Dimensions & Weight
Case Material
Case Features
Case Access Type
Switch Type
Reflector Type
Lens Type
Bulb Type
Circuit
Beam Type
Beam Characteristics
Overall Output
Nominal Color
Battery / Power Type
Battery Life (advertised)
Environmental Protection
Accessories
Special Items of Note
Warranty
Retail Availability & Cost

1- Classic hand-held flashlight form. Geometry is a radially symmetrical round cross-section/featuring a nine longitudinal slotted anti-roll head / smoothened contours, light diamond pattern body knurling and functional 'railed' pattern tailcap knurling.
2- Head of Light is wider than the body & tail-piece which are the same diameter.
3- The flashlight feels light weight but still has substantial heft. Its styling pays cursory homage to a late 20th Century classic- the MAG Instruments®- Mini Mag-lite®.
4-Due to it's long and narrow-diameter body it's ideal for individuals with small, medium or large sized hands. In addition its slenderness lends itself stowage and carry in accessories that accommodate any flashlight with a body diameter of 18mm.
5- One's hand easily surrounds the body section.The body of the light easily fills a Large or X-Large (*1) sized palm with some protrusion. Much more protrusion will occur with small and medium sized hands.
6- Nine slots on the head effectively prevent the light from rolling on a smooth surface.
7- The aluminum wall thickness of the battery tube is 1.9 mm.
8- All sections fit together well with fairly smooth threading action.
9- Black Type II (glossy) anodizing on the outside and inside the battery compartment offers protection against corrosion.
10- There is some minor battery rattle. 'O' ring seals provide some shock absorption, a snug fit and a seal against the elements- especially water.
11- A mid-length center of balance make it comfortable to hold and practical to stand on either it's head (down) or on its tail- provided that its placed on a smooth surface.

1- Ambidextrous.
2- A large palm completely surrounds the body of the L2A, with the thumb and first or second fingers- naturally positioned on the front of the body section just behind the head-portion. In normal use, the thumb of the hand holding the light would rest on the On/Off click switch button with the rest of the fingers supporting from underneath.It may be hand-held in various positions including: Harries Flashlight Technique, forward, upward and downward pointing 'standard' flashlight hand-held modes.
3- A rubber covered 7mm wide On/Off click switch- just behind the head section allows for simple toggling activation of the light.
4-There is no momentary On but momentary Off is possible.
5- No native mounting options for fire arms use are evident, though the mid-section may allow for dedicated clamping brackets or other improvised and custom designed attachment solutions.
6-No provision for lanyard or keyring is provided

1- Stowage- None provided. Third party holsters and carriers as well as headbands should be plentiful.
2 - Activation- In normal use, light is emitted from the front of the flashlight when activation occurs through a full depression of the On/Off click switch. Activation feedback is provided through a distinctive haptic 'click' sensation as well as a clear sound. De-activation is implemented via re-clicking of the toggle switch. In the 'On' position, a momentary de-activation of the light may be implemented through a partial pressing of the switch prior to entering the'click' Off state.This is known as 'momentary' Off mode. This allows for manual strobe as well as signaling functions.
3-The front bezel is threaded to the body section, allowing for user accessibility to the emitter module enclosed in the head section as well to the optic and front lens that are secured to the bezel by a threaded black plastic retainer cone. A single 'O'ring protects the head section from the environment.
4- The removable tailpiece allows for access to the battery compartment for replacements.The battery compartment is protected from the environment by a single 'O' ring and thread lubrication.

1-Glossy anodizing and smoothened contours of the L2A give the surface a luxurious silky feel in one's bare hands.
2-The Vortex logo and flashlight's serial number are printed in white on the opposite side of the flashlight to the switch button behind the head section.
3- We did not perform a 'pull' test but we judged the light diamond pattern knurling of the surface of the flashlight body would provide fair gripability. The glossiness of the anodizing may contribute to some loss of traction or gripability if used with wet or oily hands.
4- The light weight and sleekness of this light make it suitable for the home or workshop tool box, inspection, camping, with the black version being ideal for law enforcement and security.The head is distinctive yet unobtrusive - allowing for clear indexing of the front of the flashlight without causing the user any undue fatigue from either bulk or weight. . It is certainly as suitable for outdoors,and semi-rough environmental uses as well as being an excellent around the house, glove box, office or workshop.
5-The toggling click switch activation procedure is sure but requires a focused pressing of a slightly stiff and rather 'vocal' little button. The relatively diminutive size of the switch as compared to fully grown tactical switches such as the Kroll makes it more easily activated by individuals with small fingertips or great dexterity. The switch is very intuitive to use and the cognitive model is simple and requires neither training nor memorization of complex procedures.
6- Though this flashlight is clearly aimed at being stored inside a container or on a table or desk, any form of lanyard ring or hole would have been appreciated for those that like to carry their lights on key rings or lanyard and who need a way to hang their flashlights.
7- The tailpiece is perfectly flat and allows for successful if tenuous ceiling bounce and candle mode uses.
8-The emitter module and optics are user accessible- allowing for modifications
9- Good multilingual documentation instructs on battery replacement, use, troubleshooting and maintenance / warranty. Text is too small for some people to read.

