U2 vs Gladius vs M6 2390

How do these compare in throw and size. I have the M6 2390 and had a Gladius, but I'm thinking about a U2. I also have a L1, E2L, and L2, so I don't need another light in the same catergory as these.

The Gladius is the largest of these three lights although still manageable, and has the longest throw in my experience. The Pelican 2390 is a nice light, compact, and has a very bright though smallish hotspot, with good throw but limited spill. There is no way to attach a lanyard to it as you know. The U2 has an excellent balance of both good throw and good spill. It is a bit shorter than the Gladius but its bezel is wider. My personal favorite is my U2, with the Gladius coming in a close second. The Pelican 2390 is a nice light, just not as versatile as the other two since, for one thing, it lacks the multiple level options of the U2 and Gladius.

I dont own the Peli M6, but I do own the U2 and have had the Gladius before. Of the two I've had, I'd be hard pressed to choose between them (the Gladius was a loaner from my cousin). I'd choose based on which features you need, as, for the U2 & Gladius at any rate, the features of each light are quite different.

The U2
+ can easily take in 18650 li-on batteries***edit***sorry the OLD versions at least
+ is relatively simple to use, having a selector ring for 6 levels of light
+ brighter than the Gladius overall, using a LuxV
+ has a nice beam that's right on the line between flood and throw, if that is your thing. "ram of light" they call it... =P
= more floody than the Gladius
= suffer about 9-10% drop in brightness on highest level when going to 18650s
- less "throwy" than the Gladius in absolute numbers, but you might not notice this in practical use
- can be operated one-handed, but awkward to do so (you have to change positions to turn it on/off, and then to switch levels)
- dim is too damn bright

The Gladius
+ tight, focused hotspot that throws
+ very many brightness levels (small steps from dim to bright)
+ can go as dim as you need it to (if dim is your thing)
+ extremely disorientating strobe, made more effective by its focused hotspot
+ all functions can be accessed from one point (tailcap operation), no need to change positions
= sidespill a bit dimmer than U2, but still useable
- to step through all the levels from dim to bright, although not that slow, is cumbersome.
- overall not as bright as the U2, if you need overall brightness
- can't use li-ons very well (you get the 15-second "low battery" blink while you use em so i hear)

Here are some pics & beamshots. Click on any for a larger version.


[left pair: SF U2, Gladius, highest level] [right pair: SF U2, Gladius, lowest level]


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Corridor reference:


SF U2, 2xcr123:


SF U2, 18650:


Gladius:


whole gallery is here if you wanna see comparisons with some other lights.

ADDICTED2LITE said:

How do these compare in throw and size. I have the M6 2390 and had a Gladius, but I'm thinking about a U2...

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Can't add much to the great responses from the previous posters. The U2 is a great light, but in one sense you already have a light in that category (variable output, LED, 2xCR123, tail click) -- the Gladius.

Have you considered getting a light in another category, (say LED 1x CR123 variable output?). Three examples: McLuxIII-PD, HDS U60, Fire~FlyIII. That might round out your collection better. All three will run on either rechargeable Li-ion batteries, or regular lithium CR123As. It would give you a totally different form factor you might find useful in certain situations. Yet they are still quite bright and powerful.

Somy Nex said:

- can't use li-ons very well (you get the 15-second "low battery" blink while you use em so i hear)

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Yes, the Gladius does give two quick blinks every 15 seconds on rechargeables even if you use it on an extremely dim setting. If you can stand this, though, or mainly use your light intermittently, the Gladius has good runtime and full brightness on a 17670.

i have both a u2 and a pm6 2390 and the 2390 throws a little more, but not much.

-david