E2DL vs M60?

[dano101]

Hey all, ive read alot of great things about the E2DL. I personally own several M60's but thought (as the E2DL where I come from is roughly the same price as a 6PD + M60) that I would give the E2DL a try.

My main question however is, will i be dissapointed in output and beam quality with the E2DL as opposed to the M60? I really dont care about runtimes etc, just the quality and quantity of the beam.

Dano

 

[yalskey]

I'm pretty sure the M60 is going to be a little bit brighter than the E2DL... plus, since it's modular, you can move it from light to light as needed. The E2DL is a great light. If Surefire comes out with the 200 Lumen P61L anytime soon I might be interested in getting one myself.

 

[dano101]

Well i had that thought too. Ive been waiting for the P61L patiently as well as the Invictus and optimus for some time now... and im just getting antsy to buy another light. A Surefire rep emailed me on the Optimus and Invictus saying late 2008 early 2009 which puts them in Christmas gift categories rather than summer vacation categories.

Ive also too just bought so many 6P style lights and Drop ins that im frankly getting a bit bored of that configuration... but i cant find a better bang for buck combo out there anywhere. I was excited to see the specs on the E2DL, but was aprehensive to purchase it because of the worry it wouldnt live up to my M60 expectations.

 

[jbosman1013]

The E2DL is a good choice, the reason I bought mine is because the output is so close to the M60. The M60 has more spill but the E2DL has a brighter spot and a slight edge in throw, plus its lighter than my C2. 120lm is a big understatement for this light.

 

[blinder switch]

Well i had that thought too. Ive been waiting for the P61L patiently as well as the Invictus and optimus for some time now... and im just getting antsy to buy another light. A Surefire rep emailed me on the Optimus and Invictus saying late 2008 early 2009 which puts them in Christmas gift categories rather than summer vacation categories.

Is This good information? I'm like you also, as stated early on above by you.

Ive also too just bought so many 6P style lights and Drop ins that im frankly getting a bit bored of that configuration... but i cant find a better bang for buck combo out there anywhere. I was excited to see the specs on the E2DL, but was aprehensive to purchase it because of the worry it wouldnt live up to my M60 expectations.

My 3 E2DLs all have worked excellent.

 

[Gunner12]

From what I understand, the M60 would have more output then the E2DL but the E2DL would have more throw and less spill due to the optic. I can't confirm that though.

 

[Bullzeyebill]

From what I understand, the M60 would have more output then the E2DL but the E2DL would have more throw and less spill due to the optic. I can't confirm that though.

I am not sure what the lux figure is for an M60, though it is probably in the 5-6 thousand range. If indeed the E2DL has more lux and less spill, that can be good, or bad depending on your needs. The E2DL's strong point, for the use of its lumens, is high lux, and not putting out a lot of lumens in its spill, which I think is a good thing in a relatively small profile light.

Bill

 

[dano101]

well, im looking for a decent thrower. I think id like to try 120 conservative Surefire Lumens in one nice hotspot as opposed to an M60's hotspot and considerable sidespill Lumens. Even though actual output lumens on the M60 is probably higher, im thinking (if you remove the sidespill from the M60) the E2DL's hotspot might be a bit brighter... i guess ill have to just order one.

My next issue will be E1B vs L1... but i think i might have to do a bit of reading on that one...

 

[Kid9P]

I apologize in advance if this has been answered before, but can the E2DL
run on 2 RCR123's as well ?

 

[RWT1405]

It pretty much comes down to what you want from a flashlight. If you need/want/like the beam from a M60 (a room filling beam with some REAL spill), then you will NOT like the piddly little, needle thin, NO spill TIR beam from the SF E series.

When I use a flashlight, I expect it to have "spill", the E series has none. So, if you "PLAY" with your light and just want to show others how FAR it throws a beam, you might like it. If you use your flashlight for "WORK/CCW/etc." and you NEED spill with your beam, stay with the M60 in a 6P, perhaps a M60L in a G2, or even perhaps an L2/L4.

Just in case you didn't notice, I don't care for the "new" SF E & L series TIR beams. * The L2/L4 aren't part of them.*

My .02 FWIW YMMV

 

[Bullzeyebill]

I apologize in advance if this has been answered before, but can the E2DL
run on 2 RCR123's as well ?

I have not read where this is so, but so far all of Surefire's buck constant current run lights will regulate at 9 volts.

Bill

 

[dano101]

Well RWRT1405, to each their own i guess... Ive never owned a TIR optic so i can offer no defense as to the beam quality. I was looking to use this light as a dog walking light. I want to be able to spot her at a far distance as well as use the low lumen function for making sure the path in front of me is clear. She's a Pointer and has a habit of sniffing out wildlife at times several hunded feet away and always 'points' in the direction that light will not reflect off her eyes... so Im not really needing alot of spill for that purpose.

 

[RyanA]

I am not sure what the lux figure is for an M60, though it is probably in the 5-6 thousand range. If indeed the E2DL has more lux and less spill, that can be good, or bad depending on your needs. The E2DL's strong point, for the use of its lumens, is high lux, and not putting out a lot of lumens in its spill, which I think is a good thing in a relatively small profile light.

Bill

I think I saw 3300lux quoted for the creemator with the tir (e2dl w the stock cree q5 driven at 1.3amps.) could be that the light is evenly distributed over the hotspot where the khatod focuses a lot of the light into the very center of the hotspot.

