SureFire L7 LumaMax LED discontinued?

khalwat

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First off, I've been reading these forums for some time, but I have not registered until today. Thanks to everyone for the information you've provided me.

Two years ago, I purchased several SureFire L7 LumaMax LED flashlights. My requirements were that I wanted a LED flashlight with a rechargeable battery, and reasonable performance.

I've been extremely satisfied with the L7s... recently I looked around for a link to give to a friend of mine as a recommendation, only to find that they've discontinued the L7.

Not a big deal, I realize that products come and go all the time. It's just slightly curious to me that SureFire seemingly has nothing to replace it in terms of a rechargeable LED flashlight offering.

Did they have problems with the L7 in terms of low sales, or technical issues? Just wondering why they might have deep sixed the product with no comparable replacement model?

Thanks in advance for any insight.
 

Monocrom

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L7 sales likely suffered when Inova introduced their T4 model. And I mean the original, single-output, T4 model. The L7 just didn't sell well after that.

Personally, I like the concept of SureFire quality in a rechargeable package with an LED emitter that doesn't need replacing. I think the L7 was a better bargain in the long run than SureFire's entry-level G2 model. But the T4 was a better value, with still impressive quality.
 

JTElectric

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I love my L7, it's my bedside light. Not the brightest, or smallest, but it's got a beam I just love, and it's built like a tank. It's one of my favorites, even though I don't use it a lot. Probably partially because if I keep the battery charged, this light is probably the most durable light Surefire made. You don't even need the body.

Got a black one you want to get rid of? :devil:
 
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khalwat

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L7 sales likely suffered when Inova introduced their T4 model. And I mean the original, single-output, T4 model. The L7 just didn't sell well after that.

Personally, I like the concept of SureFire quality in a rechargeable package with an LED emitter that doesn't need replacing. I think the L7 was a better bargain in the long run than SureFire's entry-level G2 model. But the T4 was a better value, with still impressive quality.

Thanks for your reply. The competitive angle makes sense... but what I'm still confused by is that if I wanted to today buy a rechargeable LED flashlight from SureFire, I can't.

It doesn't exist, there is no replacement model for the L7. Why would that be? I'd think that most of their lights would be moving towards rechargeable batteries, but the opposite seems to be the case.

Is there a reason for this?
 

monkeyboy

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I own the L7 and while it was good at the time, it's starting to look a little dated now.

I'd recommend something like the Fenix TK11 with XP-G R5 and 2900mAh AW 18650 cell as a replacement.
 

dano

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Surefire has never made a successful rechargeable. The 8x was o.k., the L7 was an oddball, as SF never pushed it, and it never gained widespread acceptance. The battery charging issues SF had also didnt help.

Still dont understand the design aspects of the 10x, and it never gained any acceptance.
 

khalwat

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I love my L7, it's my bedside light. Not the brightest, or smallest, but it's got a beam I just love, and it's built like a tank. It's one of my favorites, even though I don't use it a lot. Probably partially because if I keep the battery charged, this light is probably the most durable light Surefire made. You don't even need the body.

Got a black one you want to get rid of? :devil:

Yes, my needs are fairly simple... I just want a reliable, durable flashlight for around the house in case of power outages, and outside when chasing after the dogs, etc. Nothing exciting.

For me, this model was simple, good looking, and no hassle. I've switched entirely to rechargeable batteries in my house, so I didn't want the flashlight to be an exception.

Ah well. So it goes. Were I to do it again today, given that SureFire no longer makes this model, I'd likely go with the Inova T4 someone mentioned earlier.
 

Monocrom

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. . . Is there a reason for this?

Some of SureFire's detractors will say that it is due to SF wanting to sell more batteries, and are thus purposefully eliminating their rechargeable line. I don't put much stock into that. SureFire's military contracts likely allow the company to make enough profit that such a silly scheme seems unlikely.

Also, SF knows that many individuals have found ways of using rechargeable cells in SF lights that aren't sold as rechargeable models. Their line of dedicated rechargeable lights was never much of a priority. I've handled a 10x Dom. and loved it. But the price is ridiculous considering what you get. The charger for it is notorious for being flaky.

My SF 9AN is a nice light. But it's as big as a C-cell M@glite with a narrower head. It's outperformed by my SF 9P running on rechargeable cells.
 

pjandyho

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Yes, my needs are fairly simple... I just want a reliable, durable flashlight for around the house in case of power outages, and outside when chasing after the dogs, etc. Nothing exciting.

For me, this model was simple, good looking, and no hassle. I've switched entirely to rechargeable batteries in my house, so I didn't want the flashlight to be an exception.

Ah well. So it goes. Were I to do it again today, given that SureFire no longer makes this model, I'd likely go with the Inova T4 someone mentioned earlier.

