InfidelCastro
Banned
Is the L2 battery tube skinnier? Are older U2's not capable of using 18650's? I keep hearing about this plastic piece that needs to be removed. Someone ejumacate me.
SCblur said:the L2 body is in fact a little skinnier. Just enough to not accept a 17670.
SCblur said:There are many speculations as to why SF went to the non-sleeve body, but I don't think anybody knows for sure.
Led-Ed said:The 17670 would not fit in my new L4 but fits in the old square bodies(E2E etc),the 14670 would fit into my new L4 but the protection circuit would trip instantly (double cicking didn't work) if you ran the batt down to 4v or less then it would work in the new L4,however the 14670 would work with my old KL4 head just fine???? This may be off topic but the newer L4 seems to draw more juice than the old one.
SCblur said:the L2 body is in fact a little skinnier. Just enough to not accept a 17670. In my opinion, the light would be perfect but for that one flaw. If I could get L4 runtime from my L2 via a 17670, all would be well in this world. Oh well.
As for the U2's, the timeline goes something like this: The very first U2's had no black sleeve, and the body was wide enough to fit a 18650. Then there came the revised body, which was just the same body, with a black sleeve insert to tighten the fit. SF claims it did this to fix a battery rattle problem with loose-fitting primary cells, but the downside is that 18650's don't fit in this version out of the box. The sleeve can be removed with a little coaxing, and there are various threads on the many methods for doing so. The most recent revision to the U2 body, however, is bad news for 18650 lovers, because Surefire has made the actual inside diameter of the aluminum body smaller. There is no removeable sleeve in this newest version, and the tube is only big enough to accept a 17670, but not an 18650. The only concieveable way to get a 18650 into this most recent version is to bore the tube out w/ a lathe or a dremmel tool (yes, somebody on CPF did this). There are many speculations as to why SF went to the non-sleeve body, but I don't think anybody knows for sure. If you're looking into a U2 for yourself, I would highly recommend getting the middle run (any U2 w/ the black insert). Your best luck at getting one is to visit some brick and mortar stores and inspect the unit yourself (that's what I did), or stake out the BST forum here until one shows up. Most internet vendors are likely to send you the newest version.
If you do go to a brick and mortar store, make sure you check out the lights thoroughly for a good switch, battery tube, tint, donut hole, etc. The U2 has been heavily scrutinized by many here, as a problematic light. Where there's smoke, there's fire, but I think much of the U2's bad press is undeserved. If you spend a little time to make sure you get a good unit, I think you would be highly satisfied. I hunted for quite a while to get a 18650-compatible one w/ great tint and almost non-existent donut, and it's now my favorite light.
Hope all this helps.
Cheers,
Josh
cheapo said:i am waiting for an e2u adaptor (u2 head on e2e would be sweet).
-David