SF L1 Cree: I think I got a lemon =(

My batteryjunction.com order just came in today off the UPS truck, and I was elated to say the least. I had purchased a L1, another G2, a p60L replacement for my 6PD and an Inova X5. Although everything came perfectly (thanks batteryjunction :thumbsup, I was dissapointed in the beam quality from my new L1.

Now, to clear things up, Im not looking for tactical level brightness with the L1, just a good general purpose beam (at its high level), and I can't fault it for its brightness, its pretty good. However, the beam itself reminds me (GASP ! !) of a couple of my old Coast lights that I used to have -- the beam is full of rings, I can count at least 5, with a large, very noticeable sickly green outer ring. Maybe its just that i've been hanging around you guys at CPF too long, but when I plunk down $135 for a premium light I want the perfect beam as has been advertised .

Anyway, I called Surefire a few minutes ago and they informed me that I can send it in for repair, but that I cannot send it back for a refund, which is my prefered alternative because I am now wary of getting another bad one. So now, I may have to send it back and badger batteryjunction for a refund. Which kind of sucks cause I just got a bunch of batteries replaced for free by BJ because I had a bad batch -- i dont want them to feel like Im cheating them, you know?

This lemon I may have got dissapoints me, but hey, you go through life with a couple of dissapointments, don't you? And I think I have enough lights to get me by until then -- (2) G2s, G3, G2L, 6PL 6PDL, ROV Sportsman Xtreme, and a X5 :candle:

Anybody else have this problem -- and how did it turn out?

Thanks

Jeff

I dont think it's a lemon, it's just a victim of the LED lottery.

The beam you describe sounds like my L1; it's just the way the light is, especially the non-frosted window versions.

I wouldn't expect a refund from SF. Manufacturers don't buy back product like that.

:shakehead I dont know, I just can't believe I paid $135 for a light that has a really bad beam to it, you know? Even my dad (who scoffs at a person owning more than one light ) could notice how bad the beam was.

Do you think that if I sent it back to BJ i could get a credit and buy another light (or two) different from the L1?

Send it to BJ or SF but send it away. Mine is perfect and is brighter than anything near it's size. It's brighter than my 180 lumen P2D, brighter than the Novatac 120P I traded to get it and it ties my A2 at 200 feet.

Either one of them will make it right, I'm sure.

From my experience and what I've read... the L1 TIR isn't know for beautiful beams.

It is a kick butt light though.

Anyway you can get a picture of the beam on a white wall? If you're used to a nice smooth beam from a textured reflector based light, the beam the L1's optic makes is different. It's a bright hot spot, with less bright spill, etc.

Mine looks like this:



Longer exposure to show spill:

Are you positive you received the NEW L1 CREE version and not the old version L1, (BJ was selling the old ones for a while with a better free battery deal). Keep the original packaging and check it, then call Matt at BJ and explain your problem, I'm sure he'll do his best to do right by you. I bought a new version L1 from him in September, and it is still my favorite SF EDC.
Good luck.
Spence

jefflrrp said:

My batteryjunction.com order just came in today off the UPS truck, and I was elated to say the least. I had purchased a L1, another G2, a p60L replacement for my 6PD and an Inova X5. Although everything came perfectly (thanks batteryjunction :thumbsup, I was dissapointed in the beam quality from my new L1.

Now, to clear things up, Im not looking for tactical level brightness with the L1, just a good general purpose beam (at its high level), and I can't fault it for its brightness, its pretty good. However, the beam itself reminds me (GASP ! !) of a couple of my old Coast lights that I used to have -- the beam is full of rings, I can count at least 5, with a large, very noticeable sickly green outer ring. Maybe its just that i've been hanging around you guys at CPF too long, but when I plunk down $135 for a premium light I want the perfect beam as has been advertised .

Anyway, I called Surefire a few minutes ago and they informed me that I can send it in for repair, but that I cannot send it back for a refund, which is my prefered alternative because I am now wary of getting another bad one. So now, I may have to send it back and badger batteryjunction for a refund. Which kind of sucks cause I just got a bunch of batteries replaced for free by BJ because I had a bad batch -- i dont want them to feel like Im cheating them, you know?

