KL3 or KL5

G'day fellow 'holic's,
Just recieved a SF 9P (my first real flashlight). So I thought I'd do a little homework about it and found this excellent site (Congratulations:goodjob: ,
Boy, have I been in the dark!!)
Being a complete newbie to the (flashlight)world, I spent the last few days going over all the posts. Like so many members have said this site is more addictive than drugs!(And can cost just as much)

Now I was just wondering what is the difference between the SF KL3 and the KL5 (both apparently are compatable with the 9P).
Is the KL3 a 3 watt LED and the KL5 a 5watt LED?
If thats the case then is only consumption and lumens affected?
What would you reccomend?

Thanks for a great site and any help you can give.
By the way I've ordered a SF U2 and read about all the pluses and minuses, so I know what I can possibly expect(No more on that. Enough said by members!!). I'm not a purist so I don't think the doghnut will be noticeable to me. Just so long as it's functional. I'll be happy.

firstly congrats on ur 9P, my first flashlight to make me literally see the light was a 6P
secondly, with regards to the KL3 or the KL5, it depends on your needs, do you need a light with a lot of throw or medium throw and lots of flood
the KL3 offers only throw and almost no sidespill, the KL5 offers average throw, and lots of sidespill
taking into account the KL3 Lux 3 has only 1 LED die, whereas the KL5 Lux 5 has 4 LED dies, the amount of light is significantly more in the KL5
since you are already getting a U2, its beam is similar to the KL5 so in fact, if you get a KL5, u have a redundant flashlight
since this is your first Luxeon LED, i would recommend the KL3 for throw and the U2 to fill in the space for flood and med throw.
hope this helps
and finally, a flashoholic motto, if in doubt, buy em both
and welcome to CPF

G'day mate,

If you have the 9P, reckon you should get the L5. If you just get the KL5 head its 75% the cost of getting a new L5, for just 25% more, you get 2 torches.

I've got a L6 and Ultrafire G120 amongst many others, but for general stuff I use my LEDs more than my incands because its way more economical and the beam won't blind you as much close range...

just my $0.02

Comparison of one sample each:

SF KL3:



SF KL5:



Before judging a LED light you need to make yourself familiar with the term "Luxeon Lottery" though :sick2:

Basically, the KL3 has much less total luminous flux than the KL5, has a (almost) no-spill concentrated beam (with the newest version being a bit broader) and lasts much longer on a set of batteries than the KL5, which has a "ram of light" beam most useful in medium distances.
Both aren't far reaching throw-lights.

bernie

From the same shootout:

SF P90:



SF P91



SF P60:



SF N2 in KT1:



bernie

What are your needs?

One is a tight beam one is a wide beam both are great.
I have both. Maybe you should too. The cool thing about all of these SureFire bits and peices is that they go together like legos. Soon you will have enough parts to have some real fun making different combinations. Good stuff.
Get both.
Yaesumofo

So what does it take to make a p90 work in my 6p? are there different extensions I can go with or just one? If there are more then one option what one do you suggest?

Can I use my p60 bezzel with the p90 or do I need a specific bezzel to work with p90?

Can I use SF123A's with the p90? or do I need to use different batteries?

Thanks

The way I interperet the terminology is
You will need an extension tube for the extra cell!!

Just recieved the KL3 today. I must say, I'm quite impressed with initial brightness. Color appears to have a slight bluish tinge but still happy. Have to wait for tonight to check out throw and spill in outdoor conditions.


Bring on the night!!!.......:candle: