Quick review of Lumens Factory Seraph SP-9 Xenon

rookiedaddy · 23.05.2011, 15:01

This is a quick review of Lumens Factory Seraph SP-9 Xenon, a latest addition to my incandescent family. The unit was purchased through a local dealer and will be my main host to test some 2 x 18500 and 2 x 18650 (including IMR) D26 setup.

My small incandescent collections...

from left, Surefire 6P, Surefire G3, Lumens Factory Seraph SP-9, Surefire G2 with AN14

Specifcations as taken from manufacturer's site:

Xenon Bulb: SR-9, 220 Lumens
Tactical Cigar Grip Design.
18xxx Compatible
Compatible with Surefire P and C Series.
Able to use Surefire P and C Series Accessories.
Include 2 Tailcaps, (Forward Clickie and Tactical Twisty)
High Current Tolerance Forward Clickie
Use Twisty Tail-cap for IMR series
Able to Tail Stand.
Lanyard Holes
Para-cord Hole
Stainless Steel Bezel
Double O-Ring at Tailcap for Extra Protection

Seraph SP-9 comes with a set of extra o-rings, 3 Panasonic Industrial Grade Batteries, Flat Stainless Steel Bezel (Scalloped is installed on light), Twisty Tail-cap (Clickie is installed on light), wrist lanyard, a 1-page light manual and a bright yellow note on "Heat Warning and Disclaimer".

Lumens Factory's Seraph series is design to be modular, and most parts are interchangeable with compatible Surefire P and C series.

The stainless steel bezel ring (scalloped and flat) is a nice touch, not only does it provide some protection to the lens, it improves the overall aesthetic of the light.

The threads are not smooth as it comes bare-metal. After cleaning and greasing, it feels better but still not perfect. Guess it will take some time to work-in.

Let's take a closer look at the parts.

There are no knurling on the body, just 2 rubber ring at the tail end for better cigar-grip holding. The fin located at the front is too smooth to provide any gripping but it sure looks good on the light.

The body wall is thinner than Surefire's (compared to 6P) as it's design to take in 18xxx size cells. Both Clickie and Twisty tail-cap are anodized so you can lock-out by loosen the tail-cap (half-turn or less for Clickie, while I suggest 1 full turn for Twisty).

Also, the Clickie is rated at max 2A and were advised to switch to Twisty when running IMR bulb/cells.

My unit's twisty spring fall off while testing. It's easy to install back, like Maglite, just push it back to the holder ring. I wish there were some sort of retaining or snap-in mechanism so that the spring can be retain in place.

There are a coule of battery configuration for SP-9, by itself, 3xCR123A, 2x18500. For higher capacity, there is a 1-cell extender EX-R that takes in 2 x 18650 cell configuration. (My unit however has a small issue when using EX-R, refer to following post for details).

Some outdoor shots of my incandescent collections...

From left:
Surefire 6P, Stock P60, 2 x Surefire CR123A
Surefire G3, Stock P90, 2 x AW Protected 17500
Lumens Factory Seraph SP-9, Stock SR-9, 2 x AW Protected 18500
Surefire G2 + AN14 Battery Adapter, 7.4V 14W Xenon Bulb, 2 x AW Protected 17670

Surefire 6P, Stock P60, 2 x Surefire CR123A

Surefire G3, Stock P90, 2 x AW Protected 17500

Lumens Factory Seraph SP-9, Stock SR-9, 2 x AW Protected 18500

Surefire G2 + AN14 Battery Adapter, 7.4V 14W Xenon Bulb, 2 x AW Protected 17670

A short conclusion:
A very good host for D26 drop-in. I like the 3xCR123A cells form factor as it gives the optimum balance in burn-time and brightness.

Although there are a few machining defects, but given its asking price, it's excellent value.

During testing...

While using EX-R extender to test with 2 x 18650, the outer o-ring breaks when I tighten the EX-R to the body of SP-9.

With the outer o-ring installed, if I tighten the EX-R beyong certain gap, the o-ring will cross thread and breaks.

I was a little confuse with the feedback from Lumens Factory with regards to this matter. According to Lumens Factory, the gap was by designed. Admittedly, there are some resistence when tightening the EX-R to the body, but there wasn't enough "stop"/contact feedback to signal that. There are also no marking to guide.

Removing the outer o-ring will close the gap nicely and it does gives that "contact" feedback.

the gap is closed.

