Gladius vs. U2......if only one?

Ok CPF'ers... If I have resigned myself to the price tag on both and if I call the size & weight comparison a wash and if the warranty issue on the Gladius is not an issue to me (Big if) then which shall it be? In my mind I see 5 watt vs. 3 watt & strobe vs. no strobe. Thank you for your patience.

Tactical vs general use, I think. And then there is aesthetics. I think the Gladius is "cooler," for whatever that is worth.

I'm waiting until the Gladius wait is shorter to buy, but that is the direction I will probably go.

Scott

Gladius=
Tighter beam, further throw
few more options like strobe etc.
Total Push button controll, requres remembering a few sequences etc. Hard for some non technical users
Little more tactical dsesign

U2=
Wider hotspot, more overal output
6 brightness levels
Clickie push button like many other lights. Easy to use.
Rotating collar to control the 6 levels. Very analog feel, "old school" good for non techies
Pocket clip, more toward EDC than tactical

I Choose the U2, and Love it. I EDC it.
My review is here
http://www.jtice.com/review


~John

Had both. Sold the U2. This does not mean the U2 was not a nice light . It is.

Like the features of the Gladius. Especially the strobe since it turned a growling/barking dog who wanted to take a chunk out of my leg earlier tonight.

I think tomorrow night I will climb the fence at a local junkyard to try the Gladius strobe on a real junkyard dog. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

I have a U2, but would seriously consider a Gladius if it had some type of clip or means of attaching a lanyard. Alot of the time my U2 is clipped to my shirt/jacket collar to fire over the shoulder for hands-free use. There is no means to do so with the Gladius.

However, the switch on the Gladius has no moving parts and this might be a plus. I'm on my third U2 tailcap, and while the current one works great the previous two didn't.

Also, I'm on my second U2 Bezel. This may not sound like much of a recommendation for a U2, but maybe it is. Some things went wrong with this light and Surefire took care of business. They performed repairs, put parts in the mail and didn't argue or quibble about anything.

Maybe the Gladius won't break, and maybe the company will fix it if it does, but I don't know much about them. Surefire is pretty much a "sure" thing - they don't claim their stuff won't break, but say they will fix it if it does. This is the truth.

Just an FYI.

The Gladius has 2 attachment points for a lanyard on the anti-roll flangers.

Still waiting for the Gladius to hit the distributors.
My customers are getting antsy

I've got a Gladius (had one of the first to hit the streets in the UK)and it is a fantastic light. IMHO the non-technical types wont have any trouble getting to grips with the Gladius's tail switch which is very intuitive. (if you can push a button you can master the Gladius, it's that simple!) The Beam characteristics for a LED are nearly perfect. Great Hotspot with good sidespill.The 3 watt LED (in theory at least) should last longer than the U2's 5 watt LED.The Ability to ramp up and down the light's beam intensity gives a range of options comparable to the U2. The aesthetics are nice and make the handling of the light easy and secure in the hand. The ability to attach different types of Lanyards, as Ken suggests, exists at two points on the tail flange.

The warranty issue, is as stated, unproven. However, I've no reason to doubt BHI's commitment to good customer service and this will be a wait and see question.

The only thing I've had any doubts about on the Gladius is the ceramic finish.As far as I'm concerned the jury remains outat the moment, with some members of British Blades reporting that it doesn't wear as well as coventional HA111.

However, I've never come across any military equipment that I've used which was made of aluminum and coated in a matt surface wear any better than the Gladius. We are talking chips and marks here not wholesale paint loss!

The U2 has a head start on the Gladius as it has been on the market for some time now. However, it has had quite a few teething problems with switches and beam shape and colour.

Unless the Gladius is reported to have any other type of problem then the fact that Surefire fix things quickly doesn't mean anything to me as it shouldn't be necessary to fix the U2's which are out there at this juncture anyway?

Dont get me wrong I love Surefire gear and the stuff they produce is fantastic and the company stand behind their products. The lifetime guarantee is definitely worth having as it eliminates the worry about how to fix something after it becomes outdated. However, we all pay for the guarantee so it isn't exactly a kind benevolent act on Surefire's part is it?

IMHO opinion the U2 is not made for the same type of duty uses that the Gladius was designed for. The U2 is much more of a 'Jack of all trades and master of none' than the tactically orientated Gladius. The Gladius can and does make a good general purpose light but perhaps not in the same manner that the U2 does.

In conclusion the U2 and Gladius are both fantastic products. Both CAN be used in ways not envisioned by their makers but both have particular characteristcs which make comparisons unfair!

Doug

I'd choose the gladius. I haven't tested both, but I like the tactical features of the Gladius, and the way it looks. If I wasn't so focused on all that tactical stuff, maybe the U2 would be the winner.
To be honest, I think both lights are expensive toys. They are useful and beautiful, but not necessary. I could live with a SL Scropion and an Arc AAA for high and low output, though the Gladius would be cool to have.

Maybe Night-Ops should consider to build a Gladius with less features for less money. A tactical light doesn't necessarily need a dimming feature. High output and strobe would be perfect for me. On the other hand, I don't think, that the dimming feature makes the gladius so expensive. I guess a Gladius without the dimmer wouldn't be any cheaper...

