, by, you know *promoting* their side instead of trying to tear down the other.
magic79 said:
Speaking to no one in particular - no, really - it would be helpful if people would promote their side, by, you know *promoting* their side instead of trying to tear down the other.
TENMMIKE
Enlightened
As iv stated I HAVE BOTH the lights , i just like my gladius better.
The original thread starter states he gonna get a U-2, and thats cool, i hope hes as happy with his as i am with my u-2. i just believe the gladius is the superior light of the 2. , can we all have a group hug now ?
The original thread starter states he gonna get a U-2, and thats cool, i hope hes as happy with his as i am with my u-2. i just believe the gladius is the superior light of the 2. , can we all have a group hug now ?
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