Form Factor & Build

1- Modern industrial interpretation of the classic hand-held flashlight form. Geometry is a radially symmetrical (less spring clip) round cross-section / featuring some geometric elements including: a basic cylinder that is modified by a crenellated or 'notched' bezel, scalloped head, scoop transitional collar and a partially flattened body section. These aspects give the Surefire L4 Digital Lumamax an understated industrial elegance. Most of these details help to alleviate the monotony of mono-form design so typical of flashlights.
2- The notches at the front of the bezel are useful in non-lethal compliance as well as to indicate that the light is still on even if it's head down on a table. Scalloping on the front of the head -behind the bezel reduces material weight alllows for a sure-gripped head removal and adds a touch of flair. The scallops do not stop the light from rolling on a smooth flat surface. The strategically located aggressive knurling ensures a secure grip even with wet or oily hands. The strong spring clip speaks of secure and rapid deployment and stowage.
3- Head of Light is wider than the body & tail-piece which are approximately the same diameter.
4- The flashlight feels significantly lighter than many flashlights of comparable output. Solid construction and 'just enough' heft contribute to giving the L4 excellent balance in the hand. Ideal for individuals with small to medium sized hands, it's quite holdable by users with large or extra-large hands as well.
5- One's hand surrounds the aggressively knurled body section.The body of the light easily fills a medium (*1) sized palm with no protrusion.
6- A scooped collar behind the head assists in indexing the front of the grip.
7- The aluminum wall thickness of the battery tube is 2.125 mm.
8- All sections fit together extremely well with fast and smooth threading action.
9- Hard Anodizing Type III (Matte) natural on the outside and a gold colored plating on the inside provide protection against corrosion. Two-tone anodizing colors are matched with Pantone 405MC & Pantone 418MC
10- Matte 'OD' finish minimizes reflections/glare by day and night (MilSpec)
11- There is no 'play' or rattle anywhere. Substantial 'O' ring seals provide shock absorption, a snug fit and a seal against the elements- especially water.
12- Very rugged look & feel with substantial toughness. It's a Military/SWAT/Law enforcement caliber flashlight that would more than satisfy the needs of a consumer demanding an overbuilt product even for everyday use.

1- Ambidextrous. Center of balance slightly in front of the midpoint on the body section.
2- A medium palm completely surrounds the body of the L4, with the thumb and first or second fingers- naturally positioned on the front of the body section just behind the head-portion and indexed to the scooped collar. Ideal for individuals with small to medium sized hands- it's quite holdable by users with large or extra-large hands as well. It is specifically designed to be held using various 'tactical' grips including: Harries Flashlight Technique , Surefire-Rogers grip, forward, upward and downward pointing 'standard' flashlight hand-held modes.
3- A heavy duty knurled combination momentary On / Click On/Off tail-piece switch and textured rubber button allow for either constant or intermittent light activation-especially with one hand.
4- No native mounting options for firearms use are evident, though the mid-section is specifically designed with dedicated clamping brackets or other improvised and custom designed attachment solutions in mind.

1- Stowage- An extra heavy duty spring steel clip allows for head-up stowage in pockets of all fabric thicknesses up to about 1/4". A 1.5" long clip has a 1.5mmX 3mm cut-out in it to allow the attachment of rings, and lanyards.
2 - Activation-In normal use- light emits from the front of the flashlight when activation occurs through an inward pushing of the rubber covered tail cap click switch . A partial (soft) activation causes the light to turn on. An immediate release of pressure, causes the light to turn back off.This is known as 'momentary' mode. Full activation forces the switch to 'click' on permanently through a longer pressing of the switch button . Turning the light permanently 'Off' requires a repetition of the button clicking procedure. This dual functionality is known as a 'toggle'. Intuitive use involves the thumb or first or second fingers of the flashlight's supporting hand- pressing the switch while the light is held in one of various possible grasps- or is supported by a tripod, clamp or other support. One hand may therefore be used to activate the light in 'full-momentary-On' -in the Harries or Surefire/Rogers holds for example. The tailpiece may also be turned anticlockwise into a full 'lock-out' position to prevent unintentional activation.
3-The head is threaded to the body section, allowing for user replacement or crossgrade of the entire head assembly.
4- The removable tailpiece protects the battery compartment from the environment by a single 'O' ring and thread lubrication and allows for click switch maintenance. Battery replacement entails the removal of the head-section from the body section-batteries are then fed through the front of the battery compartment rather than the tail -as is common in tactical type lights. Though not problematic this approach has the following disadvantages:
- Users may be surprised to discover that the CR123 batteries that the L4 uses will not enter the battery compartment via the tail-section. This could result in momentary confusion and could cause some users to run for the instruction manual to find help.
- Because the head section must be removed for battery replacement. This could potentially lead to dropped or lost heads. Assuming that KL4 heads cost more than tailpieces, this could be a substantial problem for users of the L4 in high risk settings.

