Which has tighter hotspot, SF U2 or Gladius?

I'm looking to get a nice compact LED light and can't decide between the Gladius or the U2. I like lights with a nice TIGHT hotspot with no donut holes. Some of the beamshots that I've seen here at CPF have not been kind to the U2. It looks TERRIBLE next to the L5 and L6, but I haven't seen the Gladius next to the U2 or anyother lights. If they don't look great, I'll fall back on the Penty L2 - good light at a good price. Whaddya think?

Gladius I think has a smaller spot, but I am not sure.

-David

I happen to be carrying both at the moment. The Gladius is a 3 watt and has a tighter beam; the U2 is a 5 watt, which by its nature is more floody. But at 50 yards, to my eyeballs the throw is similar. This doesn't really make sense to my peabrain, but thats what I see. Both are A+ lights. Seems like more photons are coming out of the U2, because its floody and throwy at the same time. The "low" setting on the Gladius is much lower than the low setting on the U2, and the Gladius wins on this one in my book. And the Gladius has the strobe, if you are into that. Prices are similar if you look for the U2 in the opticshq.com groupbuy thread. Flip a coin and pick one, because each is first rate IMO.

best regards

I own both, and I have a hard time choosing between the two. Both are fairly different lights, with different design philososophies behind them.

The Gladius definitely has the tighter hotspot. But, being Luxeon III, has lower overall output than the U2. Throw is about the same, but U2's hotspot is larger, and the sidespill is brighter. I consider the mix of throw and sidespill of the U2 about optimal for overall usability, but that's personal taste, I guess. Not that the Gladius's sidespill is unusable, but it's not as bright as the U2's.

My U2 has an ever so slightly donut hole. I only notice it, when using the light on a white wall in short distance, and only if I look for it. No problem whatsoever in practical use.

For beamshots, it's always good to remember that no camera has ever reproduced human eyesight perfectly. Some aspects are always exaggerated, others subdued.

Pretty much what Powernoodle and elgarak said. I personally prefer a tighter hotspot, like the Gladius' (the Gladius has a nice, uniform corona, so sidespill illumination shouldn't be an issue), but I had to choose a Christmas present and went with the U2. If I had the funds for a new LuxIII, it'd be the Gladius.

Oh, yeah, the Gladius doesn't like rechargeables that much (something about the lower voltage sensor in the circuit, IIRC). The U2 has no problem using Pila batts.

My Gladius ran great on a single Li-Ion 17670 cell at 3.7 V nominal. The catch is that it gives the double blink every 15 seconds in constant on. I love the ergonomics of the Gladius.

Scott

I just got a U2 sent to me. We tested about 30 of them in a bunch of lab tests we put them thru along with the 30 Gladius lights. This one must have been subjected to some of the more mild tests as we did some shock to destruction tests as well.

This U2 has an excellent beam quality with virtually no artifacts and no doughnut hole even at extremely close range (1/2" from the target area). I have seen a few that had definite doughnut holes at this close range.

Overall beam pattern is more diffused, but very, very nice.
When I shine U2 against the wall and incrementally bring down the light levels, there is a definite movement towards a yellow/green in color. In the grand scheme of things, I really don't think that matters much. The U2's lowest level is still way too bright for stealth work in my opinion. The instruction manual says the light will run 40 hours at the lowest level. As mentioned it is a 5W LED.

When I shine the Gladius against the wall and dim it down, the color spectrum does not seem to shift as much, staying a bit closer to the white/blue. The Gladius will run ten times longer, that is 400 hours at its lowest level. We would like to get it even lower in output, but the LED will begin to flicker if we drop power any lower. The Gladius has a 3W LED.

The Gladius has a much more intense and tighter hot spot at room distances, but not as clearly defined as the SF U2. I took both lights out into the dark woods behind my house.
Inside of 15 yards you are going to see more in terms of overall surface area with the U2 as it serves as a better flood focus. But the Gladius clearly out throws the U2 I have. I can shine the U2 and definitely walk right on top of it at distances exceeding 50 yards. So it is a question of preference at that point.

If you are looking for perfect beam quality it the sense of a perfectly round/defined hot spot, the Gladius is not the light for you. This is easily seen by shining both against the wall and merging the beams. A more crisp beam signature is something I think we could make some good improvements in down the road. I don't think it is critically important, but it just looks better that way, no doubt about it. Let me also point out there is no dark holes or gaps in a properly pre-focused Gladius.

The Gladius stands a bit taller than the U2, but is a bit sleeker on the front end.

The clickable switch on the U2 is perfect in terms of pressure. Not too easily activated.

I am going to keep the U2, not for fighting but for a variety of tasks that this type of light would be best suited for. I don't think SF ever intended this to be a purely fighting light as they have quite a stable already. Oh course that is purely speculative on my part. It takes 2 hands to adjust the levels of light. If I had it pre-set for a lower level and needed to retrieve it, and get in running at its highest level in a fight, it is simply time and one main weapon I do not want to give up.

However it is quite easy to take the light, quick twist of the adjustment collar in the counter-clockwise position and you know you at the lowest level.

The adjustment ring is smooth and the light has superb fit and finish, indicative of a SureFire.

I have a saying I always throw out there…"Half of going fast is lookin' fast…"

This SureFire looks great on all fronts.

My totally biased final assessment: :touche:

If you are looking for a highest quality administrative light that could also serve you well in a self-defense situation the SureFire U2 is no doubt a great choice. Simple, easy to operate.

If you are looking for good light for purely tactical applications, the Gladius is better choice based on the ability to go from stealth to full power Strobe or momentary in a flick of your finger. The user changeable programming is also a plus, giving operators their choice on how they want to use the 3rd channel. The light is more complex in switching operation options so expect to dedicate a couple sets of batteries to really get it down under duress. I tell folks to play with it constantly like you do with your television remote….

