Does SF use premium bins?

Im just wondering if SF uses the latest LEDs in their lights. Like U-bins for their 3-watt lights and maybe W-bins for their 5-watters.

maybe...but one thing for sure, they don't care about the tint of the leds.

I would think, yes. My unknown binned L4 is just as bright as two known 'W' binned lights that I have (or have had, in the case of one of them), and is just as bright, also, as my TnC Lith-Lux V X-Bin light.

i think they only care about flux ratings of their LED's.... and maybe slightly the vf...

Surefire for some reason doesn't use LuxIII's like everyone else in the world does... They seem to prefer LuxV's.... however... a good luxIII with a good reflector is hard to beat... their KL1's are so under-driven its not funny....

I thought the KL1's were 3 watters.

Anyways, it's about the whitest LED I've ever seen.

Yeah, they are 3w LED but are driven at 1.5w according to flashlight reviews.

I believe it's HDS that offers a garanteed tint version of their light.....
Maybe Surefire could offer something similar... an "upgraded" package... say, costing an extra $50, that would include a garanteed tint, and garanteed focus involving no significant donut... CPFers and similar croud could pay a little extra to get what they really want- rather than have to keep exchanging or buying more to get the ideal flashlight..

The problem with that- is it would create a poor image for the normal version of the lgihts- suggesting <gasp> that the normal version isn't as good as it ought to be in the first place....

jar3ds said:

Surefire for some reason doesn't use LuxIII's like everyone else in the world does... They seem to prefer LuxV's.... however... a good luxIII with a good reflector is hard to beat... their KL1's are so under-driven its not funny....

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Surefire prefers to underdrive so the LEDs last MUCH longer. AS much as I love many of the other modders here, Don's lights are the closest to Surefire philosophy: simple, and long lasting.

Case in point: the stock PD is driven and 500mAh and the HD45 LuxV is at 700mAh. Now for a show light they may not be jaw dropping figures, but as far as runtime and longivity is concerned they got it right. Sure, an ArcMania tower module driving a W-bin LED at 1000mAh will spank the HD45 V in output, but the HD45 is more efficient, runs longer on less battery, and more durable. Same applies to the KL1s, KL3s, and KL4s(maybe KL5, KL6 and KL7), since they all have to give good runtime AND output on 2 or less 123s.

Another observation: the Surefire TIRs are not needle-beam throwers. I have no idea what samples are in the hands of the people who think so, but my KL1's beam diverges enough to be use full beyond whitewall hunting at 2 feet away from the wall. It's such a perfect beam, that at 20 feet away it can cover most of a person's body. That's the problem I have encountered with reflectored LuxIIIs, which is that you have to aim the light to precisely the direction of the desired viewing object, if it's a throw light, in order to have enough intensity to see where the light is casting. With the surefires you have certain whiggle room on where you are aiming with the large hotspot that is so consistent in output anywhere in the beam. It makes a very good bike light since you can cast the very even beam on the road without spill lost to the corona, and it's still bright enough for oncoming people ot see you.

Yeah I like my new KL1 with the improved tint. But I like the Kl4 as well, and my HD45 V. I just don't think people appreciate the usefulness of the KL1 in the real world applications.

jar3ds said:

Surefire for some reason doesn't use LuxIII's like everyone else in the world does... They seem to prefer LuxV's.... however... a good luxIII with a good reflector is hard to beat... their KL1's are so under-driven its not funny....

Click to expand...

A LuxV will eat any LuxIII to breakfast when luminous flux is concerned. And coupled with SF's great reflectors, you get a ram of light that completely obliterates the LuxIII lights in usefulness. Don't be mistaken by the higher lux-numbers of the 27+mm reflectored LuxIII lights ... they are deceiving. What really counts is the illuminated area in the distance, the brightness and usefulness of the corona and the transition to spot. The LuxV lights excel here ... corona management is more omportant than we initially thought.

KL1 ... isn't intended as a scorcher. It is sufficiently bright and has sufficient reach and runs a LONG time on the batteries ... what mroe do you want? This is a question of what the light was intended for. Maximum brightness isn't always the goal.

To illustrate my point:

First ... two shots of reflectored LuxIII lights that do throw:

Aleph1 TWOK LuxIII 1000mA


Aleph3 TY0J LuxIII 750mA



Then ... some LuxV lights:

HD45 WX1S LuxV 700mA



SF L6-P



SF U2 ... underperforming unit on highest level



Aleph1 X3T LuxV 750mA



In the end ... the LuxV lights do provide more useful illumination at medium distances ... because their bigger hotspot and bright corona are more useful than the small spot of the LuxII lights. A LuxIII just doesn't pack the punch needed to compete here (yet).

That said ... I'd still want a SF reflectored LuxIII light ...

bernie

but then... can't the drive to a higher level like at least 2.5watts? the lumens the kl1 give out is too low for my likings

if they have a 2.5watts or higher generation of kl1 coming out, i will buy the E2L...

Surefire probably sticks with the same bins for lumen output and Vf, but uses whatever tints they can get in those, including the "less desireable" ones. There certainly appears to be a lot of V1, X1, WA, and YAs in Surefires. It seems that about the only "manufacturer" that uses specific bins for models would be HDS with their GT models (probably WO and XO tints). There's other makers that use specific bins for their lights (Jil, Orb, etc), but these are very small companies compared to Surefire, and cherrypicking the good LEDs is still possible (and probably benificial to business).

I'll agree with 270 here and say the TIR optics do not produce a "throw only" beam.

My KL3 module provides a perfect white light, with great spill. It really is very useful and runs forever on batteries. My Surefire 9P, which is what I typically use it on, will drain the batteries on incan. I switch heads, and the KL3 is at full brightness for another 1-2 hrs of regulation.

No, it is not a throw monster, nor does it provide a "wall of light" like the L4......but for what it is meant to do, it is great.

Not sure about the bin of the LED, but it is a very, very white light.....no tint at all from what I can see.

dragoman

I don't think they have had a policy of using only premium bins in their lights. Perhaps that has changed, but plenty of U2s have been shipped with sub-par LuxVs, both in terms of brightness and tint.

you owuld think for the high $$$ it would be a given the best of the best is used. It would be like buying a porshe and finding out it has a underpower 4 banger engine...

I love surefire and in my mind they're #1. I guess i'm that picky consumer :O)

I've done lux swaps on several KL's. Here's my unscientific observation.

KL1: Mostly (80-90%) T Rank, tint is XO-YO-WO-VO

KL6: 100% (be aware small sample size) V rank, tint is all over the map with the majority being greenies.

CM, isn't you rselection of KL6s biased as you only swap those who are unsatisfactory?

Does SF use premium bins? :nana: VDG

LOL the world may never know

They did with my L4! almost X-bin brightness with a VERY NICE tint!

Kiessling said:

CM, isn't you rselection of KL6s biased as you only swap those who are unsatisfactory?

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DUH! Bernie, you're absolutely correct. Why mod when you have a good lux. Thanks for pointing it out.