L2P Differences?

Left to right: (all new versions) L2 (black); L2P (black); L2P (grey); L2P (blue)

Left to right: black L2P; blue L2P and grey L2P.

Why is the black one gold inside? Why does it matter? Does it matter? Should we care and more importantly, is an L2P worth the extra coin?

And, to help make visiting this lame thread worthwhile . . .

whyFoy

Wow great pics...!

Ive always wanted a SolarForce...

Very nice photos as usual, Foy. Thanks for posting. I hope to have a SolarForce in my collection in the future.

My guess is the black one is gold inside from either a mishap in the anodising or its a different alloy. Very nice photos as usual

Can you try weighing the tubes of all three l2ps, if its a different alloy there should be a noticeable difference (to a scale anyway). My guess is its something happened in the anno process… But curiosity has been sparked

This is chromate conversion coating.

According to Solarforce, it is used on black L2P only.

http://www.solarforce.hk/index.php?controller=products&action=view&id=2

Hrvoje is absolutely correct, that golden color is the result of chromate conversion (commonly called alodine). That finish is consistent with MIL SPEC MIL-DTL-5541 Class 1A, which is the highest class of protection for chromate. for our purposes, it's very similar to anodizing with regard to protecting aluminum from corrosion.

The solarforce website states that it improves conductivity, which isn't 100% true. It absolutely does not improve conductivity (in fact, it somewhat INCREASES resistance of the interface) - what it does do is prevent conductivity from falling as the aluminum corrodes.

PPtk

I read something about the L2P has a HA III coating, its ment to be more resistant to scratching that the L2 with a normal HA II coating.

But if you take any HA II anodized torch (like the L2 and about 90% of other lights) and put them in the oven they turn gold. HA III wont change colour from what I read.

Black HA II anodizing ends up like this after going in the oven. (pics stolen/taken from CPF) I think they said the longer you leave it in the lighter it gets.

Im tempted to do it with my L2 but I dont have a oven anyway, and I don't think my microwave will like it.

Type 2 Anodizing isn't considered HA at all. HA is an abbreviation for "Hard Coat" anodize - which is strictly Type III.

Anything less than type III is a completely different process, and is not considered a hard coat. Type III is a much thicker (still VERY thin at about 0.002") anodize than types 1, 1B, 1C, 2 and 2B.

All of the types ( and the classes ) are defined by MIL SPEC MIL-A-8625F

The L2 is Type II, Class 2
The L2P is Type III, Class 2

PPtk

Do not put your flashlight in the microwave. I promise you will not be pleased with the results of that plan.

PPtk

Ah ok, I was just going by what I read over there. I think I just assumed it was HA II and HA III when they were saying type II instead.

And I'm not dumb enough to put anything metallic in a microwave

I didn't honestly think that you were, but i didn't want that 'idea' floating around for others who might not be so knowledgeable. It's absolutely amazing what some people in this world have done "because they read it on the internet".. <Face Palm>

PPtk

Every L2P I've received has had this chromate conversion coating inside. Additionally, the L2X has it as well as my Masterpiece Pro 2. My point is, since the blue and gray L2P do not have it . . . has anybody received a black L2P without it and if so, is Solarforce simply putting a recessed tail cap on an L2, printing L2P on the side and charging L2P money for an L2?

Seems to me, what Sollarforce did was to go with additional colors on the new L2 but decided instead to use the recessed tail cap, call it an L2P and therefore, justify a higher price point. The blue and gray flashlight tube appear to be nothing more than an L2 in new colors . . . non-chromate conversion coating and all.

Foy

The only way to know for sure would be to have an analysis of the colored anodic coating done to see how thick it is. If it's true Type III, Class 2 - it should be somewhere between 0.002" and 0.0045" thick. anything less than that is Type I or Type II.

For a shop that does MIL Anodic Coatings, this inspection is pretty trivial.

PPtk

I just think the new L2 is every bit as good as an L2P . . . for less money.

Foy

You won't find me arguing that point.

Or he could test it in the oven, type 2 will go gold and HA III wont

Or maybe he could do some kind of scratch test but that might be hard to get constant results.

I slightly, and respectfully, disagree. This is only based on my own examples but here's why:

1) The knurling on my L2P's are deeper. Edit: This applies to both bodies and tailcaps, at least in my examples.

2) The tailcap on my L2P has knurling that is deeper than the L2 tailcap (though, admittedly, on the black L2P I have, it is still not as deep as the knurling on the L2P body, my gray version the tailcap and body are almost a perfect match, when it comes to the knurling).

3) The straight areas on the oval on the L2 body where Solarforce's logo on one side and "L2" is written on the other had machining burrs that were sharp enough to feel, although not sharp enough to cut someone. Since using the L2 at work, those burrs have gone away through wear, but that means where the burrs were, the coloring has been worn off, too. Not very noticeable, and I could not capture it in a photo with my P&S camera (Don't have anything better to take a photo of it), but it is something. In contrast, the straight areas on the oval on my L2P's appear to be machined deeper and had a bevel machined into them to match the bevels on the rounded ends of both the L2 and L2P's (only deeper on the L2P's) and it is because of this bevel on the straight sides that helped the L2P's not have the burrs I found on my L2.

Edit: Actually, you can see this difference in the Oval in Foy's photos above. In a couple of the L2P photos you can see the deeper machining of the oval in comparison to the oval shown in a couple of photos of the L2.

I agree that the 2011 L2 is a nice host, for the money, but there ARE differences between the L2P's and the L2's. I, personally, would prefer the L2P host because, IMHO, it is better. However, in reality, the differences between the two hosts are very minor, but they are enough to convince me that they are not sticking a tailstanding tailcap on an L2 body and call it an L2P. Based on the knurling on my tailstanding L2, I believe the opposite is true, they are taking L2P tailcaps that failed the L2P QC tests for knurling and threading and are sticking them on the 2011 L2 hosts and selling them as "New 2011 L2 with tailstanding switch".

So the 2011 version L2s are coming with serial numbers? Is the finish on the 2011 L2 more of a "matte" finish than previous L2 versions? From Foys pictures, it looks like the L2 is much more of a Matte finish than my older version L2 which is much glossier than my L2P.

I like my L2P a great deal. I like my older L2 as well, but the new 2011 L2 looks pretty nice for the price.

Moto,

Yes, the 2011 L2 has a matte finish and SN's. Supposedly this was to be a limited edition(?).