The Vortex L2A scored Maximum Distance for Object Identification or MDOI at 120 feet -more than adequate for general navigation and occasional searching. It's bright enough to be pressed into service as a close quarters tactical in emergencies only.
Beam-shots Page >>

1- At the time of this review, we judged the Vortex L2A to be an ideal general purpose light for individual use in a wide range of non tactical or non mission critical applications.
2- It is a substantial improvement in brightness, bulb longevity and battery life to the time honored classic to which it pays homage.
3- It is thoughtfully designed for a wide range of customers though due to the black anodizing- males are likely to comprise the majority of its owners. It deserves to be produced in a few other colors such as pewter/titanium and silver.
4- The improvement in bin selection of the Vortex L2A's LED emitter over previous Vortex Luxeon flashlights is a bonus to both experienced as well as neophyte users of Luxeon LED flashlights.
5- The fact that the Vortex L2A uses commonly available size AA batteries makes it highly accessible to users worldwide. Given the growing popularity and availability of rechargeable AA batteries, the L2A also gets bonus points as an environmentally sustainable and responsible flashlight option. As such, it makes a perfect gift for recipients that are inclined to use rechargeable rather than disposable batteries.
6- The manufacturers of the Vortex L2A- package the flashlight and 2 Alkaline batteries in a very handsome textured black presentation box- making it suitable for presentation as a gift for a variety of recipients and for various occasions. The presentation box is also protected by an attractive and informative outer retail sleeve.
7-Value. With new flashlights in the Luxeon market space -being released weekly- it's hard to define a relative value when comparing non-comparables. At this point in time, the Vortex L2A rates 4.0 stars out of a possible 5 stars.
Our gripes were... A) Overly delicate tailcap construction B) Slightly slippery surface C) Lack of lanyard attachment point

4.0 Stars-Recommended

Footnotes:

(*1) Medium Men's glove size- Also, a Standardized Flashlight Hand Size Metric (SFHSM)

		Small A-B = 4.5" or Shorter
		Medium A-B = 4.5"-5"
		Large A-B = 5"-6"
		X-Large A-B = 6" and Longer

(*2) Maximum Distance for Object Identification (MDOI). The maximum distance that a person without the aid of magnification-can with normal or corrected vision, under a given ambient level of light, identify an object of known size, and clearly distinguish it from its surroundings. We have tentatively identified the following scenarios for such measures:

• A single average sized person/body identification scenario
  • Urban (city, inside buildings, dark alley, lit streets)
  • Rural (countryside,farm residential backyard)
  • Environmental (dessert, woods, wetlands, over water)
  • Natural & manmade disaster (fire, flood/mudslide,earthquake, hurricane /tornado,bombing scene, collapsed structure etc)
• Small Inanimate Object (smaller than a shoe-box)
• Medium Inanimate Object (Black Plastic 33 Gallon (124Litre) Garbage Bag stuffed with a big sleeping bag)

(*5) Context Inclusive Illumination Window (CIIW) as compared with a Context Exclusive Illumination Window (CEIW) .

• CIIW describes a subject illumination paradigm wherein the illumination target is the focus of the beam's brightest disc or 'Hotspot' and peripheral objects to the target are more dimly illuminated in a larger disc that surrounds the focus or hotspot. This outer region is also referred to as a corona or penumbra.
• CEIW describes a subject illumination paradigm wherein the illumination target is the focus of the beam's brightest disc or 'Hotspot' and peripheral objects to the target are not sufficiently illuminated to be easily discernable at the periphery of subject beam's focus or hotspot.

© 2004 - Imägo Metrics - All Rights Reserved
Original standards designations (including acronyms) depicted in this, as well as all of our evaluations are the exclusive intellectual property of Imägo Metrics LLC and subsidiaries. Reproduction without prior written permission is strictly prohibited.

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