KL1 vs. KL4 for 1x123 light

For 1x123 SF style body, such as E1 or E1e, which one produces more light?

Other than obvious beam pattern difference, what else differs between these two? Are there any other options that have certain advantages I should be considering?

Your general comments or sharing your experiences would be greatly appreciated. TIA.

Your KL4 should be putting out much more light. However.. battery life will be much shorter as well. The KL4 is what comes on the L4 light from surefire when you buy it. The KL1 i believe comes on the E1L outdoorsman if i'm not mistaken. So go onto the surefire.com website and checkout the different specs of the lights. However, the L4 is designed to be run off 2 CR123 cells while the E1L only runs off one. So it's not really a fair comparison. I'm sure there are ways to get the L4 to run off one CR123 cell, but i'm not yet familiar with those methods. Maybe someone else can chime in.

The KL4 produces more light but the KL1 has a tighter beam. The KL4 should probably be your choice since you can always upgrade to a 2cell body and then have an L4.
The KL4 head with 1 cell requieres the use of rechargeables.

What type of runtime do you get with an RCR123 and the KL4 head on a 1 cell body?

Is the output of the KL4 on the 1 cell body comparable to the 2 cell body?


-Goatee

I think while it's in regulation they'd both be the same - KL4 heads are subject to the lotto just like all the other Luxeon lights..

:)> said:

What type of runtime do you get with an RCR123 and the KL4 head on a 1 cell body?

Is the output of the KL4 on the 1 cell body comparable to the 2 cell body?


-Goatee

Click to expand...

Not sure if this has been made clear, but with 1 (123) cell, the KL4 will only run in regulation with a RCR123. The brightness will be the same as with 2 cells, but it'll only run in regulation for about 25 minutes or so. There are some rare cases where a KL4 will run in regulation using a primary, but they're rare.

Edit: Yep, it was already made clear by luigi! I missed his post, somehow.

I was mostly thinking using a primary cell. Would I be better off to get Fenix P1 or something like that? Those are much cheaper too...

:)> said:

What type of runtime do you get with an RCR123 and the KL4 head on a 1 cell body?

Is the output of the KL4 on the 1 cell body comparable to the 2 cell body?


-Goatee

Click to expand...

My KL4 with one Batterystation R123 700mAh battery ran for 24 mins to 50% with the decline starting at 18 mins.

The initial output with one R123 vs. 2xCR123 is identical.

Jeff

my kl4 runs in regulation off one cr123 using vg1 body. haven't timed it to see how long before it drops out of regulation. my kl1 does well on the same body. both produce a lot of light. the kl1 will run longer and has a narrow beam. the kl4 produces a flood beam. in the long run, you will want both.

CCW said:

I was mostly thinking using a primary cell. Would I be better off to get Fenix P1 or something like that? Those are much cheaper too...

Click to expand...

The P1 looks like it would be a great choice. With a 1 cell KL4 set up, you should consider the rechargeable mandatory. They're cheap now! Actually, I hear the P1 screams on rechargeables, too.

the p1 is a luxIII...

anyone can mod a p1 to use a lux V?

i think they will rox!

chesterqw said:

the p1 is a luxIII...

anyone can mod a p1 to use a lux V?

i think they will rox!

Click to expand...

I think that the Lux3 is already plenty bright in the P1. I dont have one personally, but looking at the #'s it seems like it.

Are the lumens ratings accurate? The fenix website says 55 lumens. Or is that over rated?

I think modding a Lux5 into it would kill the great runtime.

its amazing to score 100 lumens in a one cell torch! IMHO



OpticsHQ had the L4 for about $135 and the KL4 for about $117...


for the extra body and tailcap i'll spend $18 more

As mentioned, the KL4 only works on a Li-Ion R123A (well, it works on a primary, but not very bright since it's in direct drive then). The KL1 can run from 3V to about 9V that I've read from owners, so it has a better (IMO) buck-boost driver that's more versatile. The P1 is the lower priced and equally bright option and I love mine and it's smaller, but it doesn't have a clicky. If you can afford it and want to stick with the SF stuff, I'd suggest the following setup:

KL1 head modded to use a Reflector (feel free to replace the Lux at this time also)
Vital Gear FB1 body (smaller)

You'll have a very nice beam with a good hotspot for throw while having spill light in a small form factor with a clicky tailcap and you can use a single 123A primary, R123A Li-Ion, or take the head off and throw in onto a 2cell body and run 2 primaries or Li-Ions.

Actually, it has been my experience that many KL4s work excellently on a single 123a primary. The old "TW4" configured lights provided astounding performance (at least to me) by running well for many hours on a single 123a. In fact, the e1e body + KL4 head is still my EDC after many years. I got rid of my KL1 because all of my KL4s always seemed to be brighter on one cell, even after a few hours of use.

I still don't understand why the L4 runtime drops off like a rock after a little more than an hour, while the TW4 configuration has the nice, slow decline that I strongly prefer for an EDC. But in any case, this config has a long, bright runtime, small form factor, and doesn't get hot during operation, and so I haven't found anything better for my needs.

John

Look what I found using search! I just got an L4. I also have an unused E1L body, and a VG FB1 body. I'm thinking about trying my KL4 on the E1L body for EDC! I'm an accountant with very little need for light, but when I need it, I prefer to light up everything around!

Jeff.

I have 2 KL4s.
One is from the first production run and it will run on a 123 primary for about 3 hours with but not at full brightness.It does not even get warm when running this way but is still way brighter than an ARC LSH for example-very efficient .
The other KL4 is from the most recent production .It will run at full (or damn close) output for about 15-20 min and then drops off rapidly.This is also on a 123 primary.

Many KL4's run just FINE on 1 x CR123. Runtime is pretty short though before it falls out of regulation. Maybe 20 minutes? But it'll be hella bright for that 20 minutes. The KL4 is a wall of light, incredibly bright, but a very wide pattern. I love it for any indoor use and close range use. Of course, with such a short runtime, it's worth it to get a rechargeable system to power a 1 cell KL4.

The KL1 is a good head to get with decent runtime IF you also buy the F04 diffuser. I find the usefulness of the KL1 beam kind of lacking (it's just too focused for some situations), but having the F04 head gives you both options. Keep the F04 on it, and take it off if you need to light up something far away.

warpdrive said:

Many KL4's run just FINE on 1 x CR123. Runtime is pretty short though before it falls out of regulation. Maybe 20 minutes?

Click to expand...

A "verified" TW4 Kl4 can run for a lot more than 20 minutes at full brightness for it's config.

I have 2 that run for hours but the trick is buying a few before you get the right mojo.

One of mine was a greenie and the other whiter with a huge donut. I just recently modded both with Lux III U bins and now they are 2 kick ***-still somewhat wall of light-single primary cell-white-no donut hole-long runtime lights.

Just tried my KL4 on an E1L AND FB1 bodies, with relatively fresh batts. WOW! That's alot of light! Tried it in a closet and waiting for dark now here in Fort Worth. I want to compare relative output in my "test alley" between my house and the neighbor's. For my EDC and relatively low flashlight needs, the FB1/KL4 might just be a fine EDC, even on one CR123.

Later,
Jeff