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Solarforce L2T Torch, A Quick Review


fenring

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I have a fondness for these Solarforce lights - for one thing, they are astounding value for money. In this case, the empty "host" comprising the battery tube, switch and head minus an LED "bulb" unit was a paltry $18 delivered.... Pick your LED dropin, and away you go. Dropins can be had for as little as about $10 if you know where to look, and even a big three mode Cree XM-L unit putting out over 800 lumens is about $25.

For those unfamiliar, the Solarforce L2 is what is known as a "P60 host" that takes a standard sized self contained "bulb" unit comprising electronic voltage control circuit, LED emitter and reflector. It just drops into the body of the torch and you screw the head back on. So you can change the characteristics of your light in a matter of seconds - or replace a damaged LED unit. One night I killed a Cree XP-G dropin that I was using on a shotgun - happily I'd packed another dropin in a 35mm film canister, and was back in action shortly thereafter. :)

The L2 comes in a variety of sizes and colours and battery configurations. The L2T is the newest, and is designed to take one 18650 Li ion battery or a pair of Cr123 or RCR123 batteries. The 18650 is the diesel engine of torch batteries, and that's all I use as I get really good runtime and just charge them up over and over with no ill effect.

The L2T is 132mm long, with a 32mm head and 25.4mm body - so scope rings will fit it nicely if you want to mount it to a rifle that way. Its body is made of 6061 T6 aluminum and it's anodised black with knurling here and there. The switch is a forward clicky, so you can push the switch in a little way for the light to come on momentarily, without having to lock the switch on. There are two rubber grip rings, which are removable. There is an O ring at either end of the torch and at the lens, for water resistance. The empty chassis is 87gr according to Solarforce's literature. These lights arrive in a bubble pack with cardboard backing.

This torch is compatible with Solarforce's Pro-1 monster thrower and Pro-2 monster flooder heads so the body can form the base for a bigger, more powerful light. Extension tubes for extra batteries can also be obtained. :onya: You can also change the bezel, the lens and the switch and there are remote tailswitches for these lights. Mine has already been fitted with a lanyard loop, a flush fitting stainless bezel and will be getting a glow in the dark switch boot. :)

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Torch with a run of the mill Cree XR-E R2 emitter and smooth reflector. Wall is about four feet away.

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So, what's to customize? Well, I've taken a few pics of what I did over the course of a few minutes using some of the dropins I had around the place.

Beamshot of the XR-E R2 emitter and smooth reflector. This makes a good general use, compact torch and is the setup I use for spotting foxes and other game. It also goes well on a .22 or airgun and will clearly light up critters at about 80m or so. Fox eyes show up a good few hundred metres off. These are around a 200 lumen unit.

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This is a Cree XM-L unit, on high. It's an Ultrafire three mode dropin, and has been tested by someone on Candlepower Forums at around 900 lumens. It will light up half a footy field and is blinding at close range.

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A red Cree XR-E. Not a long thrower but boy does it make critter eyes light up. This is a single mode, probably with around 150 lumens. My young bloke has a five mode in his light, and the strobe mode is blinding. Tested on our dogs and cat, it makes them head for the nearest exit. :)

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Now, I've dropped a bubble shaped glass aspheric lens in here, in front of the XR-E R2. This makes a 150+ metre spot thrower and is similar to what focusable torches give on full focus. This will out throw the popular LED Lenser P7 on full focus. :) Goes well as a compact thrower on a .17HMR or similar. The ugly Cree rings disappear after a short distance. This is a $2 lens. A good lens would be more efficient and you'd probably get a cleaner beam pattern too.

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Red LED with the same lens. I shot a few foxes with this the other week. Good for about 100m or a bit more. Can just as easily be blue or green too.

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The torch with the XM-L on the left and the red XR-E on the right.

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I had the torch out with me the other night, using the white XR-E R2. It went well, and the head doesn't even get warm running the little XR-E continuously. The big XM-L is another matter and the head gets very warm if the unit is running for 15 minutes. I heatsink the body of the dropin to the head of the torch with some alfoil wrapped around the dropin - this pulls heat away from the dropin itself and to the head and body of the torch and into your hand or the air. A hot LED loses efficiency and down goes the lumens coming out the front.

All in all, a very nicely made little torch, and upgradeable when new LED technology comes out. (and it always does....)

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Good right up fenring. I was eyeing off that torch when I sent on the Solarforce-Sales website.

I plan on getting a Sand color L2 with a few dropins, lanyard rings and pouches when the funds allow.

I also want to get an aspheric lens and a smooth reflector but that means I will be making orders to DX and Solarforce-Sales. I will have parcels coming in from everywhere!

:lol:

P.S - Does the red LED spook foxes like a normal white LED? Also, where can I get one? :)

Edited by ShadowAssassin
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Nah mate, the red goes well. Solarforce sales have single mode and five mode red, blue and green dropins.

