Did I Just Mess Up By Ordering This......

Hey all,

I was in a money spending mood the other night and was online ordering some things. I've been wanting to swap out my EDC of a Surefire E2D because it's tearing up my pockets. I like the light and use it for all sorts of things but need something that wont damage clothing.

So, since I was in impulse mode I went to Surefires site and started to look for the light I spec-ed out in the past, the L4 Lumamax. Right size, right power, right tail cap etc. After ordering it I've learned that it's light on the throw side of things, I'm sure I will be ok with that, maybe.

So that got me to being concerned that while bright and "floody" there isn't going to be the throw that I like and then I got to thinking of what would be a more rounded light in the Surefire lineup or outside of it and I came up blank and that's where I need your help.

How could I have done better here? What would have been a better "all around" light with good throw, brightness, and battery life?

I guess I want to hear about some good options but at the same time hear that the L4 will be great for me too.

Help!!!!

Thanks.

Have you considered the L1 or other similar lights? I really like the new L1--good throw and spill. Also if you want more flood, you can add a beamshaper.

I considered the L4 a couple of times but passed it up because of battery life and lack of throw. However it's still tempting! I bet you'll like it--if not, you can probably sell it on BST.

Where'd you order it from, anyway?

prof said:

Have you considered the L1 or other similar lights? I really like the new L1--good throw and spill. Also if you want more flood, you can add a beamshaper.

I considered the L4 a couple of times but passed it up because of battery life and lack of throw. However it's still tempting! I bet you'll like it--if not, you can probably sell it on BST.

Where'd you order it from, anyway?

Click to expand...

I didn't consider the L1 but was thinking about the L2 and decided against it because of size and I am just too much in love with my clicky tail caps to want to have to twist the tail cap to keep it on.

I'm good with the battery life for the L4 as it's longer than my E2D which lasts forever for me anyway.

I got it from LAPolicegear.com, I've dealt with them in the past and they're good people to work with.

I have a SF U2, does anyone know how the 100 Lumens of that compare to the 100 Lumens of the L4 in terms of throw and spill? I ask this because at least I could go out tonight and play around with my U2 if it's comparable and set my mind at ease, or at least get an idea how they compare. I did a search here on the two and didn't come up with much.

The L4 is pretty much all flood. I had one and was not happy with it. It also gets HOT in a short amount of time. If you like the E2D try an E2E. Basically the same light, without the clothes eating head. And if you want longer runtime you can get a KX2 head and have the best of both worlds.

L4 is one of my favorite Surefire's. I use a rechargeable 17670 in it and it's great but if you are trying to pick out details in the night at a 100 yards then it's not the light for that scenario. It's hard to have one light that does all but the L4 does light up your room/local area extremely well.

If you want something small that isn't going to tear up your pockets, try a Novatac, their knurling is MUCH smoother than Surefire's. I went from L1 to 120P just for that reason. The Nova is also fairly floody, but definately has a nice hotspot, and the size and battery life are pretty much perfect for me.

But when it's going to be wet/cold/i just need better grip, i still grab my L1.

The L4 will throw a little bit, nothing impressive of course, but enough that if your walking through the woods you can see a little ways in front of you. But the real strength of the L4 is it's beam, I don't know how else to describe it aside from beautiful, my L4 had a nice warm tint, with bright wide spill spotlessly flowing into a slightly brighter hotspot. I'd never really given any thought to beam quality before, I'd just assumed that it was a bonus when hunting the white the walls and nothing else. But after taking my p3d and l4 outside I thought differently. The l4's even illumination of a wide area was far more pleasant to look at, and to use; my eyes even seemed better able to pick out details, without a bright hotspot distracting them.

I was (and still am) in love with flood after my L4. It is an excellent light for strolling through the woods, going through a dark house during a power outage, or just strolling around outside. However, it is a very bad light to use when you are trying to see what went bump at the other end of a field. If throw is important to you, maybe an L2 with a diffuser attached. The A2 might be another option, a fun and versatile light that (best of all) can still be picked up for half price from sportsman's warehouse. The P3D also has a nice mix of throw and flood, and is an incredibly versatile light that comes at an incredible price. In all honesty, whenever I go somewhere where I know I'll need light, the P3D is the first thing I pack.

However I do recommend you give the L4 a try, once again, it's an amazingly light for going through a dark basement, or close up jobs outside. I used mine to split firewood. Well, to illuminate the the area where I was splitting the wood, not to do the actual splitting. Oops, this got pretty long, I hope this rambling mess was of some use to you.

The L4 has a 'wall of light' beam. Now that SF no longer shows it in the new catalog, you may want to hang on to it, no matter what.

For greater throw in a similar size package, a 6P or G2 with Malkoff M60 drop in is the way to go. The 6P is nice because of the all metal construction, but the G2 is much more rounded & would be easier on your pockets. You should not need much more throw than the M60

Hang onto the L4. It's got a great, floody beam to it (for me). It's worth holding on to.

