Newbie question about LED's vs Incandescents

Newbie question about LED\'s vs Incandescents

Sorry if this has been covered before, but I have tried to search this out.

Is there any real advantage that a Surefire L4 has over an E2e besides the 60 or so minutes of diminished light afer the high intensity has been depleted?

It seems like the lights, except for the low light run time, are virtually identical. Am I missing something, or is that the case? Is the only advantage in this case, tactically speaking, the longer life of LED's over filaments?

Re: Newbie question about LED\'s vs Incandescents

LED's tend to be more impact resistent , and have a much longer life than Incan. bulbs ( somewhere between 500 and 100,000 hrs depending on type and how they are driven . Run times can be much longer . Incans tend to give more throw . LED's give more sidespill . In some special applications , some find the color tint of some LED's to be annoying . I find I tend to reach for LED lites more often .

Re: Newbie question about LED\'s vs Incandescents

CDF is correct about LEDs vs. Incandescents in general.

For your particular question, yes, in some ways the L4 and E2E are very similar. They are built on the same body and are very similar in size and operation.

The E2E, the incandecent, has more throw and is designed more as a spotlight than a floodlight. The color of the light will be a yellow tone. As with most incandescents, it will dim a bit as the batteries discharge. Since it is a lithium-powered light, this effect is minimized, but it is still there. The bulbs last (as I recall) approximately 20 - 30 hours and then require replacement.

The L4, the LED, is designed as more of a floodlight than a spotlight. It will light up an area more thoroughly, but will not throw its light as far. The color of the light will be white with the potential, depending on individual emitters, of blue, yellow or green tints. The L4, as with many (although not all) high-end LED lights, includes voltage regulation circuitry that keeps the light at a constant brightness for most of the life of the batteries, only dropping into a dim mode when the batteries are almost dead. The Luxeon V emitter on the L4 is rated to last 500 - 1000 hours with some dimming over its lifespan. The emitter itself is not replaceable; a new KL4 bezel would have to be purchased, or it might be covered under warranty (I've heard that it is, but haven't confirmed with Surefire).

Finally, the L4 is much more expensive than the E2E.

When I bought my L4, I tested both models side-by-side. For me, there was no comparison. The L4 for short range applications put out much more light. I also bought a 6P for when I need throw. With its larger reflector, it puts more light downrange than an E2E, at the cost of a slightly larger body, but with a smaller pricetag.

I hope this helps.

Re: Newbie question about LED\'s vs Incandescents

I also read somewhere that LED's really just reflect back at you when used in fog while incans cut right through.

Re: Newbie question about LED\'s vs Incandescents

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Mags_suk said:
I also read somewhere that LED's really just reflect back at you when used in fog while incans cut right through.

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i've heard that too and have compared it last week with a SF L2, 6P, M6 and a 2C mag mod when it was foggy here. the L2 made a great wall of lights reflecting the light back at you because of the water vapors. with my other incans it just cut right through without having much light reflecting back. of course the water vapors will reflect back at you but not as much. i'm guessing the reason why (anyone pls correct me if i'm wrong) is that the LEDs give more of a flood and the light is tinted blueish or green so more light can reflect back at you. incans are more spot and it directs the light straighter and the light is more yellowish compared to the LEDs. so i'm guessing that fog lights on cars are yellow and yellow is better seen?

Re: Newbie question about LED\'s vs Incandescents

Get a LED and an incan- if cost is a concern get the "L" model you want and get a G2. (sometimes you need a shotgun, sometimes a rifle) /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Re: Newbie question about LED\'s vs Incandescents

I've personally found that a good LED will cut through fog/smoke better than an incandescent..

Re: Newbie question about LED\'s vs Incandescents

[ QUOTE ]
PhantomZ said:
[ QUOTE ]
Mags_suk said:
I also read somewhere that LED's really just reflect back at you when used in fog while incans cut right through.

[/ QUOTE ]

i've heard that too and have compared it last week with a SF L2, 6P, M6 and a 2C mag mod when it was foggy here. the L2 made a great wall of lights reflecting the light back at you because of the water vapors. with my other incans it just cut right through without having much light reflecting back. of course the water vapors will reflect back at you but not as much. i'm guessing the reason why (anyone pls correct me if i'm wrong) is that the LEDs give more of a flood and the light is tinted blueish or green so more light can reflect back at you. incans are more spot and it directs the light straighter and the light is more yellowish compared to the LEDs. so i'm guessing that fog lights on cars are yellow and yellow is better seen?

[/ QUOTE ]

It's got something to do with the spectrum and the sidespill.