Breaking E2 News!

[Tim Flanagan]

[NEK] BREAKING NEWS: E2 shipping this week.

In a move that stunned spectators, Laser Products of Fountain Valley, CA, the manufacturer of SureFire flashlights and weapon lights, replied to this roving reporter's repeated queries "When will this light finally be shipping?" An unnamed, high-ranking source, who does not go by the call name of "Deep Throat" responded that the lights would begin shipping later on this week, to begin hitting distributors and dealers by the middle of next week. When further grilled about the dearth of accessories for the Executive series lights (the previously-released E1, and the soon-to-be-current E2), such as Beamshapers, Filters (red/blue/ infrared), lanyard rings and most importantly, the new lamps for the E2 (part number MN03), the source replied that most of the accessory parts would be available in a month or more from the release of the E2, but that the lamps would be released at or before the actual E2 flashlights are released. The GunMetal will be shipping first with the Hard Anodized following up within two weeks. Also the unnamed source revealed a few other pieces of heretofore-unreleased information: the approval for a high power lamp for the E1 has been given approval. No specs, part numbers, ETA or pricing is available at the moment, but the source was confident that the output would be at least double the standard 15 lumens of the MN01 lamp of the E1. The source further expressed that the company was also ready to go forward in a few months with a high power lamp assembly for the E2. Once again, no details could be given, except to say that it was estimated to at least double the output of the MN03 to give approximately 120 lumens. Time will tell what else lies in store for this monolithic flashlight giant, but to this reporter, their future looks very bright.

--
Tim Flanagan is a representative of Nor'east Knives News Services ©2000, NEK, all rights reserved

 

[Bucky]

Tim, better news I could not have heard

.

Bring on the high-output lamps for the E1 and E2 along with the accessories too. A small E2 that yielded 120 lumens for about 30 or 35 minutes would be absolutely unbelievable.

Thanks for the update Tim I can't wait to get my E2

.

Bucky

 

[nonbox]

Is this fact or fiction?

 

[Bucky]

Fact (I think).

Many of us have an E2 or more on order from Tim and he was just trying to tell us that they will be arriving shortly; while doing it in a fashion that mocks both SureFire's sometimes "wishful" expected release dates and their reluctance to volunteer information about upcoming products

.

Bucky

 

[Bucky]

Hey Tim I bet you never thought this post would cause this kind of stir. http://www.surefire.com/ubb/Forum9/HTML/000257.html

You use a little sarcasm and no one knows what to make of it

.

Bucky

 

[Tim Flanagan]

See what happens when I try to be witty? Geeeeeez!

I actually wasn't poking fun at them (this time)- I just thought it would be a different, possibly entertaining way to post it. Either that, or I need to call up some publications and try to get hired for yet ANOTHER job if I was that believable!

All in good fun...really.

[Note to self: personal sense of humor seems less effective over computer. Investigate further.]

 

[**DONOTDELETE**]

awesome! so...not much longer now, right?

 

[AlexGT]

So why is SF soooooo quiet about it ? I think they should just come forward and say the truth even if we don´t like it, but post something like an actual "do or die" shipping Date to end all the fuzz and keep us guys with a better feel about the proffesionalism of this company, whose quality lights really speak for themselves.

Just my $0.0000002 worth.
AlexGT

 

[nonbox]

Is it fact or fiction about the high power lamp assembly for the E2 and E1? This is the question I want answered.

 

[Size15's]

I think it's asking a lot to expect any company to give a date & day when a new product becomes available.
There are loads of reasons why delays occur, and wouldn't that look worse?

"We don't let you have it until it's ready..."

Grolsch it. I'm happy with a "mid-March" general release date.

Al

 

[Brock]

I imagine Surefire works on a lot of differnt lamps for the differnt light. Even if they manage to make a lamp that is twice as bright they have to figure out a way to make it the same size as the existing lamp, and a way to get rid of the extra heat. Then even if they figure that out you need to get the marketing people to think it is a good idea. Then find a way to mass produce the lamp.

I am not saying they are or aren't working on lamps, but turn on your E1 for 20 minutes and feel the light. It is almost to hot to hold, now imagine a lamp with 4 times that power (E2), or even 8 times that (120 lumen lamp for the E2) That is a LOT of heat.

I am amazed that they can get a 60 lumen lamp in the E2 head. I have no idea how they could get twice that in there without melting the light. (Pyrex?)

I feel like asking for a double power lamp for the E1 is like asking for a Pentium 4 3000. Not to say it isn't possible, it's just not as easy as it might think.

