U2 Arrival

Picked one up (or two sort of) today. Its nice. Not sure its $270 nice though. The 1st one I got and brought home had a really sea-sick green tint on the 1st four levels so I took it back and got another one that was a lot better, although this one has a more pronounced doughnut than the sea-sick one.

The switching is a lot better on the production ones than the prototype I had once examined. The levels now move up or down in a more visually fluid manner. Previously they kinda "winked" btwn levels. Also the lowest level isn't necessarially all that low but its OK. The lowest level also has a high pitched "hum" like the L2.

There is a lot of "play" in the battery compartment so Pila fans will enjoy that also the black anodized finish looks great although it jumps from a glossy to flat depending on the part. Its no worse than how ha3 "natural" matches up.

The bezel down carry clip is an interesting change that sort of harkens back to SF's original Z26 lanyard ring that also once had a vestigual bend in it that was supposed to act like a clip like thing. The current clip is more serious and seems to work well. However a Z26 ring doesn't seem to work 'cause the switch is backed out enough to be locked out. So I'm not sure how lanyard attachement is supposed to work if you like that sort of thing. I suppose you could attach something to the skeletal clip but it would look and act sloppy.

All in all it seems nice if you can get one w/a good luxeon and have the $$.
In a practical sense, I'm not sure its any more useful than an L2 though.

Where did you get it?

Plaza Cutlery in SoCal--great service by the way.

If I got a U2 with a "sea green" tint, I'd be ticked! For $270 dollars a light, I'd expect to at worst get a good tint....but for that price I'd prefer a top notch tint.

ebay has them as well!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=5142199269&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT

Tint will be the main concern of most people, SF seem to be know for poor quality tint. At this price, tint should not be an issue. It will be interesting to see what other people get in the way of tint. Thanks for the report.

Well, bad tint and doughnuts seem odd for a $270 light from SF. Hopefully this is an isolated case.

-john

Thank you for starting this most important thread, astrogrub. I hope it grows and grows with input.

On Tuesday afternoon, I was on the phone with Dan of Tactical Warehouse. I found out that he had just received his shipment of U2s from SureFire. He asked me to share the information below with CPF, in his behalf. He was too busy boxing his U2 orders, to write this post himself. So over the phone, I told him to stop "massaging" the box, wasting time selecting a "KOOL" serial number, and "making eyes" with it through the clear plastic window on the box. Finally after a little arm twisting, he opened "two" boxes. Here is what he discovered.....

> the lens is not a flat piece of Pyrex. It is Lexan in a convex shape. PK calls it a TIR (Total Internal Reflection) optic, used to gather all of the Luxeon's light and refracting it as it goes out the front end. Look here for elaboration.... TIR description
> the body has the new "slightly rounded" shape
> the selection ring is polymer. It uses an o-ring under it to help rotate smoothly around the bezel. Metal would wear out and need maintenance, since the ring is the most heavily used part on the light.
> the tailcap has a slightly purple hue, even though it appears to be black
> the mid section of the bezel has a prominent purple hue. The other bezel sections are black
> the mount ring of the clip to the body is polymer
> the button on the end of the clip is polymer
> it has a "bezel down" steel clip
> the U2 is better balanced than the L5
> it uses a Luxeon V Portable emitter, just like the L2, L4, L5, L6, and L7
> the throw is greater than the L5's, due to the convex lens
> the hotspot is more intense than the L5's
> the overall output is similar to the L5's
> the lumen output is greater than 100 lumens, according to PK. The bin code is proprietary, unfortunately for us. Logic dictates that it must be at least a "V" flux bin.
> the tailcap button is "buttery smooth"....according to Dan
> the bezel is shorter than the L5's
> the selection dial operates from low to high in the clockwise direction. As the dial turns, the next light level replaces the previous one. There is no point where there is a lack of light. It does not work like a dimmer switch, where the output glides from one to another. There are six distinct levels.
> the serial number is on the body, and not on the bezel

Here is an image of it separated into it's three main parts, compliments of Al and the PK website.....

Here is an image comparing the U2 to SF's other lights. It is the third from the left.....

Bottom line.......Dan gives his seal of approval to the U2, based on the two samples he examined. Now it is time for all of you to hustle and order yours......

[ QUOTE ]
luxlover said:

> the lens is not a flat piece of Pyrex. It is Lexan in a convex shape. PK calls it a TIR (Total Internal Reflection) optic, used to gather all of the Luxeon's light and refracting it as it goes out the front end. Look here for elaboration....

[/ QUOTE ]

whhhha...... NO PYREX?

What does the front end look like? Is there still a reflector inside with the Lexan TIR optic on top of it as a second layer? Or is it a TIR optic as the main collimator with Pyrex on top of it?

Regardless, mega thanks for bringing us this update! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thanks.gif

Kevin,
Correct.....NO PYREX! Dan is in Colorado, and I am in NYC. He was my eyes over the phone.

There is a reflector in the bezel which gathers all of the light. Then the convex TIR optic up front gathers all of the light from that point, and refracts it out the front for the tighter hotspot and longer throw, compared to the L5 which has the same bezel diameter.

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/awman.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/au.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/Christo_pull_hair.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mpr.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/str.gif

(you can almost hear the brakes screeching on my U2 order..)

