Surefire A2 vs. L4

marcangel

marcangel

Joined
Dec 20, 2001
Messages
1,217
I'm fortunate enough to own both the L4 and an A2. Reason being, the L4 was released about 1 month after the A2 and I just had to have it. They make for an interesting test comparison head to head.
The L4 runs at 65 lumens for about the same amount of time 60-65 minutes as the A2 runs on its 65 lumen xenon bulb. Both are about the same "brightness" visually. 62-65 lumens, is 62-65 lumens, whether from an LED or a xenon, and both will just about blind you. The L4 has it all over the A2 for "whiteness". You turn night into high noon with that sucker! Now the L4 will provide about about another hour of "moderate" light after the first hour of high output, and up to 15 hours of "useful light" according to the package insert. That "useful light" is about a little more than a photon III IMHO, and ain't too freaking "useful" in a light this size. The "moderate" output second hour is about equal to the A2's LED output. But you only get an hour of that, before it becomes an oversized photon III. The advantage the L4 has is that there is no pricey, difficult-to-get, xenon bulb to replace EVER! You lose alot of versitility when you go to the L4 over the A2 because you don't have that long run, moderate output, LED option. And if for some bizzare reason the LED module in the L4 fails, you're pretty much SOL. Something to think about where it would be nice to have options and a built in "back-up." I use the A2's LED output much more than the xenon anyway so I tend to carry that one more. And to make matters more complex, ARC is coming out with a new light this Fall that may render the LSH "relitatively" obsolete! One other plus for the L4 is it has a tailcap "click switch" for constant "on" as opposed to rotating the tailcap on the A2.
 
I like my A2 -- it's my primary camping light.

Still wondering if an L1 or L4 might have been a better choice though.

Mike
 
The A2 seems ideal for camping.
LOTS of available low-level light with minimal bursts of high power when you need it.

The L1 will give you the low-level and medium-level light but no high power.
The L4 gives you high power only and depending on the length of the campout eats a lot of batteries.
 
Yeah, the more I read about the L4, the less I like it for camping.

I have an A2, and yeah, I really like it for camping. The last several times we've gone, we've had a full moon so little or no flashlight is required. The 3 lumens of the A2 on low is plenty.

An L1 might have been a better choice, if I had to do it over again. Or even better something like the A2, with an L4 LED for "high".

:D

Mike
 
I think the L4 is brighter than the A2, quite a bit, actually. The A2 is a better camp light, while the L4 is much better suited to SD purposes.

Chris
 
I just got the A2 and it can’t be beat for versatility. It also has a nice tight spot so seems to be better for distances, plus the xenon lights amber quality gives better contrast for depth to my eyes. If the L4 had the low/high output with two position switch like the L1 then we would have a real winner!
 
No contest. Having owned an E2e, A2, L1, and an L4.

I now only have the L4.

Best EDC I've found yet. Now ask me again when the L2 comes out.....

Brian
 
I can easily see where the E2e would go into the "retired" bin. (Got one of those too), since you don't get any advantage over the L4 going "straight xenon". Less battery life, bulb to replace, yada....
I actually bought the E2e in response to the E1e's "LAME" output, and then, of course they came out with the KL1 head which makes the E1e "sorta O.K.", but that pales next to the ARC LS (although the Surefire LED is MUCH whiter than the 1st gen LS I have). I still really like the A2 for most day-to-day lighting needs. I can find what I'm looking for 98% of the time without using the xenon bulb, and I get ALOT of time without replacing batteries or using "burn time" on the bulb. My versitility/cost-effectiveness vote goes to the A2. Sugarsheet, I just realized that with all the money I've spent on flashlights, I could have bought a decent pistol or a custom knife:( !
 
Just got the L4 today. I would agree that it is too bright and too battery hungry to be considered the ideal camping light.

It is simply an awesome light, and I don't use that word as lightly as my kids do. I can't stop playing with it and it's not even dark yet.

So for camping I'd recommend an infinity ultra, arc aaa, or opalec newbeam for light weight and battery conservation. For lots of light with no bulb to burn out, and absolute BEST cool factor, it would be the L4. I'm afraid I'm going to go through the first set of batteries just admiring the beam. It really is that good.
G.
 
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