Just ordered a surefire L4 did I make a good choice?

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guitarted

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Kinda pricey but went ahead and ordered it. anyone have it or know anything about it?

I know its late to take advice but i need to hear something to justify the price :o
 
Relax, you will be thrilled with your choice. The L4 has been my EDC light for years now. Nothing out there so far can quite replace it.
 
I've got the Surefire L4, as well as a host of other lights. The L4 is a tough, well made light. That being said, there are better lights out now with the Cree LED -- brighter, better tint, less power required, less heat generated. An L4 with a Cree would be an even better choice, but may take several months more before it's available.

Again, the L4 is a good light; in a vacuum, the capabilities are just as they were before. However, the past few months have seen a huge leap forward in LED technology with the new Cree, and lights using the older LEDs don't have the new benefits.
 
No worries. You'll love this light, especially if it's your first LED powered torch.

For those who are in the market, but haven't committed yet, the Lumapower M1 Hunter also warrants a close look. It boasts a similar form factor to the SF L4, and even has a few distinct advantages of its own. For one thing it can be had for roughly half the price of the Surefire, as they're on sale (though currently backordered) for $89 at the BatteryJunction.com. It also uses the new Cree LED which makes it significantly brighter than the older Lux V powered L4. And, in what I think is an especially cool feature, it can run on either two CR123 primary lithium batteries (like the L4), two rechargeable RCR 123s, or one Li-ion rechargeable 18650 battery.

Flashlightreviews.com provides us with some apples to apples comparisons of the relative output of the L4 vs. the Lumapower. Based on lux readings they assign a value to both the "throw" and the "overall output" of each light. "Throw" gives you an idea of how much light is concentrated in the center of the beam and thus how much reach it might have. The L4 scored a 58 in overall output and a 22 in the throw category. The M1 Hunter on CR123 batteries received an 83 in overall output and an 84 in throw. With an 18650 Li-ion installed the M1 Hunter graded at 76 overall and 80 in throw. These last numbers are significant because with the 18650 battery the M1 is still performing at over 60% of full power for nearly four hours (whereas the L4 reaches 60% power in about 1hr15mins.).


http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/lumapower_m1.htm
 
humm maybe i should have waited a bit but if i am to go for another one what else is better other than what Bronco suggested?
 
SF IS coming out soon (I dunno when exactly) with Cree LED's in a few of their lights!!
You WILL LOVE your new SF!! Congrats on an awesome purchase.
 
they arent coming out with crees in the L2 or L4 anytime in the foreseeable future, i talked on the phone with them only a few weeks ago. they will be offering them in some of the other ones though.

the L4 is my fav surefire and i have a M2,Z2,Z3,E2e,L2,M3,Z3/etc.

the only downer on the L4 is my fenix P1D-CE is brighter lol.

i just put a scout light on my M4 and it has the same LED head( the KL4 )as the L4, really the same light in weaponlite configuration, i love them, plenty bright/long batt life/etc, great lites.

hard to believe the P1D-CE with one batt is brighter though.
 
The L4 is a fine EDC flashlight. It's not a thrower, but it'll light up a room or immediate area like crazy. For guilt-free lumens, get a DSD charger and a couple 17670 li-ion cells. You should get right around an hour of runtime on each cell.
 
guitarted said:
humm maybe i should have waited a bit but if i am to go for another one what else is better other than what Bronco suggested?
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As SIFU1A pointed out, the Fenix P1D-CE on a single CR123A is brighter than the L4. It also costs about half as much.
 
i like to keep my L4 in my bag and my P1D-CE in my pocket, imho ya will be very happy with the L4, dont worry, sure there are a few other brands which might be a LITTLE better in one area or another, but all in all ya cant beat SF imho,
 
I love my L4. There may be more powerful flashlights, but I don't think any comparable product will give you the same "wall of light" that is typical of the L4.
 
NOTHING gives you that BIG A** spot of light in the middle with that HUGE flood. Not the P1D CE, NOTHING
 
Thanks guys

I am glad its that good.
from the sound of this, I got a good light. even if it is not the best, I am happy with the second best. But its probably the best :D
 
silenthunterstudios said:
Do all Surefires use the 123 batteries?
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Pretty much. Surefire basically pioneered the use of high-powered lithium camera batteries in flashlights. You could probably also argue that it's a marketing ploy too, since they manufacture CR123A batteries as well. Thus every flashlight they sell means they sell a lifetime of future battery purchases (there are other battery options of course, but their primary market - law enforcement - probably sticks with SF batteries).

The only exceptions would be their rechargeable lights (which use Ni-cad packs) and the yet-to-be-released limited edition "Titan" which'll use a CR2.
 
I have bought Energizer 123's, two packs, for ten bucks for my G2. Picked up a G3, got a box of Surefire 123's with it. Much more economical than the Energizer or Duracell 123's. I don't think Rayovac even makes 123's. I have yet to see if the Surefire batteries are noticeably better than the Energizer ones I have, or vice versa.
 
silenthunterstudios said:
I have yet to see if the Surefire batteries are noticeably better than the Energizer ones I have, or vice versa.
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From what I've heard, Duracells are the best CR123As, slightly edging out Energizers, which slightly edge out Surefires. However, Surefires are significantly cheaper, and the slightly (and I do mean slight) better performance of the expensive cells don't come close to justifying the price difference.
 
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