brightnorm
Flashaholic
- Joined
- Oct 13, 2001
- Messages
- 7,160
Surefire's L4 was and is a revolutionary light, unmatched in its combination of small size and remarkable broad bright beam. It has remained unequalled until now. Based on my recent experience I can report that the L4 has finally met its match, and then some.
Don Mcgizmo's new Aleph series of interchangeable bodies, 2-stage tailcaps, heads and regulated light engines includes the Aleph II head with 20mm reflector which can accept a choice of Lux III or 5w driven to custom selected levels.
I recently purchased an Aleph II with a 5w "McGizmo-binned" Luxeon driven at 700 ma . The light came with a perfectly focused hotspot and no "donut hole" but by moving the position-adjustable light engine I found that the brightest and most useful beam retained a subtle donut hole similar to that of my L4s.
I mounted the newly adjusted Aleph II on a black E2D Defender body with a black Z54 LOTC 2-stage tailcap tweaked to a "hair trigger" by Mcgizmo. Then I compared the light to my KL4s which were mounted on E2E bodies with Z52 one and two-stage tailcaps:
MODEL…….…....LGTH …..MAX..BZL DIA …BOD DIA WT……LUMENS/CP<>
Surefire L4…………...5 1/16"…….…1.11"…………….....…13/16"……….…3.8oz…...….65 L
Aleph II/E2E………….4 7/8"…………...1"……………...…….13/16"………….3.7oz………65L ?
Although dimensional differences are small they make a functional difference in handling this light which feels noticeably more compact than the L4. I own three L4s and gave a fourth as a gift. All four were bright but two of the current three are exceptionally bright with beams that have a very subtle greenish hue with a modest "donut hole". I'm told by a "reliable source" that these greenish tinted KL4s are among the brightest of all the KL4s. The adjusted Aleph equaled or slightly exceeded the brightness of the brightest L4 and I found that its brilliant "HID white" beam was preferable aesthetically and offered greater penetration than the L4.
I have yet to run-test the Aleph but I would expect its 700ma burn time to be a little shorter than the 620ma L4. Given the performance of my Aleph I suspect that an Aleph run at 611ma would be at least as bright as the average L4 and would equal its runtime while retaining its superiority in other areas.
The KL4's greater mass will permit cooler long-term running than the Aleph, a doubtful advantage since most informed buyers will add a Mc2S 2-stage tailcap, using stage one (direct drive) more frequently and for longer periods than stage 2.
To sum up: The Aleph II with LUX 5w driven between 600ma – 700ma mounted on an E2D Defender with 2-stageZ52 tailcap has the following advantages over the L4:
Shorter
Lighter
Smaller bezel
Feels more compact and handles better
Brighter or at least as bright
Better tint
User adjustable beam
Choice of LED and light engine
Interchangeable and upgradeable parts
More attractive appearance (my personal opinion)
I believe that Don (McGizmo) has accomplished a notable achievement; he has created a light to stand proudly next to the L4 as a genuine equal with additional features that will make it even more prized by some owners. Can it be considered the L4's "successor"? As a producer of broad-beamed bright light, not really, the laws of physics being what they are, but its uncommon flexibility, and adaptability to future improved LEDs and circuitry give it a unique developmental advantage.
Hats off to Don!
Brightnorm
Don Mcgizmo's new Aleph series of interchangeable bodies, 2-stage tailcaps, heads and regulated light engines includes the Aleph II head with 20mm reflector which can accept a choice of Lux III or 5w driven to custom selected levels.
I recently purchased an Aleph II with a 5w "McGizmo-binned" Luxeon driven at 700 ma . The light came with a perfectly focused hotspot and no "donut hole" but by moving the position-adjustable light engine I found that the brightest and most useful beam retained a subtle donut hole similar to that of my L4s.
I mounted the newly adjusted Aleph II on a black E2D Defender body with a black Z54 LOTC 2-stage tailcap tweaked to a "hair trigger" by Mcgizmo. Then I compared the light to my KL4s which were mounted on E2E bodies with Z52 one and two-stage tailcaps:
MODEL…….…....LGTH …..MAX..BZL DIA …BOD DIA WT……LUMENS/CP<>
Surefire L4…………...5 1/16"…….…1.11"…………….....…13/16"……….…3.8oz…...….65 L
Aleph II/E2E………….4 7/8"…………...1"……………...…….13/16"………….3.7oz………65L ?
Although dimensional differences are small they make a functional difference in handling this light which feels noticeably more compact than the L4. I own three L4s and gave a fourth as a gift. All four were bright but two of the current three are exceptionally bright with beams that have a very subtle greenish hue with a modest "donut hole". I'm told by a "reliable source" that these greenish tinted KL4s are among the brightest of all the KL4s. The adjusted Aleph equaled or slightly exceeded the brightness of the brightest L4 and I found that its brilliant "HID white" beam was preferable aesthetically and offered greater penetration than the L4.
I have yet to run-test the Aleph but I would expect its 700ma burn time to be a little shorter than the 620ma L4. Given the performance of my Aleph I suspect that an Aleph run at 611ma would be at least as bright as the average L4 and would equal its runtime while retaining its superiority in other areas.
The KL4's greater mass will permit cooler long-term running than the Aleph, a doubtful advantage since most informed buyers will add a Mc2S 2-stage tailcap, using stage one (direct drive) more frequently and for longer periods than stage 2.
To sum up: The Aleph II with LUX 5w driven between 600ma – 700ma mounted on an E2D Defender with 2-stageZ52 tailcap has the following advantages over the L4:
Shorter
Lighter
Smaller bezel
Feels more compact and handles better
Brighter or at least as bright
Better tint
User adjustable beam
Choice of LED and light engine
Interchangeable and upgradeable parts
More attractive appearance (my personal opinion)
I believe that Don (McGizmo) has accomplished a notable achievement; he has created a light to stand proudly next to the L4 as a genuine equal with additional features that will make it even more prized by some owners. Can it be considered the L4's "successor"? As a producer of broad-beamed bright light, not really, the laws of physics being what they are, but its uncommon flexibility, and adaptability to future improved LEDs and circuitry give it a unique developmental advantage.
Hats off to Don!
Brightnorm