SF U2 / L7

well i decided against the M6:mecry:would love to have it but i dont think i need that much

however the U2 and the L7 look very appealing. the U2 looks like a great general purpose light with the adjustable setting, and the L7 looks good for a powerful throw light. i know this may sound dumb, but they sound good on paper. i've never seen one in real life. will the U2 be a good gen pupose light? will the L7 adequately replace my 4D mag, on throw and brightness?

any help greatly appreciated!

the L7 will blow your mag-lite out of the water it has a nice throw {there are better} it is a good light for general purpose. the u2 may be the ultamate general purpose light from surefire

which are better?

and yeah that U2 looks nice

and make that the L5, not the L7

how does the L5 compare? noticed it does have a new 120 lumen LED

just out of curiosity, how many lumens does 4dmag typically put out?

The U2, L5 and L7 are all rated as 100 lumens.
The beams are the same (although the L7, like the L6 has a slightly tighter beam)
So in my opinion you base your selection on the other characteristics:
- The U2 has a dial to adjust the output, and an excellent pocketclip.
- The L5 has a CombatGrip and pocketclip.
- The L7 is rechargeable.

In my opinion if I wanted a rechargeable LED flashlight for heavy use I would want to handle an L7 myself and talk with users with similar roles to my own. If I was making intensive use of a flashlight such that I could experience the benefit of rechargeable batteries I would audition a variety of flashlights and take feedback from a variety of similar users before making a decision.

That aside, I would select the U2 because it gives the user more choice in terms of output levels, and it easier to carry compare to the L5 (and much easier to carry compared to the L7)

rmz said:

how does the L5 compare? noticed it does have a new 120 lumen LED

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SureFire have not updated their L5 - it is still rated as 100 lumens.
This time last year SureFire were planning to update their L5 with a new bezel and higher output. They even put the updated specs in their 2007 catalogs.
However, shortly after the SHOT Show 2007 SureFire confirmed that their updated L5 was on indefinite hold.

I use the L5 and L7 on duty. The beams are identical and have decent throw. For LE purposes both get the job done and then some. Very nice lights. I've been using both for over a year now.

msap said:

I use the L5 and L7 on duty. The beams are identical and have decent throw. For LE purposes both get the job done and then some. Very nice lights. I've been using both for over a year now.

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:welcome:

How do you carry them?

Personally when I handled the L7 I didn't like the switch mechanism, which moves the entire battery pack forward to turn the light on, and constant on was to turn the head of the light tighter.

The U2 is a great lights where you can control how much light you need for a certain situation, and ration energy by using lower levels. Many users have been using lithium ion cells in the 650 size. I have too but I am currently having issues with my U2 so SF has it.

The L7 comes standard rechargeable which is nice. But I don't care for the size weight and switch style, the L5 and L6 are much luck the M2 and M3, all have similar beams.

size15's thank you very much, that helps a lot. i have the catalog so thats why i thought it was the upgraded L5. well its gonna come down to 2 of the following 3:

U2, L5, or C3

U2 for sure, so i guess its just between the L5 or C3. once again i'm a newb at all this so a question: since both are right at 100 lumens, is the C3 gonna throw farther than the L5 b/c its incandescent? if so i'll go U2/C3 for sure:twothumbs

65535 said:

Personally when I handled the L7 I didn't like the switch mechanism, which moves the entire battery pack forward to turn the light on, and constant on was to turn the head of the light tighter.

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I was quite surprised when I discovered this on the 8AX. First thing I tried doing was unscrewing the tailcap to install the battery Certainly not what I was expecting after my experience with momentary/clickie operated lights. Still, it isn't a bad UI, and it gets the job done

Regards,
Tempest

First off, sorry if I sound like a sales man.

If you really want throw from an LED, don't look at the Surefires. They are great lights and such(Well, some could use a more efficient LED) but none of the LED ones will out throw the Maglite 3D. They don't have the right reflector.

The Dereelight DBS was designed for throw with the larger and deeper reflector(The head is around maglite sized but the reflector is at least twice as deep). It is also easily upgradeable when the newer LEDs come out. Depending on how dark it is, 150 meters should be no problem for the DBS. Output with the 2SD module and a 18650 battery should be 255-265 lumen at the emitter and at least 170 lumen out the front. Here is one review(There are more in the reviews section).

The U2 is still one of its kind with the selector ring but if you don't mid tapping the tailcap a bit(or twisting the head for some lights), there are also quite a few other lights that have lower modes and are pretty easy to use.

