Surefire L1 - a bit dissapointed

Just got my first Surefire - L1 Digital Lumimax. Really cool but as I was going thru the spec sheet, I saw the Light output (lumens vs time) and I was shocked. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/banghead.gif According to SF the high beam is only 14 lum for 1.5 hours and then quickly drops to around 3 or 4 for the next 2 - 3 hours. On low it is only 0.7-0.6 lumens - NOT the stated 13. Their wording is very misleading, they state USABLE light for up to 4.5 hours but you only get really bright light for 1.5 hours. Kinda bums me out. Then in their 2004 catalog, they state 600 minutes!!!??? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif What about all of the "we don't inflate our run times stuff?"

I will scan and post the actual data sheet soon. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/whoopin.gif

Welcome to CPF

If you search back, this issue has been raised on CPF in the recent past and SureFire are aware of it.

SureFire are taking action on this though.

Al

There has been a lot of /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/banghead.gif with regards to advertised runtime here.
Selling that surefire may be your best bet.
Shouldn't take too long. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
You should have seen some of the nasty stuff I have posted about misleading advertising here, before being told to tone it down a bit. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif
Poke around here in led, and in the reviews section of cpf is some very telling info on true runtimes for flashlights.

My Surefire L1 is one of my favorite's. It's low setting is perfect for dark movie theaters without disturbing too many people.

Aside from the discrepency between the published specs and the actual performance of the L1, it is a good light for getting around at night when used mostly in low beam mode, but with the availability of a higher beam mode for occasional situations. It is my favorite for that purpose at the present time. I have had it for about 3 months and am still using the original battery.

As often said here, you need to match the light with the intended purpose. Otherwise it is easy to become disappointed.

Well you gotta question the specs when it says 14 lumens on high and 13 lumens on low. Your eyes would not be able to tell the difference between the two and would have caused you to raise the red flag so to speak. I do believe the high beam is probably higher than 14 lumens which is plenty of light for many applications. The limitiations of LED's (as well as their advantages) must be understood before one can truly appreciate them.

CM

When the L1 was released I was underwhelmed like alot of cpf'ers. I never gave it a second thought, really a waste of a light.

The L2 is what the L1 should have been. If sf dumps the L1 I won't be surprised.

I think it comes down to intended use: as viper has already said, he loves his L1.

I on the other hand agree with tkl: I am after a L2 / A2 / U2 style of transition from low light to lots 'o' light /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Just my 2 cents...

I love my L1! The low beam is perfect for a lot of tasks in the dark like reading, and the high beam is a very good task light in many other conditions. I've paired my L1 with a M2 for my EDC and it is a great combination.

I do however, look forward to the U2. Being able to easily dial from low beam L1 output all the way up to P60 territory would really rock.

-john

[ QUOTE ]
Size15s said:
Welcome to CPF

If you search back, this issue has been raised on CPF in the recent past and SureFire are aware of it.

SureFire are taking action on this though.

Al

[/ QUOTE ]

What are they taking action on? Correcting the output or correcting the literature? I was quite interested in the L1 until recently. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

I still love my L1 too! I did research before I got my L1, I rarely trust company listed specifications. ("par for the course" to me?) I think it was Brock's runtime page where I first discovered the actual runtime of the L1 in high mode, and the changing degree of regulated light in the process. I still wanted it and got it, only later did the LED tint start to bother me. CM's mod fixed that though! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowdown.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif If Surefire does continue to manufacture the L1 I really think they should put a good high-dome in it at least.

Another reason to be thankful for CPF and it's knowledgeable members, I was fairly sure of what I was getting before I got it. (Technology advances and things become obsolete.) CPF first, then purchase. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Starship, what exactly did CM do? Emmiter swap?

They are taking "action". The L1 will not "dump" the L1!

Al

[ QUOTE ]
MTFD17 said:
Starship, what exactly did CM do? Emmiter swap?

[/ QUOTE ]
Yup.. a Lux III TWOK and a Fraen optic. Heh, even the low beam has quite a bit of throw now. I think CM must've used a couple indicators or something, it's soldered perfectly in the center. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/yellowlaugh.gif It's maybe a bit of overkill but then I never had a real issue with the L1's form factor or overall quality. (I always loved it, just a lot more now.) I guess it's obvious in this config it's not fair comparing the light output/quality to a 2003 model stock L1. (No more of that photon goodness in the purple-ish variety.)

[ QUOTE ]
Size15s said:
They are taking "action". The L1 will not "dump" the L1!

Al

[/ QUOTE ]

Hint? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinser2.gif

The real problems of the L1 are:

-Low mode isn't regulated
-The bin of the emitter

for the rest, I love the light. For the time being, is among the best light I know of.

I have on preorder the U2 and the Arc4, I'll see if I'll keep the L1 in my pocket.

Al, do you think that SF will replace my three L1s when they will correct the above problems? (Kidding, of course)

Regards

Anthony

Some of us may be spoiled by high output lights. I recall being somewhat underwhelmed by my L1 at first, but over time have found that I actually use it far more than the higher power ones, including the e2e and A2. The L1 would certainly not be my first choice for a fighting or crisis light, but for general utility work I could not be happier.

I will probably try a L2 and maybe an Ultra, but for most situations the L1 does a great job. Just think of it as SF's quiet little sleeper.

I called SF Tech support about the discrepancy in light output and run time. I told the tech what revision of the Owners Manual (w/ data sheets) I had. He checked and found out that there were a series of misprints for the L1 manuals. He stated that they are currently re-running all of LED models (L1,L2,U2 etc) to create new data sheets.

He did however confirm that the run time on high beam for the L1 was 4.5 hours at FULL brightness. He also said that the lumen output for the low beam was actually 2-3 lumens.

I questioned him on why the catalogs say "13/20 lumens" - his response was that when you have a fresh or nearly fresh battery you could get any from 13-20 Lumens (on high) for the 4.5 hr runtime.

I asked him when the new data sheets would be out and his best guess was to check back in a couple of weeks.

The information given by the tech seems to make sense for at least two reasons:
1. Given that SF is so hell bent on making sure people know what they are really getting in a light
2. Why would they make a LED light that would only be bright for 30 more than most other brighter lights (ex. E2 or 6P) that run at 60 lumens for 60 minutes when LEDs are supposed to be more efficient and longer lasting than the incandescents.

Does anyone have there own runtime verification of the L1? I tried looking for them on CPF but could not find them.

Anyway that's what info I've got.

My guess is that means that with new battery high starts out at 20 lumens, and when it drops below 13 they stop calling it full brightness.

Personally, I consider the 1.5 hrs accurate for my uses. Remember, this only has one cell!

But the key is I use it on low a lot as well. On low it pretty much runs forever.

All in all, I get a heck of a lot of use from each cell.

-john