U2 Ultra Impressions

As I'm sure that many a member has discovered -- you guys here are costing me a lot of money :laughing:. I got a C3 not too long ago and then stumbled upon these forums and now I "need" a U2, A2, and Gladius.... not to mention all those mere "wants" that I have as well .

So I went all the way and got the U2 Ultra. Keep in mind that I only have a C3 to compare it too, so my depth of knowledge on this is at the shallow end to be sure .

The U2 is more compact overall and sits bezel down, so I find that it carries easier in a front pocket of my pants. The lowest setting is surprisingly bright (I thought it was supposed to be only 2 lumens). And the highest setting is quite nice. My C3 is noticeably more powerful, but not by a whole lot. We're talking small potatoes in terms of differences. One thing that the U2 has made me distinctly aware of is that my C3 puts out a very yellowish beam. I never realized at all until I compared the two, and the incan on the C3 puts out a yucky yellow beam. I'm not surprised that it does since it's an incan, just surprised that I never noticed it before.

I've heard that the A2 has incredible throw to it and I'd like to compare the this versus the A2 in terms of throw. I haven't had a chance to test it outdoors yet and I don't have an A2 anyway.

One thing I was surprised of is that there appears to be only 1 LED in the U2. For some reason I was expecting a cluster of them given the high output.

Also, I've noticed that SF's HA process isn't 100% perfect. I'm a bit of a perfectionist. My C3 came from the factory with a noticeable "scratch" in the bezel where the HA probably didn't take. The U2 has a bunch of tiny spots in different places where the HA didn't take. It's nitpicky, but it's also $270, so I'm allowed to be nitpicky .

I'm not sure if I got a "luxeon lottery" winner or not. The output is bright, but not quite as bright as the C3. The light seems to be a pure white, but it could have a faint tint of blue to it. I can't be sure. I probably wouldn't notice but since I'm specifically looking for a fault in the tint I think it may be psychological.

Overall I think it's nice. I want to get an A2 next I think. What have you guys done to me????? I love and hate this place at the same time .

Usually the first advice you get when you join this forums is "why don't you stay a while, but do watch you wallet". You've certainly followed the first advice, but you failed the second one Nevertheless, you have bought some excellent lights. I'm about to buy a U2 too very soon

As mentioned, I also got a U2 monday. Haven't done any throw tests yet. But it does outshine my other lights on high. I think there is one little area where the HAIII didn't take, but it's very small. Nonetheless, I still love it.

WilsonCQB1911 said:

One thing I was surprised of is that there appears to be only 1 LED in the U2. For some reason I was expecting a cluster of them given the high output..

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When you look very closely at a LuxV emitter, you'll see a larger die, split up in 4 smaller sections. That's the cluster you were expecting, only it's packaged inside a single dome.

Still waiting for my U2 from OpticsHQ... at this pace, I'll get it just in time for :santa: (which is OK)

It's amazing how "white" LED beams appear until you compare it with another LED light. my u2 has a bit of violet but is much whiter than my l4 which has the light green cast to it. A HDS U60 GT is in my sights and one in which I won't have to play the "lottery"

Thanks GreenLED. I figured there had to be more than just one.

Oh, and I take it back -- after playing with my C3 and U2 -- the U2 is brighter. Could be that the C3 batteries are a bit run down or it could be that the U2 is just plain brighter. I'm not complaining either way.

I do notice a "donut hole" if I look closely. Nothing that is glaring and nothing that bothers me at all. I know some have and would return the light for that, but it's cool with me.

WilsonCQB1911 said:

Thanks GreenLED. I figured there had to be more than just one.

Oh, and I take it back -- after playing with my C3 and U2 -- the U2 is brighter. Could be that the C3 batteries are a bit run down or it could be that the U2 is just plain brighter. I'm not complaining either way.

I do notice a "donut hole" if I look closely. Nothing that is glaring and nothing that bothers me at all. I know some have and would return the light for that, but it's cool with me.

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Which LA do you have in your C3? Do you have the P90 or P91?

Dave

Dukester said:

Which LA do you have in your C3? Do you have the P90 or P91?

Dave

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The lower-level one (P90 I think).

When comparing incan vs. LED ... the LED will akmost always be pure white in the incan a sickly yellow. The real fun begins when you compare two "perfectly white" LEDs next to each other ... because no matter how qwhite they are, suddenly you will notice that they do have a tint (variation of white), all of them. This is perfectly normal though, and if you are a relaxed kind of guy, you can watch the anal people on this forum rant about their tint issues and horror stories ... :nana: ... quite entertaining.

And yepp, the U2 could have a lower low-level, I agree. The light isn't using the full dynamic range that would be possible.

bernie

Kiessling said:

The real fun begins when you compare two "perfectly white" LEDs next to each other ... because no matter how qwhite they are, suddenly you will notice that they do have a tint (variation of white), all of them.