This lemon I may have got dissapoints me, but hey, you go through life with a couple of dissapointments, don't you? And I think I have enough lights to get me by until then -- (2) G2s, G3, G2L, 6PL 6PDL, ROV Sportsman Xtreme, and a X5 :candle:

Anybody else have this problem -- and how did it turn out?

Thanks

Jeff

Click to expand...

Jeff...

I do have this "problem" too.

I don´t mind about the warmer tint. At first, I was used just to Fenix´s neutral white tints, so I didn´t like my L1 greenish-warmer tint. But now I got used to it, and I can see that color rendition is BETTER with this greenish-warmer tint if compared with my neutral-white Fenix lights. So, NOW, I don´t think this is a bad thing on my SF L1. You should try it in real world, and not just on white wall hunting.

But, about the ringy matter, I have to agree with you.
My SF L1 has a crystal clear lens, and has a big ring in it´s spot. When I saw it at the first time, I got a little disappointed, because it should be a "premium 135 dollars light". :green:
In my head, if I pay 135 dollars for a light, it should be superior than my 55 dollars light. Well, it is superior in some way (construction, knurling), but it has the worst spot.

Maybe I was victim of the LED lottery. Well, it is a bad luck...
I live in another country, so I´ll not send my L1 to Surefire just because the ringy spot. It doesn´t worth it.

But, like I said, I became disappointed, because I´ve always thought that a premium 135 dollars light should be PERFECT!

If you're not happy with your L1; if you think it's not as good as it should be I suggest you contact SureFire and arrange to have to replaced.

An alternative could be to seek out a SureFire dealer with a store front that you can visit and 'audition' your L1 against a display model to see whether there is any difference.

Al

The L1 Cree I had bought last year looked exactly like WadeF's pictures show. Some green tint (especially on low), some rings in the beam, hotspot not exactly lined up in the middle of the beam, etc.

But the folks here at CPF are right -- these optic-based lights work magic outdoors or where you want to throw some light, not inside on a wall. For close range stuff or where you want more flood, you might try out the "F04 Beamshaper" (diffuser).

My guess is that Surefire can't issue you a refund because you bought the light from a dealer. So hopefully your dealer can issue you a refund if that's what you want.

Have you tried your L1 outside just to give it a last chance? They really are throw monsters minus the imperfections.

bigfoot said:

Have you tried your L1 outside just to give it a last chance? They really are throw monsters minus the imperfections.

Click to expand...

That´s why I kept mine... It really illuminate as hell in dark areas, and has a really good throw for it´s size! :thumbsup:

bigfoot said:

Have you tried your L1 outside just to give it a last chance? They really are throw monsters minus the imperfections.

Click to expand...

I certainly advocate using a flashlight (and this includes using it outdoors) in order to help base a decision on whether it is useful to the individual for the applications light is required for.

However, I consider the L1/E1B/KX1/KX2/X300 beams look good indoors and at relatively close range. Not as good as a Titan beam but still, they aren't ugly or disappointing. They are one of the best beams produced from a TIR optic I've seen.

Thanks for all the replies, guys. I really want to like this light, as its the perfect or near perfect form factor for EDC, so I'll head out when it gets dark (its only 655pm) and try it out.

And for lack of a camera or scanner on my printer, I will say that the beam's hotspot is quite warm, the warmest LED I have, so the hotspot is not the problem. And I imagine the throw to be decent, too. Its just the many rings it has, including the disgustingly large ring at the periphery of the light that is a sickly green.

Wattnot said:

Send it to BJ or SF but send it away. Mine is perfect and is brighter than anything near it's size. It's brighter than my 180 lumen P2D, brighter than the Novatac 120P I traded to get it and it ties my A2 at 200 feet.

Either one of them will make it right, I'm sure.

Click to expand...

I just bought both the L1 and the 120P today. (My wallet said ouch!). I personally don't feel the L1 is brighter than the 120P. How can 65 lumens be brighter than 120P? The two beams are as different as they could be. The L1 is a focused wider hot spot with very little spill. The 120P has a much smaller less well defined hot spot that blends seamlessly without rings into a much wider very evenly illuminated spill area, one that has no artifacts. IMO, the 120P may appear less bright only because its output is disipated over a wider area.

