L4 vs. L2

Hey, folks; had a question about the SF LEDs and I knew the freaks over at CPF would know /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

I've carried an E2e-HA as my EDC for several years, and it's great, of course, but lately I've been thinking of switching to an LED carry -- with similar light output, kick-*** color clarity, and toughness up the wazoo (yes, I've dropped my E2 onto cement... *crack, flash, dark* "damn it"), why not? Well, because it costs monies, but hey...

Anyway, I was flipping through the SF offerings, and found myself a little confused... as far as I can tell, the L2 has two output modes, and the high one is significantly brighter than the L4's (and I understand that there's some debate about this, but still). But the two lights cost almost exactly the same. Is there something going on in the L4 that I don't understand? What's the appeal there?

And while you're at it, this is mostly just curiosity, but whatever happened to LEDs using LESS power than barbaric incandescents? Both of those lights burn about the same -- or less -- usetime than my E2 on the same batteries. Hoodwinked by technology! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Cheers,

-v

There have been a number of threads exactly like this in the past week. Search the forum for L2 L4 and you'll find more discussion than you really want, I think /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Mike

The L4 will be about the same size as your E2e. You can purchase a McGizmo two stage tail cap to make it similar to how the L2 works. The L4 can also be used with Pila 168s rechargable lithium.

The L2 is longer, regulated at both high and low and a little brighter at both settings than the L4. Some have complained of a greenish tint to the light. I own the L2 and it's my favorite.

Both are more of a flood light, not as much throw as the E2e. You may just consider the KL1 head?

Definately try the search function. I think you'll find a lot of useful opinions and info. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

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vector40 said:
And while you're at it, this is mostly just curiosity, but whatever happened to LEDs using LESS power than barbaric incandescents? Both of those lights burn about the same -- or less -- usetime than my E2 on the same batteries. Hoodwinked by technology! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif



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My 2 CR123A PM6 incand is rated at about an hours runtime. (actually a bit more.) My 2 CR123A SF L2 is also rated at about an hour's runtime on high. (actually a little bit less.) What the heck?!? Hey, you're right, this LED thing is just a rip-off!

Well, not so fast. First off - even though CR123A batteries have a relatively flat discharge curve, most incandescent lights will dim continuously as you use them. So they are at their highest rated brightness for only a fraction of their rated runtime. My L2, on the other hand, will be at or near 100% of it's rated output for it's entire regulated runtime.

The other thing to consider is what happens when you reach the end of your runtime. I don't have an E2E, but I bet what happens is real similar to my PM6 incand - when the batteries go, it gets dim real, real fast. Within a few minutes, it's barely able to produce light. Since I use my light to hike, I find this property of incandescent lights to be, well, disconcerting.

When my L2, on high, can no longer maintain regulated output, it drops down to it's low setting, and it can maintain that for quite a long time - hours usually. As the batteries produce less power, the LED's become more efficient, so it takes a long time for them to go totally dark. So the difference here is that the rated runtimes listed for LEDs are full-brightness, regulated times, and the runtimes for incands are usually pretty much the entire runtime. (Again, I can't speak for how SF rates it's incand. light runtimes.) This means SF's runtimes on it's LED lights is quite conservative. My L6 is rated for 90 minutes, but it's really more like 2-2.5 hours before I notice that I really need to change the batteries. I find this property - that the light doesn't tend to leave me in the dark, to be a highly beneficial property of LED lights. (Well, that and ruggedness - I can't seem to keep from dropping my lights either!)

So in short: the L4 is a little smaller, can be used with rechargables, and may have slightly more clean white -- versus two stages of brighter light? And they cost the same? I'll never understand these people.

I guess I could look at an LED head, but I need a real throw, so it'd have to be the KL4... and that's hardly much cheaper than just getting a new light.

Practically speaking, what are the reasons that people choose the L4 over the L2? Is it really just size?

(And thanks for that, Benchmark, good explanation as always.)

In practice I think cheaper L4's are available than L2's. The retail pricing is the same (well, OK, the L2 is 3% more), but the L4's seem to be more readily available, and there seem to be more deals to be had on them. (oldgrandpajack was selling them at a good discount on B/S/T the other day - he still may have some.)

The smaller size matters to some. What's comfortable to carry differs from one person to the next. An inch or so doesn't sound like much until you start putting it in your pocket.

They definitely have their tradeoffs:
L2 - slightly larger form-factor, dual level functionality.
L4 - smaller form-factor, rechargeable batteries fit.

Which one is whiter is totally up to the luxeon lottery, as far as I know.

As for whether or not an L2 is too big - one way to tell is to carry around a mini-mag (if you have one) for a couple of days. It's a good approximation for the size of the L2, minus a pocket clip. (The L2 is maybe 1/4" longer.) If the mini-mag is unwieldy to carry, the L2 definitely will be.

If you are going to use the light on "HIGH" most of the time, the L4 is probably the way to go, especially if your use is intermittant. If you are using the low-beam most of the time (which is what I do), then the L2 is awesome - it's enough light to walk around most of the time, with long runtime. And if you need more light, you have it.

It really does depend on your usage and preferences as to which one will fit you best, though. Best of luck with your choice!

I chose the L4 for several reasons, first is it's ability to accept the Pilas, this is a very important decision maker for me. It is also shorter, not much, but it is shorter. The ability to add the McGizmo 2 stage tail switch is also a plus, now you have a short, 5 watt, dual output torch with the ability to have different levels of output depending on which resistor you choose.
My second choice of an EDC was the U2, I like the idea of variable power. But in real life you need only 2 levels of light, close up, and not. All the stuff in between would certaily keep me occupied for hours, but again in a bigger package.
So it's size I guess.. But to each his own..

All right, thanks... I'll see if I can find a place where I can check them out hands-on.

Tell me, does the McGizmo switch actually provide a regulated lower drain? As in, will you get longer battery life while using the low-output setting?

And can you tell me more about the Pila cells?

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vector40 said:
Tell me, does the McGizmo switch actually provide a regulated lower drain? As in, will you get longer battery life while using the low-output setting?


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No, it doesn't provide regulation - it can't very easily. The regulation circuitry is in the L4 head. In this respect an L4 with the McGizmo switch is not superior to an L2.