Surefire L4 Question

I've been contemplating my next light- and judging from past posts and from the 2003 Lummies awards- it seems the L4 is a "Must-have" light. I know it has two brightness levels and the ability to lock the light ON.... now, can I lock the light ON in the LOW position as well as the High? I assume the quality of the beam is pure white- or do we have the greenies at the edges too?

Another light on my list is the TnC Hyperlux V- several folks have said this is a good light- and it's supposed to be brighter than the L4- anyone have any comments?

Are there other "Must haves" in the 5w Luxeon world I an missing? (I don't own any 5w Luxeons currently)

CharlieK,

I am also contemplating the L4, but from the descriptions of the light, it only has one setting. The L1 has the "low" and "high" capability (1W Luxeon).

Somebody please correct me if I am mistaken. 2 settings on the L4 would make it even more attractive.

This may have already been beaten well beyond death - is it true that the L4 head gets pretty hot after a few minutes of constant on? If so, how much heat is transferred to the body?

Thanks in advance.

Hello Charlie,

I do NOT believe the L4 has two brightness levels (at least mine doesn't). I believe that everyone wishes it did.

The HyperLux V is brighter than the L4, by quite a lot. It is a direct drive light. I am enjoying mine a lot.

With that said, keep an eye out on the superlight that is in development in the mod forum. It is based on the HyperLux design and may have some interesting additions.

Tom

The soon to be released Arc LS4 will have three levels of brightness that you can toggle to. Plus you can customize these levels. Perhaps you are thinking of that.

The SureFire L4 has one level. It gives a very bright, white, wide beam without much throw. It uses a 5 watt LED in a very compact format. The mass of a high-intensity LED flashlight is used as a heat sink to keep the LED cool. The lifespan of the LED is correlated with how cool it runs. The L4 gets hot but not uncomfortably so. It's useful for tasks and EDC (Every Day Carry).

The SureFire L5 is bigger, runs much cooler, and has a deep parabolic reflector that gives it greater throw than the L4, but it's size makes it harder to EDC.

You won't regret buying th L4. Just put a few pennies aside for the LS4 too.

The L1 has two brightness levels.!!... I think I'm confusing the capabilities of several lights.... sorry. That saved me from a slight disappointment.. thanks.

I was reading about the new Arc... it looks great- but aren't we talking about a March or April release?

The TnC lights are backordered 3 or 4 weeks due to LED availability.... so I'm going to wait a bit no matter what. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

See the Arc forum for a new posting this morning about the latest progress on the Arc LS4 (Now called the Arc4.)

Well, well... it sure looks closer to production than I had heard!... that's still a 1-Watter right?

Man- all that digitally-selectable power.... wouldn't that be great with a 5W LS and a 2x123 battery pack?

charliek, the l4 only has one brightness level, unlike the L1 which has two. The LS5 (Arc5) will contain a 5-watt led and be capable of 2x123 cells.

From what I have read, both the Arc4 and Arc5 will have 1x123 or 2x123 options. That should also make them able to use the Pila 168S which will give them rechargable capabilty.

The Pila 168S also works with the SF L4.

I suspect that Surefire will, at some point, integrate a dual- or multi-level switch into a 5W LED.

In the meantime, I have the L4 in my pocket, my E2e with a KL1 in my shoulder bag and an Arc AAA LE on my keychain in my pocket.

The L4 is the best compromise I've yet to find.

Cheers,

Richard

Another question- I didn't see a mention of a tailcap lockout on the L4.... is the switch light enough that it can be pressed by my love-handles? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif Or otherwise accidentally pressed?

I can easily see two ways that you might have misinterpeted that the L4 has two brightness levels.

1) When it drops out of regulation it will go into "moon" mode.

2) Many people like to drive it in a single 123 configuration which is still bright, but not nearly as bright as full regulation.

[ QUOTE ]
this_is_nascar said:
charliek, the l4 only has one brightness level, unlike the L1 which has two. The LS5 (Arc5) will contain a 5-watt led and be capable of 2x123 cells.


[/ QUOTE ]

Will the ARC5 have all the controller-based goodies the Arc4 will have?
The rush I anticipate will happen when the Arc4 hits the "for sale" area of the Arc web site will probably be of biblical proportion.... I doubt if I'd be able to be in the "first wave" of lights to hit the mailboxes.... I'll still try to save some dollars towards it- it looks like the "must have" light for 2004. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[ QUOTE ]
charliek said:
[ QUOTE ]
this_is_nascar said:
charliek, the l4 only has one brightness level, unlike the L1 which has two. The LS5 (Arc5) will contain a 5-watt led and be capable of 2x123 cells.


[/ QUOTE ]

Will the ARC5 have all the controller-based goodies the Arc4 will have?
The rush I anticipate will happen when the Arc4 hits the "for sale" area of the Arc web site will probably be of biblical proportion.... I doubt if I'd be able to be in the "first wave" of lights to hit the mailboxes.... I'll still try to save some dollars towards it- it looks like the "must have" light for 2004. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif



[/ QUOTE ]

I'd suggest moving any ARC topics over to the ARC forum. For the immediate future my focus is going to be strictly focused on the Arc4. I don't want to comment or speculate on anything Arc5 related.

[ QUOTE ]
charliek said:
Man- all that digitally-selectable power.... wouldn't that be great with a 5W LS and a 2x123 battery pack?


[/ QUOTE ]

That would be the Arc LS5 (or maybe it will be called Arc5?). For both the Arc4 and Arc LS5, Peter mentioned that you can buy a 2x123 pack as an option. I believe he also mentioned that the LS5 is supposed to follow approximately two months after the release of the Arc4.

EDIT: oops, I was way too slow to post (forgot to refresh). See that the answer was already given. Nevermind then.

Cheers,
eric t

[ QUOTE ]
charliek said:
Another question- I didn't see a mention of a tailcap lockout on the L4.... is the switch light enough that it can be pressed by my love-handles? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif Or otherwise accidentally pressed?

[/ QUOTE ]
In the L4 setup I'm testing (KL4 head, E2e body, and Z57 clicky tailcap switch), there does appear to be a LOTC function. Assuming the tailcap is screwed all the way on, unscrewing it about half a turn engages the LOTC, and the light does not come on regardless of how you manhandle it.
There is a witness mark (cutout) on the barrel, but not one on the tailcap.

I just realised, this is with a Pila 168S cell in there...let me put two CR123A cells in and try it that way...BRB...ok, there was no change. So it doesn't appear to matter if you have a Pila Li:ION or two lithium CR123As in there.

Speaking of Surefire mix-n-match.... I think the KL3 will work on my G2- how does this compare to the KL4 head on the L4?

The KL4 head should fit and work on any 1- or 2-cell E-series SureFire flashlight.

KL3 is the brightest 1W Luxeon from Surefire and the KL4 is a 5W.

The peak brightness of the KL3 is about 60% of the KL4, but the KL4 puts out 3x or more light.

Cheers,

Richard

This would be my first real venture into the Surefire world... the only SF light I own is a G2, so pardon my ignorance... and thanks for all the help and info. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif