Surefire UM2 Ultra

[FPSRelic]

Price is down to 250!

I guess they're not selling as quick as they'd like.

 

[WarriorOfLight]

I guess the same, and since the light is not on the SF website listed it is not that easy to sell 800 units. There are a lot people that even know the light really exist.

 

[Vox Clamatis in Deserto]

Price is down to 250!

I guess they're not selling as quick as they'd like.

I guess the same, and since the light is not on the SF website listed it is not that easy to sell 800 units. There are a lot people that even know the light really exist.

Yep, as I speculated earlier here:

If the UM2 is like some other SureFire closeouts and limited runs, the lights will sell at list price for a while until the niche market demand is satisfied. Then they will be discounted to clear out the remaining stock. Still later, the lights will appear on the auction site for a premium price since they are now out of production collectibles. The 9-11 edition red 6PX and the 30th anniversary pen and EB1 sets are in the premium price stage of this cycle on eBay for example.

I'm sorely tempted to buy another UM2 before the price drops again. :devil:

 

[gottawearshades]

I've been staring at this light for a while. Now I wonder how long I should wait. . . . .

 

[WarriorOfLight]

I'm sorely tempted to buy another UM2 before the price drops again. :devil:

I'm also thining about it too :huh:. But I have 2 UM2's and that is enough, even if the UM2 is a really great light. For me is this light the light of the year 2016. I was waiting for it since 2012 when the first version was in he 2012 Surefire brochure....

I've been staring at this light for a while. Now I wonder how long I should wait. . . . .

I would not expect the price will go under 200USD. In case the price reaches 199USD I'll take 2 or 3 additional UM2's :thumbsup:

 

[RobertMM]

Yup I daresay 220-250 is as low as it would go but who knows?
If I were in CONUS I'd be 250 poorer now but a lot happier.

 

[LumenKing1]

You guys better hurry up, I am contemplating buying 100 units.

 

[WarriorOfLight]

You guys better hurry up, I am contemplating buying 100 units.

Why only 100? A year mostly has 365 days. You have the chance to get an UM2 for every day.

 

[LumenKing1]

Why only 100? A year mostly has 365 days. You have the chance to get an UM2 for every day.

I was just joking. I did pick up a Surefire Titan Plus today along with a Surefire PX2, four Eneloop pro AAA's 950 Mah batteries, another box of 12 SF batteries, 12 Energizer Ultimate Lithium's, a case for AAA batteries, and they threw in another pair of shooting glasses and a 90 lumen Olight keychain light for free. Not a big spending day, but a lot of stocking stuffers.

 

[JBA]

Wow! I didn't realize that the UM2 had finally been released. Any idea why Surefire only has one company selling it and why it's not listed even on there own website? Anyone know of any reviews (in English ) on the UM2?

 

[RobertMM]

Wow! I didn't realize that the UM2 had finally been released. Any idea why Surefire only has one company selling it and why it's not listed even on there own website? Anyone know of any reviews (in English ) on the UM2?

The review a few posts up can be converted (sometimes funnily) by google translate.
It is not on their site because it is out of production and all 800 limited edition units reportedly bought in bulk by a reseller. What's out there maybe the last they produce.

 

[JBA]

The review a few posts up can be converted (sometimes funnily) by google translate.
It is not on their site because it is out of production and all 800 limited edition units reportedly bought in bulk by a reseller. What's out there maybe the last they produce.

Thanks for the heads up. I didn't think to try Google Translate and honestly, I was hoping not to have to go through all the trouble. And since it was a limited production run, I better grab one before it's gone. I love my U2 Ultra and I've been waiting for the updated version for sometime. Any idea why it was a limited run? Thanks again!

 

[RobertMM]

Thanks for the heads up. I didn't think to try Google Translate and honestly, I was hoping not to have to go through all the trouble. And since it was a limited production run, I better grab one before it's gone. I love my U2 Ultra and I've been waiting for the updated version for sometime. Any idea why it was a limited run? Thanks again!

Production costs, reportedly.

 

[WarriorOfLight]

I also assume the production costs are one of the reasons only 800 units were made. I also assume this 800 devices are the devices of an stopped production run of more UM2 units. When you check the videos of the shot show 2015 you will also see the UM2 and this UM2 exactly looks like the UM2 that is available in this 800 unit limited run.

I assume when the military contract with Surefire was cancelled in 2015 Surefire was forced to reduce the total company costs. They discontinued a lot great lights in the begin of 2015. Maybe the UM2 was one of the lights that was intended for military porpose also?

The next reason may be selector ring lights are currently "out". When you check other manufacturers you see there are no selector ring lights anymore. Niteye, Jetbeam, Sunwayman, all of this manufacturers had selector ring lighs 1-2 years ago but today no selector ring anymore. Maybe it is to expensive and compilcated to make such lights. Today it is important to have a maximum money for a minimum of production cost. Why manufacturing a selector ring light for i.e. 35USD and selling it for 150USD if you can produce a normal light with tailcap switch for 20USD and you sell it for 150USD also?

 

[RobertMM]

Yes that's what it is, just too much money to make and not enough profit from it while other products, while certainly less versatile, are also cheaper to make and meet majority of users' needs perfectly fine.
It's like the UM2 is like a niche light now.

I want the UM2, no mistake about that, but at that price(+horrendous shipping and customs fees in my country) I'd like it to support at least 16650 use(intended by the manufacturer or not).

 

[Vox Clamatis in Deserto]

When you check the videos of the shot show 2015 you will also see the UM2 and this UM2 exactly looks like the UM2 that is available in this 800 unit limited run.

