Not so long ago in a geardo galaxy….. Surefire (SF) released the LX2 flashlight to replace the L2. The LX2 is supposed to be the strongest LED flashlight (on two CR123 batteries) in the SF product range with 200 Lumens output. Surefire is known for their pricey products but the LX2 is only a dollar to a Lumen (under $200 retail). An average tactical light these days is still closer to 100 Lumens output so I was tempted to put an LX2 on my AEG.

There aren’t too many accessories listed on the SF website for the LX2 but I thought this won’t be a problem because I own 4 other SF lights already and the collected accessories will work with the LX2. At least that is what I thought when I dropped the order.

High output SF lights were mainly available in the military/law enforcement line but those are extremely overpriced (millennium series) and I found strange that SF released a powerful flashlight which can be used as a tactical light creating direct competition to the SF Scout or other powerful tactical SF lights. I had to realize that SF easily solved this problem by keeping the L2’s body diameter (21mm), so you cannot use the LX2 in current mount rings (1 and ¾ inch) only if you have a universal clamp mount. Not only that but aftermarket tail cap switches won’t fit the body either, but we don’t have to worry because SF says that their LX2 switch is tactically correct (whatever that means). Now this is getting funnier every minute. The SF website is careful enough not to mention body sizes and I don’t really get that because most of their users are cops, soldiers and gun freaks so mounting information is just as important as anything else.

The light comes wrapped up in two boxes and a plastic mold. The outer box meant to be nice and informative but the print quality is not the best. A small font text on the back of the box will inform us that this light only assembled and designed in the US but still considered “American Made”. The inner box is a plain black cardboard with the SF logo. Opening that will let us access the plastic mold package and at least that one is not sealed so we can open it without using cutters or a knife.

The user manual on the bottom of the box will tell us what to do and what not to do with our latest gadget. A lanyard and a pocket clip are also included with the light but I have a great place for those already: there is a drawer in my desk especially created for useless gadget accessories. Accessories like a click-on switch or a color filter/diffuser would be a little more useful for me but I don’t think that will ever happen. I can create a lanyard on my own using 550 cord any time I want and let’s not talk about how useful pocket clips are on a flashlight with a push-on tail cap switch. I was always dreaming about a 200 Lumens pocket warmer. :)

Let’s talk about the flashlight itself for a bit. Usual design: tailcap/body/lamp-assembly and it is powered by the two included SF batteries. The color is the well known SF green color combo where the body is anodized to a different color than the lamp assembly. No color options available this time which is sad because the LX2 would look better in black. Pictured here next to an L4 Lumamax.

I already mentioned the diameter of the tail cap but let’s see how it works: it is a “traditional” SF tail cap with a two stage switch under the rubber button. Push the on and twist (tighten) for constant on operation. The first stage will give you 15 Lumens which is good for navigation and map reading but in order to burn Zombies, Vampires and other immortals you need to push that button further on. The LX2 lamp assembly an tail cap pictured between G2 an L4 accessories.

The bezel is smoother than other SF bezels and probably this is the only tactically correct thing about the LX2 because it will focus the 200 lumens to one spot where you most need it and the beam won’t get diffused by an uneven surface. The LX2 lamp assembly (right) is pictured next to an L4 assembly.

The thread size on the lamp assembly matches other SF lights of the L and E series so this could be a plus for me. I found the lamp assembly a bit too expensive to test it with an airsoft rifle but I am sure that the tempered glass will match the one I tested earlier on the G2 where the glass didn’t brake after a direct impact of a .20 BB traveling 400 fps (distance 10m).

Waterproofing is provided by two rubber seals: one on the front and one on the back side of the body tube. Lubricating these with some rubber friendly grease might help you to keep moisture out of your expensive device. There is some lubricant applied on the rings already but checking it every now and then could be a good idea.

What am I going to do with this light if it won’t fit any mount ring? I just need to find a flashlight body which will accept the LX2’s LED but that body needs to be tactically correct (I just love this expression, btw thanks SF). This light will be the L4 as you can see on the images. It has a ¾ body diameter and a click-on tail cap switch and I can simply remove and exchange the two lamp assemblies. If you don’t have a light to sacrifice then some kind of rubber sheet wrapped around the original LX2 body could work with 1” mounts but I rather go with something that will work for sure.

The L4 Lumamax is “only” a 100 Lumens one but it has a click-on switch so I don’t mind upgrading it to a 200 lumens flashlight. I know I will loose the first 15 lumens stage but nothing is for free (especially if we talk about SF lights).

Runtime: Always an important subject when it comes to battery operated equipment. With most if its lights SF will tell you the expected runtime on a certain output level but not with the LX2. They came up with this instead: 2 hours expected runtime at Tactical Output Level and this level is 50 Lumens in their book so it simply means that the LX2’s output will drop down to 50 lumens in just two hours. I could do some calculations and diagrams but instead I will only say that this is a V12 flashlight: outstanding performance with high consumption. I remember the time when the tactical lighting applications changed from incandescent to LED in order squeeze a little bit more runtime out of the batteries and now here we go again but this time it looks like batteries are obsolete and not the light bulbs. I wonder what the next step will be to keep acceptable runtimes but introducing a new power source sounds like a logical answer. Going past 200 Lumens would make me worry about my friends I play with so I rather go with extended runtime instead of more power. The focused beam of the LX2 is useful up to 100 meters and probably even beyond that but not too many of us are capable of sending BBs that far.

As far as weight, the LX2 is lighter than the competition (Fenix, Innovatek, G&P and other ACM lights) and getting rid of extra weight on the front end is always helpful. Since I got the LX2 I hardly use my M952 or the G3 anymore. It is way too easy to get used to the luxury of a featherweight front end.

Mounting a flashlight to a gun is different from people to people and I just want to introduce a cheap and simple method here.

Viking Tactics came out with their upgrade flashlight mount and the changes are notable. Now the mount ring can accept ¾” and 1” bodies as well with a help of a spacer. The old type of VT light mount used hex screws to fix the flashlight inside the ring and those screws were in direct contact with the flashlight bodies often causing scratches and deformation especially with plastic bodies like the SF G series but the new mount ring changed all that plus now all the screws can be tightened with the same size of hex key.  True weight and money saver if you fancy real life gear and I think this is the best flashlight mount under $20. The only downside of this product is that it is mainly available in the US.

LX2: Nice, powerful flashlight but it is over-priced and under accessorized. It looks like SF is losing the focus and these lights are more for the collectors and outdoor people rather than being true tactical flashlights. There are other brands out there offering the same power and some of them are cheaper or better accessorized. The text on the LX2’s box says, and I quote: “We engineer and manufacture no-compromise illumination tools”. I hope at least one of you were counting how many compromises I had to make in order to use this light for (fake) tactical purposes.

Another SF slogan says: If there is no competition attack yourself. Let’s get to it then SF please!!!

After purchasing this flashlight I found out that a 200 lumens version of the E2DL is on the market already so everyone fancying an SF light for airsoft purposes I suggest trying that one instead of the LX2 because it can be mounted easy with ¾ ring mounts and its price is about $40 lighter.