1-Matte anodizing protects a surface that is finely machined throughout and contributes to high tactility.
2-The L4 design promotes intuitive grip focus on the region between the tailcap and the scooped transition ring.
3-The midsection flat-milled sections reduce the width of the L4's body section enough to allow for 'between the fingers' accommodation as required for a comfortable Surefire/ Rogers Hold . Such material reduction may also help to offset additional weight contributed by the head of the light.
4- We did not perform a 'pull' test but we judged the combination of aggressive pointed diamond pattern knurling, combined with matte anodizing and the natural slippage-stopping potential of the midsection to be effective mitigators to hand slippage- especially under wet or oily conditions . The L4 shares this genetic attribute with most of the Surefire family of flashlights-prevention against manual loss of traction- especially in situations of high user stress or extreme wetness.
5- The lightness, brightness and sturdiness of this light make it suitable for critical inspection, law enforcement, military and security. It is additionally suited for rough outdoors,and other rough environmental use .It's viability in water-sports or underwater is probably very good to excellent (untested)-due to the impressive, medium duty 'O' rings and precision threading both at the head and tail sections. it really deserves to be used anywhere where a combination of lightness, brightness and ruggedness are all equally important.
6-The toggling push for momentary On and click for On/Off activation procedure is an intuitive and fast implementation of the dual function switch.
7- As with the head of the L4, the tailpiece may be removed for maintenance-and unscrewing it affords access to the switch's internal parts.
8- Due to a protrusion of the texturized rubber switch button- the light may not be stood on its tail for ceiling bounce mode. Candle mode is also not an option due to the inability of the user to separate the emitter from the rest of the head section and exposing it.
9-The integrated emitter assembly is not user accessible or modifiable.

The Surefire L4 scored Maximum Distance for Object Identification or MDOI at 150 feet -and did so while displaying one of the brightest/ widest coronas we've seen to date from any flashlight of its class. The L4's brightness is more than adequate for light military,SWAT, law enforcement, security,tactical, critical inspection, general searching- as well rugged outdoors use.
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1- TheSurefire L4 is a medium/heavy duty rough use flashlight that's ideal for general flashlight tasks in a number of everyday and several demanding applications. Due to its robust construction and waterproofness- combined with bright beam, we judge it to be an excellent choice for any flashlight tasks that demand reliability and a relatively long-life bulb.
2- Though longer lived than Xenon bulbs of comparable brightness- the 5 Watt Luxeon LED that the L4 uses has a substantially shorter life (800-900 Hrs) than a the same flashlight with a 3 Watt Luxeon LED (10,000 Hrs) - making it around 30% brighter than a 3W flashlight but in exchange for 1/10 of the lifespan. While one solution would be to offer a version with a 3W Luxeon head, a better option would be to include a dual or variable power setting to help preserve LED lifespan as well as battery power in situations that do not require the full force of the 5 Watt LED's output.
3-Value. With new flashlights in the Luxeon market space -being released weekly- it's hard to define a relative value when comparing non-comparables. The Surefire L4 Digital Lumamax stands almost alone in a class with few if any peers. At this point in time, the Surefire L4 rates 4.75 stars out of a possible 5 stars.
Our gripes were... A) Shorter lived LED - no low power option B) Cannot stand up in Ceiling-bounce mode C) Removal of Head for Battery replacement could result in lossof or damage to the head.

4.75 Stars- Highly Recommended