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The Kroma is the latest and greatest innovation from
Surefire. It has a single Luxeon III LED for the main
beam and sixteen 3mm LEDs surrounding the main optic;
8 red, 8 blue. (There is also a mil-spec version which
instead has 4 red, 4 blue, 4 green/yellow, and 4 IR.)
The red, white, and blue beams all have both a high
and low output option which can be selected. All selections
are made via the tailcap switch and the selection ring
below the head.
Body: The body of the Kroma is solid aircraft
aluminum which has been machined, checkered, and finished
with Type-III hard anodize. Around the front of the
bezel is a shallow scalloped ring with 5 flat plateaus
which serve to show that the light is turned on when
placed face down by allowing some light out around the
bezel edges. Below that is a polymer ring, textured
with ridges and deep grooves, which sits below the head.
By rotating the ring you can select either the red high,
red low, white only, blue low, or blue high beam. Pressing
in on the tailcap switch all the way forces the light
into high white mode.
A spring steel clip is attached at the
bottom of the body just before the tailcap. The Kroma
is designed to be carried bezel down. The surface of
the light body is machined smooth under the clip to
help prevent undue wear of the pocket in which it is
clipped. O-ring seals protect the light from water entry
at both ends.
Bezel/Head: The Kroma has a total internal reflection
lens which catches the light from the central Luxeon
III LED. This is surrounded by the 16 LEDs that produce
the red or blue light. Every other LED is red or blue.
The head also contains a slightly domed lens and a regulator
circuit that provides constant light output from the
LED during the working life of the batteries.
Output: Output is very good, with a tight beam
that has some very unusual artifacts. The TIR lens tries
to make an exact copy of the LED die when it projects
the beam, but doesn't quite succeed. In practial use,
all you see is bright, white, smooth light. The beam
is very usable, with good throw and a great spillbeam.
The red and blue beams can be very handy, especially
the red beams for more covert operations.
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Level
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Runtime hrs. (estimated)
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White High
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1600 (40.00)
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3220 (32.20)
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1
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White Low
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43 (6.56)
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86 (0.86)
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20
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Red High
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5 (2.24)
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202 (2.02)
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20
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Red Low
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1 (1.00)
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15 (0.15)
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?
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Blue High
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12 (3.46)
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280 (2.80)
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20
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Blue Low
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2 (1.41)
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37 (0.37)
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?
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All
throw readings are in Lux
at one meter. The numbers in parenthesis are for comparison
in the Comparison
Charts.
Beam at one meter at target center white, red, blue
(red doesn't pick up well on my camera....)
Runtime Plot:
Runtime
completed with included Surefire batteries. More information
on runtime plots is available HERE.
Switch: The switch on the Kroma is a twist/momentary
switch. First set the selection ring on the type of
light you want, then twist the tailcap until the first
stage turns on. This could be red high, red low, white
low, blue low, or blue high (you can change the selection
after the light is on if you wish as well). If you continue
to twist the switch, the white high beam will turn on.
If you had selected blue or red LEDs, they will stay
on while the light is in "high white" mode.
You can also twist the tailcap so that pressing the
switch will allow only momentary use of the low mode.
You could also twist the tailcap until low mode is on,
and press the button for high momentary only mode. Last,
the tailcap can be twisted backwards to effectively
lock out the switching mechanism. This is so that the
light cannot be accidentally activated in your pack,
briefcase, flight bag, or pocket.
Seals / Water Resistance: The entire light is
sealed with O-rings and is waterproof to 33 feet according
to Surefire literature.
Ergonomics: Easy to handle and use. The selection
ring is difficult to turn with the same hand as is being
used to hold the light, but it is possible. Surprisingly
lightweight. The selection ring has slight detents to
let you know when you are switching modes.
Size
Batteries: Two 123A cells power the light. I
would recommend Titanium
brand cells for $1.00 each (here's
a review) or BatteryStation
or Surefire
brand cells for less than $2 each. I would not recommend
purchasing these cells at retail stores since they cost
$10 a pair or more in most retail stores! Be aware that
there are some inherent
risks in using lights powered by multiple 123A cells,
so take appropriate precautions.
What I Liked: Very bright, tough
finish, Shockproof LED, No bulbs to buy, Multiple selectable
light levels, Waterproof.
What I Didn't Like: Nothing
Other Things I Noticed: Nothing
Conclusions: I'm not to sure about
the usefulness of the blue LEDs, but there are some
special purpose applications where they could be handy.
The red LEDs are very useful and the combination of
the red LEDs and white main LED turn this into a multi-purpose
light for almost anyone.
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USA