# Surefire AZ2 Review with pictures and beamshots



## SuperTrouper (Jul 3, 2010)

This is a review of one of Surefire's new lights in the Z2 range; the AZ2 (AZ2-BK-WH).

You can click any image in this review to get a larger view.

This is the first time I've ever attempted to review a torch. I don't mean to make a habit of it and I have only done it this time as I feel CPF is lacking on information on the AZ2 and think that perhaps others considering purchasing this light might appreciate some firsthand reflections on it.

The stated specs of the light are as follow:
Max Output: 150 lumens
Low Output / Runtime: 35 lumens / 10 hours
Tactical Runtime: 2.0 hours*
Length: 5.70 inches (14.48cm)
Bezel Diameter: 1.25 inches (3.18cm)
Weight w/Batteries: 5.1 ounces (144.59 grammes)
Batteries: 2x CR123A

*Total runtime at highest setting until output drops below 50 lumens





The AZ2 was slimmer than I thought it would be from looking at the images on the Surefire site. It fits nicely in my hand in many different grips. Like the earlier Z2 series lights, this one has the same overall silhouette with a slim body portion with flat sides at the middle, a wider bezel at the front and the typical rubber "CombatGrip" ending with the tailcap. Unlike previous lights in the Z2 range however, the AZ2, like the new Z2-S do not use a P60 style modular drop-in, instead they use a sealed bezel unit with integral light engine the same way the E-series does. The reflector used in this light is textured similar to the typical "orange peel" style and quite shallow compared to P60 drop ins and other lights of similar size such as the Fenix TK11. This may be why the light has such a dramatically wide diameter of spill.







The light is supplied from Surefire with batteries, and a lanyard which fixes to a ring near the tailcap of the light, which is removable.

The AZ2 uses the traditional Surefire twisty UI: Push halfway for low momentary on, which activates a ring of four 5MM white LEDs giving a reported 35 lumen low flood of light. Push further to activate the main Luxeon TFFC LED which is apparently 150 lumens. The Luxeon main LED to my eye gives a slightly warmer colour output compared to some of the more recent cool white Cree LEDs. I don't however have any specifically "neutral white" or "warm white" LEDs to compare it to so this is hard to qualify. I think it's possible that Surefire have chosen this LED for it's colour temperature when driven at this level.





Like other Surefire lights that utilise this low/high UI with multiple different LED arrays, the AZ2's low LEDS remain on while the light is in high mode. Constant-on can be activated by twisting the tailcap, again low is activated constantly first, followed by high if the tailcap is further screwed down.

I was surprised that this twisty UI required so many turns to go from off, through constant low to constant high. I found it uncomfortable trying to activate the constant-on high mode with one hand, although this is my first experience with a Surefire light with the "twisty" UI so this may be normal. The step up from low to high output in the momentary push tailcap does however feel nice and positive.

In terms of heatsinking, I have used the AZ2 while hunting around in my loft (attic if you're in the States) and noticed that the bezel does heat up quite quickly when on high mode. It feels like the light has decent thermal transfer from the emitter to the bezel.

Here are a couple of wall hunting shots to show the beam profiles and tint compared to other lights.

Here's the flood pattern given off by the 4 flood LEDs:




Here are the lights used for comparison for the rest of the review:
Left to right there is, the Surefire AZ2, Surefire E2L, 4Sevens Quark 123_2 Turbo, A Dereelight P60 XP-G R5 drop in in a Solarforce L2 Host, Fenix TK11 R2. A CR123 and an AW protected 18650 are also in shot for size comparison







A series of lights to show the beam profile. As you can see the AZ2 seems to have a warmer tint and a much larger spill diameter than the others.
Left to right are; Quark Turbo XP-G R5, Fenix TK11 R2, Dereelight XP-G R5 P60 drop in, Surefire AZ2. The tints as shown in the images are accurate to my eye. All lights are on their highest output setting.




Stepped back a little on exposure you can see the spill isn't quite as bright as some of the other lights but then again these lights are all rated much higher in output than the AZ2, between 206 and 300 lumens.



You can also see a small doughnut hole in the middle of the AZ2 beam. This is only visible if the light is at very short range from a wall it's shining on.

Now for some indoor Beamshots:

Indoor Control:




AZ2 on low/flood indoors:



The flood is a little brighter than this in person, however I kept the exposure setting to show off the main beams better

AZ2 main beam indoors:




Quark Turbo XP-G R5 main beam indoors:




Dereelight P60 XP-G R5 indoors:




Fenix TK11 indoors:




Outdoor shots:

AZ2 main beam outdoors:




Surefire E2L high beam outdoors:




Quark Turbo XP-G R5 outdoors:




Dereelight P60 XP-G R5 outdoors:




Fenix TK11 R2 outdoors:




Finally a few more shots of the light:



















Hopefully this satisfies some curiosity people may have about this light. If you have any other questions or photo requests do ask and I'll do what I can to accommodate.