Actually, the UM2 in the 2015 SHOT Show video appears to me to have a shiny instead of matte tailcap and a clip with some cutouts that aren't on the clip of my recently purchased UM2.

Also, the hash marks for the light levels on the selector ring seem to be missing as the light is picked up and turned here:

https://youtu.be/ATP-vNoxaDI?t=40

An additional small difference is the serial number on the body of the SHOT Show light. I'm guessing it begins with an 'X' but I can't quite read it in the video. The retail light I have has no serial number on the body.

Subtle clues perhaps, but maybe this indicates that UM2 production started sometime after this prototype was displayed in January 2015.

I assume when the military contract with Surefire was cancelled in 2015 Surefire was forced to reduce the total company costs. They discontinued a lot great lights in the begin of 2015. Maybe the UM2 was one of the lights that was intended for military porpose also?

That would be my guess as well. The U2 stayed on SureFire's price list for years after far more powerful small LED lights were introduced. In each of the U.S. armed services certain elite units traditionally get to specify equipment without the burdensome and long competitive bidding process for suppliers. I'm thinking that some of the snake eaters specified the U2 years ago and SureFire hoped the UM2 would be purchased as a replacement.

Anyway, to me, the UM2 has the look and feel of that long awaited U2 successor. :thumbsup:

 

[jgunner1313]

http://www.surefire.com/um2-ultra.html

Well it looks like SureFire is finally acknowledging the UM2 on their website. And it seems Arms Unlimited is indeed the exclusive distributor. It links directly to their product page for purchasing: https://www.armsunlimited.com/SureFire-Baby-Dominator-Variable-LED-Flashlight-p/um2-a-bk.htm

 

[JBA]

http://www.surefire.com/um2-ultra.html

Well it looks like SureFire is finally acknowledging the UM2 on their website. And it seems Arms Unlimited is indeed the exclusive distributor. It links directly to their product page for purchasing: https://www.armsunlimited.com/SureFire-Baby-Dominator-Variable-LED-Flashlight-p/um2-a-bk.htm

Thanks for sharing that, I've been wondering if Surefire would ever publish the specs on their website or not. Finally ordered mine today!

 

[JBA]

Wow! Ordered the UM2 from Arms Unlimited late Friday morning, choose the free shipping option as I was in no hurry to receive it, and I actually got it in the mail today. The shipping info I received from Arms Unlimited was talking about a Saturday delivery date and I received it a full five days ahead of time. Impressive!

Some quick impressions. The UM2 was wrapped in plastic and was loose inside the Surefire box with the basic Surefire paperwork/sticker, no padding, and two Surefire 123 batteries were included and inside the light. The texturing/knurling (whatever you want to call it) is pretty similar between the two lights as is the switch but that's about as far as the similarities go. The UM2 is slightly taller and the clip design is different from the U2, more along the lines of the flat metal clip of the E series lights but without the two way clip. The selector ring has hash marks denoting the output level with the lowest having a thin line marking it and each higher level having an increasingly thicker line denoting a brighter setting; each spot having a positive detent as you rotate it through the settings. This is unlike the U2 which has a smooth transition between the brightness levels. The UM2 beam is on par with my modified U2 that has the XP-G2 emitter in it, just brighter and likely with a longer throw (it's raining outside so I can't really test it). Oh another thing I should mention is that the Surefire diffuser I use for my U2 (not sure of the part number off hand) fits the UM2 perfectly!

So far I am very impressed although I've had it all of an hour. I'll try to take some pictures whenever I get a sunny day outside comparing the two side by side. I hope to mail it off in a couple of weeks to get it bored out to accept an 18650 but I don't know if I'm ready to let it go just yet.

 

[Vox Clamatis in Deserto]

I hope to mail it off in a couple of weeks to get it bored out to accept an 18650 but I don't know if I'm ready to let it go just yet.

It looks like you will probably lose the highest level on the UM2 if you try to run it with an 18650. Some battery observations from earlier in the thread:

Both a Keeppower 16650 and an AW 17670 fit OK but they cycle up and down continuously on the highest selector ring setting. The 17670 is a little snug but can be pushed out since you can remove both the tail and head on this light unlike on some other recent SureFires.

AW and Olight RCR123A's work fine in my UM2.

Thanks for the reply Vox!

With regards to cycling up/down on the highest mode - does it drop from level 6 to 5 and back up to 6, etc?

Yep, that's exactly what it does. And, the cycling seems to be very regular, as if the voltage is polled every second or so and the level is dropped if it is below some threshold. The single RCR cell voltage must be right on the low limit when on the highest selected setting. Kinda like a bistable multivibrator driven by a one Hz pulse signal. Not that there's anything wrong with that as Seinfeld would say.

Also, as the batteries run down, the light will cycle more than one level down until it reaches a steady mode. If the battery recovers somewhat, it will cycle up and start the routine again. It gives you plenty of warning to recharge or replace the batteries as they weaken.

It is the same in my two UM2 lights. I assume this is a voltage observer in the driver. The brightness change between level 5 and 6 is very regulary. I have other SF lights they really flash (between on and off) if the battery is going low.
I think this is a battery warning feature in this light. At all it seems like the UM2 has a build in driver with a lot nice features. Maybe a thermal observation like the EB2 and E2DLU is also in this driver... !?

Currenty I did not found the courage to flip two "normal" LiIon cells in the UM2. I only tried K2 Energy LFP cells and they work perfectly in my UM2's.