SF and LF Lamps

I would like to buy a spare lamp for a SF G3 that I just ordered and I was wondering if you guys can tell me the difference (flood, throw, etc) between a SF P90 and the LF SR-9 and HO-9? I plan on running two of AW's 17500 or three CR123. Thanks.

3mw said:

I would like to buy a spare lamp for a SF G3 that I just ordered and I was wondering if you guys can tell me the difference (flood, throw, etc) between a SF P90 and the LF SR-9 and HO-9? I plan on running two of AW's 17500 or three CR123. Thanks.

Click to expand...

My experience between the SF lamps / Wolf Eyes lamps and the Lumens Factory lamps is the LF lamps seem to have a little more concentration in spot / throw than the Surefire or Wolf Eyes, which to me, appear a little more floody.

You will be happy with either brand. I have both and use both, as mentioned the LF seem to have a tad narrower flood. There's not a lot of difference. My main use for LF is to have a lamp that's not available in a SF offering.

I haven't actually owned the SR-9, but will base some of this on the ES-9s and HO-9s I've had, since the SR-9 is in between them.
Both will outthrow the P90, but the P90 will have a brighter spill.
The SR-9 will draw about the same amount of current as the P90. The HO-9 about 25% more. They will have relatively large, bright spots(HO-9 will just be larger and brighter than the SR-9), with weak sidespill.
If a floodier beam is more to your liking, try the Wolf Eyes 9V D26, which will have a larger but dimmer spot, and very bright spill-more a "wall of light". It will probably fall somewhere between the P90/SR-9 and HO-9 in current draw/runtime.
If you need more runtime, are satisfied with the brightness of the P90, and can do without the sidespill, the ES-9 draws considerably less current.

3mw said:

I would like to buy a spare lamp for a SF G3 that I just ordered and I was wondering if you guys can tell me the difference (flood, throw, etc) between a SF P90 and the LF SR-9 and HO-9? I plan on running two of AW's 17500 or three CR123. Thanks.

Click to expand...

The SF lamps are generally more shock resistant, because they're designed for the U.S military. Therefore they have to reach a sufficient level of criteria/quality to pass ( I call it 'toughness') Other than that, the differences are slight in terms of output and throw.

xiaowenzu said:

The SF lamps are generally more shock resistant, because they're designed for the U.S military. Therefore they have to reach a sufficient level of criteria/quality to pass ( I call it 'toughness') Other than that, the differences are slight in terms of output and throw.

Click to expand...

Is there a test done by someone on CPF that can confirm that? I was under the impression that LF designed pretty high quality lamp assemblies... where do you find this info?

Let us think about this. Your are busting into the basement of an insurgent strong hold in Baghdad. What lamp is in your weapon light and why was it chosen?

The SWAT team kicks in the door of a crack crack house looking Tookie who is wanted for taking down 7 members of a rival gang with his AK in a drive by last night. What type of light do they use?

Now let's compare that to some hobby forum where people point lights at white walls. Where some small company starts posting "Hey guys, we can make lamps for half price!"

You would obliviously come to the conclusion that hey these cheap lamps must be the best!

Dinan said:

Is there a test done by someone on CPF that can confirm that? I was under the impression that LF designed pretty high quality lamp assemblies... where do you find this info?

Click to expand...

Yeah, that's BS. My LF lamps seem to be tougher and better built than the stock SF lamps. Especially the E series.

3mw said:

I would like to buy a spare lamp for a SF G3 that I just ordered and I was wondering if you guys can tell me the difference (flood, throw, etc) between a SF P90 and the LF SR-9 and HO-9? I plan on running two of AW's 17500 or three CR123. Thanks.

Click to expand...

I have the HO-9 in my G3 and absolute love it. With that said, I won't be going back to the P90/P91 anytime soon...

Outdoors Fanatic said:

Yeah, that's BS. My LF lamps seem to be tougher and better built than the stock SF lamps. Especially the E series.

Click to expand...

Yeah I thought so. I'll be getting my HO-E2R LA from LF soon to drop into my E2D and I'll test for myself. I've heard nothing but good things about LF.