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## rookiedaddy (Jul 3, 2010)

This is a very good review of AZ2. :thumbsup: Thanks a lot.


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## DimeRazorback (Jul 3, 2010)

Great review and beamshots!

I will definitely have to try find one now! 

Where did you get yours from? Being international and all


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## SuperTrouper (Jul 3, 2010)

DimeRazorback said:


> Where did you get yours from? Being international and all



I couldn't possibly say :devil:


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## DimeRazorback (Jul 3, 2010)

PM's are a marvelous thing


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## DM51 (Jul 3, 2010)

Nice work! This gives a good impression of the light, and those are very useful comparison shots. 

I'm moving it to the Reviews section.


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## SuperTrouper (Jul 3, 2010)

Apologies if anyone looked at this earlier and some of the beamshot images weren't loading or it was asking for authorisation. I had some minor issues with where I hosted the images. It should all be sorted now and they should all be showing up.


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## Size15's (Jul 3, 2010)

May I suggest that it would be very helpful to see a photo or two of the various lights you've compared the beams of. 
All too often beamshot comparisons are done without photos comparing the flashlights themselves.
I encourage you to buck the trend please!

Al


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## SuperTrouper (Jul 3, 2010)

Size15's said:


> May I suggest that it would be very helpful to see a photo or two of the various lights you've compared the beams of.
> All too often beamshot comparisons are done without photos comparing the flashlights themselves.
> I encourage you to buck the trend please!
> 
> Al



I'll see what I can do 

I didn't think anyone would be particularly interested in seeing the Quark or Fenix really as they're quite common lights around here.


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## Size15's (Jul 3, 2010)

It's easy enough to find photos of them individually but to get some context it is better to have them in the same photo.


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## SuperTrouper (Jul 3, 2010)

There you go, I've added a couple of photos with the rest of the lights used in the review for comparison.

Enjoy


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## Size15's (Jul 3, 2010)

Brilliant. Thanks


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## pjandyho (Jul 4, 2010)

Thanks for the wonderful review! Very nicely done! Now looking at it, is the beam really so narrow visually? I have seen the Quark turbo's beam profile and I am using that as a comparison. It seems that the AZ2 has a tighter beam profile than the Quark. Is it really true visually or has it to do with the camera exposure?


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## SuperTrouper (Jul 4, 2010)

The beam hotspot is rather narrow, however if you look at the whitewall comparison shots, you can see the AZ2 has massive spill.

It's not so easy to show the spill in the outdoor beamshots however.


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## pjandyho (Jul 4, 2010)

SuperTrouper said:


> The beam hotspot is rather narrow, however if you look at the whitewall comparison shots, you can see the AZ2 has massive spill.
> 
> It's not so easy to show the spill in the outdoor beamshots however.



Yes that is so very true. It has to do with the camera's lack of exposure latitude to capture from the whitest white to the darkest shadows. That's why I am curious as to what the beam profile is actually like in actual use.


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## SuperTrouper (Jul 4, 2010)

So I was looking at the back of the head of the AZ2 and I had an interesting discovery...I thought it looked like a familiar contact....now where had I seen that head before......







It's only E-series compatible!!!!


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## pjandyho (Jul 4, 2010)

Wow! That is an interesting discovery! I have a black E2e and I am sure it would be a good match. Are you able to ascertain if you are getting the same amount of power from the AZ2's head on an E2 body as compared to the original AZ2's configuration? Does it run brighter or dimmer than a stock AZ2?


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## SuperTrouper (Jul 4, 2010)

pjandyho said:


> Wow! That is an interesting discovery! I have a black E2e and I am sure it would be a good match. Are you able to ascertain if you are getting the same amount of power from the AZ2's head on an E2 body as compared to the original AZ2's configuration? Does it run brighter or dimmer than a stock AZ2?



The AZ2 on the E2L body loses the modes. It's on in high mode only.

They look like they keep the same levels of brightness, however it's light here, and I don't have any lightmeters to do anything other than eyeball it so it's not a very scientific or precise measurement.

From this it seems that the modes are in the AZ2 tailcap, but they're in the head on the E2L so both modes are still available for the E2L head on the AZ2 body.


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## Size15's (Jul 4, 2010)

This what we'd expect since the electronics for both the two-stage output models such as the AZ2/LX2, and the dual output models such as the E2L/E1B are in the bezels. It's the TailCaps that trigger the mode change. For dual output models its simply momentarily breaking the circuit, whereas for the two-stage models the difference in resistance of the positions of the TailCap push button is sensed by the bezel.


