Another boring post from a very happy L4 owner

Finally, I got my L4 today. Boy, THIS is an impressive light./ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif I simply can't believe, that a light the size of the Mini Mag can produce such a "wall of light", as others have called it.
I was a bit afraid to get a "greenie", but mine is WHITE. The knurling is quite aggressive, but I like it. And my L4 has no donut hotspot at all, but a very smooth one with a very wide corona.
It's my first 5 watter, my only other LS is my Arc LSH-P. My L4 seems to be even whiter and way brighter than my poor LSH-P, although I read somewhere they should have about the same lux reading. It was a little unfair to compare the 5W to the 1W LED, so I grabbed my old SF 8NX Commander, which is supposed to produce 110 lumens. Either I have a crappy 8NX or a very bright L4. And, yes, the 8NX was fully charged and the L4 had fresh batts. When I did the bounce of ceiling test, both lights seemed to produce the same amount of light. Can this be true, or are my eyes fooling me due the higher color temp of the L4?/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thinking.gif Don't have a light meter, so this test was very subjective.
Outdoor test was the next one: I was expecting due to other posts, that the L4 has about the same throw as the LSH-P, as it should have the same lux reading. But...my L4 throws significantly farther and illuminates a wide area, so it's excellent for walks at night IMHO because I don't have a "tunnel vision", which I had when I used my 8NX for nightly walks.
Sure, it eats batts four times faster than my LSH, but I have the Pila batt as well for guilt free lumens. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
Now, I'm going to EDC three lights: the Arc AAA LE, the Arc LSH-P and my new L4. Three lights for different purposes, they don't replace each other.
My next light will be the Tigerlight (should arrive soon, I hope) without pepper spray for throw applications. Next one on my wish list is the Arc4.
Did I mention, I love my new L4? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

A bright new year to you all! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink2.gif

An L4 will definitely be brighter than an LSH-P.

I think you will be pleased with your TigerLight as well. Just keep in mind that the beam pattern will not be nearly as clean as your L4. I find that the TigerLight has quite good brightness and throw. Also the good spill light is quite good for walking purposes, so there is no need to scan back and forth to see the ground. Mind you, you probably will go scanning around just to what distant objects you can light up. Of course the L4 is also great for walking (especially on Pilas so that you don't worry about batteries so much).

Sounds like you have picked up a nice assortment of winners.

Erik.

The L4 is indeed an impressive light. The reason you probably thought the L4 and 8NX put out the same amount of light is because you were using them indoors. The 8NX should throw much farther than the L4. The Tigerlight will beat both of them for output and throw tho. Your EDC is very similary to mine: Arc AAA LE, LSL-P, L4 or E2e.

Welcome to the very happy L4 owners club, Lexus!

Man. oh man.... every shop I call says they are out of stock on L4s for the unforseeable future..... (weeks???)

My L4 went through the first set of batteries after using it for only one day, man...this thing is hungry. I'll use the Pila from now on, 123 batts are a bit expensive here in Europe.
Two questions I have though: The light will be as bright with the Pila as with the 123 batts, just shorter runtime, right?
The L4 is not water proof only water resistant. Can I clean it with warm water and soap, like my LSH-P, or will it leak?

I Agree with you Lexus, and I have just ordered four more pila's 168's and 150's because the price for one 123A here in France is about 10 Euros !!
I am too a very happy L4 owner. And I wonder whether I will not order one moreover of them, just in case....

Well, I found a dealer that had two left- so, I will soon join you in the "happy L4 owners" group....

FrenchyLed: Is there a way you can buy the $15 for a box of twelve 123s on line and have them shipped to France?
According to my converter- $15 American is $11.75 Euros
So, even with shipping, that has got to be a better deal!

I've had my L4 for a few couple of months now and it still makes me smile,even when it's off. Tactile or what?
As for batteries in Europe or the UK (well I think we're seperate),I just ordered some from Kevin at Battery Station. $50 plus $7 shipping to the UK for 50 cells. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif Thats just £29 in old world money,60p each!!!
Splitting them with a mate,maybe give him 5 then(I DO have an L4 !) /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif Phil.

</font><blockquote><font class="small">En réponse à:</font><hr />
charliek said:
FrenchyLed: Is there a way you can buy the $15 for a box of twelve 123s on line and have them shipped to France?
According to my converter- $15 American is $11.75 Euros
So, even with shipping, that has got to be a better deal!


[/ QUOTE ]
Many thanks Charliek, I have obviously ordered Two box of twelve 123A at the time of my last flashlight buy /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
But I think that Pila's batteries are even more cheaper after more time of use.

[ QUOTE ]
FrenchyLed said:
many thanks Charliek, I have obviously ordered Two box of twelve 123A at the time of my last flashlight buy /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
But I think that Pila's batteries are even more cheaper after more time of use.

[/ QUOTE ]


Yes- it seems that the Pila batteries would be the best way to go. If you say they work as well as 123- then perhaps I should get a set myself!

Lexus,

Yep - every bit as bright and about 45-60 minutes of runtime depending on the Vf of the Luxeon and other factors such as temperature and so on.

Jan

I now have a Pila in my L4 and another in my E2e with KL1 head. The KL1 is a battery holder for the second Pila, although on the last trip I used the KL1 as a reading in bed light.

I keep a pair of 123s in my pocket in a little holder.

Cheers,

Richard

After much mental resistance, I recently acquired an L4.
I was expecting to be disappointed, but what a pleasant surprise it turned out to be! I was very impressed by the amount, and the quality, of the L4's output. "Wall of light" is exactly how I would describe it. The L4 turned out to be the best night - hiking light I've ever used.

[ QUOTE ]
Lexus said:
...I was a bit afraid to get a "greenie", but mine is WHITE. The knurling is quite aggressive, but I like it. And my L4 has no donut hotspot at all, but a very smooth one with a very wide corona.
.

[/ QUOTE ]

Lexus,

As the owner of four KL4s I'd say you won the LL (Luxeon Lottery). Only two of mine are "white" and they all have a very subtle donut hole. I'm envious!

Brightnorm

rlhess,
What is your opinion of the KL1 on the E2e, and how do you think the KL1 would be on a E1e?

I am toying with the idea of the KL1, but on another thread the comment was made that the beam had purple tint. I wonder if that is typical or not. I also have an E2e so could use the KL1 on either.

Jerry

The KL1 IMHO is better suited on the E1e. I believe that the E2e w/ MN03 is the perfect combination of size and brightness. The KL1 doesnt sacrifice the brightness of the MN01, however in its stock form, it will have a purple tint since it is a lowdome.

Lexus, I have tested the water resistance of my L4 in the bathtub. The water was approximately 40 cm deep. I clicked the switch on and off very often to test the waterproofness of the switch. There was absolutely no leaking at all. I have tested all of my 3 Surefires (G2,9p,L4) this way. None of them leaked. So no problem.

I have got a question: What kind of Pila rechargeables (or Wolf-Eyes as they are called here in Europe) do I need to run my L4 properly ? Thanks for any help in advance.

Kaneda

168S PILA or 168B Wolf-Eye are the 17mm dia 67mm length ones fitting the L4 etc

Klaus

Just got my L4 today



Wow