L2 or L4

Hi,
Which is better for general camping- the L2 or L4. Why?

-Ian-

L2.
- You can use the lowbeam most of the time in the dark
- You have the highbeam if you need it
- You have much better runtime because of the lowbeam
- You will likely be wearing clothing that makes the extra inch or so of length of the L2 not be an issue.

I got the L2. I am happy so far. For pocket carry they will need to be deep for comfort while sitting, but otherwise I like the slighty longer body.

For camping the long runtime of the L2 is a huge advantage. Plus, even at low, the L2 has a LOT of light, esp when camping.

L2, no question, is much more useful.

What if the L4 has a 2-stage McE2S? Then what would your choice be? Isn't the L4 more of a flood light which would be better suited for camping if it had a 2-stage switch? Plus the L4 is shorter, I believe.

Jeff

Buy both!

I purchased the L2 primarily for camping, and I like it better every day. It is a well designed light.

I would also recommend a good incandescent light while camping too. Often the extra throw is helpful. You might also consider the A2 (though the low beam on the L2 is superior than the low on the A2) /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

L2

what xpitxbullx said. Plus, you can use Pila batts with the L4.

So,
youg uys say the L2. I heard that its high beam lasts a lot shorter than expected. Also, isn't it a little long? The L2 is more spot for general camping, too.
So, for someone who ownes both the L2 and the L4, what is your opinion?
-Ian-

also, how do you get a picture under your name- displayed on the side of pages?

So... how is the L4 more of a floodlight? They have the same reflector and they use the same LED... How is it possible if the L2 emmits more light?

-tom

The beams of the L2 and L4 are very similar - in my experience the central beam of the L2 tends to be a bit larger and the surround beam a bit brighter.

Without a doubt the L2 is the better flashlight in my opinion.

The L4 is too short for my grip. It's bezel is also too bulky and top heavy compared to the L2. The L2 stays more securely and stable clipped inside my pocket. I also prefer the 2-stage switch to a clickie switch because I don't have to LockOut the 2-stage switch for pocket clipped carry - this makes it fast to deploy.

Al

But Al,

You have really big hands.

I agree, the extra length of the L2 makes it feel nicer in my grubby fists and my digits sit on the button just right. Im new to the highend flashlight game but I have to say the beam is flawless to my inexperienced eyes. On its brightest setting the L2 is very bright, bright enough for outdoor night time jogging use and on low provides a length run time of usable light.
Its going to take one hell of a light to better it.....

Ian/Surefire_Rocks,

Although I myself am unsure on how to post a picute underneath your name on this website, I know that your brother Tom/Cornkid has a picture underneath his name.

Thus, I suggest you ask him you you might be able to do the same.

Hope that helps,
John

They get in the way sometimes. Actually the A2 is about the perfect flashlight size for my hands. The L2 sticks out of my grip a little bit.

I want to make this clear - when I first saw the L2 it was very similar to this proto-type and as such is was a 1W Luxeon (low dome) - It was scary how long it was for it's output. I guess so scary that SureFire released the L1 and put the L2 on hold until they had enough 5W Luxeons to give the L2 some real output. I recall both the L1 and L2 bodies did shrink during the proto-type stage.

So when I saw the L2 that we know and love I was surprise at how compact it was and looked. I was also surprised by its high output and the quality of the switching, and after using some I learnt the benefit of the low beam and how to treat the L2 as a long runtime - low output flashlight with a high output option rather than the otherway around. Treat it more like the 10X then the L1.

The L4 remains for me as an E2e with KL4 accessory bezel. The L2 is a real flashlight - specifically designed to be what it is - in my opinion - the best.

Al /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

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vikingboy said:
Its going to take one hell of a light to better it.....

[/ QUOTE ]

It pains me to say this but I left the SHOT Show this year without seeing such a flashlight.

A /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon23.gif

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greenLED said:
what xpitxbullx said. Plus, you can use Pila batts with the L4.

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Hey, correct me if I'm wrong, but ...

While rechargeable batteries are really wonderful things, I fail to see how they are an advantage while camping because:
1. Where are you going to recharge the batteries?
2. Don't you get a shorter runtime with rechargeables?

For someone carrying this as a duty-light, in an urban setting, yeah, sure Pila's + an L4 + McE2S would be a good way to go. But for camping?

The "giant sized" L2 is virtually the same size as a 2AA Mini-mag. If that's too big to comfortably carry while camping...

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MrBenchmark said:
Hey, correct me if I'm wrong, but ...

1. Where are you going to recharge the batteries?


[/ QUOTE ]

You can buy a cheap cigarette lighter adapter for your chargers.