23.05.2011, 15:01	1
rookiedaddy Новичок Регистрация: 26.06.2010 Последняя активность: 07.03.2011 04:31 Сообщений: 21 Сказал(а) спасибо: 0 Поблагодарили: 2 раз(а) в 2 сообщениях	Quick review of Lumens Factory Seraph SP-9 Xenon This is a quick review of Lumens Factory Seraph SP-9 Xenon, a latest addition to my incandescent family. The unit was purchased through a local dealer and will be my main host to test some 2 x 18500 and 2 x 18650 (including IMR) D26 setup. My small incandescent collections... from left, Surefire 6P, Surefire G3, Lumens Factory Seraph SP-9, Surefire G2 with AN14 Specifcations as taken from manufacturer's site: Xenon Bulb: SR-9, 220 Lumens Tactical Cigar Grip Design. 18xxx Compatible Compatible with Surefire P and C Series. Able to use Surefire P and C Series Accessories. Include 2 Tailcaps, (Forward Clickie and Tactical Twisty) High Current Tolerance Forward Clickie Use Twisty Tail-cap for IMR series Able to Tail Stand. Lanyard Holes Para-cord Hole Stainless Steel Bezel Double O-Ring at Tailcap for Extra Protection Seraph SP-9 comes with a set of extra o-rings, 3 Panasonic Industrial Grade Batteries, Flat Stainless Steel Bezel (Scalloped is installed on light), Twisty Tail-cap (Clickie is installed on light), wrist lanyard, a 1-page light manual and a bright yellow note on "Heat Warning and Disclaimer". Lumens Factory's Seraph series is design to be modular, and most parts are interchangeable with compatible Surefire P and C series. The stainless steel bezel ring (scalloped and flat) is a nice touch, not only does it provide some protection to the lens, it improves the overall aesthetic of the light. The threads are not smooth as it comes bare-metal. After cleaning and greasing, it feels better but still not perfect. Guess it will take some time to work-in. Let's take a closer look at the parts. There are no knurling on the body, just 2 rubber ring at the tail end for better cigar-grip holding. The fin located at the front is too smooth to provide any gripping but it sure looks good on the light. The body wall is thinner than Surefire's (compared to 6P) as it's design to take in 18xxx size cells. Both Clickie and Twisty tail-cap are anodized so you can lock-out by loosen the tail-cap (half-turn or less for Clickie, while I suggest 1 full turn for Twisty). Also, the Clickie is rated at max 2A and were advised to switch to Twisty when running IMR bulb/cells. My unit's twisty spring fall off while testing. It's easy to install back, like Maglite, just push it back to the holder ring. I wish there were some sort of retaining or snap-in mechanism so that the spring can be retain in place. There are a coule of battery configuration for SP-9, by itself, 3xCR123A, 2x18500. For higher capacity, there is a 1-cell extender EX-R that takes in 2 x 18650 cell configuration. (My unit however has a small issue when using EX-R, refer to following post for details). Some outdoor shots of my incandescent collections... From left: Surefire 6P, Stock P60, 2 x Surefire CR123A Surefire G3, Stock P90, 2 x AW Protected 17500 Lumens Factory Seraph SP-9, Stock SR-9, 2 x AW Protected 18500 Surefire G2 + AN14 Battery Adapter, 7.4V 14W Xenon Bulb, 2 x AW Protected 17670 Surefire 6P, Stock P60, 2 x Surefire CR123A Surefire G3, Stock P90, 2 x AW Protected 17500 Lumens Factory Seraph SP-9, Stock SR-9, 2 x AW Protected 18500 Surefire G2 + AN14 Battery Adapter, 7.4V 14W Xenon Bulb, 2 x AW Protected 17670 A short conclusion: A very good host for D26 drop-in. I like the 3xCR123A cells form factor as it gives the optimum balance in burn-time and brightness. Although there are a few machining defects, but given its asking price, it's excellent value. During testing... While using EX-R extender to test with 2 x 18650, the outer o-ring breaks when I tighten the EX-R to the body of SP-9. With the outer o-ring installed, if I tighten the EX-R beyong certain gap, the o-ring will cross thread and breaks. I was a little confuse with the feedback from Lumens Factory with regards to this matter. According to Lumens Factory, the gap was by designed. Admittedly, there are some resistence when tightening the EX-R to the body, but there wasn't enough "stop"/contact feedback to signal that. There are also no marking to guide. Removing the outer o-ring will close the gap nicely and it does gives that "contact" feedback. the gap is closed.