Surefires are great but there are also other options.

rmz said:

size15's thank you very much, that helps a lot. i have the catalog so thats why i thought it was the upgraded L5. well its gonna come down to 2 of the following 3:

U2, L5, or C3

U2 for sure, so i guess its just between the L5 or C3. once again i'm a newb at all this so a question: since both are right at 100 lumens, is the C3 gonna throw farther than the L5 b/c its incandescent? if so i'll go U2/C3 for sure:twothumbs

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I have a C3 and an L5 and when I want an LED setup I can throw the L5 head on the c3. Great run time.

I will eventually buy a BOG 230 lumens supreme bulb for the c3 and may eventually sell the L5. Its in great shap but I really dont need it.

thanks for the info, and no, i wont hurt you

like i said, i'm new to this, and probably the biggest reason for wanting the surefire, besides what i hear about reliability and durability, is that i get good prices on them at work.

other options are welcome.

you mentioned the led doesnt have the right reflector... does the C3 have the right one, and if so, outperform the 4dmag?

Glad that I'm safe here

The C3 probably won't out throw the 4D with the P90 lamp according to Flashlight reviews(But will definitely out lumen the 4D).

You can always modify your maglite as and option for something of M6 brightness(All the parts together can be had for under $100 depending on your planned setup).

rmz said:

you mentioned the led doesnt have the right reflector... does the C3 have the right one, and if so, outperform the 4dmag?

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Right?
Better to qualify that by saying 'right reflector for throw'.
SureFire's beams (such as the C3, L5 etc) are designed to provide optimum illumination according to the requirements of handgun and carbine users within the ranges typically encountered by firearms users [such as specialist military and law enforcement teams in a close-quarters-battle type situation]
A thin beam is not ideal - not right in those situations. Neither is a Maglite in general.

Illumination tools by SureFire are designed for use and are best selected based on knowing to what uses the light is being used.

I feel the question should not be "Does the C3 out-throw the 4D Mag?"
It should be "Is the C3 a more suitable flashlight compared to the 4D Mag for [insert application(s)]?"

Although the C3 gives you the ability to 'grow'/change/adapt etc compared ot the U2... I feel that unless you want to be able to add a KT2 TurboHead, or change out the C3's P90 incandescent lamp for an LED lamp (P60L) etc you're better off with the U2.

I have both. The C3 hardly gets used. I'm not sure I could tell you where it is right now. I know where both my U2's are.
(I have a couple of L5's and L6's as well. In fact I have a wide variety of SureFires - noteworthy exception of relevance to this thread: no L7 although I have an 8NX and I've handled an L7 several times.)

Al :candle:

well i really couldnt tell you the exact use of what it will be used for. basically need an all around light, and i like the idea of the U2 adjustability. i dont have prior experience however, so i'm left to draw conclusions from everyone else.

i use the mag for everything. i just need to know if its justified to spend the money on the U2 or even the C3 for the specific reason of replacing my 4dmag, whether its close quarters or the occasional dark open field out camping or hunting.

I find the likes of the U2 and L5 too large to carry easily all the time.

If you have no specific applications for light a more general light that you can carry all the time may be a better investment.

I urge you to consider the SureFire L1. It is what I'm carrying and using every day. I have pretty much every SureFire and it is the best for my general uses that SureFire have yet released.

If you are having hard time justifying the cost of a SF light, you might consider something simple like a G2L or 6PL, there is always the Fenix lights, they offer great output with decent throw, I think they might be a better choice if you can't justify a SF purchase.

Size15's said:

I urge you to consider the SureFire L1. It is what I'm carrying and using every day. I have pretty much every SureFire and it is the best for my general uses that SureFire have yet released.

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That's quite the endorsement for the L1!

I agree that the new L1 is one of those dreaded "hobby killer" lights. Once you get one you can't really justify owning different lights.

well thanks for your input guys.

well i was excited at first to get the U2 for sure, but now its dying down lol. i have two lights: mag4d and some dollar store two sided LED light, which is actually pretty nice. i dont mind the price of the U2 for all the levels that it has, but the L1 looks nice too...

dang too many lights and choices and options

rmz said:

well thanks for your input guys.

well i was excited at first to get the U2 for sure, but now its dying down lol. i have two lights: mag4d and some dollar store two sided LED light, which is actually pretty nice. i dont mind the price of the U2 for all the levels that it has, but the L1 looks nice too...

dang too many lights and choices and options

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I know how that feels - SF makes it hard to choose between models. Anything you can get will be brighter than the lights you have, so you're "safe" in that regard. :devil:

Although I consider the U2's beam more useful than that of the L1 (because it's broader), I don't carry my U2 in my pocket like I'm doing with the L1. So, as much as I love the U2, effectively, the L1 wins over my U2. Like Al said, the best light is going to be the one you're carrying.