Ok , I have a decent collection of the after-market Solarforce tailcaps ..
Lets start with the standard L2 tailcap .
L2 Tailcap / Reverse clicky , very nice , I like the revers clicky , and for everyday use , its a wonderful thing . I find the size and design very easy to use and live with , ok it cant tailstand , but thats no deal breaker for me .
S3 Tailcap / Finish looks to be a very close match to the regular L2 , it's a forward clicky , and feels just a little soft compared to the regular L2 switch , I like the S3 very much .
S4 Tailcap / Finish looks to be HA3 , and is a much more flat black [ not glossy ] , once again a forward clicky , and very much like the S3 a little soft feeling [ mushy if you will ] , the S4 has a built in cigar ring , which I personally dont care for very much , it almost gets in the way of your fingers and is not very comfortable , but if your looking for grip and light retention , then it might be the bees knees .
S5 Tailcap / HA3 , Yes its big , also has a very big switch inside , Forward clicky , and a little soft feeling , and due to its design , tailstands very well . Im very neutral towards this switch , but it has its uses ...
S6 Tailcap / HA3 , a very much smaller version of the S5 , I like this a lot more , but the design , makes thumb activation just a little iffy due to the 4 raised posts that allow tailstanding , its very easy to put a lot of pressure on a post rather than activate the clicky , which can be uncomfortable , and troublesome , should one actually ever be in a Tactical situation .
S7 Tailcap / HA3 , Twisty with momentary on ... Much a Surefire copy , can handle much more current , but at the same time due to the design also offers increased resistance .
For some strange reason , when you twist on , wants to start in the next mode , must have just a slight momentary contact somewhere as you twist on , meaning double contact , so there fore switching modes as you turn on . In fact I dare call it a poor copy of the Surefire original which as a O ring for the internal side of the body tube , which tightens it up , and looks to stop any unwanted contact . Again , could be annoying in a Emergence or Tactical situation .
Some output figures with the tailcaps
1/ Std L2 Tailcap = 750L
2/ S3 = 760L
3/ S4 = 722L
4/ S5 = 775L
5/ S6 = 765L
6/ S7 = 685L
Its only a simple test , but I thought it might make a difference .. Each tailcap was tried on the same body to see how it affected performance [ same battery ] ..
The variation is some what small , until we come to the S7 , due to its design , it does have some resistance to current , and does drop performance quite a bit . It would only be fair of me to say that as current drops the variation in performance also drops , in other words , at lower current , there is very little difference in which tailcap you use .
Well , I hope this helps ...