SF Incandescents Are Fine And So Are Turbo Heads!

I have been on the bright and white flashlight hunt for many years now. I like LED flashlights, (SOME of them!), and have owned several but incandescent flashlights still have their place and I mean FIRMLY! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I bought one of the very first 6P's that came out in the early '80's and it was a revelation! The only problem was the early 6P's and the 123 batteries that ran them cost a fortune! You were almost afraid to use them when the cost of an original 6P was $100.00 and a single 123 cell at the time was selling for an average of $6.50 apiece! The wonderful selling point of lithiums though was they had a shelf life of 10 years and THAT is still a great selling point!

Fast forward to today and you can get a G2, (which I like BETTER than my early 6P!), for $30.00 and a lithium 123 cell can be had as low as $1.00! These things are GREAT bargains!

I got rid of all my 6P's and yes, even 6R's when LED's became the "do-all" and "end-all" of incandescent's when they came to the forefront. I went for an KL1 and KL3 but wasn't really all that impressed. I finally paid out my rear for some LED mods but they were no do-it-all's or much better than incandescents!

Well, I finally went for a SF KT2 turbo head for my UBH II several weeks ago and guess what? This thing is a GREAT LIGHT! Has much throw and don't let anyone tell you these things have no sidespill because they do! I went on a 3 day houseboat trip with this light and it shined all the way across the river, (about 100 yards), and it lit up the WHOLE ROOM my wife and I were staying when it was dark and I wanted to find something. I'm almost as impressed with this as I was when I received my first ARC-LS a couple of years ago! I used it a lot for 3 days and have used it several times since we returned and it still shines bright and white! Don't expect these KT2's, (9V), to blast like an M4 or M6 but they are a great balance between bright, throw and battery life. $3.00 for batteries for quite a long time of bright, white light ain't bad!

I'm not saying these turbo heads are the "end-alls" of flashlights but I sure am impressed! I even dropped it about 5' onto concrete at the end of the trip and no broken LA or Pyrex lens. The only thing that was dinged or hurt was the "indestructible" HA III finish! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I will admit, I love my recently aquired SF L4, (wonderful round, bright beam!), ARC-LS, and Micro Illuminator. LED lights ARE nice, IF the beam shape and white is nice!

However, my two G2's and my UBH with KT2 turbo head aren't going anywhere! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Re: SF Incandescents Are Fine And So Are Turbo Hea

Nice to hear you enjoy your KT2! I didn't have a turbo head for my 9P (which I had since the early 90's) and I didn't use it much at all. In fact, I sold it to buy my L4. As you say, now 123s are pretty inexpensive and I use them quite a bit...in my big incandescent mods.

I think a well rounded light arsenal contains some of each type.

Wilkey

Re: SF Incandescents Are Fine And So Are Turbo Hea

Gene, now you need to combine the best of both worlds and try and get a LED in that turbohead. Ive an M4 in the post, cant wait to try this myself. Just need someone with a lathe and some spare time.

Re: SF Incandescents Are Fine And So Are Turbo Hea

Gene,

Do you like the G2s better than the current 6P, or say, a D2 or C2? If so why? Lighter?

At any rate, I really like my SF D2 w/ P61 HOLA. It is simply AWESOME for the size. The throw and the sheer amount of light, and the quality of the light, are excellent. At least in my limited light experience anyway. I'm told that the KT turbo head for the D2 is not all that great, and that something called a SRTH is better. I haven't looked into it yet, because I like the P61 so much for its size and output characteristics.

I agree. SF incans are FINE.

Re: SF Incandescents Are Fine And So Are Turbo Hea

[ QUOTE ]
Ginseng said:


I think a well rounded light arsenal contains some of each type.

Wilkey

[/ QUOTE ]

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
I'm with you on that one. I love the light quality of my L4 and TW4, but I still use my E2E when I want a little more punch... like say for a noise in the yard at night. I am still thinking about getting a bigger brighter incandescent (just in case, you know). /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

David <><

Re: SF Incandescents Are Fine And So Are Turbo Hea

Hi Ka,
I'd love to try something like that but my technical skills are really lacking. I don't think I've ever seen or read about a turbo head being modded with an LED. Let us know how that works out!

js,
Don't get me wrong, I really like the SF aluminum lights but the G2's just have something about them that reeks quality, especially for a "plastic" light. I'm really impressed with this Nitrolon stuff. As you say, the G2's are so lightweight and the Nitrolon doesn't dent and is just about chemical proof. Add the small cost of entry and these are REALLY bargains!