Newbie needs some help from Surefire U2 Ultra Pros

Hi everyone...this is my first post and nice to meet you all.

Recently, I just got a Surefire L2 and i am impressed by the light..however the throw is fairly weak, making it unsuitable for outdoor use.

I am wondering if the U2 Ultra has a better focus and further throw?

Welcome to CPF /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink2.gif

The U2 has more throw than the L2, but the U2 is still only a close to midrange light IMHO.

Hoghead has it right.

The U2 is a good bit more light, and will throw better, but it is still not really considered a Thrower.

The U2 uses a 5W led, this makes alot of light, but it also makes a wider hotpot, so it wont throw as far as a LuxIII (3W)

You may want to look at some PR and PR-T heads, which use a pelican reflector, they throw really well with a LuxIII.
You might also want to look at the Aleph lights. The Aleph 3 is a throw monster for its size.

Aleph3 out throws(Shines further) than my L6 Surefire but has very narrow focus. Look further down on CPF to "The Sandwich Shoppe" The parts are interchangable with SureFire and can be purchased there.
Have fun. Good luck and watch your wallet...

Re: Newbie needs some help from Surefire U2 Ultra

Yeah, if you want throw from an LED you want an Aleph3. .

Re: Newbie needs some help from Surefire U2 Ultra

Welcome to CPF, jayn! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

SOme comparison shots at exactly the same camera settings to allow a comparison that only suffers from the "luxeon lottery":

SF L4 (similar to L2 for beam spread)


SF U2 on highest level:


Aleph1 (27mm)with X3T LuxV driven at 750mA:


Aleph3 (38mm) LuxV at 917mA (3450 lux)


Remember though that those lights do vary in Luxeon Bin, drive current (L4 is 630mA and the Aleph3 is 917mA and the rest in between) ... which means this comparison is to be taken with a grain of salt.

When using a LuxIII instead of the LuxV you will get less light, but a much more focussed spot and longer throw. You want the max throw ... go for a LuxIII in a package that suits your needs best. The bigger the reflector, the more throw you get, but the light becomes larger, too.

bernhard