 

[Tim Flanagan]

Nonbox- according to folks "in the know" at Laser Products, the E1 lamp is fact and the E2 lamp will become fact upon further development. Both have the green light.

Brock- the heat was one of my concerns on the E1 way back when it first came out. This is mainly due to the way that it fits into your hand- you actually retain the heat and increase the buildup if you hold it that way (easiest way to use it IMO). The thing is, even if they bump up the output to 30 lumens, I think they figure most people won't be using it for extended use where the heat could be a problem. That's just my take on it. I think it's a great idea.

 

[Joe Talmadge]

I love the idea of 30 lumen and 120 lumen lamsp respectively.

Regarding the E1, when I use it intermittently, I wrap my hand around it so my thumb can hit the button. That does retain hit, but it is intermittent. When I keep it on for a while, I turn it on via the buttcap, and often hold it with a couple fingers like a regular flashlight. It doesn't warm up quite as fast that way. Still, I gotta think that 30 lumen lamp will make the thing pretty dang hot.

Joe

 

[Brock]

I agree, for most people the extra heat won't be an issue. I rarely use my light for more than 5 min at a time, usually about 20 to 30 seconds. Just imagine if the light melted the lens after 5 min of use? Maybe a disclaimer like on the 12PM. I suppose the batteries wouldn't last as long so it wouldn't be as much of an issue. I have heard rumors about a 3-hour lamp for the E2. That would be nice and shouldn't be as hard to make. I would think the hard part would be getting people to buy it, so the marketing dept won't think it is worth it to make them. I would get one for sure.

Brock

 

[Bucky]

With the all the new 2001 flashlights that are or are soon to be available, SureFire has pretty much cornered the market on every type of lithium 123A light. Ones that are waterproof, ones that have combatgrips, and ones with pocket clips - and lights with all three or a combination therein.

To me, the next area of concentration for SureFire should be on new lamps for the multitude of lights already in existence. As nice as the construction is on SureFire lights, we all buy them because of the output from the lamp. I think next on the development list should be to produce an array of lamps with a zero sum trade-off between runtme and lumen output for existing lights. It would be nice to have a choice of lamps for each light depending on the situation. For the E1, it would be nice to have a 180 minute low-output lamp that could be used on the same light as a high-power 30-40 minute lamp. Combine those two lamps and the current 90 minute medium-output lamp and you have the correct output or runtime for almost any situation from an extremely small and pocketable light.

IMO though, the size and output ability of the E2 still has me the most excited. Getting 60 lumens for 75 minutes or maybe 120+ lumens for 20-35 minutes is just awesome from a light as small as the E2.

As far as heat is concerned. I think most people use their SureFires intermittently for between 10 seconds and a few minutes. With that type of usage, the heat is not really an issue. Since battery life is not a SureFire strong point, I think most try to use a different light source if they need continous illumination for more than about 5 or 10 minutes.

Bucky

 

[Size15's]

While I think that high output Lamp Modules would be excellent for the Executive Series, I also think that LED-Modules for the Executive and 6V flashlights would be brilliant.

I would also like to see a high output Lamp Module for the 6V TurboHead flashlights... Using the Classic or new KT TurboHead, 120Lu would be amazing focused into a tight beam for longer range illumination.

As for Heat, all SureFire I have run hot if used continously for 20 minutes or more...
Pyrex Lenses would be more heat resistant no?

An Idea I'd really love to see is a Li-ion battery for the New M2 which can run the P91 for atleast 30 minutes. This would be the Ultimate flashlight IMHO. As it is, the New M2 with P61 is about as close as it gets for now.

My two pence.

 

[Joe Talmadge]

size15s: can't argue with that. 200 lumens out of the M-2 would be pretty amazing. This would be a lithium rechargeable battery? I assume we have some reason for thinking the technology is there to create a battery that would fit in the M2 and be able to drive a P91.

Joe

 

[Size15's]

No reason really. Just my hope (!)

However, Lithium-ion maybe able to handle this...

 

[hmmwv]

Al -

I have an M2 - there's no reason the p91 won't fit - but you need the extra battery - surefire sells the battery extenders (A19 or A21 - I forgot which) - these will give you the extra space to put one more lithium in an M2 - problem is that it will now be a two-tone flashlight, HA on the body, and black on the "extender" -but you'd get your 9V P91 M2!

 

[Bucky]

Al,

Any word on when the retro-fit M2 SOS head will be available? From all the great things I have heard about it from you, I will have to get one when released

.

Bucky