Beauty! I might have to add one to the list :D

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Fenring, what do you think about sitting a L2t with XML drop in and aspherical lens on top of a 204ruger?

Do you think it will give a good amount of usuable throw on it compared to the wolfeyes sniper 260 that i currently have on it?

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This is where the characteristics of the different LED's come in. The XML will put out more lumens than the much small XRE that the Sniper uses, assuming they are both run as hard as they can be. With an XML that's around 3 amps and with the XRE that's around 1.2. The XML will be producing around 900 lumens, and the XRE around 250.

So you'd reckon the XML would throw further, right?

Well, the XML at 900 lumens will throw about as far (and all of this is assuming the LED's are in the same torch and with the same sized reflector) but it won't tend to throw further. It will spread its lumens over a wider area. In fact an XML in an L2 lights up a real big area and at shorter ranges is very bright. But it's not that good a thrower in a smaller torch, as the small reflector just can't collimate the wider spread of light down to a tight beam. And that goes for the aspheric lens option too. I've tried it, and you won't get any more throw. What you will get is a larger area of light, in that characteristic square spot that a properly focused LED gives. For a small thrower, the XRE R2 with a smooth reflector and the aspheric lens is still the way to go. It's a good little 150m thrower.

For a .204, the only way to go IMO is the Solarforce Pro-1 head fitted to an L2 body, and either running off one 18650 battery at 200 lumens or two 18650's for 275 lumens. You will be able to shoot at 200m with that, or more. The key is the intensity of the spot, and the Pro-1 gives a very tightly collimated beam that will out throw most others.

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blink.gifFenring my head hurts!!

Thanks for the detailed response. So the way to go for the 204, seeing that i dont have any solarforce products just yet would be to order a Pro-1 head that's on promo (comes with single tube for 18650 and forward clicky switch to suit L2 bodies) and also 1 x 18650 battery extension.. Also would need to purchase 2 x protected 18650's.;

the wolf eyes charger would suffice. thankfully

solarforce sales claims 350m of throw if it is usable to 250m I would be really happy.

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I would get this package. So you have a long body that takes 2x 18650's if you want. You also get a smaller Cree XP-G bulb unit that will fit into the same body.

http://www.solarforce-sales.com/product_detail.php?t=LF&s=26&id=121

I would also get a regular L2T body. That way you can have either a small torch with the Pro-1, or a long torch with the Pro-1, and a small torch with the XPG bulb in it for general use and the big Pro-1 mounted on your rifle.

http://www.solarforce-sales.com/product.php?sname=&s=42&t=FB

I'm guesstimating 200m as a realistic useful range. At the moment around here' there's a bit of mist in the air t night so that cuts things back for me. And as I'm using a .17HMR so 150m or so is as far as I'll shoot. It will light up things down the other end of a cricket oval near my joint.

Put it this way - if there's a pest at the other end of a footy oval and you have a Pro-1 on that .204, that pest is in big trouble. :devil:

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Takes about two minutes mate.

Unscrew the head off the torch. Remove the dropin unit. Unscrew the textured reflector off the brass "pill". Screw new smooth reflector on. Dropin goes back into torch body.

Lens - remove bezel from the head. The bezel holds the lens in. There will likely be a couple of rubber and fibre rings under the bezel and the lens. Pop flat lens out. Plonk aspheric lens in - experiment with placement of the rubber and fibre rings until you get the LED perfectly focused. It will be a tight square and you will just about see the lines from the tiny wires inside it projected on a white wall at closer ranges. Tighten bezel back down.

Go outside at night, and test light on stray cats, dogs or children. :sword:

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Thanks mate, sounds easy enough.

Got plenty of those mongrel 'children' hanging around my place so it should make for an interesting test.

:lol:

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Have you had any problems with the drop-ins not working? Last order I got a LC-XML T6 for my L2X body and the torch wouldn't run the LED. I had a couple of flashes where there must have been something going on, but I couldn't get it to turn on. The body and switch work with my Pro 1 head without any drama's so I'm not sure what's going on with the XML.

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No probs mate - could be just poor contact between the dropin and the torch body stopping it working. Put the dropin on top of the light without the head turned on, and jiggle the dropin around to see if it lights up in different positions. Sometimes backing the head off a turn or so will make a difference.

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That looks fantastic with the SS Bezel and thye GITD tailcap.

What are your thoughts on the L2 Sand?

I am going to get one to run the Red P4 Cree with smooth reflector and aspheric lens.

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Nice collection...

I have an L2i (AAA) that came with the Pro-1 sitting around doing nothing so I am thinking I will get an XRE of SF Sales for it and an L2 sand with Red XRE.

I also want to get a couple of those flush SS Bezels and some lanyard clips.

It doesn't take long and you have made a 100+ dollar shopping cart!

PS: Do the GITD tailcap rubbers fit on the L2i and L2P aswell?

Edited by ShadowAssassin
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