Surefire C2 Centuion

Hello everyone. I am wondering what you guys think of the incandescent version of this flashlight. I have a wonderful Preon 2 and a Rominsen RCN3 2 and those are all I own. Will the C2 put out the lightlike the other lights I have wil? Will the C@ go through CR123's like candy being incandescent?

I really like the light as an LED host but the Incan isn't bad at all. It is true that the regular P60 bulb goes through the batteries and is dimmer than what you are used to but still it's not bad.
Get it and then after some Incan play time go shopping for a good LED drop-in if you want more output.

Or if you're looking to keep with the incan, but still want more power, try a LumensFactory dropin and run it on a Li-Ion for "Free Lumens"!

OH yeah!!
Lumensfactory is THE way to go for Incan bulbs.
So many output/power choices and almost all of them are whiter and throw better than the stock Surefire bulbs.
Good job bringing those up.

How does incandescent compare to LED? I only know of older and dim incandescent lights like Maglights. What about battery life compared to LED?

There are several love-fest threads about the C2, all of then deserved. The incan is nice, but yes, you'll definitely eat batteries faster going incandescent - in some cases though it's worth it - just depends on your useage. Like sgt mentioned though, lots of flexibility. Have fun with it!

lovenhim said:

How does incandescent compare to LED? I only know of older and dim incandescent lights like Maglights. What about battery life compared to LED?

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The incan's runtime is inferior. Efficiency is the one area in which LED's seriously outclass incans. The Incan's tint is warmer than most LED emitters and the CRI is far superior to LED emitters. Outdoors is where the advantages of incandescent reveal themselves (so to speak) best, with better color and texture rendering and (arguably) more light reflected back per OTF lumen.

Edit: If you want a BRIGHT light, install a SureFire P91 lamp assembly in a C2 (or 6P or Z2), along with two AW IMR16340 cells. Runtime isn't very good, but you'll get 350+ lumens OTF.

Absolutely no comparison - the LED will win almost every time.

LED modules usually have longer run times and brighter outputs.

An ican usually has better color resolution than the LED, but that's about the only advantage an ican has to offer.

-Trevor

ETA: The C2 flashlight body, however, is an outstanding host - very durable and shaped for tactical gripping and retainability.

well I am visually impaired, so for me the LED's seem to have an advantage, the "cooler" light is better on my eyes. This sounds like an entry level "high end" light. What are these batteries you mention? I know the standard sizes and the CR123. Could I use the rechargeable CR123's in it @3.6v and get a brighter output?

lovenhim said:

well I am visually impaired, so for me the LED's seem to have an advantage, the "cooler" light is better on my eyes. This sounds like an entry level "high end" light. What are these batteries you mention? I know the standard sizes and the CR123. Could I use the rechargeable CR123's in it @3.6v and get a brighter output?

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The IMR16340 cell is a special kind of RCR123 cell. Instead of being LiCo (the chemistry of most lithium ion cells), they are LiMn. One of their benefits is that they can safely provide much higher current than LiCo cells. That characteristic is required in order to safely run the P91 lamp assembly in a C2.

If you want "warm" it is available in LED's also, but few people like them. After going to LED's a warm light looks reddish-orange to me. Yuck. With CR 123A batteries an incandescent lamp to fit the C2 will run 20 minutes and give you 120 lumens. A 600 lumen (OTF) LED will give you about an hour of runtime. I would estimate 120 lumens OTF with the LED will run about 5-6 hours or so. Personally I choose 5 hours over 20 minutes.

lovenhim said:

can I use the rechargeable CR123's in it @3.6v and get a brighter output?

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No, output will be the same. Rechargeable CR123's have pretty low capacity. Generally speaking.....two rechargeables equal half the runtime of two CR 123A's. If you want the same runtime as lithiums in a rechargeable battery you will need the light bored to accept an 18650 rechargeable Li-ion battery. And you'll need an LED drop-in that has a 3.6 Volt driver. Alot of people prefer the single 18650 set-up. Saves a lot on battery cost if you use it a lot. If not, then stay with CR 123A's for the reliability and 10 year storage life.

I am not sure I can make myself make an investment like this. What I mean is the light in incandescent form is not all that bright and eats batteries. It will cost $50 for the LED drop in and from what I saw $9 x2 for rechargeable batteries and $15 for a charger. At that rate I will have $83 in a free light. I already own this light http://www.shiningbeam.com/servlet/the-214/**NEW**-Romisen-RC-dsh-N3-II/Detail which is pretty decent to me and it did not cost much. Hmmmm

Sgt. LED said:

Good job bringing those up.

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Thank you for saying so! Its good to know that I'm not SO outta date! :laughing:

lovenhim said:

I am not sure I can make myself make an investment like this. What I mean is the light in incandescent form is not all that bright and eats batteries. It will cost $50 for the LED drop in and from what I saw $9 x2 for rechargeable batteries and $15 for a charger. At that rate I will have $83 in a free light. I already own this light http://www.shiningbeam.com/servlet/the-214/**NEW**-Romisen-RC-dsh-N3-II/Detail which is pretty decent to me and it did not cost much. Hmmmm

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As much as I love my Surefires, they are expensive. You can try getting a 'formerly owned' one from either the CPF Marketplace or Flea-bay. That way you're not out quite as much if you decide you don't like it.

And to be fair, the C2's almost absurd over-engineering is overkill for some 90% of casual flashlight users.

-Trevor

lovenhim said:

I am not sure I can make myself make an investment like this. What I mean is the light in incandescent form is not all that bright and eats batteries. It will cost $50 for the LED drop in and from what I saw $9 x2 for rechargeable batteries and $15 for a charger. At that rate I will have $83 in a free light. I already own this light http://www.shiningbeam.com/servlet/the-214/**NEW**-Romisen-RC-dsh-N3-II/Detail which is pretty decent to me and it did not cost much. Hmmmm

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You can get LED drop-ins for MUCH cheaper than $50, if you want to downgrade, er, convert, from incan to LED. While AW rechargeable cells are typically better, depending on which drop-in you choose, there are less expensive options that will work for a year or two of fairly heavy use before they need to be replaced.

If you're interested in pursuing a less expensive route, let me know, and I'll PM you some links to products with which I've had good luck under hard use.