E1: pros and cons fo gun metal v. green?

[**DONOTDELETE**]

What are the pros and cons of the two choices of finish. I ordered the gun metal before I knew the andonized finish was avaiable. Is the GM finish durable. Will it survive a drop on cement. How about scratch resistance? Any other pros and cons?

Thanks

 

[Bucky]

To me, the Gun Metal looks better while the hard anodized stands up better to drops and wear.

The Gun Metal finish is still relatively scratch-resistant, but obviously not as much. I have carried mine in my pocket everyday for quite a while and there are no noticeable scratches. To be fair though, I have not dropped my Gun Metal E1 directly on cement.

The hard anodized finish is very scratch-resistant and will stand up to wear better, but it only comes in the OD green color.

So in summary, the GM finish is relatively scratch-resistant for everyday carry, but if you are using the light where it will be abused heavily and/or dropped occasionally, the hard anodized may be the better choice.

Bucky

 

[hmmwv]

Note - just to clarify it a bit - the hard anodized is nowhere near OD green - here's a picture of an OD green 6P next to a Centurion M2 in hard anodized finish (the ceramic tile in the background is a white calibration standard for colorimetry - on the right hand side you can read the standard D65 calibration values for the tile)

Surefire had difficulty with the "REAL" OD green hard anodizing process getting results that had an even finish - the modern color they chose is easier to do than the mil-spec OD green, and since these are for the civilian market, why bother with the extra effort?

 

[hmmwv]

Oh yea - I had an E1 in "gunmetal" which I gave away at Christmas time - Gunmetal can mean alot - You could think of a Sig P220 in parkerized black. You could think of a Ruger 10/22 in blued finish. MAYBE you think of the chromed revolver from the westerns. The "gunmetal" color is closest to the chromed revolver. It's a very light color - and shiny. I wear dark clothes, and it stuck out like a sore thumb as this bright shiny light. Now that I have an E1 in hard anodized, it gets taken every day, but I never used the "gunmetal" finish because it was so bright. Nobody even notices my E1 in hard anodized.

 

[Size15's]

The first E1 I managed to get hold of was from a very earily production run. This was while the Lamp Modules were a causing quality control problems - now resolved.

I really liked the HA which was a very dark green. The Lamp Module went after three days. I got a GM E1 as a replacement cos at the time, these were so rare in the UK.

Constant carry in my pocket has caused no scratches.

My M2 is a very dark green almost brown. The M3 & M6 are "Millennium Grey".

The Hard Anodise is very hard. I can not scatch it. It will crack if the Al deforms through a very heavy impact, but you really have to abuse the flashlights to damage them.

The Black coating is pretty easy to scratch however. This means that I'll always get HA where I have the choice. The only exceptions are the E Series which are not required to resist the same kinds of stuff as the Millennium CombatLights.

If I have the chance, I want to see the E2 in both finishes in the shop before I buy. One advantage of buying from a shop is that you can see and handle what you're getting. I think that paying more for this is often worth it.

Al

 

[hmmwv]

Speaking of the E2 - I spoke with Greg at brightguy today - he's only getting the E2s in hard anodized finish. He agrees. Make sure you tell him you agree as well. I pre-ordered my E2 from him today- deliverly is late next month.