Depends on what you mean by expensive? I bought mine for less than £130.00 which is only marginally more than the L4 with a discount costs over here!

I think that shopping around should get you a similar type of price in Germany?

I'm afraid that I disagree about calling either of them 'toys'. I dont think that many people use 'toys' in tactical situations where the possibility of getting shot by people using firearms exists? However, I concede that neither are the 'only' option for lights. But I would say the Gladius has from it's conception been designed with tactical use as it's main design criteria. I'm not sure that the U2 could lay claim to the same criteria?

Doug

[ QUOTE ]
dougmccoy said:
Depends on what you mean by expensive? I bought mine for less than £130.00 which is only marginally more than the L4 with a discount costs over here!

I think that shopping around should get you a similar type of price in Germany?

I'm afraid that I disagree about calling either of them 'toys'. I dont think that many people use 'toys' in tactical situations where the possibility of getting shot by people using firearms exists? However, I concede that neither are the 'only' option for lights. But I would say the Gladius has from it's conception been designed with tactical use as it's main design criteria. I'm not sure that the U2 could lay claim to the same criteria?

Doug

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, by calling both lights "toys" I didn't mean that they are useless. I take them seriously and in my opinion the Gladius is the best tactical light money can buy. I just wanted to say, that one can live without them. Most LEOs (SWAT-Teams included) will never have the pleasure to carry one of these lights on or off duty.

A Gladius costs about 270Euros in Germany, a SF L4 about 185Euros.
It is cheaper than a U2, but it's still an expensive light. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/broke.gif That doesn't mean it's not worth the money. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

Hi guys,

I have been doing a lot of vehicle stops recently--about half at night. Some of these stops turned into high speed pursuits when the driver hit the gas. One shooting, many spikings and pretty soon you're thinking "tactical."

My flashlight of choice is the Surefire M6 with 500 lumen lamp. The reason is--try cutting through illegally dark window tint with anything less and you won't see much. The M6 just manages to put some light into the back of the vehicle if you put it right against the glass--but not much.

I wouldn't use an LED flashlight on duty until they get a lot brighter.

Lightraven,

Just curious, what is the dominant color that makes it through the tint and back?

Scott

The M6 goes in bright white and comes back out dim yellow (think candle-lit).

I wouldn't argue with you as you've got first hand experience of this type of tactical use. However, I dont think the Gladius was designed with this particular function in mind?

Interesting point about what is too low powered to be any good and what is too powerful? Is there an ideal light for the myriad of uses an LEO needs?

Doug

Thank you all for your input. I'm 'Glad'ius I asked.

Examined the U2, then bought the Gladius. I can't put the Glaidius down. It's now my EDC. The switch is excellent with modes so well thought out that it's operation becomes near instinctive very rapidly. I do not miss a pocket clip on this light -- it works much better from a pouch/sheath IMHO. And the lanyard attachment is much cleaner and quiter than a snap.

The only issues I've had is that I've had a couple of drops of water enter the rear of the light when I've rinsed the light off (not total immersion, just holding it under the tap) and that the switch assembly rattles a bit if the light is shaken in any mode but lock out.

"I'm afraid that I disagree about calling either of them 'toys'. I dont think that many people use 'toys' in tactical situations where the possibility of getting shot by people using firearms exists?"

Hey I have lots of toys that are designed to be used by tactical folks but to me they are my toys. I don't plan on kicking in any doors with my M4 carbine or HK USC anytime soon but I sure do get a giggle out of rattling off rounds at stuff that doesn't bleed. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I agree the lights in question are serious tools but being they are just tools they can just as easily be used for fun giggle type stuff as they can be for deadly serious situations.

Me personally I would go Gladius and I am a Surefire fan. I don't really like Lux5 lights. I like my L2 but I don't think I will be adding any more Lux 5s and I really like the ceramic finish.

Chris

[ QUOTE ]
Lightraven said:
...try cutting through illegally dark window tint with anything less and you won't see much. The M6 just manages to put some light into the back of the vehicle if you put it right against the glass--but not much.....

[/ QUOTE ]

Now that is a real surprise to me. I had never thought about it and you've given me something to look into for curiosity's sake. There are lots of various tints on the cars in my parking lot.

I would have thought that the Surefire M6 would light it up on the inside through about any tint film that was able to be seen through. Thanks for the info.

My Gladius should arrive in tomorrow's mail. I didn't really make a choice between it and a U2, I came into it at an outrageously discounted price due to the kind generosity of one of our CPF supporting dealers. I couldn't pass it up.

The comment about water getting in at the tailcap/switch is a little bit of a concern for me.

I don't have a U2, so I can't compare the two, but I have been very satisfied with my Gladius.

The strobe is just plain cool and the ceramic finish is at least SureFire quality in looks; durability will take time to ascertain.

I like the beam also. It is about as intuitive in its operation as it gets - no user manual needed!

I will take it out to "sea" tonight for the first race of the season.....