I don't know how long usually your power outages would last. Maybe a few minutes, a few hours, or even days? I do know that in certain parts of the world a power outage could be a PITA because it lasts days, especially in a typhoon or earthquake. Since the L7 is no longer in production, you might want to look at using rechargeable Li-Ion batteries in other SF lights? Do note that Surefire did not rate their lights to be rechargeable battery friendly but many have tried, including myself, and have had no problems.

Currently there are a few models that could take two rechargeable CR123 batteries (RCR123 for short). They are E2D LED, LX2, Stratum, and AZ2. Maybe there are others but I have not tried them. Also, I just found out yesterday that the new 6PX Pro is capable of running a protected 17670 Li-Ion battery and still provide the same brightness as two CR123 primary batteries. Having lights like these are better in my opinion because they take primary batteries as well as rechargeable and is quite valuable in a power outage. Why? Because you won't be able to charge your batteries, and some spare CR123 sitting in the house could provide you the additional runtime until you get the power back.

Have a look at the 6PX Pro. It is a nice light and is Surefire's first attempt at making a budget friendly LED light for the mass market. Then you could buy a few rechargeable AW protected 17670 batteries from Dealers corner in CPF Marketplace to run it in and keep some spare CR123 primary batteries for times when the SHTF.
 

khalwat

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I don't know how long usually your power outages would last. Maybe a few minutes, a few hours, or even days? I do know that in certain parts of the world a power outage could be a PITA because it lasts days, especially in a typhoon or earthquake. Since the L7 is no longer in production, you might want to look at using rechargeable Li-Ion batteries in other SF lights? Do note that Surefire did not rate their lights to be rechargeable battery friendly but many have tried, including myself, and have had no problems.

When it happens (which is not that often), it's usually just for a few hours. My needs would definitely be defined as "casual", I think.

I just want a quality flashlight with reasonable illuminating capabilities that is convenient for me. Convenient for me defined as rechargeable, as the idea of stockpiling and throwing out batteries constantly doesn't appeal to me.

Having lights like these are better in my opinion because they take primary batteries as well as rechargeable and is quite valuable in a power outage. Why? Because you won't be able to charge your batteries, and some spare CR123 sitting in the house could provide you the additional runtime until you get the power back.

You make a good point, and in emergency situations, I'd have to agree with you. I just find that the most common use case for me is needing a light to go check out what animal the dogs have cornered in the yard.

So it's a convenience thing for me, really, and less of an emergency use case (though I'll submit there is that too, on rare occasion).

Each of the SureFire L7s comes with two batteries. I keep one fully charged and capped, ready to go... and the other I use in the light until it dies, and then swap the batteries. So I should always have at least some light ready to roll.

Have a look at the 6PX Pro. It is a nice light and is Surefire's first attempt at making a budget friendly LED light for the mass market. Then you could buy a few rechargeable AW protected 17670 batteries from Dealers corner in CPF Marketplace to run it in and keep some spare CR123 primary batteries for times when the SHTF.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm not so much looking for a new light as I am wondering what happened to the L7. Maybe I'm just one of the few that it seemed like a "perfect" solution for.

I wonder if I should stockpile their batteries? :D
 
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Kestrel

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My humble thoughts on this: any company (SF included) has a limited R&D budget, and when it comes to rechargeable technology, the capabilities and selection aggregated via CPF appear to be far, far ahead of SF in this field. I'm sorta glad (in a way :shrug: ) that SF can focus its R&D on light hardware (like the LX1, LOL) and can leave rechargeable technology to others.

Edit, for example: (at the risk of going OT to illustrate my thoughts)
  • Sanyo-engineered Eneloop LSD's for my penlights, ARC-AAA's, and D3 / Malkoff M31
  • LSD Accupower C's for my semi-custom FM
  • Protected AW18650 & AW18500's (LiCo) for my SF C2&C3 / Moddoo triples
  • High-current-capable IMR16340 (LiMn) for the E1 RS (DD P7) that I used to have
IMO, the wide variety of the various rechargeable configurations listed above are probably beyond SF's interest to spend their time and money developing. I'm sure they could implement any of the above if they wanted to pursue it, but at the cost of not working on other aspects of their lineup.

Having lights like these are better in my opinion because they take primary batteries as well as rechargeable and is quite valuable in a power outage. Why? Because you won't be able to charge your batteries, and some spare CR123 sitting in the house could provide you the additional runtime until you get the power back.
As stated earlier - an excellent point. Most of my lights that are configured for LiIon / NiMH-LSD are backed by a modest stash of primary cells - in nightly use or short power outages, I'm using the rechargeables, but in a very long event, I can always resort to my backup supplies.

Needless to say, I'm crazy about a lot of the SureFire lineup (most of my lights are SFs), with one exception being their rechargeable lights. Those have always been of little to no interest to me. :shrug:
 
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