Reviews > Lighting > Flashlights - LED > SureFire L1 LumaMax > Steve Nelson > Field Report

Field Report: Surefire L1 LumaMax® Flashlight
June 27 , 2006

Reviewer's Information

Name: Steve Nelson
Age: 45
Gender: Male
Email address: nazdarovye at y..oo dot com
City, State, Country: San Francisco, CA, U.S.A.

Backpacking Background:

As an interface design and usability consultant by trade, I'm always excited by analyzing and improving designs and processes; backpacking provides a fertile and fun arena for that. I have been backpacking since I was a kid growing up in upstate New York: we backpacked and canoe-camped in all seasons, throughout the Adirondacks and nearby areas, ranging as far as La Verendrye Wildlife Reserve, Quebec. As an adult, I've backpacked and hiked extensively in California, but also have taken trips throughout the West, from New Mexico to British Columbia, and return often to the Adirondacks.

I made the transition to lightweight and ultralight backpacking over the past two years. I like moving fast, and lightening the load facilitates that. I also enjoy urban strolls, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, kayaking, and aviation in addition to hiking and backpacking, so my gear gets exposed to a wide variety of uses and conditions.

Product information

Overview

The Surefire L1 LumaMax Flashlight is a metal-bodied flashlight utilizing a single lithium 123A cell to drive a Luxeon 3W LED. It features a combination tail switch with a two-stage rubberized pushbutton (for momentary use of the two brightness levels) as well as a twisting action that allows the light to be locked off, set to respond to the pushbutton, or turned on full-time at either of its brightness levels. I provided more background details, description and pictures in my initial report, which you may wish to reference. This report gives results from my first two months of field use of the flashlight.

Field Conditions

I've now used the L1 LumaMax flashlight almost daily for over two months. This includes two overnight snow camping trips and a four-day Spring backpacking trip, day hikes, use around the house, and use on nighttime drives and for a hotel stay at a remote spot up the coast. Locations have been throughout Northern California, from the coast to the Sierra Nevada, with elevations from sea level to over 9,000 ft (2,750 m). Weather conditions have ranged from clear to extremely windy to rainy and snowy, with temperatures from 24-101° F (-4-38° C).

I've stored the flashlight in the lid of several backpacks, inside a hip pack, in my pocket, in tent pockets, hanging from my neck by its lanyard, and even rattling around in a drawer when I'm not actively using it. I've definitely not babied it.

I've used the LumaMax by holding it in my hand, clipping it to a headband, hanging it from my neck, and hanging it from the inside of two different tents.

Field Observations

So far this light has done everything I've asked of it and been a completely reliable companion on my trips and hikes and other activities. I find the dual pushbutton/twist tailcap switch to be a fine design, letting me quickly activate the light for momentary use at either of its brightness levels, easily set it to stay on for extended use, and lock it off for carrying it inside pockets and packs. The switch is easy to use even when I'm wearing gloves or mittens, or when my hands are cold.

The light output is good—the two levels are usefully distinct, and I find the low level good enough for most of my tasks around camp, including walking. The bright light is good for picking out items a little further away, spotting animals, and for fast walking or jogging.

The beam is a bit more focused than I would like for most backpacking uses—I prefer a slightly wider spread for fast walking, though waving the beam back and forth is an easy way to compensate for this. There are also rings of light outside the main beam, apparently due to the way the lens is molded; I find these distracting, but not a real problem. After hearing how a fellow tester used a plastic cap to create a diffuser for the beam, I did the same. I found that the translucent cap from a .5 L (16.9 oz) bottle of a certain brand of water slips relatively easily over the head of the flashlight, stays in place well, and softens and disperses the beam in a useful way.

I've hung the flashlight from the apex of both a Big Sky International and Hilleberg tent to test use as a camp light (the lanyard and clip make this easy). The low setting provides a good, bright, but too focused beam for this purpose. However, sticking the plastic cap on the flashlight created an excellent spread pattern and light level for use in the tents. I find this diffused low beam superior to the stock beam for general use around camp (cooking, cleaning, packing) as well. I also purchased the Surefire Red Filter for this light, and while it reduces the intensity of the beam slightly, it doesn't diffuse it as much as the plastic cap, and so I find it more useful for map reading or other tasks when I want to preserve night vision, but not for general use.

The L1 LumaMax is generally comfortable to carry and use. The knurled metal finish makes it easy to hold on to, and the lanyard is a great feature both for security and for keeping the light close at hand (the multiple cord locks help adjust the lanyard for use hanging on my neck, from my wrist, or girth hitched to other items). I also tried clipping the LumaMax onto my Tilley hat (too heavy for its floppy brim, alas), and to a third-party headband meant for another flashlight. The latter worked fine, though I found it a rather inelegant solution (the clip on the LumaMax is a bit tight, and it was difficult to wedge it into this particular headband's webbing). I have found the weight of the L1 LumaMax to be inconsequential—it weighs a bit more than other lights I generally have used for backpacking, but not markedly so, and I find that the extra benefits of the lanyard, durable metal casing, flexible switch and light outputs are worth the extra ounce or two (few dozen grams).

