Purchased from : http://www.solarforce-sales.com/ just after Christmas and arrived in the first week of the new year .
I took advantage of the sale solarforce-sales was having , and since I found the Skyline 2 to be one of the more interesting lights that I have wanted to own , I simply could not resist the siren song of a sale , and here we are , so first some pictures for you to enjoy .
First Impressions :
It is very distinct , and does stand out from the crowd , and to me , very attractive , in a mechanical sort of way . The Skyline 2 is very well put together , double O rings in the head and a O ring for the tail cap [ all lubed by the way ] , and the threads are very smooth , and everything is nice and tight , the tolerances are really kept to a minimum , in a nut shell , the Skyline 2 is top shelf all the way with very nice even anodizing and clean machining on the body , Solarforce really went all out on this one .
If your sick of the usual run of P60 hosts and want to try something a little different , well I did . I took the Skyline 2 for a walk the other evening , and I found it very easy to carry , it's a little heavier than say the L2P , but not noticeably so when you go walking with it . Now when using the light , the beam is some what narrow , especially after having become accustomed to XP-G equipped lights . It does throw though , very well for such a compact light , and will easily out throw all my XR-E XP-G non thrower lights [ P60 ] . The ramping feature is built into the tailcap , and to activate one simply holds the clicky down when turning it on [ Dont lift off till it ramps ] , after this you can ramp up and down to your hearts content .
Description Borrowed from Solarforce.hk website :
- Uses a CREE XR-E (WC-R2) LED
- Aluminum alloy reflector with smooth reflective surface for extreme lighting range up to 200m
- Micro processor for various output modes and adjustable output levels with current regulation
- Protective circuit design for preventing over-discharging and reversed polarity of batteries
- High strength aluminum alloy body with Mil-spec hard-anodized finish
- Stainless steel bezel
- Strengthened ultra-clear glass lens
- Input voltage: 2.7V - 6.0V (18650 x 1 pcs or CR123A x 2pcs)
- Working temperature: -40 to 60 deg. Celsius
- Waterproof capability: IPX-8 standard
- Runtime* with
n 18650 battery x 1, at
u Approx. 200 lumens: 2.5 hour
u Approx. 1 lumen: 250 hours
n CR123A battery x 2, at
u Approx. 260 lumens: 2 hours
u Approx. 1 lumens: 120 hours
- Operation (when the flashlight is turned off):
n Press once and release (< 0.5 second): turn on
n Press constantly (> 0.5 second): output adjusting mode from 100% to 5% (release to stay). Press constantly again to activate the output adjusting mode from 5% to 100%
n Press twice and release (< 0.5 second): strobe mode
- Length, Head Diameter, Body Diameter: 130mm, 33.7mm, 25.4mm
- Weight: 124g (without battery)
Some Performance Figures :
Lets start with 18650 ..
High = 200Lumen , I measured 0.83A and 207L when using the MM
Turning the light as low as it would go , returned about 1L
2 x CR123A Primaries
High = 264L which faded to 256L I measure some 1.2A [ same 256L ]
As low as it would go was about 2L
No Tail Cap
18650 = 220L
2 x CR123 = 264L
Throw measured in Lux @ 1 Meter
18650 = 12200Lux @ 1meter
2 x Cr123 = 14600Lux @ 1meter
Would seem that Solarforce is rather spot on with the estimations for output , which is nice to see .
Afterthoughts .
I would love to see this light with a decent 4.2v driver [ single 18650 ] , and driving the emitter @ say 1400mA .
I have to say , one of my better buys , and if your a little tired of the usual run of P60 lights and still want a single cells light [ 18650 ] then perhaps you need to look at the Skyline 2 . Its the same size as a P60 host , and is very unique [ in a attractive sort of way ] looking and will really stand out in a crowd . The Skyline 2 is very well made , and holding it just gives you confidence that its a quality product , and my only complaint is the battery set up , it performs best on those nasty little Primaries , it really wants to be single 18650 , but I guess you cant please everyone .
Beamshots tonight !
http://makeagif.com/i/ypsZ70 Animated Gif !
Just a note , the worst possible conditions for showcasing a thrower , its 10pm and the sky is still lit up by the setting sun ..
The R2 is my best , about 300OTF , and I also took the XM-L from KD along , yeah , I think 600+ OTF Lumens makes a difference .
Unfortunately for the skyline , it has a bit of a narrow beam and not the best location or conditions to show it of . + It really does throw much better than the other lights , only the camera just cant do it justice , one day , I will have to get a Digital SLR ...