 

[zven]

I don't have the E2DL, but I do have the M60, and I do have an L1, which has the same beam as the E2DL (give or take some minor model-to-model manufacturing variation, of course). As others have stated, I'd expect the M60 to be a bit brighter overall, but not hugely, since our eyes perceive brightness on a logarithmic scale. And in terms of throw, I'd expect the E2DL to have noticeably more; my L1 has about the same throw as my M60, and the L1 is certainly dimmer than the E2DL.

Also, truth be told, I much prefer the beam profile and quality of the SureFire TIR optic over the optic of the M60. The M60 does put a bit more of its light into the spill than does the SureFire TIR, but SureFire's optic is a lot less ringy, and is still plenty useable. Now, if you need to see a wide field of stuff relatively close to you, then you'll need either a diffuser with the E2DL, or a different light altogether. But if you're going for distance spotting, as on your walks with your dog, I think the E2DL (or any other SureFire TIR light with sufficient brightness, for that matter) will serve you perfectly. Using my L1 outdoors, I find that the hotspot is the perfect size with perfect throw for seeing things far away, while its spill (still with the hotspot pointed far away) remains perfect for seeing the path in front of you. I dunno if I can phrase this so it really makes sense, but, when you're pointing the L1/E2DL/etc. at a distant object, the brightness on that far away object will be the same as the brightness as objects right in front of you being lit by the spill.

Bottom line: since you've got other 6P lights and M60's, I'd defenitely recommend buying that E2DL without a second thought.

 

[dano101]

zven, that was a perfect response and made total sense. Thanks Ill be buying tomorrow. Then its just the L1 vs E1B dilemma

 

[bullfrog]

Enjoy your E2DL - Its an awesome light!

The L1 vs. E1B is a tough choice but if you only want one, I would give you the same advice as I would with your portfolio - DIVERSIFY and go for the L series as the E1B and E2DL arent too far off from eachother...

1) The High: Since you already have your uber thrower (the E2DL), honestly the E1Bs 80 lumens are not too far off so you might want to give the 65 lumens of the L1 a +.

2) The Low: The E1B and E2DL have the same 5 lumen low - the L1 has a very very useful 10 lumen low that honestly works for 75% of my tasks and is noticeably brighter than the Es.

3) Fit and Finish: the E1B and E2DL have the same sort of "look" when compared to the L1, so if you want to diersify, another + for the L1. I personally love the HA and "lines" of the L1 - its just a gorgeous and well proportioned piece of engineering.

However, if you do get the E1B, I suggest swapping the tailcaps of your E2DL and E1B. The smooth E1B cap on my E2DL makes it sooooo much more pocketable and really has a nice feel to it. The E2DL cap on my E1B gives it a lot of extra grip and is much easier for me to hold - plus it just looks wonderful.

Lastly, regardless of your decision, pick up the 04 diffuser as it really changes the functionality of the TIR lights and it can be interchanged between the E2DL, E1B and L1 - well worth the $12!

Of course this decision is much easier said than done as I wound up getting both

And honestly after having these 3 Surefires and a C2 as a drop in host, I think I can safely say that I won't need to buy another Surefire until the UA/UB2s and Saint come out (yeah right)...

 

[zven]

zven, that was a perfect response and made total sense. Thanks Ill be buying tomorrow. Then its just the L1 vs E1B dilemma

Yeah, between the L1 and E1B, I agree completely with bullfrog. I'm almost always a fan of diversifying collections, be they flashlights, knives, or whatever else, and the L1 would certainly accomplish this to a greater degree than the E1B, considering you've got the 6P's/M60's and will have the E2DL. I think the one thing I would add to bullfrog's three reasons to go for the L1 is the UI: rather than the clicky interface of the E1B (which is identical to the E2DL), where you have high, then press again for low, the L1 gives you anytime access to either level of brightness. You don't have to wait 2 seconds for it to reset to high, which is nice. Also, when you're twisted to constant low, you have the possibility to use momentary high; I think that's pretty cool. (And others may have differing experience, but I've found twisty lights to be more reliable than clickies, so I'm just innately more drawn to the L1, I guess.)

I also completely agree about the F04 diffuser. You may not ever need it on the E2DL, but it'd be very useful on the L1/E1B, and it's well worth the money.

Oh, and if you do end up with both the E2DL and an L1/E1B, I'd love to hear how much of a difference in brightness you perceive on the high modes. I've been contemplating getting an E2DL/KX2C, but I'm still on the fence...

 

[bullfrog]

Thanks Zven and excellent point - I can't believe I forgot to mention the UI - my favorite part of the L1!!!

I guess thats what I get for posting after 3am :duh2:

Zven, I can try to get some E2DL vs. E1B vs. L1 comps up tomorrow...

 

[zven]

Yeah, I have that chronic problem of late-night/early-morning posting as well. Maybe one day I'll change my ways... maybe.

And I'd be very interested in the E2DL/E1B/L1 comparison. I have sort of an imagined idea of what the difference probably is, but a comparison from someone who actually owns all the models would be much more useful.

 

[cdosrun]

I think this link might be of interest for comparison of the E2DL and E1B plus others.
http://www.kingsnake.com/salceies/beamshots.htm

Andrew