BAD surefire U2

hi,
i have got a new surefire U2 #04112. its number 19 in my surefire collection
this flashlight is the one with the most defect parts. first the clickie tailcap was not working as it should. the light would not turn on or off when i pushed the button. i called surefire cs and they told me they will send me a replacement tailcap (great cs).
i was not so impressed with the brightness from the new U2. compared to my KL4 the beam was less bright and more yellow.
i tought i lost the luxeon lottery with the U2.
a german cpf member (spacemarine) told me he had the same problem with one of his U2`s and that in his flashlight there was condensed water in the head.
it can be seen when the head is getting hot and the lens cools down first. the lens gets foogy from the inside.
the one with the water in the head has only 70-80% output compared to a normal U2.
same thing with my new U2
this 300 $ flashlight has more defect parts than my cheapo from hongkong.
i have send surefire customer service an email yesterday for a RMA# but still got no answer from them.
that realy sucks.
i love my L4 and use it on duty. all the other 18 surefire flashlights are great. but the most expensive U2 # 04112 is a piece of junk. hate to say that.
greetings from germany
christian

A fogged reflector is the direct conseguence of a defective O-ring. When the light warms up and than cools down, humidity from the enviroment gets in and stay there, and you can see it in the reflector.
Another entry point could be a defective tailcap.

Definetively, your light deserve a warranty intervention.

Anthony

As Mohr already said, one of my U2s also has this defect. It is one of the earliest models, number A00684. If someone is interesed in how this effect looks, I've taken a few photos of the fog on the inside of the lens.

Here you go:
http://hosting.christian-benz.de/spacemarine/fog1.jpg
http://hosting.christian-benz.de/spacemarine/fog2.jpg
http://hosting.christian-benz.de/spacemarine/fog3.jpg
http://hosting.christian-benz.de/spacemarine/fog4.jpg

That's a really bad case of condensation. If you can rule out having opened the bezel I would certain want it replaced by SureFire.

in my case no modification or opening on any part of the flashlight had been done.
its still as it came from the dealer. the box from the flashlight was sealed.
still the first batteries in it. no pilas used.
i think its the same with spacemarines U2.
christian

How long does the light have to be left on for this to happen? I'm just wondering, because I've never used my U2 for an extended period of time, maybe 15-20 minutes max, but that was on the 4th or 5th setting...

With my U2, a few minutes on the highest setting, followed by a short dunk into cold water were enough to take the photos I've posted.

post deleted

I'll have to try this test.

I did have the tail cap problem on mine though. Sometimes, after turning the light on, it took several clicks back on, and off again to get the light to turn off.

I also called CS about it, and they sent me a new one right away, without any more questions asked.

Maybe it is possible that the head's seal(s) are perfectly fine, and the water got in through the battery compartment or the switch. Maybe the batteries were changed in high ambient humidity, or they had a bit of undetected moisture on them when they were put in. Maybe someone in the store was secretly licking the batts and putting them back in. You just never know.

Regardless of whether the seal is broken, gets replaced, or who does the work, the light will have to be dried out. Here are two ways to do that:

1) Put the "field-stripped" light, sans batteries, in a desiccator. This is a good thing to have for cameras, expensive flashlights, and other things that you might want to draw every bit of moisture out of. Glass laboratory desiccators can often be found on eBay. Some use chemical desiccant, some a vacuum pump.

2) find a warm place, around 115 F/45 C, where you can leave the disassembled parts for 24-48 hrs. Sometimes you can use an oven for this, but be very careful about the maximum temps.

I am assuming the head isn't sealed at the back as well.

Scott

i dont think that it is possible to dry out the head. the water is between the reflector and the lens. the one end is sealed tru the reflector pushed against the lens and the other end is closed by the emitter. there is no way to get the water out unless you take the head apart.
christian

The only thing I have to compare is my Surefire L2. The front of the reflector there is sealed with the o-ring agianst the lens, but it looks to me like there might not be an actual seal between the LED and the back of the reflector. There seems to be some gap where there are electrical connections. etc. But I don't know if that is actually a gap, or just looks like one.

If there is a gap, even a pinhole, you can drive the moisture out by gas diffusion at elevated temps. Or you can suck the gas out with a vacuum desiccator if it is not gas-tight.

If it is acually sealed both front and back, then those won't work.

Good luck with it in any case. Sounds extremely annoying.

Scott

That's a bummer. However, Surefire should help with a replacement. Just be patient.

My own U2 was not very well sealed on the bezel O-rings. After my own dunking test (Okay, I admit, I just took it into the bathtub with me ) there was some condensation on the inside. Just took the lens off, dried the head, lubricated the bezel O-rings. It's fine now. I had also the switch problems a lot of people mentioned (light would not turn off reliably), but Surefire sent me a new tailcap. Took them three weeks including shipping, but eventually was resolved (without any payment by me).

Sounds like a major problem with the U2's tailcap. Mine failed on the first night I received mine. Luckily it failed in the on position.

Michael