What a difference the F04 Beamshaper makes....

I finally recieved my F04 i ordered from SureFire, to make my L1 Lumamax more useful when indoors, outdoors, the TIR optic is *GREAT*, most targets are far enough away that the tightly focused beam thrown by the TIR no longer has a "spotlight" effect, however indoors is another matter, the TIR keeps the beam too tight for general use, especially on Low, at least on High you get bounceback and backscatter

anyway, once again, my standard hallway picture, target is the red phone on the stand

the first set of pics i used my Fenix L2T on Low to meter and lock exposure for the scene, then switched to the L1 Lumamax

Baseline pic with L2T on low;


then the L1 on Low (no F04);

with F04;


now, on High...
No F04;

With F04;


Finally, some pics of the L1's beam without locking exposure with the Fenix
Low;
No F04;

With F04;


High;
No F04;

With F04;


The F04 definitely turns the L1 into a far more usable light indoors, and walking around outside on paved roads/dirt roads/in a campsite, etc..., and when you *need* throw, just pop off the F04 and you've got throw

SureFire should really ship the current L1's with the F04 standard.....

Wow! Thanks for the great beamshots showing the incredible difference. It's hard to speculate what kind of change the F04 would make without seeing it.

I definitely need to order one. I just wish it had a small hole in it to loop a string that could tie it to the flashlight, so when you remove it, it can just dangle on the string, instead of being a separate carry piece.

Thanks MacTech, for sharing...I was thinking of one of these accessories and now seeing your beamshots, its sure worth buying.......cheers

The New L1 shouldn't need an F04 BeamDiffuser like the current L1 does.
(same goes for the new E1L/E2L vs current E1L/E2L)

I say over and over just how nice diffusers are.I have tested 22 kinds now I made.I wonder what surefire uses..Is it just sandblasted glass?Or a glass with a film stuck on it?

Size15's said:

The New L1 shouldn't need an F04 BeamDiffuser like the current L1 does.
(same goes for the new E1L/E2L vs current E1L/E2L)

Click to expand...

Can't wait for these new generations to come out. It a joy using them so far!

Size15's said:

The New L1 shouldn't need an F04 BeamDiffuser like the current L1 does.
(same goes for the new E1L/E2L vs current E1L/E2L)

Click to expand...

I've heard nothing about the new Cree Surefires being optimized for flood. Thanks for the info.

According to McGizmo the F04 is 20 degree LSD film from POC. See here
sskyy

jlomein said:

I've heard nothing about the new Cree Surefires being optimized for flood. Thanks for the info.

Click to expand...

That's not quite what I meant.
SureFire's new Cree XR-E bezels have new TIR optics to provide a far more balanced beam compared to current TIR optic bezels. The new bezels have a far more normal "P60"-like beam profile with an intense centre beam and a useful surround beam.

Some people find the current L1/KL1 beam to be too narrow and use a Beam Diffuser to make it more useful. I doubt this will be required for the new bezel unless true "close range flood" is required.

I hope this helps explain what I meant?

Al

*

Size15's said:

The New L1 shouldn't need an F04 BeamDiffuser like the current L1 does.
(same goes for the new E1L/E2L vs current E1L/E2L)

Click to expand...

Yes, i've heard that the Cree'd L1 will have a more conventional beam pattern, the only real drawback i see with the Cree L1 is the loss of the 1.1 lumen 90 hour low runtime, which was one of the main reasons i got the current L1

i wonder if one was to put a Cree head on the current L1 body, would it retain the low beam 1-2 lumen setting and have the better beam pattern of the Cree.....

Thanks

The F04 on the TIR L1 is a must. I think it will prove useful with the next generation L1 as well, as it hopefully will soften the 10 lumen low into something that doesn't cause the eyes to adjust too much.

My guess is that both levels would be brighter. You might consider the upcoming SSC HDS if you want a light that low. If I want a light that low and I don't have my HDS I use my cellphone.

MacTech said:

Yes, i've heard that the Cree'd L1 will have a more conventional beam pattern, the only real drawback i see with the Cree L1 is the loss of the 1.1 lumen 90 hour low runtime, which was one of the main reasons i got the current L1

i wonder if one was to put a Cree head on the current L1 body, would it retain the low beam 1-2 lumen setting and have the better beam pattern of the Cree.....

Click to expand...