Been away for a while - is the U2 still king?

Well, I have not spent much time sadly on CPF recently - not through any problems with it, just some more (non torch) important things in life to deal with.

Well, when I last visited the Surefire U2 was 'top of the tree' and the Kroma was just being launched (one or two in the hands of the public). There was speculation about a 120 lumen model from HDS and we were struggling with different tint bins of LED's. The 3 and 5 watt Luxeons were selling well. There was prototypes of a soft-domed LED that was supposed to be bright, but there was trouble with focusing it I recall. ARC was getting into full swing with the AAA - I have the Premium and am very pleased with it.

Now, I use my U2 almost all the time - excellent light. Just wondering though if it is still classed as the best - or has time not been kind?

Please can you fill me in as briefly as possible to see if I have missed anything important - or perhaps there is just a massive slew of 1 watters. ;-)

Ian, UK

wow it sounds like you have been away for quite some time...
There are now new Cree, Seoul and luxeon rebel leds that have replaced lux 3 n 5 leds which can output over 200 lumen .

They're pretty much twice as efficient as lux 3's were so they can put out twice the amount of light or run twice as long depending on how hard theyre run.

Lights running on single AA have broken the 100 lumens mark that most 2xcr123 high power lights were at a few years ago.

Seoul and Cree have also come out with a 4 die led like the lux 5 which can output over 1000 lumens although it requires more power to run and it also puts out alot of heat.

The electronics of lights have also gotten fancier with a lot more multi-mode lights available now as well as having better regulation.

HDS has become RA lights http://ralights.com/ and Novatac http://www.novatac.com/ and yes they have achieved the 120lumen and more

I dont have a U2, although i have handled one before. I'm sure many here still use their U2's although there are a lot of light that can put out more light and run for longer in a more pocketable size.
Also surefire has a new U2 coming out some time soon which many are eagerly awaiting.

Thank you for the update. I tried reading through the postings, but there was nothing I recognised at all! I only joined in 2005 - may as well be 1985 the speed at which lights are being developed!

Well, I will be here more often again now, and look forward to reading more about the new U2.

How was the focus issue of the Cree solved? I remember hearing that it was useless for torches as the heat dissipation and emitter shape were not suitable for such an application.

Hmm, never heard of Seoul, but I am glad HDS is still going. I hope it worked out for ARC too - their Nichia lights were built well, but a bit 'angry blue' - some people were fitting Snow LED's, but perhaps ARC has solved that...

Ian

Soundbox, you can get an updated/upgraded U2 (a little more throw is the biggest difference) and be done with it.

The U2 is still a magnificent tool.

The U2 has been updated to use a Seoul P4 emitter, which gives the same output but with better throw and more runtime.

If you want to see what LEDs can do in a small package, take a look at either the Surefire E2DL (E2 Defender LED), or else an ordinary Surefire 6P with a Malkoff M60 drop-in.

Yes - my U2 is a constant companion. Just perfect!

Is there a link to the 'new U2' discussion - and when will it be launched?

My U2 is bright enough, but better efficiency is only ever a plus - when the levels start dropping, it goes really fast.

Ian

Yapo said:

wow it sounds like you have been away for quite some time...

Also surefire has a new U2 coming out some time soon which many are eagerly awaiting.

Click to expand...

And by the time it arrives I could have learned to play guitar and joined U2!
:laughing:

Yeah with the new emitter I can feel good calling it A king.
Maybe not THE king.

The U2A replaced the U2 a while ago.
SureFire updated the LED for longer runtime.
(they did the same with the L5/KL5 it is now the KL5A.

+1 on the E2DL. Simply an amazing light.

Thank you again. So, is the U2A the updated U2 which some are waiting for or are we waiting for an updated U2A?

SB

Soundbox said:

Thank you again. So, is the U2A the updated U2 which some are waiting for or are we waiting for an updated U2A?

SB

Click to expand...

U2A is basically a U2 with new emitter. UA2 and UB2 are the new in development models with either 200 lumen adjustable focus or 400 lumen fixed focus.

The UA2 and UB2 have their own thread(s) to be used for discussing them. No point having multiple threads going over the same stuff if we can avoid it.

Size15's said:

The U2A replaced the U2 a while ago.
SureFire updated the LED for longer runtime.
(they did the same with the L5/KL5 it is now the KL5A.

Click to expand...

I see the U2 Ultra (U2-BK-WH) on the SureFire website. I don't see any listing of a U2A. Google's first 2 links for "SureFire U2A" are on CPFM. Is U2A an actual SureFire model number or is this just a CPFism?

"U2A" is a SureFire model number. It's far too new for SureFire.com

Size15's said:

"U2A" is a SureFire model number. It's far too new for SureFire.com

Click to expand...

haha yeah, i think they are just now pointing out that the e2l and e1l have two stages.

Also you might want to check out SF's new catalog...

Thanks! If there's anyone I'd trust, it's you! How long has the U2A been out? I am really glad to hear that SureFire has formally updated the classic U2. One of my all time favorite lights.

I still think a 1x123 U1 based on the classic U2(A) design would the PERFECT baby brother to the new UA2 and UB2.

Thank you for the info.

Ian, UK

Ian ... from one U2 lover to another ... the U2A now has double the runtime and a lower low level while keeping the high level, which is good news.
The ness cool news is that the beam is slightly more hotspot-oriented than the old U2 which I dislike, but the above mentioned advantages outweigh that flaw.

However, the U2 is still king in one sector ... UI. A KISS 6-level light without any programming or annoying modes. and THAT is important.

bernie