SF U2 and Customer Service

Shortly after I recieved my second U2, I noticed that it had two distinct scratches on the reflector as well as a fairly blue tint. I called Surefire, told them that I needed an RMA number, and shipped it off. Today my U2 arrived back home after approximately two months. The tint is the most neutral of the the 4 SF LED's I have, and the beam is doughnut hole free.

This is what was listed on the invoice:

ITEM NO. 15861-1: BEZEL ASSY, GRAY NL, WHITE LED
ITEM NO. 60-30-001: 3V LITHIUM BATTERY, SF123A

Although it took 2 months, I have to give SF a big thumbs up !

P.S. I've noticed something different between the repaired U2 and my other one. My original U2, and I believe my repaired one before it went to SF, when on brightness settings higher than level one, will start out at the low setting for a brief moment before jumping to the set brightness level. With the newly repaired U2 there is no delay; it's instant on at any level. Has anyone else noticed this? Has there been a change in the U2 electronics? Thanks.

I have 3 U2's. There is no delay on any of mine.

Yes, mine does that too at all level except level 1.

minde does that when I go from level 4 and up. However It did not that from the beginning.

Mine is an early model U2, got it two weeks after it came out (and believe me those two weeks were an agonizing wait). I did notice the light startup at level 1, then move on to level 2/3/4/5/6. I like the tint on mine way too much to change it though. Maybe they corrected something in the electronics package.

Congrats on getting your U2 back. Two months would have driven me nuts. Two weeks to get it after its launch was bad enough /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

My U2 also starts with level 1 for an instance and then goes to the selected level. I don't consider this to be a defect, and I like the tint and "donut-free" beam too much to give this light away! But I sure hope I'll get the tailcap SF customer service promised me back in December anytime soon... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

It's wierd but having the best lights requires not just enough money but also lots of patience! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Are you guys referring to what SureFire calls a "soft start" when you write about your symptoms? At levels 2-6, when I press the tailcap the light does a "double take"......first there is a low level output blink of light, followed by the selected level. Apparently, SF has incorporated this "emitter saving" feature in the U2, which I have not seen on any of their lights beside the A2 Aviator. Could this be what all of you have been experiencing?

No, this is not the "soft start" feature that is used to protect incandescents from high start currents (the resistance of an incan is lower when it is cold/off). This is something different and I am not surprised that Surefire "fixed" it as it could be an issue for tactical applications. However, I don't consider the U2 a tactical light anyway, so it's not a big deal IMHO.

I have a video of the issue with my U2, let me see if I can find it.

Link does not work, sorry.

I'll try to explain it anyway.

When I go from level 4 to 5 and on to 6. The U2 goes back to level 1 before entering the next level (5 and 6). Very weird... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif However the U2 does from time to time enter level 5 OR 6 without stepping back to level 1. My U2 did not have this issue from the beginning though. I all started after I had put a couple sets of batteries through it. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Sounds like a gap in the hall effect sensor

[ QUOTE ]
Wayward said:
...The tint is the most neutral of the the 4 SF LED's I have, and the beam is doughnut hole free.

This is what was listed on the invoice:

ITEM NO. 15861-1: BEZEL ASSY, GRAY NL, WHITE LED
ITEM NO. 60-30-001: 3V LITHIUM BATTERY, SF123A

Although it took 2 months, I have to give SF a big thumbs up !

P.S. I've noticed something different between the repaired U2 and my other one. My original U2, and I believe my repaired one before it went to SF, when on brightness settings higher than level one, will start out at the low setting for a brief moment before jumping to the set brightness level. With the newly repaired U2 there is no delay; it's instant on at any level. Has anyone else noticed this? Has there been a change in the U2 electronics? Thanks.

[/ QUOTE ]

Greetings Wayward. My invoice lists the same items for my returned U2.

My original bezel performed exactly as yours did: low light for an instant before reaching the higher setting at all settings beyond the lowest. My new bezel also no longer performs like the old, immediately reaching full power at all settings with no delay.

My original bezel had a greenish tint, new tint is quite neutral/white. There is, however, still a faint shadow area within the hot spot ring (I hesitate to call it a "donut hole") at distances beyond two feet, but I'm going to live with it as I believe it the nature of this LED.

The selector ring of the original bezel was for me very difficult to turn with one hand, whereas the new is easy to turn with just enough resistance to not move in a pocket or holster.

I would think changes were in fact made to the bezels of this new round.

O'DubhGhaill sends.

I just got my U2 this morning, approximately ten minutes ago. The tint of mine is a pure white, with no yellow, blue, purple, or "rotten cat urine green" ("pee soup green") anywhere in it. Not in the hotspot; not in the corona either.

I'll be starting my evaluation of it later today.

[ QUOTE ]
The_LED_Museum said:
I'll be starting my evaluation of it later today.

[/ QUOTE ] /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/popcorn.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/popcorn.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/popcorn.gif

You can stop waiting now...my evaluation of the U2 has been published. I can't post the link here - you'll have to go to my thread in the Reviews forum to find it. Posting it here now would be a severe CPF no-no.