Is this the best budget P60 host extant?
I will admit being a relative beginer in the world of high performance flashlights. In my limited experience however, the Solarforce L2P is far and away, the best P60 host. Period. The L2P combines tough-as-nails anodization, consistent quality with mission-critical reliability in a flashlight that is arguably the best looking hand-held lighting instrument there is at this, or possibly any, price point. It is hard to imagine anyone even remotely into flashlights being dissapointed with the king of P60 hosts; the Solarforce L2P.
The bottom line: 4.7 out of 5 Foys because, well, there's got to be something wrong with it, I just haven't found it yet.
Chances are; if you have an L2P it's the best P60 light you own. It lives up to its serious good looks by delivering real durability and flawless function in a versatile P60 package, allowing you to create anything from a monster thrower (Masterpiece Pro) to a long running floody. You can dress up your L2P with enough bling to shame a rapper but the real beauty of this torch may be its type III annodization. Wrongly labeled "HA III" there is nothing wrong with a flashlight that can be used under the most brutal conditions imaginable, over a long period of time and still look nearly new. Fitted with the latest drop-ins, L2P performance can equal or handily exceed flashlights costing double or more. It is ironic then, that the Solarforce L2P is probably the most expensive P60 host that can be built into the most inexpensive ultra-high performance flashlight.
What I like:
- type 3 anno is real, and really tough
- has everything that's good about the L2 with none of the bad
- superb aluminum machining
- extremely reliable (so far!)
- solid foundation to create a flashlight for any need
What I do not like:
- lame bezel (at least it's not plastic)
- square threads would be nice
- better heat management (possibly inherent P60 design)
Solarforce L2P black flashlight body "Premium Golden Grade L2 in Mil-spec type III" annodization, reverse clicky tail cap (will tail stand) I'm basing this evaluation on two L2Ps; one I've used for about three months and the other I received a couple of days ago. http://www.solarforce-sales.com/index.php
140 x 32 x 25mm, accepts 1 x 18650, 1 x 16340 or 2 x CR123 batteries
measured amps with 18650: <<<update>>>
3-mode Ultra Fire XM-L/T6 ------------3.00
5-mode XM-L/U2 (from Kaidomain) --2.50
single mode Solarforce XM-L/T6 ------1.80
3-mode MC-E (from Manafont) -------2.20
3-mode XR-E/Q5 (from Manafont) ---1.00
aesthetics:
The first thing you notice about the L2P is its balanced good looks. With a large 14mm button neatly recessed in the tail cap, this attractive torch looks as good as it feels in the hand. Knurling is not agressive but is quite grippy and both body and tail cap match perfectly. One interesting improvement the new light has that my old one does not is the engraved lettering and "Solarforce" graphics. My old light has just printed lettering and there have been reports of bad alignment/off center placement. Certainly, has nothing to do with function but the etched graphics are nonetheless very satisfyling and take the L2P smartly upmarket. Endowed with the latest creation from Foybezels, an L2P can have an expensive, custom appearance almost like jewelry.
build quality/reliability:
In a word; superb. Aluminum machining is awesome, inside and out. Some people have reported metal burrs or other flaws with their L2P but I've experienced none with either of mine. It's one of the things I like most about this light; no sloppy fitment, incomplete lathe work or overwrought styling. There are no gimmicks with an L2P - form follows function so well, it ends up with a spectacular form. I began using my first L2P about three months ago, gingerly at first because it looked so good I didn't want to mess it up. But, I don't own any shelf queens so, I took it to work and dropped it, on cement and/or on asphalt after banging around/bouncing off upper A-arms, hitting a cross-member, falling through an engine bay. Things also fell on it; wrenches, dirt, pocket change, antifreeze, even an Oreo Blizzard one time.
The pictures speak for themselves. I gave it a good cleaning, put it next to my new one and you can hardly tell which one just came in the mail. If it wasn't so late I would put up a link to a hilarious video on YouTube that includes a guy in Hong Kong hacking away on an L2P with a knife and afterward, not a single scratch showing. That's how my light has been; every time I pick it up and every time it shrugs off abuse like a drunken prize fighter.
ergonomics:
This is a very balanced flashlight that feels good in your hand. Some people don't like the reverse clicky and I thought I was one of them until I installed the Ultra Fire 3-mode XM-L drop-in. I can't imagine a better set-up; full press to turn on and soft press through each mode. I also used to think the light knurling was a cop-out but the knurling on the L2P is deceptively grippy even with wet hands.
performance:
In addition to being slapped around at work without mercy, the Foy protocols include taking a shower with Foy followed by 15 minutes or so in the kitchen sink. Like the L2, the L2P is not IPX-8 rated but it survived my attempts to flood it with not a single drop of ingress. During water testing, my wife entered the experimental lab without authorization (her kitchen) and put blue food coloring in the water. "It'll show that it's on better," she says. I didn't know she cared. Maybe she won't be as mad as I imagined whe she sees last month's Paypal activities.
cost/value:
At $17.99, clearly there are cheaper P60 hosts. The problem is, most of those are cheaper P60 hosts. Drop-in a decent drop-in and for about $35, you've got a torch that will annihilate flashlights costing far more and more than that, you're not sacrificing anything in terms of quality, looks or performance.
Is it like a certificate of authenticity for a Franklin Mint figurine? Put one of these in your wallet and flash it suddenly on the unsuspecting for instant street cred.
Is this the best P60 host available?
foysaysyesFoy
