EX10 vs E1B???

Nick2cd

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Aug 2, 2008
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28
Just wondering if anyone has done a side by side comparison of these two lights. i have read so many threads and reviews on both platforms that i just can't remember if i've seen any direct comparisons of these two. please excuse me if i've grossly overlooked something. if anyone owns both, i'd love to hear what you think and which you prefer.

:popcorn:
 
ive seen the P2D have more output than E1B except throw and EX10 to be on par with P2D or brighter , might wanna look at the Nitecore Extreme too
 
Hi Nick,

I only have the EX10 but played with someone else's E1B. As expected, the EX10 is significantly smaller and has more functions that the E1B, the E1B has a nice tailswitch (my first experience of a SF one though so it was a novelty).

With respect to beams, the E1B I saw had a very white beam with an intense hotspot and reasonable spill, it throws considerably more than the EX10 which sports a 'Cree ring'. I think it depends on what you like, both seem pretty good to me and would contemplate getting an E1B if finances permit in the future.

Andrew
 
I have both and I think each has their own strengths. From my experience I find that the E1B does much better outdoors not just because it can throw further but the spot is a perfect size to light up things that are further away. What that means is that you can see your target and everything around it just as well. However when indoors I find the hotspot too intense sometimes when searching for things around the house. It's much better on low but searching for things is also a problem because of the light's lack of spill.

The EX-10 I would recommend for indoors because the spill is much brighter and there are many levels of light to choose from. So it's perfect for searching for things around the house and its much smaller compared to the E1B. Easy to drop into the pockets of your shorts and forget about unlike the bulkier E1B. Doesn't throw as well as the E1B but has a bigger and brighter hotspot than my 120p.

As for brightness I'd say that they are pretty close. The hotspot on the E1B can't be beat and is way brighter than the EX-10 with the EX-10 having brighter spill.
 
cdosrun,
thanks for the comments.......this is exactly what i was wondering about. i already have the EX10 on order. i don't know how long it will take to get to me, but i can hardly wait! if this light meets my needs i will probably hold off on the surefire e1b (maybe). i want it for EDC. im thinking of putting it on my keychain, but i don't know if it will be small enough for this. guess i'll just have to wait and see!
 
The hotspot on the E1B can't be beat and is way brighter than the EX-10 with the EX-10 having brighter spill.

I don't know if I'd go as far as to say the hotspot on the E1B is way brighter. It is brighter, but on my lux meter there is less than a 1,000lux difference. 2,200-2,400lux to 2,800-3,200lux isn't going to be all that noticeable outdoors. 2,400 to 10,000LUX would be, or 2,400 to 28,000. :)
 
Thanks guys.....you have helped to give me peace of mind that i made the right decision. i'll probably still get the e1b later though. :D
 
cdosrun,
thanks for the comments.......this is exactly what i was wondering about. i already have the EX10 on order. i don't know how long it will take to get to me, but i can hardly wait! if this light meets my needs i will probably hold off on the surefire e1b (maybe). i want it for EDC. im thinking of putting it on my keychain, but i don't know if it will be small enough for this. guess i'll just have to wait and see!

I wouldn't exactly call either light "keychain size", but then again, I see people with 2lb ring of keys. I have my car key and that's about it. Anyway, the EX10 is quite a bit more compact. It's really a nice little light.
 
Although I haven't update my CR123A round-up review with the EX10 results, you can directly compare the numbers in my EX10 review to those of the E1B in the round-up (check my sig for link).

As you'll see, overall output is about the same on max on primaries, but my E1B is a considerably better thrower (very spot-beam type of effect, quite different from EX10).

If you are looking for a dedicated 1XC123A thrower, there's also the JetBeam Jet-II PRO to consider ...
 
As you'll see, overall output is about the same on max on primaries, but my E1B is a considerably better thrower (very spot-beam type of effect, quite different from EX10).

I didn't see #'s for the E1B. Do you have max LUX figures for the EX10 and E1B? :)

I know the E1B will be higher, but I didn't think it was that much higher to claim it would have considerably better throw. :) I'll have to take my E1B and EX10 out tonight and see how they perform in the real world. The EX10 is fairly throwy for it's size, which results in the Cree ring since the reflector is a light OP.
 
I didn't see #'s for the E1B. Do you have max LUX figures for the EX10 and E1B? :)
I know the E1B will be higher, but I didn't think it was that much higher to claim it would have considerably better throw. :) I'll have to take my E1B and EX10 out tonight and see how they perform in the real world. The EX10 is fairly throwy for it's size, which results in the Cree ring since the reflector is a light OP.



Nope. I have E1B and D10 (on 14500's so same as EX10) and even on NiMH's the D10 is just a hair brighter, on 14500's it's obvious (ceiling bounce test).
EDIT: sorry, just noticed you were talking about throw #'s (I think?) rather than overall output. E1B will have higher throw #'s, D10/EX10 higher overall #'s

My E1B has better (warmer) tint, a tighter, more intense hotspot, still has useable spill despite having superior throw, perfect levels for a 2-level light (i.e. low is enough for most tasks and has 35 hour runtime), has a brilliant clip, carries well clipped to a pocket and just feels more robust in the hand, like it could take a beating and still do the job.

My D10 is brighter, throws a bit less but has bright, smooth spill, can use rechargeable batt's, good tint (a bit cool compared to E1B), I LOVE the low-low and find myself using it often, good battery life, really wish it had a clip but is small enough for pocket carry, feels well built and uses a stronger grade of aluminium than most lights (E1B still feels stronger).

