Tl 2 xenon or G2

If you guys could give your opinions on both of these lights. thank

TL2: more throw, beam not as pretty, but decent.
G2: more flood, great Surefire beam, Nitrolon (which is a positive to me depending on what and where you use it). Both have the same switching mechanism, but you can't lock out the G2. You can put a clickie in it, however. I've got both and I always reach for the G2.

No brainer. TL2. The Surefire replacement bulb cost half again as much as the G2 ...$17.00 as opposed to $4.50 for the TL2. I have BOTH lights and they are very close and despite what others will tell you Surefire bulbs are not any longer lasting than Streamlight. And when you buy a TL2 you get a extra bulb.....Surefire....zilch!!

What Dimbeam said.

G2. I've owned SF's since 1985-86 and have only had one LA blow and that was from the very first batch years ago for the old 9N which SF admitted were defective. Some will differ but that's my experience after all these years. I also love the beams from the P60 and P61 and they throw fine and have good sidespill. I have seen new P60's on Ebay for $10.00 and even cheaper on B/S/T. Heck, even if your hesitant about LA's blowing, there's a drop-in 3W module available now to solve that issue. You absolutely cannot beat the G2/G2Z's Nitrolon construction as it won't dent and is somewhat shock resistant. The G2 is absolutely one of the most versatile and better lights around!

I personally like throw, so tl-2 wins there. BUT I WOULD GO WITH G2. You can always trust surefire to have top-notch products. ALSO, YOU CAN BUY A LUXEON MOD FROM www.bugoutgearusa.com. tl2 is a fine choice too, but I'd go with G2.

-David

I like TL-2/NF-2 better, but I think you will end up buying both of them, mcl2u. That's what I did.

The G2 tailcap switch can easily be converted to serve as momentary, with positive lock-out. The cheap and easy mod also makes the switch "dunk" proof and the G2 OAL 1/4 inch shorter. Another benifit of this mod is the flashlight is now able to tail stand!

Hey G2man,
Which mod are you referring to? I know about all the mods for the G2's tailcap but not for one that does away with the tailcap button so it'll stand on end.

How is the spot to flood feature on the tl2?

Gene, remove tailcap and dump the spring/button/rubber. Pull the rubber off the button...you won't be needing it again. Saw or grind the button nub 1/16" from flush with button body. Apply a layer of two-part epoxy to the top surface of button body being careful not to use so much that it oozes on to the tailcap threads when assembling. Remove batteries from flashlight and stand light bezel down. Gently set epoxied button assembly, spring first, into end of flashlight. Then carefully install tailcap and thread down snug. Fill remaining cap depression with epoxy and smooth flush with cap surface. After hardening, (6 hours), a little touch-up with fine sandpaper makes it look "factory". To achieve momentary switch action loosen tailcap a smidgen and press. Tighten cap for full on. Loosen cap 1/4 turn from on for positive lock-out. Notice how well your G2 now stands on it's tail. Neat!

Sounds neat G2man. Do you have some pictures or some you can send to me? Thanks.

[ QUOTE ]
mcl2u said:
How is the spot to flood feature on the tl2?

[/ QUOTE ]

Similar to Maglites but less artifacts - flood beam will have ugly artifacts but it will turn into nice circle when you squeese the beam. IMO the beam quality varies for every individual light because my NF-2 has perfect round spot beam while my firend's has some artifacts when it's tightly focused.

I want to show you some pics but I don't know how to post them. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

I found with my Strion that the beam shape varies slightly with the bulbs.
Maybe that's also the case with the other Streamlight bulbs. One of my bulbs gives me an uneven hotspot, slightly oblong while the others are perfectly round...

Gene, sorry I don't have a digital cam or scanner.

[ QUOTE ]
shifty646 said:
I found with my Strion that the beam shape varies slightly with the bulbs.
Maybe that's also the case with the other Streamlight bulbs. One of my bulbs gives me an uneven hotspot, slightly oblong while the others are perfectly round...

[/ QUOTE ]

And that's one of the major differences....every G2 you see will have exactly the same excellent beam.

I don't see an obvious choice here. I do love Surefire's near-perfect beam. But I hate the fragility of the P60 bulb, and the usurious replacement cost of it. On the other hand, supposedly the G2's plastic body gives some cushioning to the bulb, and you're less likely to see bulb fragility problems in the G2 or G2Z. Surefire switches also feel much better than Streamlight's, IMO.

I went with a TL2. I sacrificed a perfect beam and incredible switch feel for a good-enough beam, but wanted the greater throw, the on-board spare bulb (killer feature, to me), and the inexpensive bulb replacement cost. I also liked the metal body for backup use as a pocket stick, though that seems far-fetched enough that it wasn't a huge factor.

Joe

Joe hit it on the head...a difficult call.

I bought TL2 a few months ago and really like it. Looked at the G2 also.

What I liked about TL2....TL2 comes with a 100 lumen lamp standard, while G2 comes with only a 65 lumen (if I remember right), For some extra cash you can buy another lamp assembly with 120 lumen output for the G2. This leaves the cost of a TL2 at less than half of the G2.

Great throw for the TL2, nice and white, a little bit of spill, not bad enough to be a detraction. Beam focus is good although not absolutly perfect.

Was talking to a dealer at a recent sportsman show who sold both SF and Streamlight. Told him I recently bought a TL2 and had a question about bulbs. Asked about differance in bulb life between brands, and he said no differance in his opinion. He did say the streamlight bulb could handle alot more abuse than a SF.

At that point he took a demo TL2 off his table then preceded to absolutly hammer it on the edge of the table repeatidly. Hard enough to startle all of us standing at his booth and get others walking buy to stop and look. After the beating he turned it on, worked perfectly.

G2 definatly feels more solid, looks better, but when you take cost into consideration, I think the TL2 has the winning edge.

How does the sl scorpion compare to the tl 2 as far as brightness and throw.