-Steve

It really does matter what you intend the light for. I researched my L4 a lot before I bought mine and I'm very happy with it (its' also my girlfriend's favorite light). If I want to see anything within about 100 feet I'll use it. It does get hot fast but for looking around the house it cannot be beat. I've thought about buying another one but I'm not sure I could use 17670 batteries in it so I haven't got one yet. My L4 will be one of the last lights I let go of.

Good info guys, thanks. I'm sure I'll keep it but may just have to pick up yet another light if this doesn't fit the bill.

The E2D is what I carry every day in my left side carpenter type pocket and it's what is wearing a hole in the bottom part of the pocket because of the crown around the power button.

Anyway, I use this light for everything from looking at the back of a computer underneath of a customers desk, to finding my way out of my basement after turning off the lights, (pull string lights, have to start at the back) to just general use to light things up around the house in side and outside. If the S ever hits the fan it will be used to light someone up but at the same time I want to be able to see someone coming and or identify someone from a safe distance. The chances of the later ever being necessary are slim but ya never know so the light needs to be capable. As it is, I only use the E2D for very short periods at a time so heat build up and battery life aren't really an issue.

I have to say that most stuff I use the E2D for is close range but I do like the idea of lighting up my neighbors house several doors down from time to time.

Well, for just about everything you mentioned the L4 is perfect. The only exceptions would be how far away the person you want to identify is (but then again, a person has to be pretty close in order to I.D. them), and whether or not it would light up your neighbors house (which it might if your houses are relatively close and the streets are dark).

I would of reccommended getting a Novatac 120P; PERFECT beam.
Or waiting for the Arc Ls.

maxa beam said:

I would of reccommended getting a Novatac 120P; PERFECT beam.
Or waiting for the Arc Ls.

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I just started reading about the novatac 120p, it seems to be pretty popular around here.

How does it compare to the L4.

Oh yeah, I'll ask again, how does the L4 compare to the U2 as far as throw and spill are concerned. I want to go outside tonight with my U2 to get an idea if they're close.

http://talks.guns.ru/forummessage/21/149081-2.html

About halfway down the page there is this:

Нашел статью по SureFire. Может кому интересно будет.
А вот сравнение фонарей в интерьере на дистанциях 2, 4, 25 метров.

Дистанция 25 метров: G2, Е2Е, U2, L4.

Дистанция 4 метра: G2, E2E, U2, L4.

edit log

Click to expand...

the

G2, Е2Е, U2, L4

Click to expand...

are links to beamshots.

Edit: there's also this: https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/96686&highlight=outdoor

and this has comparisons between the l4 and E2: http://fuja.s22.xrea.com/review/l4/

shroomy,

Thanks for the links, that helped a lot.

I want a photon and think that may take care of most tasks that I mentioned above which gets me thinking about throw. Sorry to do this but what is something that is the same size as the L4 with a ton of throw?

I think I'll leave it alone after this as I'm probably over thinking this whole thing. I'm just trying to refine my EDC gear and I'm currently on flashlights.

I'd suggest the Dereelight CL1H with the OP reflector(for a smoother beam). Throws much further then the L4, brighter, upgradeable(when newer LEDs come out), but it is a bit bigger then the L4. Runtime on high is similar to the L4 but it is brighter.

Lux numbers:

L4, 500-600 Lux, 100 lumen
U2, 1900 Lux, 100 lumen
Fenix P3D-CE, 3000 lux, 125 lumen, Q5 version, 3700 lux, 150-160 lumen
Novatac 120P, 2500-3000 Lux(depends on battery), 120 lumen
Dereelight CL1H, 6000-7000 with the OP reflector, 9000+ with the smooth reflector. 170-200 lumen, depends on the pill.

I'll throw in a cheap throwy light just for the heck of comparison.
WF-600, 16000 Lux, 120+ lumen

All depends on what quality and what you need the light for.

Thanks Gunner,

Any other suggestions for an LED light with lots of throw, preferably in the Surefire lineup and about the same size as the L4??

Thanks again.

On the subject of the L4 I can easily make out things past thirty yards with both of mine and really I think I'm okay out to about fifty yards as far as larger objects are concerned. Right now I'm using a Surefire E1B as my primary EDC and I really like its throw and spill, even more so than my L1. I don't know if you would mind dropping down to a 1 cell light, but I really think that Surefire hit a homerun with the E1B. I've never had a problem with the knurling on my Surefire's, but the E1B doesn't have any and it has a great pocket clip.

As for other lights. The Fenix L1D, L2D cree models all have excellent output and are very easy on the pocket and using AA cells or a single CR123 in the P2D. These are the only ones that I have any experience with enough to recommend.