SureFire U2 - how have they changed (evolved)?

I have a U2 purchaced in November 2004 (which I get on quite well with) and was considering getting another for an up and coming outdoor holiday. Now my questions is quite tricky, but I hope that someone on here may be able to help me (perhaps a dealer or someone who has tried a few)…

As you know, the U2 is relatively expensive (it was a big hit for me first time round) but have they improved notably since I purchased mine - or got worse? My questions then.

1. How is the tint on the latest U2's – still a high percentage of 'greenies' or are they almost all spot on with a good tint?
2. Are the new manufacture U2's generally brighter / same as early ones / or perhaps dimmer?
3. Has the selector ring action been modified (click stops) or is it unaltered?
4. Are the tailcaps better (less showing up faulty)?
5. Has the beam doughnut been eliminated?
6. Dust under the lens – this was a regular occurrence a few months ago but is not mentioned any more – does that mean that QC has picked up on this and sorted the problem?
7. Lastly, the soft start. Mine has this feature – which I took to be a form of LED protection but the new run has skipped this feature from what I have heard. Is soft start important to LED life or doesn't it mind being hit with full power from cold?

What it boils down to I suppose is, is it worth going for a U2 from the latest manufacture or have they gone downhill since their launch?

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

Ian, UK

These are all excellent questions. I have (or had) a newer U2, #A07416. Output was superb, I'd estimate over 100 lumens by measuring ceiling reflected light with my lux meter and comparing to HDS U60.

Selector ring had no detents. Never noticed soft start.

However beam had severe doughnut, so marked it looked like a smoke ring. Also light would flicker, so some type of switch or contact problem.

Light sent back to Surefire 4 weeks ago, which they still have. Surefire says a new batch is being manufactured and they'll send me one when available, probably 2-6 more weeks. When received I'll post any differences or notable characteristics.

The U2 is a great design, esp. if you're lucky enough to get one without any problems.

However the HDS EDC U85 has lots of performance at the same cost in a smaller package (albeit not available until Jan or later), so there's competition there for some tasks. The U85 low brightness also goes much lower than the U2, which is a frequently reported U2 shortcoming.

I only know that...

The new ones do NOT have any soft start. (wish mine didnt)
Its not needed, and not having it is not gonna hurt the led.
I have heard something about level "clicks" but thats not confirmed.

The tint lotto is probably about the same,
and the doughnut issue I bet is still there.
At least they will replace it for you if you feel the doughnut is real bad.
My L5 was real bad, I sent it in, they replaced it. :thumbsup: Surefire

~John

My u2 is an early one (727). Even though the tint is more on the greener side, its output is magnificent. I would ignorantly guess that the greener units actually measure higher than the whiter/blue tints.

As for the doughnut hole, it has one. It takes close examination but you can see that the void region of the doughnuthole is not dimat all but rather white/blue (about the same tint as my L2). It is of a different tint so it appears like it is a hole. This is actually not a bad combo, it just looks like an issue when shooting it against a white wall. In usage, it is never noticable and this light has excellent throw (as good or better than my Gladius).

Even though a white light is the most desirable, I find this tint on the U2 make is more like an Incandescent in regard to its ability to present a truer picture.

It wasn't a "soft-start"
It was a lag in which the electronics worked out where the dial was positioned and from that how much output to produce.