E2DL or upgraded E1E/E2E?

[Burncycle]

With my Quark Mini matching or besting my Surefire 6P with incandescent P60/P61 bulb in pretty much every category, I'm thinking about upgrading the 6P with a Malkoff M60 or M61. However, I'm also ready to purchase another flashlight, probably one of the surefire E series to serve as something a little more handy than the 6P.

My question is, would it be better / more cost effective to get a cheap E1E or E2E ($70-80) and upgrade it (for instance, with kuku's XP-G tower module) or go for an E2DL which seems to be throwing 200 lumens out of the box? I love the form factor of the E1E/E2E sized flashlights but I definitely am looking for something that outperforms the quark (otherwise there's no point as I already EDC a quark) in throw / lumens overall and runtime.

I know there are a plethora of upgrade options for the E series and I've been browsing seemingly endless older threads but it's a lot to take in!

Regards

 

[Imon]

If you want a good thrower I've always been impressed with Surefire's proprietary TIR optics. The beam pattern is best described as a intense hotspot with sidespill that fades into the peripheral vision.
In terms of runtime you might be disappointed because Surefire tends to rate their runtime, like many manufacturers do, as "usable hours of runtime" The actual time before it drops out of regulation may well be sooner.
With all this said, I'd take them both.
The Quark for the versatility and the Surefire for the quality/throw/lifetime guarantee.

 

[Roland of Gilead]

First, if you don't have a Malkoff upgrade.....GET ONE! The M61 is just outstanding. It turns the incandescant 6P into a whole new animal with a better run time. I have one on my nightstand and one in my truck.

The Quark, with its multiple modes, does make it more versitile. However...there is just something really appealing about the Surefire E-series. I carry a Surefire E2DL and a L4 Digital Lumamax in my pockets daily along with a Surefire E1e Executive Elite on my keychain. Each one has a different aspect about them that I like. I personally am not a fan of 5 or 6 different modes on my lights. 2 or 3 is fine with me. the E2DL does that and in the correct order. High first then low. I will say be careful how you carry it. I just dropped it in the cargo pocket of my shorts one afternoon and by the end of the day it had tore a whole in the pocket. Good luck with your choice.

 

[skyfire]

i have an E2DL and kuku's neutral XP-G tower, in my E1E running on a rcr123. the beams are very different. the E2DL is a strong thrower, with a wide, but not so bright, useable spill for close range. the kuku's XPG tower has a huge spill and doesnt throw very well. (which i like for my EDC). but still much brighter than my E2E incan.

as far as cost efficient, the E2DL has come across the marketplace with some really good price tags.

i also had a quark mini 123 (neutral) and its UI wasnt for me. it was on my keys mostly. the size/output ratio is incredible though.

you cant lose dropping a malkoff in your 6P either.

good luck on your search!

 

[sfca]

I've said this many times before now

E2DL w/ LX2 2-way clip.

 

[saabgoblin]

The SF E2DL is a great light and you may want to consider grabbing one of the Malkoff Little Twistys with an M31 drop in although the M31 modules are now sold out as of this post. I just grabbed the 2XAA body with the VME head so I can run NIMH's without exhausting my CR123's in my E2DL. The benefit of the VME Head is that it is E-Series compatible so I can put the VME head on my E1E or E1B and have 200+ lumens on a single CR123 with a nice warm tint from the M31Warm module but beware of the voltage requirements on Malkoff's drop ins, because if you put a M31 into a 3.3 or higher voltage battery configuration, your module will go. The combination of a Malkoff drop in with a McGizmo reflector is a thing of beauty and appears to have a similar beam profile to the E-Series tower modules that are now available.

A brand new E1E is around 79.00$ or so and I see no problem grabbing one of KUKU's or Csish's tower modules over at the marketplace, I believe Chisch is making them or at least selling them. Basically, you just have to figure out if you want a multilevel light or if you will be satisfied with a single level such as a Malkoff. I believe that the E1 tower modules that I have seen are only single level and if you would like a multilevel tower, you will need a 2XCR123 E-series body tower module and head but I have heard that multilevel single cell towers are in the works. Your next choice will be tint color and or beam profiles, from experience the Malkoff warm is beautiful, not too yellow, not too white with a nice hot spot that has a nice transition into a very useful flood. The E2DL has a seemingly brighter hot spot due to the optic and the cooler color of the LED that Surefire uses with much less flood but still very usable.

The beam shot pictures of the tower modules appear to be similar to the Malkoff but I suspect that they are a little broader in the flood zone gauging from my E-Series reflectors vs my deeper M31 Malkoff. Personally, I find the flood on an E2E too broad but I like the flood produced by my E2D incan due to the extended strike bezel and convex lens. I don't mind the E1E flood probably because it's not too bright and less noticeable than the brighter E2E configuration.

Price wise, the Malkoff would be the most affordable option unless you can pick up a used E2D, E2E, or E1E in combination with the tower module. Which ever way you look at it, Malkoff and Surefire are tough to beat and I am looking at grabbing one of the tower modules to upgrade my E2D but I would prefer that High would come on first but I don't think that they are configured that way but I could be wrong.

Personally speaking, it is hard if not impossible to find the end all and be all light so make the best decision possible to suit your needs and don't let "the perfect be the enemy of the good" because all three look like winners depending on your preferences and if you are anything like me, you will still desire what each light is missing that others may offer and that is what keeps many if not all of us coming back to CPF.

Oh Yeah, in case I forgot to mention it, the E-Series Surefires rule size wise IMHO as a EDC and you can always LEGO them with a VME or go for the tower module later on and the protected clicky is beneficial for my needs.

Personally, I would keep the E1E stock unless there is a multi-mode tower module available but I don't believe that i would enjoy the extra spill. Grab the E2DL=free batteries from numerous sellers if you want two modes with a lot of throw and intensity with a cool temp LED. Grab either a Malkoff VME+M31/M61W, or your tint of choice given that they sell like hotcakes, with the compatible Malkoff bodies or a used E2D with the tower module should you want a choice between cool/warm with multi-mode capabilities. The LEGO options are practically endless so I'll stop there.

Hope that this helps.

 

[Burncycle]

Thanks a lot guys, very helpful! :thumbsup:

I'm going by tomorrow, I think I'm going to try and pick up an E2DL depending on how much it will run me.

I want all 3 for some reason... but that'll have to wait lovecpf

 

[saabgoblin]

Check out numerous sellers online because you can get a lot of free batteries from a few sellers.

 

[Burncycle]

I ended up getting an E2D (didn't have any e1's or e2DL in stock, just the e2e, e2L and e2d), But that's ok, it just means I get to browse the forums to see what the best aftermarket upgrade is, which is half the fun!

thanks for all the information guys!