One thing keeping me from buying an A2 right now

I've come close to buying a A2 this week but I'm still undecided with it. My main concern is one that I have with all LED / Bulb hybrid lights. I had this happen once while using my 3C twin task. On that light I used only the LEDs so much that I didn't realize the batteries were too low to run the bulb. I was walking and heard something in front of me so I immediately clicked over to the bulb setting. When I did I got just a dim glow and then nothing. So I had to quickly pull out my e2e to identify what turned out to be a stray dog in front of me. When using a light that runs on the bulb only (e2e, G2, Stinger, etc) I normally have a pretty good idea of where I'm at in the life of the batteries but with a dual mode light like that it's too difficult to keep track of it. Does anyone know with the A2 if you were to use the LEDs for a long period of time say 8 to 10 hours on a fresh set of batteries and then use the bulb how much runtime you'd get out of the bulb before the batteries were too low to operate the bulb? Would there be enough voltage left to run the bulb at all at that point? John

Does anyone have an A2 that can give me an idea of how it does on bulb runtime after the LEDs have been used for several hours or more? John

It should be fine. I've used the A2's LEDs for reading and map reading etc and they seem to have no obvious reduction to main beam time.

Al

Thanks for the info Al. John

The A2 doesn't have this failure mode. The LED's stay on when the lamp comes on. So if the batteries run down, the LED's will glow even if the lamp won't. I had an early bulb die and I was glad to discover this feature.

The A2 incandescent is regulated. I've used my A2's LEDs to eat up 123's that barely warm up a Kl1. As the batteries discharge, the lamp will dim (as it falls out of regulation), then refuse to turn on (to preserve lamp life).

So just kick the lamp on and see if it's white. If it's not, swap out the batteries. I've heard various claims from 50 to 500 to 1500 (SF Tech Support quote) hours for the runtime of the LEDs alone. I think the official figure often quoted is runtime after the lamp turns off.

That is a really good point you bring up about losing the incandescent before you lose the LED mode. It argues for two separate flashlights. Maybe supplement the A2 with an Arc. But then you are carrying two lights instead of one which is the main attraction of the A2.

I have not used an A2 yet, but maybe the regulation overcomes the problem to a degree. I wonder if using Pila rechargeable batteries would make sense so you could keep them topped off more frequently.

The A2 has a battery tube that is slightly narrower than the other Surefire lights, just tight enough that they will not work. I sure wish they did fit but they don't.

With the A2 you get a warning before the bulb goes out. There is a period of time where there is a slight hesitation in coming on, then a period where you have to push the button again to come on. I usually change batteries at the first warning, which usually occurs after two months of constant EDC, work, and household use using mostly the LED's with short bursts of incan.

I've only had my A2 for a couple of weeks now. I really like it so far. I'm still on the original batteries. John

its a damn good idea. i think i just got a bum unit. im looking foward to getting it back from surefire