L2 vs.U2

I am just curious about how an L2 compare with a U2?

Does the U2 worth the extra money? if you forget the 6 selectable levels and look only at the quality of the beam?



Thanks

Both have the risk of a donut hole and some color artifacts with the LED according to the Luxeom Lottery. Same goes for brightness.
The L2 has a wide flood beam while the U2 has more of a ram of light beam with some punch. Then there is physical size and the different uder interface, but this isn't your question.

Here's a comparo of a very bright L2 with a very bright U2:





bernie

Nice shots Kiessling! The L2 has a nice flood, but that U2 is strong.

Ron

Thanks a lot for your beamshots!


I already own an L2, so i just try to know if it could be a good idea to buy a U2...

The U2 is very different.
First thing is size ... although not that apparent in pics, the bigger head and diameter play a huge role, depending on how you tend to carry your light.
The U2's increased throw has a significant impact outside and is well worth it if you wanna use the light outdoors, and the 6 levels add basically runtime which is important. The U2 has a more all-around beam and excells in every situation for a light in this class.
The L2 has one big advantage: momentary high. A very convienient feature. IMHO.

I would chose the U2 over the L2 ... but ... to be honest ... I carry the L2 as often as the U2 for simple size considerations.

Both are great lights.

bk

Here are shots of a U2 (weaker than the one above) vs. an L4 (weaker than the L2 above but with the same beam pattern):





bernie

Another shootout

Same weak L4 as above:


SF L5 (same beam shape as U2, maybe lower drive current):


SF U2 (the powerful one from my first post in this thread):


bk

Kiessling said:

T

The L2 has one big advantage: momentary high. A very convienient feature. IMHO.

bk

Click to expand...

???? The U2 has momentary high also! ??????

Actually momentary X 6.

I'm guessing Kiessling meant to say that is very easy to go from low to high mode of the L2 by simply pressing down harder on the tailcap. On the U2, if you are in any of the low modes, bringing up the high mode of the U2 involves rotating the selector ring which is nowhere near as easy.

deranged_coder said:

I'm guessing Kiessling meant to say that is very easy to go from low to high mode of the L2 by simply pressing down harder on the tailcap. On the U2, if you are in any of the low modes, bringing up the high mode of the U2 involves rotating the selector ring which is nowhere near as easy.

Click to expand...

Gotcha. That makes sense.

reliyng on flashligtreviews.com the l2 has more overall output.

also the a2 has more overall output than the u2.

That's why i am not sure about the real need of the U2...The L2 seems to be more practical and powerful in a smaller size.Maybe i am wrong....

It really depends on what you plan to use the light for. The U2 can throw light much further and the six levels of brightness allows you more flexibility than the two levels of the L2. However, the L2 is lighter and more compact. The L2 produces a much more even flood of light whereas the U2 has a noticeable hotspot, but the FM64 beamshaper can be fitted on the U2 to produce a more flood beam at the cost of increased bulk to the bezel.

Heres more beamshots. The L4 is basically a L2 on high, same reflector/5W emitter. If you notice how much more the grill and grass is lit up on the L4, this is the "wall of light" effect. However the L4 lacks the throw of the U2, so the case relies on your needs. Need throw? Go with U2. Need a really useful flood beam for more up close stuff? Go with a L4/L2.

Also dont forget you can buy a L4 and install a McE2s switch. You basically will have a L2 that is 2 or so inches shorter than a real L2! This is what I did to my L4, I sold my L2....

Wow! The beamshots are very nice!

thanks a lot!

One more point. You can run a KL4 on a E1L body running 1 x R123 with a ME2s. Then you have a super small L2.

I already have an M3 that already has a lot of throw, so maybe i am better to stick with the L2....

Thanks again

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