U2 VS the others

Hello, I am a newbie posting here so please have a little patience with my question
After perusing this site I have found so much info it is overwhelming.
After a lot of searching I think I want a U2. It will be for many different uses and the low light level and long run time could be a lifesaver.
My question is how much light to expect. Just bought a 2 C cell maglite with the 3 watt led upgrade.
I am impressed by how it does at night.
How would the U2 compare as to overall brightness to the 3 watt led in the Maglite.
Light would be used as a utility light, a light to get into the woods early and late when hunting and maybe to spot the odd varmint in a tree at night. And would be used whenever I need a good dependable bright light. Any opinions???
Thanks in advance for all information.
gregoryh

Re: more questions

The MagLED:
-great value for the money
-lots of output
-fantastic throw
-adjustable focus leaves holes
-output is reduced with heat buildup
-great runtime
-uses alks
-around $20

The U2:
-six levels of output
-huge "wall of light"
-low mode is too bright for some users
-possible bad tint
-possible donut hole
-possible (probable?) switch problems
-uses CR123A lithium cells
-hard to find for purchase
-hard to find replacement parts
-around $250-300

So, the U2 is more expensive, less reliable, more versatile, less focused, and produces a lot more light.

I would recommend a VB-16 (available from Waion's thread in the Dealers forum) for $55 shipped (extra $22 if you want the floodier turbohead), or a Night-Ops Gladius with Surefire's FM34 Beamshaper, which will come out to between $180 and $230, depending on where you buy the Gladius.

Reviews are available at:
www.flashlightreviews.com/index1.html
http://ledmuseum.home.att.net
The Reviews forum here on CPF

Welcome to CPF!

Re: more questions

Thanks Tigerhawk, your info presents more options to consider. The more I learn the more I know I need to learn!
greg

Re: more questions

I own 2 Surefire U2's and they are both very reliable, bright spot with great sidespill, good throw, good tint.

I screwed up a tailcap by using a silicone spray in it, and it did jam up, but that was something I screwed up on. I emailed Surefire for a new a tailcap and I received it in 3 days under warranty.

All 6 levels of brightness is perfect for my usage, and you can buy the Surefire U2's online, EBAY, BST forums.

Good Luck on your choice.

Re: more questions

TigerhawkT3 said:

I would recommend a VB-16 (available from Waion's thread in the Dealers forum) for $55 shipped (extra $22 if you want the floodier turbohead),

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While your at it buy a couple of 18650 batteries and a charger and you'll have long runtime without continued battery expense.
Norm

keep it coming guys. The more info and views the better.

Greg

Re: more questions

Norm said:

While your at it buy a couple of 18650 batteries and a charger and you'll have long runtime without continued battery expense.
Norm

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Be careful, the newer U2's have too narrow a barrel to hold the 18650. I have an older U2, and it takes the 18650 and Pila batteries without a hitch. I had a little bit of problem with the tailcap, but it was no problem as all I had to do was pull up a couple of the metal tabs, and it has worked fine since then.

I think the u2 has worked fine as a general utility light. It is a little too large to EDC, but for around the house usage, crawling in the attic or under a stage (at church), it has proved to be the perfect light. When I take my dog for a walk, it has decent flood for general lighting, but it is not my first choice for throw. If you need a light with throw for the woods, then this may not be the best choice. Perhaps the Streamlight TL3?

Re: more questions

Flashlight Reviews - Mag-LED

Flashlight Reviews - Surefire U2 Digital Ultra

Looking at the numbers, the MagLED throws better (must be due to its larger reflector) but the U2 produces more light overall.

I have yet to try playing around with the MagLED but regarding the U2, I'm on my second one now (first one got left behind at a hotel room because I was in a rush to check out ) and I never had any problem with the reliability, switching, tint, etc. The donut hole that often gets mentioned is really only visible when you're doing the "white wall" test and I have never found it to affect real usage of the light. In my opinion, it produces a lot of useable spill with reasonable throw, which is why it is such a versatile little light. It may be a bit bulky for carrying in your pockets though (unless you're like me and you habitually wear loose fitting cargo pants).

Regarding the FM34 beamshaper on the Night-Ops Gladius I tried it before and I could not get the FM34 to fit. More specifically, I could slip the beamshaper over the bezel of the light but I could not cam down the lever to lock it in place because it was too tight of a fit. Really odd because both my 6P and the Gladius are supposed to have 1.25" bezels and I had no problems attaching and locking the FM34 to the 6P. Maybe I have an oddball Gladius or FM34. :thinking:

If you are planning to use the light outdoors then the A2 may be a better choice. It offers a set of LEDs for close up work and the regulated incandescent beam I feel works much better for outdoors compared to an LED. It also throws a bit better than the U2 does.

Flashlight Reviews - Surefire A2 Aviator

If you need a good dependable bright light, look no further than the Surefire A2 Aviator. With its long (40 hour) runtime on low (using colored or white LEDs of your choice) and impressive output on high (~79 lumens), fully regulated for 50 minutes, you'll never be without light. The low is perfect for walking around at night, especially when your eyes are darkness adapted, and the high output is great for spotting things further away. With most people's usage of the A2, it takes several weeks to deplete the batteries enough to need replacement. When the batteries are too low, the incandescent bulb refuses to light but there are several hours of runtime left for the LEDs.

If the output on low isn't bright enough (for most people, it is) you can have MilkySpit mod the LEDs to the new THC3 LEDs for additional brightness.

The Surefire A2 is very reliable -- rarely has a user had to replace a burnt out bulb or had any reliability issues. The U2 Ultra is a fine choice, but often it's a hit or a miss -- some have received U2's with tailcap issues.

carrot said:

If you need a good dependable bright light, look no further than the Surefire A2 Aviator. With its long (40 hour) runtime on low (using colored or white LEDs of your choice) and impressive output on high (~79 lumens), fully regulated for 50 minutes, you'll never be without light....

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Dude! You write like a marketing specialist! :nana:

If the U2 tickles your fancy I'd look at the HDS EDC series. It's as useful with many levels and abilities.

It's built like a tank (with the SS bezel) and the engineering is top notch.

Not to mention much cheaper and more rare.

Its the beam pattern, really wide and the brightness is overwhelming.

The 3W mag has a 'dirty' beam pattern, either too narrow hot or too weak wide with many donuts & rings.
whereas SureFire is smooth.

Hello gregoryh and welcome to CPF

I'll throw 2 great lights more in the pool:

http://theledguy.chainreactionweb.com/product_info.php?cPath=43&products_id=882

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/138711

Best regards

____
Tom

gregoryh said:

After a lot of searching I think I want a U2. It will be for many different uses and the low light level and long run time could be a lifesaver.
My question is how much light to expect. How would the U2 compare as to overall brightness to the 3 watt led in the Maglite...
Light would be used as a utility light...

Click to expand...

The U2 is a great light, and probably a good fit for your requirements. The beam is a general purpose utility design. It has a floody spillbeam useful at close range, yet the hotspot throws fairly well. However it's not a super-thrower, and if you want to brightly light up things 100 yards away, it's not the best choice.

My U2 is tremendously bright -- it easily out throws my A2. Lux meter comparison to my HDS U60 indicates it's likely putting out well over 100 lumens. This differs from the Flashlightreviews test results. I don't know if they got a weak U2, or if Surefire started shipping upgraded LEDs, or what.

Relative to the A2 and HDS U60, the U2's downsides are cost and larger size. The U2 isn't that big -- it's tiny relative to a 2C Maglite, but the bezel diameter is somewhat bigger than the A2 or HDS U60.

With a variable-output light, you'll find you use the lower levels quite a bit. This stretches battery life considerably.

If you don't mind spending the money, the U2 is one of the best lights ever made. However it's not the only choice -- I'd also recommend the A2 and HDS U60. They are all fantastic lights, each in their own way.

I find myself using my A2 more with time, simply because it's smaller and feels better balanced than the U2. However the U2 is more powerful and the multiple output levels are more flexible.

Here are outdoor beam patterns for my U2 and A2, both with fresh batteries. Distance about 40 yards. Exposure and white balance manually locked to same setting for both shots:

U2:


A2:

Here's a photo of a some of my lights. The A2 is second from the top and the U2 is third from the top:



The A2 is shorter and slimmer than the U2. Hence, I can carry the A2 in my front pants pocket without a problem but the U2 I can only carry around in my cargo pants pocket; too bulky for my front pants pocket by far.

I'm a happy U2 owner. But the current U2 is a 2004 light with a similarly aged LED. If I were in the market for a new U2, I personally would consider using a more inexpensive light into 2007 until I see what new LED technology brings.

Have you considered the new SF Kroma (the bottom light in the above picture)? It's a little bit more expensive than the U2, but it's got everything that A2 has, but instead of incan you have the runtime and reliablity of the Luxeon's, just like U2.

Kroma has a dimmable main beam, multi-color LED's. It's a perfect utility light as well as for hunting.

My VB-16 lights have nearly the output of my U2, use 18650 cells without any problem and are a fraction of the price.