There's some vivid imaginations around here. The Wolf-Eyes lamps are extremely robust. More so than SFs in my opinion.
Keep in mind that Lumens Factory LAs, and in particular the Wolf Eyes, are made to be used without the benefit of the extra shock absorption of the "Surefire" spring, which comes with the LFs, and can be ordered with the WEs, as they mate directly to the body in a WE light. This is why they are built differently. Whether this makes them "better", I can't say. It does mean they are more heavily constructed.
This also reminds me to advise that if using a WE lamp in a SF light with Li-ions, that a magnet may be needed to assure proper contact, as the negative spring is shorter. The Lumens Factory lamps, not being designed for a specific host, eliminate this issue by using a longer spring.

Outdoors Fanatic said:

Yeah, that's BS. My LF lamps seem to be tougher and better built than the stock SF lamps. Especially the E series.

Click to expand...

+1

I'll take a Wolf Eyes 6V D26 over the Surefire P60 any day, and for 3/4 of the price. The same applys to the WE 9V D26 over the Surefire P91, the LF HO-E2A over the MN03( build quality, disregard lumen output) and the LF HO-E1A over the MN01( build quality, disregard lumen output).

Jay T said:

You would obliviously come to the conclusion that hey these cheap lamps must be the best!

Click to expand...

Hahaha, that's so true! :twothumbs Not to bash LF or anything, they're good lamps for normal use, but aren't really designed for military conditions. Surefire spends HEAPS of money on research and develop in this area... that's why their lamps/parts cost more.

I'm sure there's been tests done on SF lamps ruggedness over the years, in this forum. or you can contact Surefire directly and ask them why their lamps is better than cheaper alternatives.

Nobody has done any tests in controlled conditions to prove that any one of these lamp brands is more robust than the other. But I am willing to bet that such a test would require hundreds of lamps, and hundreds of drop tests, or recoils, and hundreds of cells to complete (or charges, hehe)... Doing just a few drops, or just a few people saying "my LF lamp did this my SF lamp did that" means absolutely nothing statistically.

Mdocod, i agree with you about the way to achieve statistical information. However i also think that some people's ideas are flawed in the belief that because one costs more than the other then it must be superior and further that they have and can share an insight into the R&D of each company.

For me it comes down to a simple case of availability, LF and WE LA are easily accessible to me in this country, i use the LF everyday at work for the last 6 months and have never had a problem with it even after a couple of tumbles, and hence i will continue to use them rather than having to go through the hassles and expense of ordering a SF LA.

Back to the OP's question, I have been really happy with the ES-9 lamps (and I own all of those mentioned), since I prefer the extended runtime. For the best balance of output and runtime, a lot of folks prefer the HO-9. For raw output, nothing beats the P91. Good choice on the G3, BTW.

KeeperSD said:

However i also think that some people's ideas are flawed in the belief that because one costs more than the other then it must be superior

Click to expand...

Not always, but most of the time that's true. Simply because quality materials costs more money... the more you pay, the higher quality of raw materials you get. For instance, a silver watch may cost $90, but a GOLD watch will probably set you back $500. There's no way in hell I can get a real gold watch for $90, simply because free lunch does not exist. :thumbsup:

Now back to the subject of lamps, the reason I trust Surefires is simply because they have a reputation for honesty (eg they rate flashlight Lumen Output very conservatively... unlike most Chinese makers who exaggerate their claims). Plus the fact that when one spends hundreds of dollars on a Surefire light, it makes sense to buy quality parts for it, even if it costs a bit more. It's like buying a Porsche... you aint gonna put cheap sets of tires on it, and you aint gonna complain about the cost of petrol! :nana:

It's the same with flashlights. If you have a cheap chinese flashight, it's not necessary to get Surefire lamps because it's pointless.... it would be like fitting a $10,000 sound system on a Hyundai which costs $7000. But hey, if you got a Surefire (or another equally expensive light), I'm certain that shelling out a few extra bucks for a quality lamp is the way to go.

xiaowenzu i am not going to get into a SF v every other non US brand debate here, it has been done far to many times before leading to the threads being locked during which you have shown your colours.

One thing i will say is that I am a Police officer and i trust my life each and every night to a non SF brand.........

LF designs their products around rechargeables options. SF on primaries, I have both and both are excellent products. I probably purchase LF after both my MN11 goes kaput since it is much cheaper and I use rechrgeables 100%

xiaowenzu said:

... the more you pay, the higher quality of raw materials you get.

Click to expand...

You probably haven't bought Hermes, Chanel, Prada, Porsche, etc