L1 (old) vs. L1 (new). Which is better?

The more I use the L1, the more I like it for an all-purpose EDC. The question is, aside from the extra option of a long-throwing EDC (which is the main reason for considering a changeover), I suspect that all of the rest may be worse than the old L1. I know that the spill is narrower, even with the F04. The beam is about 50% brighter by the numbers (perceptably so, at least with the new KL-1 on the E1e as a guide), and this is good but I strongly suspect that this might reduce the runtimes, (although the published numbers by Surefire don't reflect this). I guess that I am asking for ANY opinions (pro or con) about the new L1 vs. the old L1. If you go by the propaganda, except for a small reduction in spill, the new L1 is all improvement. Has this been your experience??!!

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

My suggestion is that you should not be in any rush to get a current L1.

I prefer the older version L1, what some people see as improvements, may not suit your needs. I suggest, if you can, try both and decide for yourself.

Chuck

Actually IMO it's a large reduction in spill. I carried both for work EDC for awhile. For most use my first gen L1 (old) is perfect, although it was modded with a Luxeon 3 TWOK so that makes it more like one of the next gens. The original Luxeon 1 had a funky bluish-purple tint. (the only bad thing about original L1's IMO)

Other than tint the only plus with the new one is the throw IMO. (And if I really need throw I'll probably grab a backup incandescent.) That said I used it about as much as the old one.

I only carry the old modded L1 now but if something happens to it, I'd carry the new L1 without hesitation. (But probably with a beamshaper.) The new L1 is not the greatest for general use in short ranges due to the tight beam. Definitely still useful though...

If you have the old L1, I don't see any advantage in getting the new one. This is especially true since the E series lights can give you more versatility in head options. There is always the new Kroma coming out

personal preferance rules here. personally I prefer the older L1, when switched to so17 reflector.

infact this combo is one of my all time favorites!
this one of those instances, where spec's has nothing to do with results. you would think L1's waste of space using front half of body to house electronics would be a bad design. but not so....

L1's packages ends up being one of the most handy available. now that R123 is easily available, all the better.

output of aprox. 25 lumens is just right for most jobs. mated with so17 reflector give just right amount of throw/spill. Try it, you will like it!

cy,

Seems to me that I have heard about the so17 reflector mod to the L1 head but I don't remember what it does for you. You say the result is now 25 lumens instead of the original 15, so do the run times drop quite a bit? I also have no idea what advantage an "R123" will give you. I have no experience with rechargeables.

Size15's said:

My suggestion is that you should not be in any rush to get a current L1.

Click to expand...

Hmmm..... Sounds like a hint to me

It sure does, doesn't it??

If Size 15's says something SureFire related one should definitely pay attention. I agree a hint indeed.

unscrew bezel, which may be dificult to remove without scratching. SO 17 reflector drops in with no mod.

aprox. 25 lumens is my seat of the pants estimate of output from my L1's. surefire is known for understating spec's.

improvement in beam over stock optic is amazing...

QUOTE=Flashdark]cy,

Seems to me that I have heard about the so17 reflector mod to the L1 head but I don't remember what it does for you. You say the result is now 25 lumens instead of the original 15, so do the run times drop quite a bit? I also have no idea what advantage an "R123" will give you. I have no experience with rechargeables.[/QUOTE]

cy,

Although I have never done anything like this before (I am just a remove-and-replace-and-improve experimenter), if this is all there is to it, I MAY be able to handle it. Where can I get a couple or four of the SO 17 reflectors?? If the results are as good as you say, I will probably do both of my L1-WHs and both of my L1-RDs as well. Thanks!

Flashdark said:

Where can I get a couple or four of the SO 17 reflectors?? If the results are as good as you say, I will probably do both of my L1-WHs and both of my L1-RDs as well. Thanks!

Click to expand...

I picked up a SO17XA reflector from the Sandwich Shoppe, but it didn't work in my L1-RD. The fit seemed too loose, and the beam was very ringy and nasty with a big hole in the middle. Maybe I did something wrong?

I thought someone might have said there were two different versions of the IMS reflector. One is for stars, the other for emitters. I haven't heard this mentioned anywhere else, though. Mine should look something like this (pic snagged from the Shoppe, thanks!):
http://home.comcast.net/~tbower/IMS17mm.jpg

I trimmed the "legs" off the reflector to get it to go into the head of the L1-RD. Maybe I trimmed off too much, or maybe not enough? I also tried to use this reflector on a white high dome emitter (Madmax Lite RY0J sandwich, actually) but the opening in the reflector almost seemed like it was too small for the Luxeon dome to fit through. I didn't want to accidently shear off the dome. So, my reflector is just sitting in the parts bin...

Thanks Ty Bower,

I was afraid it wouldn't be that easy. As long as I can re-assemble to original condition, I guess I have nothing to lose except the seal on the head threads. My only idea about the L1-RD problem would be to bring the length of the feet down a fraction of a mm at a time on a low-rotation speed grinder or with sandpaper, until you had a perfect fit with the head screwed down tight. This is just idle speculation by the ignorant and inexperienced. I have never done anything like this before.

"Cy" sure liked the results on the L1-WH (old). I wonder if you could do the same thing on the L1-WH (new) ??!! Probably not if the TIR optic is part of the lens itself.

Size15's said:

My suggestion is that you should not be in any rush to get a current L1.

Click to expand...

I happen to like my current L1. Other than the size, optimal brightness (for my needs), etc. here's a little adventure at the mooo-vies (a cow's favorite place to be, BTW) - :laughing: