Owner Review - SureFire Z2 Combat Light

 

Reviewer Information

Name:                           Dylan Anderson
Age:                              23
Gender:                         Male
Height:                          5’10” / 178 cm
Weight:                        175 lbs / 79 kg
Email address:              HUM469@yahoo.com
City, State, Country:      Phoenix, AZ U.S.A.
Date:                            September 14th, 2004
Backpacking Background:  I started hiking at 5, and in 18 years I’ve traveled everywhere.  From Alaska’s glaciers to Hawaii’s Kalalau, Grand Canyon lows to the heights of Colorado and Washington I’ve challenged everything.  My home, Phoenix’s desert, is a perfect base from which to rock climb, raft and kayak, ski, bike and sail.  Every climate is within 8 hours drive.  The ocean, mountains, canyons, forest or field, it’s all near by.  Either as a Scout leader, or on my travels, I’m backpacking at least once a month, about 6 weeks a year.  I’m the gear info guy for those I know, as my collection is huge.  I plan to increase my travels further, and anticipate learning more doing as many reviews as I’m allowed!

Product Information

Manufacturer:                  SureFire
Year of Manufacture:        2002
URL:                               http://www.surefire.com
Listed weight with battery: 5 oz / 142g
Delivered weight w/ battery:  5 oz / 142g
Length:                            5 in / 13 cm
Bezel Width:                    1.25 in / 3.18 cm
MSRP:                            $90.00 U.S.
Battery Type:                   123A Lithium (SureFire brand included)
Bulb Burn Time (Bulb Life): None listed.  See report body for more information.
Battery Burn Time (Battery Life):  About 60 minutes.  See report for additional information.
Power in Lumens:             65.  120 with optional high output bulb

The Z2 comes in a high-grade box, not unlike a high-end pen set.  In the package I found the aluminum bodied flashlight with three rubber washers pre-installed on the body, one set of batteries, instructions, and a lanyard approximately one foot long (30 cm).  The lanyard clips on and off real easy and has a pair of slide toggles, making it surprisingly useful in other applications as well.

The Z2 uses 2 123A sized Lithium batteries popular in many cameras.  These are normally very expensive batteries at the supermarket.  Often around $12.00 (U.S.) for a set of 2, but no need to worry, SureFire manufactures its own brand, and they can be bought in packs of 12 for $15.00 (U.S.).  The batteries can be dropped in by unscrewing either end.  It is extremely easy to replace batteries, and I have had no problems in total darkness, or under any adverse conditions like bad weather.  Unless the bulb needs changing too, it is recommended to open up the other end to not risk getting dirt or body oil into the bulb assembly.  The flashlight has three modes, safe off, defense, and standard light.  For the light to be off completely, make sure the end cap is only screwed on the first couple of turns.  In this way it is impossible for the light to come on inside a backpack and waste valuable battery power.  For defense mode, screw the end cap on a few more turns and press the rubber thumb button located on the end of the screw cap.  The light will flash on instantly, and stay on as long as the button is held, turning off upon release.  For the standard light, screw the end cap on all the way, and the light will remain on without having to hold the thumb button, and can therefore be hung, mounted on handlebars, clipped to a hat, or anything else another flashlight can.  The end cap and its rubber end button are large, and big handed or small, gloved or bare, all operations are simple, and easy to use.

Both ends of the light are sealed with o-rings, and the tail cap end seals in the first couple of turns, meaning the mode or position of the switch has little impact on water tightness.  While the manufacturer makes no specific claims as to the waterproof nature of the light, they routinely show it in wet environments.  My own experience is that while I had not planned to use it as a dive light, I have splashed or accidentally submerged it on a number of occasions without affecting the light’s performance.  On a recent trip it was used to dive 20 feet down into a creek bottom looking for a lost wallet.  Not only did the light work, but also the beam cut through the murky water a measured distance of more than 10 feet.  The light bulb is simple to replace, simply unscrew the bezel, and drop a new one in.  The rubber washers on the body help with mounting the light to a weapon, as well as a help in gripping the body of the light while performing tasks like nighttime camp setups or outdoor rescue work.  I have also found that the washers can be used to help the flashlight grip things like tent poles, bike handlebars, or backpack frames when tied on with the included lanyard.

I have carried a pair of Z2’s now for a little over a year in all my backpacking or traveling.  Despite being very small, they put out light that is well beyond that of a standard 6 D Mag-Lite!  All this comes from a 5 oz (142 g), 5 in (13 cm) lightweight.  That ability alone is the reason it is standard issue to many FBI, Air Marshals, and police forces.  Its uses are many, and one of my favorites is as a non-lethal personal defense weapon.  Several defense consultants I am aware of recommend that anyone, and women in particular who are forced to jog or hike at night carry it.  The fast thumb button and very high output will temporarily blind an attacker at close range, allowing time to get away.  And for even more impact in this use, there is an optional 120 lumen extreme output bulb.  That bulb only allows the batteries to last about 20 minutes, but hopefully it won’t see nearly that much use in this application!

