Who's favorite flashlight is the SureFire Aviator?

[Varnakov222]

I have two of these, an older xenon bulb version with the green and white light, and the newer LED with the red and white light.

Are there more than two generations of the SureFire Aviator?

They may be smaller than most SureFire flashlights, but they are worth the money.

 

[Bogie]

The Halogen A2 was available with two body styles 4 flats or 3 round sections. Secondary color LED's were red, white, blue, green, and yellow green.

Then we got the A2L which mover the electronics to the head rather than being in the body and a led main beam.

The newer Aviator is single cell, with secondary's in 4 colors red, blue, amber, yellow green, and added the hi/low power feature to both LED's. Although at the loss of the gas pedal switch.

I have all versions of the A2 and new Aviator as they are one of my favorites.

 

[M@elstrom]

I have one of the Xenon/LED A2 Aviators and an A2L but neither got a lot of use (partly because the CR123a batteries are expensive here) as I trended towards 18650 style torches... haven't purchased one of the newer variants but own many similar concept lights, multi-spectrum torches FTW! 👍

 

[Varnakov222]

The Halogen A2 was available with two body styles 4 flats or 3 round sections. Secondary color LED's were red, white, blue, green, and yellow green.

Then we got the A2L which mover the electronics to the head rather than being in the body and a led main beam.

The newer Aviator is single cell, with secondary's in 4 colors red, blue, amber, yellow green, and added the hi/low power feature to both LED's. Although at the loss of the gas pedal switch.

I have all versions of the A2 and new Aviator as they are one of my favorites.

Yea, the SureFire Aviator flashlights may be pricey for their small size, but they are worth the money.

My favorite larger heavy duty flashlight is the SureFire Lawman.

It has all of the bells and whistles, including a charging port located on the side of the flashlight where you can plug in the entire flashlight for charging without having to remove the batteries to charge seperately.

 

[M@elstrom]

It has all of the bells and whistles, including a charging port located on the side of the flashlight where you can plug in the entire flashlight for charging

OMG if I ever had a pet peeve with Torches/Flashlights, that would be it... the current trend toward external USB charge ports 🤮

 

[letschat7]

I want to get one but they are $300. For red light I used to use a LRI Photon with my 6P.

 

[Varnakov222]

I am thinking about getting an Imalent flashlight, but some of these models claim to operate at over 100,000 Lumens.

Before I actually buy something like this, I need an expert here on these forums to help me seperate the B.S. from what is actually real.

These Imalent models are standard size handheld flashlights, so how can they spit out over 100,000 lumens?

I would expect something like this from industrial sized search lights, or lights that are used at stadiums for sporting events at night.

I have two SureFire aviators and a SureFire Lawman, but I am thinking about buying a much brighter flash light.

A Google search of brightest flashlights linked me to Imalent and Acebeam.

 

[WarriorOfLight]

I own all 4 one Cell LED Aviators, one A2L and two Xenon A2 Aviators.

@Varnakov222
Regarding this brightest flashlights, the Imalent MS18 and SR32 are actually the brightest lighs that you can buy. But for ne this lights are no "standard size". They are large and heavy. But the stated output is only available for a short time die to the fact the light is getting hot...
If such a light maked sense? Maybe of you wozld like to habe the brightest light that is produced in larger pieces....

 

[Varnakov222]

I own all 4 one Cell LED Aviators, one A2L and two Xenon A2 Aviators.

@Varnakov222
Regarding this brightest flashlights, the Imalent MS18 and SR32 are actually the brightest lighs that you can buy. But for ne this lights are no "standard size". They are large and heavy. But the stated output is only available for a short time die to the fact the light is getting hot...
If such a light maked sense? Maybe of you wozld like to habe the brightest light that is produced in larger pieces....

So apparently they do live up to the hype.

After further research, even though you can use them and carry them with one hand, they are indeed much larger than standard size flashlights, and the comparison photographs in the adds with a person's hand cleary shows this.

 

[letschat7]

Maybe try a Led Lenser X21R or Lupine Betty first? At least they have functional customer service and parts are available.

 

[luisma]

I am not a user but a collector and the Gen1 A2 as one of my favorite Surefire lights.

 

[Varnakov222]

I am not a user but a collector and the Gen1 A2 as one of my favorite Surefire lights.

Yea, one of the things my xenon A2 Aviator can do that my newer LED can't do is shine both lights simultaneously.

My A2 can flash the white and the green light together.

 

[bykfixer]

I am not a user but a collector and the Gen1 A2 as one of my favorite Surefire lights.

Same here. Heck I even like that white LED version, purple edges and all.

My favorite Aviator is not an Aviator anymore, but has a Scout tailcap and incan e-head with a Tana singLED. I call it the aviatEr

 

[letschat7]

So I could spend like $10 on a red led LRI and $35 on a Tekna Exec and have all the function and both are USA made.

I have both already, of course, but I guess they could be paired together.

 

[kaichu dento]

So I could spend like $10 on a red led LRI and $35 on a Tekna Exec and have all the function and both are USA made.

I have both already, of course, but I guess they could be paired together.

You might want to actually try one out; nothing the same about having an A2 in one hand, and two separate lights in the other.

 

[M@elstrom]

So I could spend like $10 on a red led LRI and $35 on a Tekna Exec and have all the function and both are USA made.

I have both already, of course, but I guess they could be paired together.

The concept of a dual/twin task (multi-spectrum) torch is operationally sound, why else are so many other manufacturers using the same approach? 😉

 

[letschat7]

I have a multitask light it is just the SF costs so much.

 

[kaichu dento]

I have a multitask light it is just the SF costs so much.

I don't mind getting something to eat at McDonald's, but I'm sure not going to convince anyone that it's the equivalent of a Delmonico steak. Quality isn't the only thing that makes things more expensive, but it's definitely one of them.

 

[experimentjon]

The original A2 Aviator was the light that got me interested in flashlights...and there was absolutely zero chance I was going to spend however many dollars it was in the mid 2000s on a flashlight. Fast forward ~20 years and I finally own one of those A2s in my preferred green LED. Funny enough, when I got it, the light was quite disappointing because of how awful the beams on those old LEDs were...splotchy and much uglier than the Dragon-powered colored LEDs we have today (which tend to have rather unusable patterns unless paired with a diffuser).

But I still love that A2. The A2L is a bit of an improvement (have one with red secondaries). But the latest single cell aviators are the best. Usable size, Two good white beams, and two good color beams. One of my favorite Surefire EDCs, and definitely my favorite factory-spec Surefire.

 

[sween1911]

I had an A2 (round body incan/led with white led's) that I used for hiking/camping. Incredibly versatile light. The fact that the incan bulb would stop working but the secondaries would run for awhile made a great low-voltage indicator to know when to change the batts without leaving you in the dark, a paranoia fueled by my first experience with my old trusty G2. I've fired up that beautiful regulated incan beam on hiking trails in pitch black night in the woods and it never failed to illuminate anything that needed to be identified.