Surefire A2 re-discovery

Hello all
I've had a re-purchase of the A2 yesterday. THe A2 was my very first flashlight (real light) and i sold it off a couple months ago for a couple reasons. First off I"m an all LED guy these days. I love to make, mod and create new lights for myself based on the luxeon. The A2 was sold off because for one it was an incan, and second i couldn't see any way to mod it. So yesterday I was in TAD gear for my bi-weekly trip over to see the guys and pick up some expensive toys. I didn't see any microtechs i needed so i was about to leave when ONe of the guys showed me his new A2 with the YEllow-green led's. I fell in love with the light all over again. So i picked up a new A2 with the yellow-green led's and i'm really happy with it. Now I actually own a surefire, and a completely stock light to add to the pile of about 20 custom lights. I still feel as though with all the technilogical changes that the surefire A2 is simply put the best flashlight concept ever. Now keep in mind this is just my opinion but i really have never seen anything better. As an all LED guy i'm really excited to now have an incan in the group. Reason being i was on a hiking/camping trip recently and all people in my group were outfitted with lights made by me. EVeryone had and aleph, and a ultra-g lux3 mod, I had a TNC N-cell and a firefly as well. Well it started to rain. The spashback from the LED made me realize that maybe perhaps one incan hanging around wouldn't really hurt... So now i'm re-united with my very first surfire all over again. THe only regret i have is that i wish i kept my first one as I really liked the older body stlye better.
jimmy

What caused you to go for the yellow-green over the other colors?

I am looking at that one myself.

Scott

Jimmy:

Welcome back to the warm side...

That's exactly why I love incandesents. No matter how efficient and good a luxeon is, when it comes to use it in the great out doors for anything beyond 20 yards, I find my Luxeons just don't cut it at all...

The A2 is one of my favorite lights lights of all time...

Nick

Yeah, I was wondering if the yellow-green LEDs only came in the newer rounded A2 body, or if some were made in the 4 flat sided body. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

I'm pretty certain that the body style change happened at the same time as the introduction of the Yellow-Green LED option.

Al

Some of us never left!

What amazes me is that people complain about the price of an A2 and don't balk at building an Aleph which costs just as much or more than the A2 but doesn't have the options that the A2 offers!

This is not a slam at the Aleph's which are AMAZING lights, but a comment on our perceptions of what is and is not worth it.

Since the A2 is factory built, people decide it is not worth as much as a hand built Aleph!

The A2 remains the pinnacle of factory built lights from what I can see, and yet, people vacillate over it.

There are literally tens of thousands of regulated and semi-regulated LEDs out there now and exactly ONE regulated incandescent! The A2 is a work of art, an exhibition of craftsmanship as yet unequaled, and yet, people balk at the price!

Bill

A friend who is a fine artist says that if he does something "new" he needs to do a few pieces for the idea to be recognized. I think this is the one shortcoming to the A2. It has been the most misunderstood and yet brilliant flashlight since its inception and it still is today, IMHO. Not only do you get full spectrum regulated light from the Incan in a good columated beam, you also have a choice of task level flood from LED's.

If and when SF gets around to adding some other entrants to the regulated Incan line so the A2 is not on its loansome, we will see another surge towards a fantastic light!

To have my LED lights even mentioned in the same post as the SF A2 is flattery of the first magnitude! Even if the Aleph is cited as a POS in comparison! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

As the LED's become more high powered, It is likely that they will win over the pole position for lights in the A2 output range due to their greater ability to survive in less than ideal environments as well as the efficacy comparisons. There are still some advantages to the incan that will not be overcome.

I am not clear on why the A2 is prefferable over a LED in rain unless it is due to the warmer color? If this is the case, LED's *can* be had in warmer colors as well. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon3.gif I have also read statements about incan having advantages over LED's in the presence of ambient light and I have not been able to figure out the why of any advantage here. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thinking.gif

Hey don
for me the preference is only because of the splash back i find from led's in the rain. I don't see that from incans. I have most of my led's in the WO varienty yet I built two light engines with V1 lux threes that i use when i could use the light from an ican but want led. I also can't figure out the ambient light thing but the rain thing i can.
jimmy

[ QUOTE ]
McGizmo said:
A friend who is a fine artist says that if he does something "new" he needs to do a few pieces for the idea to be recognized. I think this is the one shortcoming to the A2. It has been the most misunderstood and yet brilliant flashlight since its inception and it still is today, IMHO. Not only do you get full spectrum regulated light from the Incan in a good columated beam, you also have a choice of task level flood from LED's.

If and when SF gets around to adding some other entrants to the regulated Incan line so the A2 is not on its loansome, we will see another surge towards a fantastic light!

To have my LED lights even mentioned in the same post as the SF A2 is flattery of the first magnitude! Even if the Aleph is cited as a POS in comparison! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

As the LED's become more high powered, It is likely that they will win over the pole position for lights in the A2 output range due to their greater ability to survive in less than ideal environments as well as the efficacy comparisons. There are still some advantages to the incan that will not be overcome.

I am not clear on why the A2 is prefferable over a LED in rain unless it is due to the warmer color? If this is the case, LED's *can* be had in warmer colors as well. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon3.gif I have also read statements about incan having advantages over LED's in the presence of ambient light and I have not been able to figure out the why of any advantage here. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thinking.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm stockpiling cash to order one or more of your Alephs to run on AA's to use in place of an SF A2 in countries where CR123A's are unobtanium, because from what I've read the Aleph appears to be the only practical alternative to an A2.

Regarding rain, mist, and fog, LED lights I've used in those conditions have resulted in either the light reflecting straight back at me, or, particularly in a heavy mist, seeing nothing but a huge white wall a few feet in front of the light, whereas incandescents seem to cut through the precipitation. Last time I made that mistake I was seeing spots for several minutes. I haven't tried colored LED's in such conditions though so am not aware if that makes a difference.

Richard.

jimmy,
Why is there more backscatter from LED light sources? Is it the nature of the beam shape or do you attribute it to the color temp of the light? It would be interesting to evaluate the beam and output of an incan that performs better in the rain to the LED light that it betters.

Don,

Ouch!!

I love my 2 Alephs /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

My point was simply that we don't always make sense when we buy lights!

I have also noticed that in rain bluer lights seem to not have as much throw as yellower lights.

Some time ago, I read that the bluer portion of the light, due to its shorter wavelength, scatters more and thus seems dimmer in rain or fog. I suspect that the same problem occures with that shorter wavelength in ambient light.

I have noticed it with HID headlight cars as well as mine when I put in the bluer tinted lights.

When I am likely to drop a light, it is one of my LED's that I reach for, unless I need a REALLY bright light.

The full spectrum light from a well driven incandescent still seems brighter than a similar lumen level from an LED.

Bill

Don
Led's no matter how warm they are lack real red in the spectrum. Red is the wavelegnth that is going to cut through water vapor in the air and be seen by the human eye.
jimmy

jimmy,
does the target appear warmer than normal in the rain? I understand that the longer wave lengths are diffracted less by moisture and I understand to some extent the theory of amber fog lights over white. On the other hand, red is absorbed by water quicker than the blues so saying it cuts through the water is a bit confusing. Perhaps it gets past the vapor is how I should think of it.

Hummmm I guess I should take a red, amber and blue LED light along with a white LED light out in the next rain and see if any are clear winners? I know this has all been discussed before and we should cease to muddy this particular thread and let it get back on track and here here for the A2!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I'm with ya there don on direct comparison being the only clear cut answer. Put it this way. I've got 5 alephs. I was just looking for any excuse to spend the money on the A2 once again.
jimmy