New A2!

I saw an A2 aviator sitting in the store today with a nice long pocket clip, that sweet hard anodizing, and white LEDs, so...I bought it for $175.

This is really an amazing light. I won't go into the details of everything I like about it, we've certainly heard plenty of that.

I have one question. This was a model that I could tell had been sitting there for a while, and there's some dust in the bezel. Doesn't effect the beam at all, and it doesn't really bug me that much, it's just it would be nice to get it out if possible. Is there any surefire (no pun intended) way to get it out without damaging the reflector or getting moisture in there or anything like that?

Yep, unscrew the head, remove the incan bulb, then get a tiny phillips screw driver and remove the screws holding in the LED ring, then remove the Led ring. Next take your compressed can of air and blow the dust out through the holes where the leds once were..

Whalah!! Re-Assemble and EDC as usual.

Thanks! You're sure the compressed air won't add moisture to the bezel that will condense on the window or reflector? I remember this happening to someone once, though maybe that was a sealed bezel, which this one isn't...

make sure you hold the can level.. if for some reason you hold it upside down, or at an angle, the contents may be released in liquid form.

Press the button, and allow the air to stream from the can for several seconds to make sure no liquid is leaving the can, then clean the light.

-tom

Congrats on your A2, is it a great light and my favorite....

dragoman

With the A2 it becomes soo hard to make excuses for other light purchases... Enjoy!

carrot said:

With the A2 it becomes soo hard to make excuses for other light purchases...

Click to expand...

The OrangeOne is *so* right!! I'm thinking of a second A2... and that's instead of an L4!

You could also use a straw and vacuum cleaner if you don't want to get chemical residue from compressed air in there.

greenLED said:

The OrangeOne is *so* right!! I'm thinking of a second A2... and that's instead of an L4!

Click to expand...

You will not be dissapointed in the L4, if you have an A2 already, I highly reccomend the L4. A few short months ago when I was a newbie, I didnt care much for my L4 because of the lack of throw. But now that I'm a budding flashaholic I love the floody wall of lumens this L4 puts out. I swear L4's must be X-bins, well at least mine is. It edges out my TnC Lux V X-bin! (Although the Tnc is half the size)

Enjoy your A2!

leukos said:

You could also use a straw and vacuum cleaner if you don't want to get chemical residue from compressed air in there.

Click to expand...

Good idea... except how do you hook the straw up to the end of the vacumm hose? That's going to end up being a lot of tape.

Can't he just blow on it with his mouth? I can't imagine there's THAT much dust in there since it's a sealed bezel.

Alin10123 said:

Good idea... except how do you hook the straw up to the end of the vacumm hose? That's going to end up being a lot of tape.

Can't he just blow on it with his mouth? I can't imagine there's THAT much dust in there since it's a sealed bezel.

Click to expand...

Definately DO NOT blow... there's more than just air in your breath particularly moisture.

DO NOT--I repeat--DO NOT use compressed air!!!

It is not air, and it says right on the can that it is not be used in optical equipment. I did this to one of my E2e heads, and ever since, the reflector "fogs" up when it runs for any length of time.

Far, far, FAR better to have a little dust in the bezel than to eff up the inside of the head with a foreign substance that will cause fogging and associated problems. You won't notice a bit of dust--and neither will anyone else. But you certainly *will* notice it when the reflector goes all cloudy during extended running. It actually reduces the amount of light coming out the front, even. IMO, anyway.

Be careful. Be very careful. In the idiotic quest for aesthetic perfection (and I'm as guilty as anyone--not trying to be offensive) we often ruin our lights. Back when I first got my TL, there was a bit of dust in the lamp module. I took it out and wiped it down with a very soft cloth and cleaning fluid--and I totally screwed up the reflector in the process.

I read of someone who put De-ox-it gold or something like that on all the contacts of his A2, including the ones in the head. And some of the liquid got inside the reflector and underneath the lens. So he tried more and more radical measures to unscrew the bezel (which is Loc-tite-ed on) and ended up cracking the lens due to too much pressure on the bezel ring.

LEAVE WELL ENOUGH ALONE! Just leave the dust as is. It only bothers you because you are being obsessive compulsive (as I do also) with your new light.

I have an eyelash inside the bezel of my black HA A2. And do you know what? I left it there. I never notice it in use. Only if I sit admiring my flashlight do I see it.

It's a tool. A very nice tool, to be sure, but it won't reach full glory and functionality until it stops being babied and coddled.

Either way, though, avoid compressed air like the plague. It can safely be used on loose reflectors out in the open, but never use it to blow gasses inside a SF closed bezel. At least if my experience is anything to go by.

While what you say may be true, I have never had trouble with my A2 fogging up, and I have done this several times with several battery changes. With the Led ring out there is 4 holes in the A2 bezel. I use the RadioShack brand of compressed air.

I wonder what makes the lens fog up??? That is interesting.....

Alin10123 said:

Good idea... except how do you hook the straw up to the end of the vacumm hose? That's going to end up being a lot of tape.

Can't he just blow on it with his mouth? I can't imagine there's THAT much dust in there since it's a sealed bezel.

Click to expand...

I don't use any tape. I just cup the vacuum hose with my hand and hold the straw in the bezel, nothing fancy. It usually gets about 90% of the stuff out.

js: I've had the same problem with my e2e, I think the trick is to let the bezel warm up while running and then quickly remove the bezel and lamp so that any moisture can evaporate. Try this in a dry environment as it seems to have worked for me.

Yeah,

I've done this a number of times with my bad E2e head, but it never has fixed it. It normally fixes any moisture problem for me--but not on this one. Perhaps it isn't due to the compressed air? Perhaps I should send this back to SF for warrantee? Hmmm. If others have used compressed air with no ill effect, then it is at least plausible that this head had a mucked up reflector when I bought it. In which case, it would be ethical to send it back for repair or replacement. Yeah. Maybe I'll do that.

Anyway, thanks for the info, PSM! Perhaps the compressed air is OK. Still, I won't be using it either way. It DOES say right on it that it is not for optical equipment--on mine at least. Does it on yours?

Nope not at all. It says, "Moisture Free Gas" Velocity Dust Remover Spray, from RadioShack

I tend to agree with JS on this - you are more likely to damage a reflective surface than improve it, annoying as it is. Have to admit though, I might try it anyway if it were mine - being kind of over the top on some things.

Well, if you have the need to get the dust out as a 'mental disease' no offense to anyone who actually may have a mental disease, but the compulsion can get really bad. Ok that wasn't a sentence, next try:

Is there some sort of a cloth you could use? Perhaps that which is used for cleaning cameras and negatives?