L5/L6 Brightness

Has anyone received any conformation on exactly how bright the L5 and L6 will be? I have heard that the L6 will put out 120 lumens. That would be very impressive, but if it only puts out 65, I don't think it would be worth it.

We'll have to wait and see I guess.

I saw from a site in Hong Kong that the KL6 is 65 lumens and it is designed for 3 battery series flashlights. I noticed from the attached photograph that the bezel and reflector is much longer, for longer throw? KL5 was made for M2, C2, or Z2 series flashlight. So an L5 and L6 should be within these parameters.

Take note that these are from Surefire Hong Kong's website. Ignore the Chinese text but did you see 65 there?

http://www.surefire.com.hk/LED/kl5.htm
http://www.surefire.com.hk/LED/kl6.htm

Andy Ho

65 lumens ?! That kind of lets me down!

Yup, it sure says 65 Lumens in chinese. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

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pjandyho said:
I saw from a site in Hong Kong that the KL6 is 65 lumens and it is designed for 3 battery series flashlights. I noticed from the attached photograph that the bezel and reflector is much longer, for longer throw? KL5 was made for M2, C2, or Z2 series flashlight. So an L5 and L6 should be within his parameters.

Take note that these are from Surefire Hong Kong's website. Ignore the Chinese text but did you see 65 there?

http://www.surefire.com.hk/LED/kl5.htm
http://www.surefire.com.hk/LED/kl6.htm

Andy Ho

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Again, I'm a newbie, but I'm just curious: does anyone know why Arc releases ALL the information they have on up-coming models (specs, planned release dates, etc) way in advance (at least in CPF), and Surefire seems to be deaf and dumb?

carmel (jaws)

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Size15s said:
We'll have to wait and see I guess.

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C'mon Al, throw us a bone! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I mean, your so close to Surefire, it's almost like you already know how bright it is, er, will be. Take a wild guess. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

I think the brightness of the new L series lights will ultimately depend on the quality of the LEDs they manage to get from Lumileds. Sure, better heatsinking, more efficient convertor might eke out a few more lumens here and there, but in the end, i wonder how much more bright it will be compared to other 5 watt LED lights. Remember, you need a doubling in lumens for it to be really noticable to the naked eye. I think the really impressive part will be the nature of the beam itself, tight, well collimated with a piercing throw.
Dont mean to run down these lights before theyre even released (i have both on pre-order anyway), im just worried that theres a *bit* too much hype over these.

As always, Al probably knows theres more to it than this, but he's not gonna tell. All the above is mere speculation on my part.

If the KL5 is designed for only two cells, I suspect the LED, circuitry, lumens and runtime are the same as the KL4. The difference is the size and shape of the bezel (longer throw) and greater mass for better heat dissapation. Hope the circuitry allows the use of three cells, but I'm beginning to suspect not.
oldgrandpajack

My guess is that the KL5 and KL6 will be definitely brighter than 65 lumens, perhaps significantly so.

The purpose of the much larger head, especially for the KL6, is most likely not simply to make it run cooler. I suspect that SureFire uses the greater mass of aluminum to allow driving at a higher current -- between 1.0 and 1.4 amps. CPF modders have demonstrated what can be obtained from a 5-watter with such high current levels, as long as heat sinking is generous. The Space Needle II that I had (V bin) was drawing almost 2 amps, and its output was (according to my comparisons with SF lights) 134 lumens.

Further, SF has the opportunity to use higher-bin emitters than the L4 uses. This is because the release date is later. But there may be an additional factor. I have read that the supply of nice emitters that Mr Bulk uses has dried up. It is not logical that the reason is because the technology no longer supports the nice W- and X-binned emitters. Could it be that they're being siphoned off for SureFire's use in the KL6, and perhaps the KL5?

Paul

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PaulW said:
My guess is that the KL5 and KL6 will be definitely brighter than 65 lumens, perhaps significantly so.


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Unfortunately, there is no need for guessing as the specs in www.surefire.com.hk clearly stated that output as 65 lumens for both KL5 and KL6 along with their prices:
KL5 US$124.10
KL6 US$146.20

LAK,

Thanks for noticing that. I wonder if Supreme Co. (www.surefire.com.hk) actually represents SureFire or is just a distributor who has no more knowledge about the specifications than we do. If Supreme Co. really knows the specs of these lights, then it would appear that I am wrong in my guessing. In that case, speculating about it was no more than a fun-filled exercise. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

But I still would wonder what's happening to all the nice 5-watters.

Paul

Hi Paul,

Although it is stated as 65 lumens in the web as I originally posted but looking at the head design, I can't help feeling that what you said might make sense. What I felt is that lumens may still be the same but throw is definitely much more than an L4.

Andy Ho

Too much guessing here for my liking. The proof of the pudding is in the eating. How the L5 and L6 square up against the L4 (and each other) in real life remains be seen. Lumen specs aren't worth that much unless you know what the beam will be like and this is an unknown too.

Perhaps SureFire have not rated their yet to be released produces because they have not decided what they will be yet?

Al

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PaulW said:
I wonder if Supreme Co. (www.surefire.com.hk) actually represents SureFire or is just a distributor who has no more knowledge about the specifications than we do.

[/ QUOTE ]

Supreme Co. is known in the airsoft community as a distributor/importer/exporter of airsoft and tactical hardware.

I'm not certain of their ties in terms os SF, however.

Allen
aka DumboRAT

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DumboRAT said:
[ QUOTE ]
PaulW said:
I wonder if Supreme Co. (www.surefire.com.hk) actually represents SureFire or is just a distributor who has no more knowledge about the specifications than we do.

[/ QUOTE ]

Supreme Co. is known in the airsoft community as a distributor/importer/exporter of airsoft and tactical hardware.

I'm not certain of their ties in terms os SF, however.

Allen
aka DumboRAT



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I wouldn't worry on that one. Supreme Company is the official distributor of SF product for the whole of Asia except Australia. I have been in contact with them via email and I know that these guys are not some dumbo operating a convenience store. They do know what they are dealing with.

Andy Ho

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Thanks pjandyho ! Good to know !

Allen
aka DumboRAT

65 Lumens for the L5 is good enough for me, provided that the big reflector means a throw somewhat similar to the P60. However, I do admit with some that L6 with 65 lumens might be a bit low...

I'm considering these to be the first tactical LED lights....so I'm sure we won't be disappointed.

[ QUOTE ]
PaulW said:
LAK,

Thanks for noticing that. I wonder if Supreme Co. (www.surefire.com.hk) actually represents SureFire or is just a distributor who has no more knowledge about the specifications than we do.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree with you, Paul!
The M-series light are said to be "waterproof"(can use to dive in Chinese)in Surefire.com.hk

Billy

Not lumens. Minutes.