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## pjandyho (Jul 5, 2010)

SuperTrouper,

Thanks for the tips regarding the interchangeability of the bezel between the AZ2 and the E2L. I just bought the AZ2 together with the S2 Stratum from my local dealer and I am happy with my purchase. I even got the bezel of the AZ2 fitted on a black E2e body and boy, it looks cool! The only gripes I have about the AZ2 is that the main beam profile is a little too narrow for my liking but I do love the flood that the 4 LEDs are providing.

The overall tint color is very nice and pleasing to me (based on my preference). I don't know about your AZ2 but mine is a little on the yellowish, or warmish side. Nearer to neutral white than cool white. More in semblance to an Osram energy saving lamp but cooler and so is my Stratum. Very useful for me since I am using my lights mainly in the outdoors. Sure beats having a bluish white tint. Is your AZ2 exhibiting the same tint characteristic?


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## SuperTrouper (Jul 5, 2010)

As you can see in the pics it has a much warmer tint than the XP-Gs I tested it against.





I'm quite enjoying the tint, but other than that I simply cannot stop playing with this light  The hotspot of the main beam may be a bit narrow but the spill is huge!


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## pjandyho (Jul 5, 2010)

Thanks. I apologize for having missed that in your review.

Even though it is a nice light to have, I can't help feeling that I would be leaning more towards the LX2 or the Stratum for my daily use. I guess only time would tell whether I favor the AZ2.

The Stratum has a slightly brighter (by a slight margin) and bigger hotspot but with the same amount of spill as the AZ2.

The LX2 is just a different beast altogether. It has a bigger and brighter hotspot than the AZ2 and Stratum and although it is not as bright and wide in the spill, it is still ample. At about 50 meters, the throw of the LX2 just wins both hands down.


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## Kiessling (Jul 5, 2010)

E-Series compatible ... who would have though. Cool! 

But .... I wonder why they opted for this ridiculously wide spill and needle like spot? I really want this light, but the beam pattern ... ugh! :sick2:

bernie


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## JasonC8301 (Jul 5, 2010)

Awesome review  

I still EDC a Surefire E2e in stock form, LOL...

Jason


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## pjandyho (Jul 5, 2010)

Kiessling said:


> E-Series compatible ... who would have though. Cool!
> 
> But .... I wonder why they opted for this ridiculously wide spill and needle like spot? I really want this light, but the beam pattern ... ugh! :sick2:
> 
> bernie


I guess it has to do with the 4 LEDs in there, always wrongly referred to by many as "small LEDs" as they are even bigger than the main LED. They sort of took up the extra space from the reflector which indirectly affects the main beam profile. My main beam is not exactly round in shape. In fact, it looks a little bit like a triangle with very rounded sides. Not too bad, just not so circular overall.


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## DimeRazorback (Jul 5, 2010)

Kiessling said:


> E-Series compatible ... who would have though. Cool!
> 
> But .... I wonder why they opted for this ridiculously wide spill and needle like spot? I really want this light, but the beam pattern ... ugh! :sick2:
> 
> bernie



It appears the same beam shape as the Z2-S, and it would be great for clearing rooms imo. Then you have the extra throw from the hotspot, to pinpoint and light up an offender.


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## Rjkpsmith (Sep 20, 2010)

Do any of you guys who own an AZ2 know whether or not the tailcap is C-series compatible? That would be awesome if the AZ2's two stage twisty would work on a C2... Perhaps if you could buy the tailcap separately from Surefire this could be a replacement for the discontinued McGizmo McC2s switch... which is much needed, in my opinion. If anyone who has an AZ2 could check that would be great...


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## whitedoom34 (Sep 20, 2010)

The switch is not compatible with the C series, as the tail threads of lights with this UI are square.

I wonder who will be the first to lego up a LZ2?:devil:


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## pjandyho (Sep 21, 2010)

whitedoom34 said:


> The switch is not compatible with the C series, as the tail threads of lights with this UI are square.
> 
> I wonder who will be the first to lego up a LZ2?:devil:



What do you mean by square threading? AZ2 does not have square threads. Btw, the tail cap diameter of the LX2 and AZ2 are not the same so it won't fit if you intend to Lego them. On the other hand, the bezel of the AZ2 does fit on an E2e and switches on in high mode with all the LEDs lit up.


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## SuperTrouper (Sep 21, 2010)

The tailcap from the AZ2 fits on a Solarforce L2 so I assume it's P-series compatible and all those similar.

I'll try out a 6P with the AZ2 tailcap tonight though.


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## whitedoom34 (Sep 21, 2010)

Sorry, I was mistaken.


