SF L4

Throw is very short on this light, but overall output matches that of an SL Scorpion. Is this LED light any good for use as a tactical light?

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Stream said:
Throw is very short on this light, but overall output matches that of an SL Scorpion. Is this LED light any good for use as a tactical light?

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That depends on what sort of "tactical" you get involved in!

If you are searching rooms or dealing with people at close quarters then quite a broad beam could be more useful.

Al

Would you call it a strictly short-range light, or is it any good at illuminating targets at some distance?

It has a broad beam for illumination of things at close range.

Al

For example ... it can light up your whole backyard nicely without the need to sweep the light around, but will fail to illuminate the house over the street with a significant amount of light.
bernie

Thanks, Bernie. That's a helpful description. Why do you suppose Surefire made it such a wide beam? Do you think a LEO would use this as his/hers main duty light?

A "duty" light implies that it will be used on duty or everyday for everyday type illumination tasks. It would be rather expensive to operate a non-rechargeable flashlight as a duty light.

It's worth pointing out that although SureFire do not offer a rechargeable kit for the L4, there are rechargeable batteries out there that can be used in the L4.

The beam is wide because the 5W Luxeon is a larger source of light and the reflector is small. A wider and deeper reflector is required to create a tighter beam. SureFire does offer this in the L5, L6 & L7 as well as the U2.

Sorry, no ideas about LEOs at all ...

Here's a pic of a stock L4:


... vs. a 27mm reflector / LuxIII light like the Gladius, Aleph1, McLux-PR, LionHeart, pelican M6 LED, ...


The above pictured light is run at 917mA and should be a tad bit less bright than a Gladius for example.
But you get the idea of the differences between the two beams /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

bernie

The L4 has a bright, broad beam. Great for indoors. For outdoors I would suggest an Aleph 1. Tight good throwing beam with decent side spill. Two brightness levels.

I use a KL4 on an E1e body and a rechargeable cr123 battery for around the house.

Kiessling, those are my kind of beam shots! I love 'em. I wish all comparison's were done like that (I know, some are). Thanks! Got any more? How about a U2 vs. L4? Or a Nuwai 5w vs. L4 (or L2)? Just asking!

These were taken back in april when I picked up L4 and U2. More pics here


L4 @ 35 feet


U2 @ 35 feet


Jim

Jim-

Great shots. I really like these real world beamshots, because that's what matters.

I have both an L4 and a U2 and would not part with either.
Interesting that at 35 feet the throw difference between them is very obvious. In your 30 foot shots there is a difference, but not nearly as dramatic.

This confirms my experience in the dog walking lab. The L4 lights our dirt road from side to side and has a nice solid spill from my feet out to 25-30 feet.

Both great lights. Also an answer to Stream's original question. If you have a specific use in mind, buy a light that is made for that use. The very best compromise is still a compromise.

Mark

If you replace the L4 reflector with a smooth reflector, will it throw further?

-David

IIRC the reflector is integral to the head ... so no replacement.

L4:


U2 on high:


SF E2D:


McLux-PR BB750 X3T (LuxV in 27mm reflector):


M6 HOLA ... to put things into perspective /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/evilgrin07.gif :


(all shots with same camera settings)


L4 (same as above shot):


L6:


McLux-PR BB750 X3T (same light as above):



BUT ... don't forget that despite the regulated enviroment of the photos (constant parameters) there is still the Luxeon Lottery that makes these results somewhat invalid for brightness comparisons (to a certain degree). A beam style comparison is valid though.

bernie

Very informative shots.... Is the Mclux 3w or 5w? I thought they were all Lux III's, although I haven't been around all that long. If it's a 3w, what bin is it from? It's got great throw AND flood. I've never seen one of his lights in person, but this comparison gives me an idea of why they're so popular.

Bernie,

Dang... is that M6HOLA putting out twenty two thousand nine hundred thirty lux ?

I need sunglasses/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif just looking at the picture you posted here/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crackup.gif

Jim

Trashman ... the McLux in those shots is this one:



... the Golden Dragon ... and sports an X3T-binned LuxV LED. This is an exceptionally good and rare bin and can be considered an over-achiever when compared with the other contenders. Unfortunately I do not have a similar beamshot with a "normal" bin, that's why it had to be this one.
In general, you'll get a somewhat tighter beam with such a light than with the L4 and a litle bit more throw. For me personally this is the ideal medium flood with very good output.

Here's a shot of the most "reasonable" combo of a LuxV in a 27mm light where the LuxV is driven at 500mA ... optimal compromise between heat, brightness and runtime:



Bin of the LuxV is W4V

bernie

EDIT: spelling

Wow, great shots. This is more information than I could have asked for, I'm saving this thread. Thanks /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

You're welcome /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif
bernie

Hi Bernie,

do you happen to have a backyard beamshot of an L5 for comparison ?

Regards,
Snoopy