Durability has been outstanding. I see essentially no wear on the light or any of the L1 LumaMax's components, despite almost daily use and my simply tossing the flashlight into pack pockets, pants pockets, and containers around the house and in the car. I also did a bit of torture testing of the light on one of my snow camping trips: I turned the light on at its low setting, dropped it in a hole in the snow, and covered it up. After about 15 minutes, I retrieved it from the snow, and found it was still going strong, with no apparent ill effects whatsoever. I've set this flashlight in snow, on wet ground, on rock, and on other natural surfaces often throughout this test period, and yet it looks and works essentially like it did when I first received it.

I have conducted the entire two months of use on a single battery! So far this has entailed something over 6 hours of actual run time, with 90% of that at the lower output level. I wanted to see how long I could go with a single battery in my regular usage patterns—and I must say I'm quite pleased with the results. After this usage, the light levels appear approximately the same to my eye as they did at the start of the test. (With this casual test out of the way, I'm going to do more structured testing for my long-term report where I start with a fresh battery, then run the light all the way down and measure times and levels.)

Long-Term Test Conditions

My outdoor recreation for the upcoming four months will take place mainly in California and Oregon, with a few trips to the east coast and one-off trips to Hawaii and Belize. The majority of my backpacking trips will take place in the Central and Northern Sierra Nevada (Yosemite, Mt. Shasta, Lassen Peak, Sequoia/Kings Canyon, and several trips in the Tahoe and Donner Pass areas). I day hike extensively wherever I am, will bring the Surefire L1 on all such hikes, as well as use it around the house and while traveling.

Altitudes will range from sea level through at least 12,000 ft (3,660 m), and temperatures generally from the 80s F (27+ C) down to freezing —or colder, if I get lucky. Weather conditions will include rainy, windy and sunny Sierra Nevada winter climes; moderate coastal California weather, and possibly summer tropical Hawaiian and Caribbean weather.

Conditions will vary from coastal and conifer forests (Sierra Nevada) to wider-open winter landscapes and open rocky mountain and coastal areas (plus a jungle or two). I'll be using a number of shelter styles, from traditional tents to tarps to hammocks, and also will be staying occasionally in hotels or lodges.

Long-Term Test Plan

I'll be continuing to use the L1 LumaMax for all of my outdoor activities over the coming four months. Night-time tasks will include walking, hiking and jogging, sometimes with trekking poles; chores and cooking around camp; use inside a tent or other shelter for task lighting, reading and general illumination; and more focused occasional tasks such as gear repair, stove maintenance, tick checks, removal of splinters, unloading or packing the car for trips, and gear inspection.

I'm also curious to see how far I can comfortably use the L1 outside of traditional hand-held mode. Will the clip hold tight on various hat brims and other surfaces? Is it adjustable? Is the flashlight light enough in weight to be comfortable when worn, and its clip able to hold tight to the inside of a tent or other shelter?

Also, while I can't exactly plan this particular usage, I wonder if the L1 will be superior for use in a wilderness medical situation. I obtained WFR certification a year ago and, for larger group trips, bring a medical kit in which I always include an LED light. The bright, even light of the L1 could be quite helpful in examining and treating injuries, and I will test this if the situation arises.

Finally, while these are not backpacking per se, I'll also use the L1 for canoe camping and car camping, and any other outdoor activities I can come up with that could help provide additional insight and information to readers. In addition, I will conduct run-time and light intensity tests with fresh batteries, taking photographs of the beam at intervals until the light completely runs out.

Qualitative points I'll be considering during all of the above include:

• How durable is it? What does "weatherproof" really mean?
• Is it easy to turn on and off in the field, including while wearing mittens or gloves?
• Is it comfortable to hold and use, including for long periods of time?
• Are the brightness levels distinct and useful out in the field? In particular, is the low light level low enough for comfortable use inside a tent at night, and the bright light level good for long-range use on the trail? Is either light level good for hiking at night?
• How do various temperatures and weather conditions affect its operation and level of illumination?
• How useful and flexible is the “clip-on” feature? Does it work only on stiff-brimmed caps, or will it also work with my Tilley, winter headgear, and a mountaineering helmet?
• How useful and effective is the lanyard?
• Is it easy to maintain the flashlight in the field (change batteries, or clean out grit or water, should they get inside)?

As always, I'll take pictures to document the product and my use of it in the field. I'll also take pictures and measurements of the beam and beam spread for my Field Report. In addition, I'll do at least one quantitative run test, where I measure the battery life in the field (ideally in colder weather).

I've purchased the F05 Red Filter accessory from Surefire, and will continue test that for low-level light use in addition to using the basic low-beam white LED and the home-made diffuser.

Summary

The Surefire L1 LumaMax is a bombproof-feeling, thoughtfully-designed flashlight with a two-level, tightly-focused beam. My experiences with it so far have been very positive and I look forward to using it further.

Things I like:

• High quality fit, finish, features
• Well-chosen low and high beam settings
• Flexible yet easy-to-use controls for on/off/brightness
• Lanyard and battery are included; the flashlight is ready to go right out of the box
• Very durable and reliable

Things I don't like:

• Beam somewhat too focused for the majority of my backpacking and hiking uses
• Slight ring/halo around beam

Thanks to BackpackGearTest and Surefire for giving me the opportunity to participate in this test.

Reviews > Lighting > Flashlights - LED > SureFire L1 LumaMax > Steve Nelson > Field Report