But this is backpacking, how does it perform there?  Well, simply amazing.  Having as much output as any 2 other lights I am aware of, both by direct comparison as well as published lumen outputs, I never leave home without at least one of them.  I travel in all sorts of environments and all sorts of activities, and it has handled all very well.  Its construction is very rugged, and despite numerous drops, crushes, falls, foul weather, and careless moments, nothing seems to break it.  I even dropped one lens down on some jagged rocks, and did not crack or scratch the lens.  Neither has the bulb ever broken in any of these drops, spills or bangs.  It is at least theoretically possible, like other high output bulbs, that getting fingerprints on or dirt inside the bulb assembly could cause a bulb to crack when it heats up, but I have never encountered this despite rough handling throughout most of my ownership.  Changing a bulb is a simple procedure I have had no problem doing in the dark or bad weather, and the bulb itself has lasted for me at least 100 hours, though I must admit not timing it too precisely. 

Around camp I do not use it for the small tasks like searching though my pack or cooking alone, after all its output destroys my night vision for a couple of minutes.  What I do use it for is any time I need to pretend it is daylight.  Night hiking when there isn’t a full moon, searching for a lost bit of gear in a windstorm, lighting up the camp when a couple of us are cooking at once, or as one of two primaries in a shorter cave exploration.  It sure scared the living daylights out of a raccoon that came into camp one night trying to pilfer our goods!  I am sure it would work equally well on most other critters getting just a little too curious.  Hung from a branch, or otherwise suspended, it is nearly enough to replace a lantern.  Searching out firewood after dark is simple, finding my way back when nature calls me out of camp in the middle of the night, or locating landmarks while navigating at night are all easy tasks thanks to the Z2.  And I find only two ways to set up camp at night easier, by lantern or car headlights.  If I didn’t pack either in, I’ll definitely take the SureFire.  Should I need to signal because I were lost, or set up a beacon to help guide a lost member of my group back, I cannot think of a better light.  Its beam is so focused, I can still make out its pattern at the treetops, or on a canyon wall several hundred feet away, and others have spotted my light from over a mile away.  I have even used my pair of lights much like studio lights to take some of my photographs with great effect while out at camp.  In foul weather so often encountered while backpacking, it has worked flawlessly.  Even in cold weather output has appeared the same with minimal warming required.  In wet weather, be it humidity, pouring rain, or even underwater there has been no change of performance or fogging of the lens.

The lanyard:  I mentioned above that it is very useful, and I would not go without it.  At approximately a foot long (30 cm), it has a lot of flexibility.  It is strong nylon cord about 2 feet long (60 cm), but doubled over inside a pair of toggles, making the assembly about a foot (30 cm).  I have used it to extend a tie-out that was not quite long enough, used the toggles to lock together a pair of broken tent poles, while using the free ends to tie on the fly, hang the light from all manner of objects, strap both lights to my hat by wrapping the lanyard around the bill, strap the light onto both the frame and handlebars of my bike, strap it to my backpack straps on my shoulder, and hang it around my neck for quick access.  Coupled with the rubber washers (which aid in grip using the light for defense, as well as with mounting on a gun), the lanyard allows the light to be set up on just about anything, for just about any purpose.

The Batteries:  As I stated above, the light comes with a pair of SureFire brand batteries.  The advantage to me originally was price over the other brands.  After one trip where I forgot to replace batteries, I was forced to buy Energizer batteries at a local grocery store.  To my surprise, the cheaper SureFire proved to be the better battery.  Whereas the SureFire brand would work down into 20 degrees F temperatures (-7 degrees C) without needing to be warmed in my sweater, the Energizers seemed to be weaker, putting out much less light in the cold.  Also, at about 70 minutes, they were dead.  The light could not light any further.  In contrast, the SureFire always run between 70-80 minutes regardless of weather before starting to fade over an additional 5-10 minutes.  When the batteries do die however, the flashlight unscrews very easily, the batteries both slide in the same direction, and it is ready to go again.  Unfortunately I am not aware of rechargeable batteries for it at this time, though SureFire does manufacture a rechargeable pack at the same size, output, and capacity as the batteries that go into the Z2.  It is not clear from the site, and I have not asked a representative if this battery will work in the Z2 yet.

Some may complain about the short life of the batteries.  To that I would say I have had very few problems.  Anytime something this small is putting out this much energy, it’s to be expected.  Fortunately the batteries are not too expensive from SureFire anyway, and they are very lightweight (0.5 ounce / 14 grams per battery), thereby allowing several spares to be carried without significant weight increase.  Also, I have found that the light and the batteries have a much better performance in a wider range of temperatures than the average Alkaline AA.  Light output remains consistent through those 60 minutes or beyond, and actually lasts another 10 or so, albeit at a much lower light level.  For those really concerned, SureFire now makes an optional LED head, the KL3, which puts out a respectable 19 lumens.  I have not yet tried this head in the field, but the reported stats are that fresh batteries last between 55 and 60 hours at varying light intensities.  So far this has proven true in my tests, I look forward to taking it into the field soon.  And since this head requires less power, batteries that are too weak to run the standard bulb will still run the LED.

Summary

The Z2 is a very durable, versatile, and extremely dependable light source.  Anytime I need light there is no smaller, more powerful light unless it’s another SureFire.  I feel that good, strong light sources are often underrated pieces of equipment when it comes to survival, and while the price of this light is high, I would want nothing else by my side when trouble does happen.

Pros:

·          Extreme output – superior to anything currently on the market

·          Very durable – if it will break, I typically stumble on a way, but mine are still in one piece

·          Versatility and Safety – Often the two fit together, and in this case very, very well

Cons:

·          Battery Life – It can be annoying having to replace batteries if I am forced to hike more than an hour at night.  I normally hike by full moon if I planned a night hike, and any unplanned night hiking means a bigger nuisance anyway.