My god.. what if I scratch the Lexan on a $270 light? For better or for worse I have a policy of nothing-but-glass (I'd say nothing but Pyrex, but UCLs and Borofloats are indispensable, mineral glass for Mini/MicroMags are cheap for their relative scratchproofness).

Kevin,
I hope that your order has ABS brakes, so that it won't pass by your address. That would be a tragedy!

I wonder if you can replace the Lexan lens with a Borofloat/Pyrex/UCL type of lens? Let's first see how rugged the Lexan lens proves itself to be. I haven't seen how far the convex portion extends out the front, but I would be very surprised if it is not recessed well within the bezel. PK would not allow a light to be produced, where you look at it the wrong way and it gets scratched.

What the ....!! Is this a "plastic" flashlight now? First the selection ring and now the lens. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eeew.gif I sure hope beam quality and tint proves to be excellent.

[ QUOTE ]
John N said:

Well, bad tint and doughnuts seem odd for a $270 light from SF. Hopefully this is an isolated case.

-john

[/ QUOTE ]

I have tons of SF lights, but I didn't pre-order the U2.
Before I pull the trigger on a VERY expensive light like the U2 I'm going to let the flashaholic jury decide if the color and beam pattern are really that bad.
Right now I am perfectly happy with the color and beam on my Lionheart EDC.
Can anybody compare the U2 color to the LH?--Marc

I would like to see how the U2 compares to the LionHeart. I know one is 3w and the other 5 but they are both high end variable setting lights. Don't know if the U2 will provide additional functions/features to justify getting both. At these prices I can't really follow the CPF motto (Much as I would like to). /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/broke.gif

The hue variations of the Black HA used by the U2 appear no different to that of other Black HA lights I have from SureFire. These variations tend to change with batches and components.

The same goes for LED tints.

As for whether the lens is Lexan or Pyrex, it is curved (domed) and quite thin compared to the L5's lens. However, it appears to be Pyrex as at least I have have not managed to scratch it using my Strider-Buck blade so it's not any Lexan I've ever seen - But I've not tried to scratch it really, really hard. Regardless of what it is made of it doesn't appear to scratch very easily at all (unlike the Lexan lens of SureFires I've abusively field-tested).

Al

Al,
In the interest of fair play and truth, I will share with you what PK told me on the phone last night. The TIR convex lens is Lexan and not Pyrex. Any heat generated by the Luxeon V emitter, will not damage or in any way deform this lens.

I am very impressed by the fact that your aggressive attempts to scratch it have failed. You have a lot of spunk, taking the chance of making it "null and void", especially since you have mentioned to me that every attempt to dismantle a U2 bezel ended in "massive destruction!" It is hard replacing a lens, when the bezel craps out in your hand, isn't it? As usual, PK thinks of everything when it comes to SF production lights.

Please keep us informed of the results of any "destructive" or "non-destructive" testing you do on the U2. We are waiting patiently for your input. "He da man!"

luxlover: indeed.. I would hate to miss out on anything as versatile as the U2, just reading about it I realize it solves the problem of multiple levels without having to play with the SF lego set. Thanks for reminding me of the possibility that there is always an aftermarket mod for it /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

My affinity for glass probably comes from those days when the Sandwich Holder light (the dat2zip kind of sandwich, not a BLT) shipped with polycarbonate lenses that I had to try my hardest to take care of and I always failed.

Al: I'm hoping they didn't change that much between your version and the final production version... I'm thinking of "domed" just like the new 4th generation KL1, that one is definitely Pyrex although it is dome shaped.

I'm quite sure PK wouldn't let something as obvious as this slide, though at times I have trouble figuring out what the maestro is trying to do (I was always the slow one anyway). I did wonder what the heck happened to the 4th gen KL1, but now I understand the reasons why.

The TIR optic sounds like a good idea. The KL1 was redesigned for throw because you can always use a beamshaper to diffuse the beam whereas you cannot go the other way around and there's no way to strap a Turbohead onto the KL1. In the U2's case it makes sense to design it for throw because you can back off the power level for close-range work and when you really do need that kind of power level, it's likely that you'll need the range.

As for lens toughness, I really really hope it can go where I have to take it.. I already have a C2, pyrex and all, that puts up with my nonsense day in day out without a scratch. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif (and no, I'm not the worst, others ask far more of their lights)


EDIT: didn't see luxlover's latest post. Bulletproof Lexan? If PK has managed to pull it off all I have left to do is /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowdown.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowdown.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowdown.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowdown.gif I expected the U2 to be awesome, but I didn't expect them to do the impossible with it!

Luxlover

The lens of the U2, really isn't Lexan®. The U2 has a "new lens material" that costs several times more than what a Pyrex lens with anti-relfective coating would cost. Optically, the new lens material has an unbeliveable refractive index (passes more light)... and as Al has found, vitrually indestructable.

So, for those that think the U2 is just another flashlightwith a plastic lens, and that $270 is too much money.... think again.

THERES A LOT MORE HIDDEN TECHNOLOGY IN THE U2 THAN MEETS THE EYE

Now, if only TW did the international thing....I'd be reading the Sixteen Very Important Digits to them right now /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif


(I'm aware there other options, just that I'm dragging my feet because I don't want to trouble people)