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## SuperTrouper (Sep 21, 2010)

I tested my AZ2 tailcap with my 6P with a Malkoff M61W in this evening. 

Not only did it fit the 6P but it also seemed to give the M61W two stages of output. I guess it's a resistored tailcap!


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## Rjkpsmith (Sep 21, 2010)

SuperTrouper said:


> I tested my AZ2 tailcap with my 6P with a Malkoff M61W in this evening.
> 
> Not only did it fit the 6P but it also seemed to give the M61W two stages of output. I guess it's a resitored tailcap!




Awesome! That is great to hear that it works! Can you estimate how many lumens you get in the resistored low mode on the Malkoff M61w? Now I just need to see If Surefire will sell this tailcap separately - I am hoping to get one to put on a C2. 

Thanks for testing it out for us...:thumbsup:


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## SuperTrouper (Sep 22, 2010)

I read people repeatedly stating that you need like double the lumens to notice the difference.

If that's true we're talking at least a 50% output reduction on the first stage, the difference is quite noticeable but I couldn't hazard a guess as to how many lumens. I don't think our eyes are really well suited to judge such things.


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## sfca (Oct 28, 2010)

Rjkpsmith said:


> Awesome! That is great to hear that it works! Can you estimate how many lumens you get in the resistored low mode on the Malkoff M61w?* Now I just need to see If Surefire will sell this tailcap separately - I am hoping to get one to put on a C2. *
> 
> Thanks for testing it out for us...:thumbsup:




Oh yes.. That's a great idea. If there's no effect on lumens that + C2 would be GREAT!
Would make the C2 on the longer side (total length=?) but it'd be_* sweet*_ with say a _single-mode SST-50_ drop-in to have "low mode".

Somebody try it and report back


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## Dennis (Oct 29, 2010)

SuperTrouper said:


> I tested my AZ2 tailcap with my 6P with a Malkoff M61W in this evening.
> 
> Not only did it fit the 6P but it also seemed to give the M61W two stages of output. I guess it's a resistored tailcap!



I did the same thing but it seemed like the two levels were very close. I tried it with a Wildcat and saw almost no difference...

I do wish SF would come out with a universal two-stage tailcap since they own the patent... The old McClicky two-stage upgrade was nice, but an integrated solution would be better.

Dennis.


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## Kestrel (Nov 18, 2011)

SuperTrouper said:


> I tested my AZ2 tailcap with my 6P with a Malkoff M61W in this evening.
> Not only did it fit the 6P but it also seemed to give the M61W two stages of output. I guess it's a resistored tailcap!


Sorry for the late bump (just catching up on some old threads), but this was important news for the folks here who try to follow things like this. *A C-series-compatible two-stage resistored tailcap from SureFire!!* I'll bet it's still configured as 10 ohms, and it would need to be changed to something 125 ohms to get back to a good low, but still! Has anybody had any luck with getting this tailcap separately? On the rare occasions that a McC2S comes up for sale, they are valued at ~$100 or so.


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## matthewcyho (Nov 19, 2011)

Looks like you love Surefire very much , i check your gallery , anyway , Nice review and photo


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## tsl (Feb 18, 2012)

Can anyone comment on the "in hand" and "in pocket" size difference between the AZ2 and the A2? I know that the specs say that the AZ2 bezel diameter is 1.25" (compared to the A2's 1.13") and that the AZ2 is slightly longer. How does that difference translate when the light is in your hand or pocket? I have an A2 and am interested in understanding the relative size of the AZ2 compared to it.

Thanks!


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## SuperTrouper (Feb 20, 2012)

It's quite a significant difference imo. The A2 is practically E-series. I.e. easily pocket carriable. The AZ2 is closer in size to the Z2/6P size lights, and a bit longer than them too.


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## fresh eddie fresh (Jul 13, 2012)

Sorry to bump such an old thread, but last night I started to Lego my AZ2-S (I actually really do not like strobe, but I got it cheaper than the AZ2's were selling for) and the E series head and C series tail is a lot of fun to mess around with. I definitely did the two level trick with some Malkoff equipped M2, C2, and 6Ps, although the two levels were not that far from each other in brightness. The real fun was when I put the head from my E2DL on it... with the two stage tailcap, the head acted a lot like my LX2 head, low then high when pushing through the two stages, but if you turned it off quickly and did it again, it went into low mode. 

I think my favorite combination was the E2DL head with a clicky tailcap. Worked much the same as the E2DL, but a little shorter and fatter. 

I had so much fun, I bought another one.


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## chnzwh (Oct 22, 2012)

Sorry for bumping this old review, but how exactly should we interpret the high output of AZ2/AZ2-S? Is it 150+35=185 lumens or 115+35=150 lumens?


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