Why buy both lights, you might wonder? Which one is my favorite? I couldn't pick a favorite between the two. For me the lights serve different purposes. The more focused L1 is more useful for me at work. It works great for looking at throats, not only because of its wide intense beam, but also because its warmer LED gives better color rendition (particularly the reds). The 120P is a much better EDC light because of its smaller size and weight. For me, it seems more useful for lighting your way, reading maps, etc, with its wider, even spill area and greater choice of illumination levels. For this purpose, the fact that the 120P does not render colors as accurately as the L1, is not critical. The slightly colder color of the 120P (somewhat blue on lowest levels) is still warmer than any Q5 emitter that I have tried.

Having said all this, I would ask batteryjuction for an exchange. I can't imagine they won't accomodate you. Any smart retailer will, because they need your repeat business. In my case today, for example, I bought my L1 at Brightguy, who accepted a return on an E1B (I just couldn't deal with its finicky interface) from me in exchange for the L1. As a result of this no hassle service, I bought the Novatac 120P from him at the same time. Good luck. You are going to love the L1.

If I dont like it after testing tonite, i will call tomorrow or Wednesday and ask if I can ship it back and possibly get a few lesser priced Surefires or others instead. Hopefully I wont have too.

BabyDoc said:

I just bought both the L1 and the 120P today. (My wallet said ouch!). I personally don't feel the L1 is brighter than the 120P. How can 65 lumens be brighter than 120P? The two beams are as different as they could be.

Click to expand...

Have you tried them out doors yet? The L1 is rated at 65 lumens, but mine is brighter than my 80 lumen E1B. So your L1 maybe the same as mine, and actually be closer to 80+ actual lumens.

The optic produces a tight and bright hot spot. The Novatac has a more diffused beam, so even though the Novatac has more total lumens coming out the front, the L1 should out throw it, meaning the L1's hot spot is brighter than the Novatac's hot spot.

Can you post a beam shot? I'd say my L1 is about the same as WadeF's, only a bit less green, and in my book it is a fine beam. A small splotch near the very periphery. Then again, my description of ringy is $15 2D Incan Dorcy.

Alright. So I went outside to test the beam. Here are the results ("pics" included"):


:shakehead
This is a before I tested it outside.


heres another angle of my dissapointment while white wall hunting.

oo:
Heres the 10 lumen low at approximately 15 feet.

:duh2:

Heres the 65 lumen high beam at 50 feet.


Heres another angle of the 65 lumen high. As you can see, very nice.

:thumbsup:
heres the final angle.


I do really like the L1 now, and have no reservations about carrying it as my edc light. I really feel that its throwing ability and nice hotspot outweigh the fact that its ringy and has a green halo at close distances. This is by far the warmest tint of any light i've seen or owned so far, almost a bright white. While its not quite the light I expected, I'll keep it.
Thanks to all who replied and gave me advice. Im off to run the battery down now.

BabyDoc said:

I just bought both the L1 and the 120P today. (My wallet said ouch!). I personally don't feel the L1 is brighter than the 120P. How can 65 lumens be brighter than 120P? The two beams are as different as they could be.

Click to expand...

One of the first things I learned here is how little lumens matter, especially with how much "fudging" goes on with the claims.

I didn't have them both at the same time. I traded my 120P for the L1 and they crossed in the mail, but I still have my P2D. The P2D was noticably brighter than the 120P indoors and out, near and far. However, the 120P's beam was gorgeous . . . perfection. I can't recall pitting the P2D against the L1 indoors yet but outdoors and with a little distance, the L1 was clearly the winner. So if the L1 beat the P2D and the P2D beat the 120P, then the L1 beats the 120P.

I like flood/spill as much as the next guy (probably more) but the primary use for this type of light is walking outdoors and for that I like to light up some distance and that is where the L1 really shines - pun intended!

jefflrrp said:

... While its not quite the light I expected, I'll keep it.

Click to expand...

Wise decision Jeff! I´m sure that you will gonna love your new L1.




















Off topic: I think Surefire should pay us something for all the good propaganda.... Perhaps, some free batteries... What do u think, PK ?