Surefire L5

Hello Everyone. Today I officially joined the CPF Family. I've been on other sites but when it comes to flashlights you guys and gals set the GOLD STANDARD.
Question I was wondering if you guys and gals can give me your opinion on the Surefire L5? Thank you and look forward to your feedback.

Thanks for the feedback I will go ahead and order one
:wave:

I find it to be a very good all purpose light. Very rugged, plenty bright for general use. Not to beamy for up close. Nice grip works good with S & W 357 six shooter. Rechargeable Li-Ion also works in it well. Same size as U2 but more cost effective. Its the in between size , can be pocketed if need be.

Love mine! I installed a 2-stage switch and now it's my most used light besides my Fenix. I still don't care for the dark spot right in the center of the beam, though.

The L5 is my favorite Surefire. It is a great package for size, and output. The "donut hole" that accompanies many 5W LEDs is not a big issue if the light is used outdoors or for more than shining on a wall.

In my L5, what I can appreciate more is its build quality. Mine has only a very slight doughnut hole, good tint and flux. It looks much more robust than my U2.

Anthony

I love my L5, I used it everydays for over 2 years and still using it. my don't have doughnut hole.

My L5 is my first Light I got when I entered flashaholism.....It still is among my favourite Light!!! If you are into close to medium range illumination, you can`t go wrong with it!
The Bezel is alittle long but it`s worth it with the beam quality and throw. But if size really is a premium for you, fit the KL5 head to a E2C adaptor and a SF E1e or Vital Gear FB1 body. It will run almost full brightness with a 16340! Enjoy!!

you could just get a E-series body with an adaptor... then buy the KL5 head and have a little smaller package...

just an option

I am thinking about getting a KL5 head for my L5 body i have.

I heard that only the newst one can run on 3x123?
How do I tell if its the newest one???

I have an itching for one, might have to sell off more arc parts for one of these bad boys :green:

L5 ?! Don't get me started :naughty:
The L5 is a wonderful flashlight. Extremely well built, very nice big hotspot that reaches out pretty good, and bright sidespill to make sure you don't trip over something, when you navigate the dark woods at night. It is IMHO the best walking light in existence, although I don't have that many light s to compare it to. The L4 is also very good at this task, but the L5 has that extra throw and runs cooler. Also, as others have mentioned, it runs in full regulation (65 lumens) on one Li-Ion cell like the Pila 168S for instance. If you plan on using it allot outdoors in dark environment, you won't be disappointed.

Jan

jtice said:

I heard that only the newst one can run on 3x123?
How do I tell if its the newest one???

Click to expand...

Yes, some official word on this would be nice.

Jon

I will mainly be running it on a single Pila 168, or AWs protected cells.

But I would like the option of running it in my Balrog bodies off 2 Pilas etc.

Has anyone tested it with an unprotected 18650? (i know a couple ppl had the body bored out)
I THINK it will drain the 18650 too low, but wanted to check.

jtice,

Yes, I've got my body (the L5 body that is ) bored out by Chop (sure hope he is ok). I run it on one unprotected 2400 mA 18650 (from 4sevens) for 1 hour 30 min. of fully regulated output. When it drops out of regulation, it usually flickers a couple of times, and the output then declines rapidly over the next minute or two. No problem detecting it in time before damaging the cell.

Jan

What was the voltage on the 18650 after it dropped out of regulation?

1.5 hours,,, sweeeeeet

If its within a safe voltage I will definately be doing this !!!

I have a lathe and would bore it myself, but my lathe is acting up,
and i dont trust it for such a long bore

jtice said:

What was the voltage on the 18650 after it dropped out of regulation?

1.5 hours,,, sweeeeeet

If its within a safe voltage I will definately be doing this !!!

I have a lathe and would bore it myself, but my lathe is acting up,
and i dont trust it for such a long bore

Click to expand...

Voltage on the cell after regulation dropout is as I recall it about 3.1 volts. It has never been below 3 volts, so it should be well within limits I think. Mind you, my KL5 probably is the one with a converter similar to the one in the L4. They act exactly the same way when used with Li-Ions. If indeed surefire did change something to make the KL5 deal with 3 x CR123A, it may also treat Li-Ions differently, and may not let you know when to turn off. :shrug:

Jan

Thanks alot Jan,

hmmm, well, now I am more worried lol
I really want to be able to run it off 18650s, and 2 Pilas,
Hope they didnt change it so much that it wont like 18650s now.

Though, 2 pilas would be less voltage than 3 123s.

Welp, I just ordered a L5

I will have my body bored out to fit a 18650,

BTW, I will now have a L5 body and tailcap for sale !!! $70 shipped

Thanks for the input guys
~John