I own both and would agree with with everyone else said. You cant go wrong with either light. I own both. I EDC my Gladius while the U2 is my light when I go out and walk the dog at night. But then again i also use the Gladius for dog walking trips too! See I told yah, I cant decide myself which is a better light. Better yet, get both :nana:

The Gladius has a tighter beam.

Nice review Ken (very honest). You can tell when someone has a great product, they don't have to trash talk the competition.

A strange thing that I noticed about the Gladius is that on the dimmest setting the hotspot seems to keep the close to the same apparent brightness whether doing something close like reading or using the light to walk around with. You can read something, put that down, and walk around without changing light levels or really even wanting to. I think that is unusual and very useful.

Scott

@ Ken


some speculated that the Gladius use the IMS 27mm reflector.

When i look at cones beamshot pictures it really looks like the speculations are right.

So is it true?

Good points Ken. Thanks for the time it took to write that up. It seems to me that if the Gladius used a textured reflector, it would have a cleaner hotspot. Any plans for such?

I have 3 Surefire U2s, I like the light a lot. I also recently finished a few days with the Gladius as part of the group passaround. I really like the Gladius and its user interface. Particularly the very low light levels you can select, this is a big advantage over the U2. I would certainly choose the Gladius over the U2 if I could have only one light and expected to spend a lot of time in the back country, hostile or not. For around the homestead use, the U2 works better for me because of its greater flood beam and its affinity for rechargeable cells.

Both are great lights. And if the Gladius came in HAIII, it would be even better.

KDOG3 said:

...Some of the beamshots that I've seen here at CPF have not been kind to the U2...

Click to expand...

My U2 had a very significant doughnut beam pattern -- looked like a smoke ring at almost any distance beyond 1 meter. Light was returned to Surefire about 2 weeks ago for repair/replacement, which they still have.

Surefire says the U2 beam should be perfect with no dark spots at all, and will generally replace or repair any light you're not satisfied with. Even if your U2 beam is unsatisfactory, you can probably get a U2 with a beam that satisfies you if you're willing to return it. However this is an irritating and seemingly unnecessary situation, if they'd just make them right to begin with.

As already mentioned the U2 low output setting is way too bright to preserve night vision. It's OK for most use (say map reading or LEO checking driver's licenses), but it really should go lower.

Personally I think the U2 beam angle and spillbeam brightness are a good all-round practical choice for most use. It's not a super thrower but does OK for most tasks.

If you statistically tracked and histogrammed the range a population of users aimed flashlights, you'd find a high % of use was at short to medium range. In that sense the U2 beam characteristics are probably a good practical compromise.

- IMS 27mm reflector - Yes

- The benefits of nice beam vs throw in terms of textured/non-textured reflectors has been discussed in detail here on this forum. We are looking at all reflector options.

- The Gladius in Black from Serial number 5000 on comes in Type III HA. Other colors to follow.

Hello Ken,

:devil: It is my humble opinion that you should return your U2 and get one that works... :devil:

:devil: Or perhaps, you should build some strength in your hands... :devil:

I have heard several people mention that the light selection ring on the U2 seems very stiff. Mine started out that way, but after a few months of use I can easily change light levels one handed by griping the ring with my thumb and fore finger. With some effort I can even plant my thumb firmly in the ring and change levels with just my thumb. It is even easier with gloves on.

I guess my question is which is normal, a really stiff ring, or a slightly stiff ring?

:devil: On the other hand, I was recently bitten by a radioactive spider and perhaps I am developing super human strength in my hands... :devil:

Or, I suppose it could be that MY U2 is defective...

What have you observed?

Back on topic, I would not classify the hot spot of the U2 as tight at all.

Tom

I can have the Gladius at the lowest level of light and get it to it's brightest level in tenths of second without reliquishing my "fighting" grip on the light.


This is accomplished 1 of 2 ways.

a. Simply double clicking the tailcap activiation button
b. Flicking the rotating dial with my thumb and pressing the tailcap activation button.

I can have the Gladius in Lock-out Mode and back into a operational mode in the same time frame.

Can I turn the U2's dial with 2 fingers? Barely and only after a grip reversal, and placing the bezel in the palm of my hand, something I would not want to accomplish in the heat of a conflict for a variety of reasons.

The U2 has no Lock-out that I am aware of.

Ken, just barely unscrew the u2 tailcap to lock out

Ahhhh says the flashlight idiot!
I was looking for their traditional index mark....

Hello Ken,

I apologize for the lack of clarity in my question... I was so busy looking at the tree, I forgot about the forest.

First let me state my qualifications in tactical lighting situations... I have none!

Let me also be perfectly clear that if you say you need two hands to turn the brightness ring on the U2 when using it in a tactical grip, I believe it.

I would also like to make it perfectly clear that the U2, to my knowledge, was never designed to be a tactical light. On the other hand, the Gladius was designed with tactical use in mind from the ground up. Any practical use benefits from the Gladius is simply a bonus.

My question stemmed from your statement that you had evaluated 30 U2's. I have only handled 3. I am trying to figure out if all of the U2 light level selection rings are stiff.

So, let me try the question again...

In an underhand carry position, after you have turned the U2 on, do you find the light level ring too stiff to change lighting levels one handed by using your thumb and fore finger?

The reason for my question is that it is rumored that the light selector ring resistance is due to it riding on an O ring. There is some speculation as to what happens when that O ring becomes worn or abraded.

Once again I find myself totally off topic, and I apologize for that...

Tom