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:laughing: been there, done that :laughing:

greenLED said:

:laughing: been there, done that :laughing:

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I don't "think" it'll bother me. We'll see once I get another LED light :laughing:. My biggest concern would be the brightness of the light. Because that's what flashlights are all about.

My biggest concern would be the brightness of the light. Because that's what flashlights are all about.

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Nah ... have to disagree here. There's also beam pattern, throw, dynamic range between hotspot and corona, switch interface, multi-brightness, additional features, runtime, power source, buld quality et al consider.
More and more often I find that brightness is actually less and less important since most modern quality lights will satisfy your brightness reuqirements easily but the other characteristics are more difficult to fit your personal needs.
Example: almost any Luxeon light driven between 350 and 1000mA will be bright enough for >95% of your daily needs, the difference between the multitude of available lights lies within those other criteria ...

bernie

@ bernhard

You experience is NOT untypical

Most led´s will be fine (typical)
but the risk is there.

and if you think it´s not worth to mention that there is a risk to get a greeny one ALSO if you pay >lots of money<. Sorry i can´t agree with that point of view.
I got a led with the socalled "rotten cat urine green" sidespill und believe me IT LOOKS UGLY.

Look

there is only a little difference between "typcial" CPF members and common users i represent.

CPFler don´t hesitate spend hundreds of bucks on only one torch. Most collect torchs. Nice hobbie, no question.
But if you paied only a few EURO´s on a fully regulated torch.

which of these buys are really worth to complain about that behaviour?

I (and a lot guys too) will never accept that if we spend up to 400 EUR and still having a risk a bad LED bother us.
I think you know how much 360 EURO really are... but if waiting 4 weeks on a replacement or "Hartz4" will never be a problem than it´s all fine...
than you don´t have it in the brain you have a big wallet. and that is usually not typical

I think surefire already knows that problem pretty good.



@ WilsonCQB1911

looking for reall brightness and good Color rendering
than use a Hotwire.



by the way
i 100% aggree with bernhard´s last posting!
only one example the different Surefire Luxeon5 beam pattern.
for further information check out quickbeams review page.

WilsonCQB1911 said:

As I'm sure that many a member has discovered -- you guys here are costing me a lot of money :laughing:. I got a C3 not too long ago and then stumbled upon these forums and now I "need" a U2, A2, and Gladius.... not to mention all those mere "wants" that I have as well .

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I've bought about every light worth buying from Wall Mart and Target in the last 3 weeks. I was going to buy a U2 and I keep spending the money on more flashlights I can find localy. I asked for one for Christmas, family not to fond of the idea so I'll see if I get one.

I just bought a Gladius (and getting me to buy one was a HARD SELL)! Now I'm waiting impatiently for my turn to come up on the U2 passaround so I can compare them side by side!

zespectre said:

I just bought a Gladius (and getting me to buy one was a HARD SELL)! Now I'm waiting impatiently for my turn to come up on the U2 passaround so I can compare them side by side!

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So what finally sold you on the Gladius? I was deciding between the U2 and the Gladius myself and went with the U2. The general consensus here seems to be that the U2 is an overall better light. That and it seems like the Gladius is still having some growing pains and they're still improving upon it as they go. I don't want to buy it and then have them come up with a better version a month later. That's how I made my decision -- right or wrong. Just curious about you since you went with the other side of the coin. They both seem like great lights and it's a tough decision either way I think. I don't know if I necessarily made the "right" decision, but I made a decision.

Well, my concerns are pretty much spelled out with this thread I started...
http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=95176

And winning me over (and real world experience) are in this thread
http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=97498

Knowing me, a U2 is still in my future somewhere but I'm on the passaround so I'll wait until I've had some quality time with it first.

lamperich ... it is true that you still can get some tint variations with the LuxV that bother some people. The LuxIII seems to be very stable in that matter though.
It is a personal choice of mine to give up the quest for the ultimate whitest and donut-free light as this is a tiring adventure and once you got it, a new light will appear and you'd have to start over again. Too much hassle. Of course I'd be annoyed about a ****-green tint, but such a thing is quite rare these days IMHO.
And besides ... outside it won't matter at all, the green is even better than the blue one there
bernie

P.S.: I was making a bit fun out of you tint-fanatics, too :nana: :wave:

Kiessling said:

Nah ... have to disagree here. There's also beam pattern, throw, dynamic range between hotspot and corona, switch interface, multi-brightness, additional features, runtime, power source, buld quality et al consider.

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No those things are just for the anal people, and the ones who don't know enough about color to realize that tint determines how they see any given object

There is a lot more than tint or luminous flux that determine how you see an illuminated object in the dark. But to each his own errors and misconceptions ...
bernhard