Beam Issue on A2 Aviator

Hello all! I recently became a Surefire owner and I have a question about the beam my A2 Aviator throws. Specifically, the beam doesn't seem to be particularly impressive (it won't out-throw my 3 D Cell LED Maglite) or even, and I have attached a photo to demonstrate. There are a number of artifacts in the beam when held approximately 16 inches from a flat surface, specifically the parenthesis shaped lines/dark areas and the ring around the central beam. Being new to high end flashlights I was wondering if I have an issue with this light or if I am expecting too much for $195.00.

Thanks!

-TJ

I don't have an A2, but that beam looks pretty normal to me.

Surefire lights are designed to produce a balanced beam that is a mixture of flood and throw. Unless you are spotting objects very far away, you'll find in practice that this beam is a lot more useful than the pencil-thin beam that you get from the Mag 3D. Besides, the A2 has a much smaller reflector than the Mag, so there's a limit on how much throw you can reasonably expect from it.

The Mag C & D lights are actually pretty tough to beat when it comes to pure throw. If you want more, you'll have to crank up the power with another full-sized light such as the Tigerlight or Mag Charger. Notice that these are nowhere near as compact as the A2, however.

Welcome to CPF!

The hotspot looks normal to me, nothing unusual. The spill (light surrounding the hotspot) does look a little artifact-y. Artifacts are really noticeable on a white wall, so they tend to be exaggerated; but it shouldn't interfere under "normal" use. If push comes to shove, you can always call Surefire Customer Service for a replacement bulb. My A2 bulb's hotspot has a little darkspot in the middle, but it's only noticeable on a white wall. Outside it works great, I couldn't ask for more from a light.

With the comparison with the Mag 3d LED, keep in mind they're different light sources: incandescent and LED. LED beams tend to have a "flawless" quality, they tend to have less artifacts than incandescent bulbs. The Mag also has a much larger reflector, so there's definitely going to be more throw.

Not having an Aviator, I couldn't be sure of anything, so take my words with a grain of salt.

That said, it's my experience that most flashlights, regardless of manufacturer, don't show their "normal" beam pattern until anywhere from six inches to two feet away from the light. Not sure if that's very clear, but almost regardless of the flashlight (even high-end ones), artifacts that appear on surfaces within about two feet of the light are pretty normal.

With respect to the particular artifacts you're seeing (parenthesis-shaped), I'd guess that they're a result of the three LED holes in the A2's reflector. It's kind of hard to tell from your beamshot (partly because I'm not sure how far away the light is from the surface, and partly because I don't have my own A2 for comparison), but I'd guess that the artifacts are primarily due to the LED holes, and that they would become unnoticeable in real world use, at normal use distances.

As to throw, you're definitely expecting too much out of that light. It's not really a matter of high-end in this case, though. Rather, it's virtually impossible for a light with a one-inch diameter, relatively shallow reflector to out-throw a much wider and deeper reflector, such as that in the Mag 3D. Add to that the fact that SF uses a textured reflector, which takes away from the potential throw of the light (but greatly improves beam smoothness), and there's no way an A2 should be able to out-throw a Mag 3D. That said, I expect that the A2 has about the best throw you're going to find in a light its size, with a reflector of its dimensions, with its output.

In the end, it sounds like your light is probably fine, though this should be corroborated by others who actually own the A2. One thing I've learned in my time as a flashaholic is that you shouldn't expect complete perfection in every aspect of a light. I've found myself disappointed in the beam quality of a light that I expected would be "perfect", but that light still serves me quite well, and is perfect in a number of other ways.

Thanks for the quick replys asdalton, dudemar & zven! I just wrote to Surefire support with the attached image so we'll see what happens. Overall, I like the light and am now looking to supplement it with a new searchlight ,perhaps something like an M6. I am a volunteer fire police so my lights see quite a bit of use. My main reason for seeking alternatives to my 3 and 6 cell Mags are their size/weight (especially when used with a cone for directing), as well as their finish and lenses being easily scratched/damaged (though I have finally upgraded the mags to glass lenses).

Thanks for the warm welcome!

Your beam shot looks the same as mine. I was concerned about the beam being shaped like a football but was told that is normal for a filament bulb. I also decided to not get hung up on shining lights at a wall.

The beam is normal....first of all you have to remember that the reflector has 3 holes in it to deal with, knowing this I thnk that the beam is pretty much flawless....seconly when you are close to that wall hunting for beam prefection what you are seeing is the beam pattern from the leds combined with the beam from the bulb, when in high they both run....
At about 75 yards yes the beam is not a spot like a mag is but this one is a very even slight wall of light, this light wasnt made for pure throw, it was made in my opinion to be one of the best usable beams there are. On a side note something I have come to find is try to re-compare the 3d incandesent mag to the aviator about 40 minutes into a run time the mag will dim and yellow some by then and the A2 will still be bright and white due to the regulator.....

Welcome to CPF, rbegga. Your A2 beam is fine. When you take it outside, where it is designed to be used, you won't notice those artifacts.

Please would you resize your photo. The CPF limit is 800 x 800 pixels, and that one of yours is 1193 x 1195.

DM51 said:

Welcome to CPF, rbegga. Your A2 beam is fine. When you take it outside, where it is designed to be used, you won't notice those artifacts.

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+1

Artifacts only appear when white-wall hunting. When you go outside and use it, you won't see them at all.

Remember the A2 was made by SF for commercial airline pilots to walk around their aircraft at night while performing pre-flight inspections and then the LED's are there for low-level lighting in the cockpit where you don't want to lose your night-adapted vision. It's also the only hand-held regulated incandescent in the market.

What color LED did you get on that A2?

The A2 is a wonderful light for users. However, for all its versatility the beam output is relatively ugly and imperfect compared to most Surefires. Still doesn't keep it from being one of my favorite Surefires, right along with the E2L.

rbegga said:

specifically the parenthesis shaped lines/dark areas and the ring around the central beam.

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I just checked my A2 and they have the same lines, just thought I take note of that.

DM51 said:

Welcome to CPF, rbegga. Your A2 beam is fine. When you take it outside, where it is designed to be used, you won't notice those artifacts.

Click to expand...

A fair share of A2's has gone through my hands. That beam looks completely normal.

If you look closely enough at short distances and against a white wall, ALL lights/beams will have some sort of artifact (some more than others, and depending on your use, it may or may not be an issue).

DM51 said:

Welcome to CPF, rbegga. Your A2 beam is fine. When you take it outside, where it is designed to be used, you won't notice those artifacts.

Please would you resize your photo. The CPF limit is 800 x 800 pixels, and that one of yours is 1193 x 1195.

Click to expand...

Will do, sorry about that!

Carpenter: The LEDs are white. I was going to go red if Cabella's didn't have the white in stock, but after some digging the salesman found one.

Thanks for the replys all, I will do a little less wall-hunting in the future! Of course, I have already burned through a set of lithiums just playing around with the light...its addicting!!!

My A2 beam looks the same. It has the lines in the spill area way out at the periphery. Actually, I didn't notice them before until you brought them to my attention with your beam shot. I agree that in actual usage, you won't notice them. My only gripe with the A2 is the white LED's are actually quite blue in tint. It doesn't affect the great color rendition on high, but it make low for me almost unsable.

For your A2 beam I'll be straightforward with you on this one: YOUR A2 HAS ONE BEAUTIFUL BEAM!!!:devil:

Not only is the rings even, your hotspot is soccer ball shaped!
Mines blotchy here and there and a football shaped beam