I thought it'd be fun to share my EDC and backup rig with you guys. It is based around the SureFire L4 Digital Lumamax. Here's a picture of all the components.
The EDC part of this rig is laid out on the left hand side of the Pelican MicroCase (thanks to Kevin at BatteryStation /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif). It centers around the RipOffs CO-73 belt clip pocket tool and flashlight holster. In the tool pocket, I have a Leatherman Wave. In the flashlight loop, the L4. The Glowring X2 is clipped via a small split ring to the lanyard loop of the Wave. It is there for two reasons. First, it's cool because it glows in the dark. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif Second, because the tool pocket is deep, it lets me grab onto something so I can draw the tool easily and quickly. I can't say enough good things about the RipOffs holsters. The steel belt clip is strong and fits securely but allows easy removal. The ballistic nylon body is tough and the velcro closure is ample. The Wave fits precisely. The flashlight loop is slightly large for the L4 body (it's designed to fit the P series) but the short clip allows for reasonably secure fastening and rapid deployment.
The backup part of this rig is laid out in the storage area of the Pelican MicroCase. This case is small enough to tuck in a glove box or large coat pocket. All items snuggle in custom configured Pick-n-Pluck foam. At the top is my spare Pila 168S lithium ion battery. This is the cell I regularly run. A second unit is installed in the L4. Below the Pila are four SF123 cells. In total, I pack 3.5 hours of power. Below the batteries on the right is the SureFire F-04 holographic beamshaper. It slips onto the bezel of the KL4 and provides a super smooth field of light for close-up work.
To the left of the F-04 is my alternate head. This little beauty is a KL4 modified by Chop to run a TWAK Luxeon 3-watter. The work is professional grade, you'd never be able to tell the head didn't come like this. It uses the stock circuit with the exception that the current is pushed to 900mA. Because of this, the unit is suitable for use only with single cell torches such as the E1E/TW4 or E2/L4 body on a li-ion cell. It throws a tight, bright hotspot that is solid as opposed to the dark-centered donut of the 5W in the stock head. In actual use, the L-III seems to be just as bright as the 5W, just more tightly focused. For all you guys looking for better throw and a sharper beam but want it in an L4 form-factor, I think this is the ticket. Here's a close-up of the LEDs in each head. Stock on the left, L-III on the right.
Ok, so how do the heads and filters work. Here's a "real life" working shot of the lights in use. This photo is of the lights shining on a page in a road atlas. The light is 18" directly above the page. As you can see, the L4 hotspot, as wide as it is, is pretty bright and would not be suitable for close-up work. The addition of the F-04 filter softens things up considerably. The TWAK is just crazy bright and tight. All photos in a set shot with locked exposure and are unretouched. Left to right: KL4 (stock L4), with F-04 filter, TWAK L-III.
This next series of photos shows the lights aimed at a plant on a shelf about 10-11' away. The L4 spot is wide. The F-04 creates a dimmer but very diffuse field of light. The TWAK lights up the plant and just the plant brightly. Same picture order as above.
So that's it. The TWAK in the KL4 head keeps its promise of a tighter, throwy configuration. Strangely enough, I've gotten so used to the fat, donutty hotspot of the KL4 that I'm thinking about selling off the TWAK head. Ah, well, I guess that's what B/S/T is for /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Wilkey
*************************************************************************
Ok,
I did sell my TWAK KL4 after all and in its place, I bought an E2E head and am sending it out to be turned into an E2E+ running a P61. I've picked another block of foam to accomodate the MN03 LA, rotated the SF F04 beamshaper and spaced the batteries apart to make it easier to insert and remove them. Also, put the SF123s in a single slot so they can be replaced with Pilas as necessary. Here's the pic:
Wilkey
The EDC part of this rig is laid out on the left hand side of the Pelican MicroCase (thanks to Kevin at BatteryStation /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif). It centers around the RipOffs CO-73 belt clip pocket tool and flashlight holster. In the tool pocket, I have a Leatherman Wave. In the flashlight loop, the L4. The Glowring X2 is clipped via a small split ring to the lanyard loop of the Wave. It is there for two reasons. First, it's cool because it glows in the dark. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif Second, because the tool pocket is deep, it lets me grab onto something so I can draw the tool easily and quickly. I can't say enough good things about the RipOffs holsters. The steel belt clip is strong and fits securely but allows easy removal. The ballistic nylon body is tough and the velcro closure is ample. The Wave fits precisely. The flashlight loop is slightly large for the L4 body (it's designed to fit the P series) but the short clip allows for reasonably secure fastening and rapid deployment.
The backup part of this rig is laid out in the storage area of the Pelican MicroCase. This case is small enough to tuck in a glove box or large coat pocket. All items snuggle in custom configured Pick-n-Pluck foam. At the top is my spare Pila 168S lithium ion battery. This is the cell I regularly run. A second unit is installed in the L4. Below the Pila are four SF123 cells. In total, I pack 3.5 hours of power. Below the batteries on the right is the SureFire F-04 holographic beamshaper. It slips onto the bezel of the KL4 and provides a super smooth field of light for close-up work.
To the left of the F-04 is my alternate head. This little beauty is a KL4 modified by Chop to run a TWAK Luxeon 3-watter. The work is professional grade, you'd never be able to tell the head didn't come like this. It uses the stock circuit with the exception that the current is pushed to 900mA. Because of this, the unit is suitable for use only with single cell torches such as the E1E/TW4 or E2/L4 body on a li-ion cell. It throws a tight, bright hotspot that is solid as opposed to the dark-centered donut of the 5W in the stock head. In actual use, the L-III seems to be just as bright as the 5W, just more tightly focused. For all you guys looking for better throw and a sharper beam but want it in an L4 form-factor, I think this is the ticket. Here's a close-up of the LEDs in each head. Stock on the left, L-III on the right.
Ok, so how do the heads and filters work. Here's a "real life" working shot of the lights in use. This photo is of the lights shining on a page in a road atlas. The light is 18" directly above the page. As you can see, the L4 hotspot, as wide as it is, is pretty bright and would not be suitable for close-up work. The addition of the F-04 filter softens things up considerably. The TWAK is just crazy bright and tight. All photos in a set shot with locked exposure and are unretouched. Left to right: KL4 (stock L4), with F-04 filter, TWAK L-III.
This next series of photos shows the lights aimed at a plant on a shelf about 10-11' away. The L4 spot is wide. The F-04 creates a dimmer but very diffuse field of light. The TWAK lights up the plant and just the plant brightly. Same picture order as above.
So that's it. The TWAK in the KL4 head keeps its promise of a tighter, throwy configuration. Strangely enough, I've gotten so used to the fat, donutty hotspot of the KL4 that I'm thinking about selling off the TWAK head. Ah, well, I guess that's what B/S/T is for /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Wilkey
*************************************************************************
Ok,
I did sell my TWAK KL4 after all and in its place, I bought an E2E head and am sending it out to be turned into an E2E+ running a P61. I've picked another block of foam to accomodate the MN03 LA, rotated the SF F04 beamshaper and spaced the batteries apart to make it easier to insert and remove them. Also, put the SF123s in a single slot so they can be replaced with Pilas as necessary. Here's the pic:
Wilkey