Overall, if I had to choose I don't think that I could. They are both SUPERB and are just different enough to justify getting both. If only one, the NC's are cheaper and more versatile while the SF has the best warranty (although if you buy from 4-7's you're covered pretty well also) and just feels SOLID. SF's have been proven in some bad situations so for general torch use I'd go with the D10/EX10 but if your life might depend on your torch I'd go with the E1B. Just my 2c...................
 
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Yeah, we were talking throw. Obviously the EX10 and D10 have more overall output than the E1B. :) The E1B has more throw too, but I was just questioning if it was that much more that it would make a noticeable difference out doors. The one thing with the E1B is it has dimmer spill, which helps prevents your eyes from being effected if the spill is hitting objects close to you. This allows your eyes to stay more adapted to the dark and be more sensative to whatever the hot spot is lighting up.
 
Yeah, we were talking throw. Obviously the EX10 and D10 have more overall output than the E1B. :) The E1B has more throw too, but I was just questioning if it was that much more that it would make a noticeable difference out doors. quote]


Oh yeah. As much as I love my D10, my E1B is the light that I use for my "pocket spotlight". I recently "tightened" up the beam on mine but even stock the E1B has really good throw while still having a useful spillbeam and it definitely throws farther than the D10 outdoors. The D10 is no slouch, mind you, but there just seems to be something about an optic that makes everything you look at appear to be brighter and clearer. Once I focused my E1B the beam gained a few Cree rings but also has a much tighter hotspot that throws even farther along with a bit wider spill.

EDIT: there'll probably be some comments comparing the E1B's throwing prowess to that of "true" throwers like the Tiablos and Dereelights which use reflectors but keep in mind that the head diameters on those are around twice that of the E1B's and that the hotspot is smaller. They do, however, throw farther than the E1B but they don't fit into your pocket quite as well either........................
 
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My Jetbeam Jet I Pro has more throw than my E1B or L1 and it has a reflector, and I think it's smaller than my E1B.
 
My Jetbeam Jet I Pro has more throw than my E1B or L1 and it has a reflector, and I think it's smaller than my E1B.



I just checked out selfbuilt's reviews and it shows 71 max throw for the E1B ( http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=201117 ) and 66 max throw for the Jet I Pro if you use 14500's ( http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=188278 ). The overall LUX numbers go to the JB by just a bit, again using 14500's, but the JB's runtimes seem to be way lacking at anything under max output where the E1B's low mode (around 10 lumens) tested at over 33 hours and high at 1:41. The JB sounds impressive on high but taking overall quality and performance into account I'd say that the E1B beats it pretty soundly................................
 
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I didn't see #'s for the E1B. Do you have max LUX figures for the EX10 and E1B? :)
Hi Wade,

The E1B numbers are in my CR123A round-up review - I get peak throw of 5100 lux on primaries. My Jet-I PRO (R2) on 14500 only gets 4300lux. And the EX10 gets 2150lux on primaries and 2800lux on RCR (but that's initial value only - RCR eventually levels off to a similar value as primaries).

Note also that the overall output of my E1B seems to be about the same as my EX10 (i.e. both level off just south of 60 ROV in my scale, which is about ~120lumens based on my Novatac 120P calibration). That's according to my lightbox, but the ceiling bounce numbers are also pretty close.

I'm guessing my E1B just happens to be a lot brighter than yours. Surefire conservatively rates these at 80lumens in memory serves - mine is definitely a lot brigther.
 
Yeah, we were talking throw. Obviously the EX10 and D10 have more overall output than the E1B. :) The E1B has more throw too, but I was just questioning if it was that much more that it would make a noticeable difference out doors. The one thing with the E1B is it has dimmer spill, which helps prevents your eyes from being effected if the spill is hitting objects close to you. This allows your eyes to stay more adapted to the dark and be more sensative to whatever the hot spot is lighting up.

Good observation ! :thumbsup:
 
I've got both, so I can honestly say that there is no comparison because they are two completely different lights.

Their features, size, beams and weights are so different from each other that I don't see much value in trying to compare them from the standpoint of "which is better".
Each is "better" than the other in several different ways.

That said; I use my E1B almost exclusively at work where I carry it all day long. It's perfect for looking into the dark areas of machinery for making adjustments or doing maintenance.

As for my EX10, I carry it more often in the evenings because of it's trim size and variable settings available through it's very simple UI.

I think what I'm getting at is that these two lights lend themselves to different situations better than the other depending upon those situations.
I use them both for different purposes so I guess I'll be keeping them both. :thumbsup:
 
I'm guessing my E1B just happens to be a lot brighter than yours. Surefire conservatively rates these at 80lumens in memory serves - mine is definitely a lot brigther.

Holy smokes, your E1B must be way brighter than mine. My E1B on CR123A only gets around 2,760LUX at one meter, while my Jetbeam was getting 4,250. Maybe I got a bum E1B, even my L1 is brighter. Maybe I should send it back to SF. I got it when they first came out, maybe the new ones come with a better bin Cree.

However, because SF is so inconsistent, even if they at least meet their min. spec, you can't say every E1B has a lot more throw than a EX10, etc, because mine doesn't, and I'm sure other people have E1B's that are the same as mine or worse.
 
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