Finally going to get a surefire. Need good runtime.

[Curias]

I have finally decided to get a Surefire flashlight after reading all the good things you guys have said about them.

The light will be used for hiking, and will be used for up to 8 hours at a time. I don't want to be changing batteries often during the hike as that gets expensive and is kind of annoying.

What's most important to me is good runtime, followed by regulation, brightness, and beam profile. I would prefer a little more flood than throw, but that's not a deciding factor.

The options I have my eyes on are the Surefire E2L (60 lumens for 11 hr.) or a C2/6P with a M60LL (80 emitter lumens for 8 hr.).

Does anyone have experience with both of these? Does the stock E2L really put out 60 lumens for 11 hours? Which one is more floody?

Any comments would be very helpful. Thank you.

 

[Chrontius]

I recommend getting something with throw and adding a diffuser; it's much more flexible than having nothing with throw at all.

 

[KingCanada]

I would recommend the E2L. It was measured by a forum member at 110 lumens If I remember correctly. I'm sure it will manage at least 8 regulated hours, I'm not too sure though. I will also recommend either the G3, 9P or C3, all led versions. They should put out 80 lumens of sort of floody light for a good long time.

 

[jp2515]

Of the choices listed, get a G3 if you don't mind the length and the M60LL. That way you can use either 3xCR123 or 2 x AA in your light.

 

[carrot]

I'm going to recommend you go for the LX2 or L1. You will find yourself using the low mode most of the time to navigate and look around and high when you really need to reach out. The UI makes it more realistic to use a light in this fashion so you will save lots of batteries over using the E2L or similar.

 

[pjandyho]

E2L would make a good hiking light for it's long runtime. 60 lumens should be ample for whatever you needed it for. If you need flood, just add the F04 beamshaper (diffuser) to it.

If you don't mind to spend a bit more, get the LX2 instead. I like the low output as it is bright enough to cover about 80% of what I needed it for. If I need to spot something far I just press the momentary switch and I get a 200 lumens light to see clearly. The low output itself should be able to last you 2 or 3 nights depending on how you use the light.

I am sure you don't need to be trekking on high output all the time. I don't as using high output all the time would constrict my pupils drastically making it difficult to notice anything on the peripheral area of my vision which is outside of the beam profile. Yes we can shine the light in that direction but you would need to sense that there is something there before you turn your light in that direction right? Your peripheral vision is just as important in a night trek as any of your other sensory perception like smell and touch, especially if the area that you are trekking in contains wildlife that are dangerous and may be lurking in the corner where your main beam did not pick up initially. So yes, low output for me most of the time.

 

[jhc37013]

I like the E2L also for a good mix of runtime and output. Below is a link to a runtime graph by Outdoors Fanatic.

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showpost.php?p=2812448&postcount=21

 

[knightrider]

I like the E2L also for a good mix of runtime and output. Below is a link to a runtime graph by Outdoors Fanatic.

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showpost.php?p=2812448&postcount=21

Cool runtime graph. Never seen one for the E2L on high until now. Very impressive indeed.

I'm waiting and holding my breath for the E2L-AA which will be nice. Hopefully this becomes a reality sometime in the future. The normal E2L is so nice that I wouldn't mind if the AA version is only vaporware.

 

[Perfectful]

Surefire E2L has a extended runtime,it can run 100 hours at a low output,it is convient for you when hiking !

 

[stallion2]

Chrontius and carrot make good points...
A) turning a throwing light into a flood light by temporarily adding a diffuser is a lot easier than doing the reverse....ultimately, your increasing versatility.

B) the 15 lumen low mode on an LX2 (30 hours runtime) is more than you need to navigate a trail and since its a pressure switch you can give yourself a quick 200lumens just by pressing down a little harder.

for an extra $40 its easily worth it. i have to admit, 60lm for 11 hours is pretty tempting.

 

[carrot]

i have to admit, 60lm for 11 hours is pretty tempting.

Tell me about it... I own three KX2 E2Ls...

However, I still stand by my recommendation for a LX2 or L1, which use the pressure switch for modes instead of a toggle. You will have greatly enhanced runtimes.

 

[jhc37013]

The LX2 on constant low then if needed apply pressure to boost is a pretty cool idea but the question is will 15 lumen be enough for most of the hike, it's not for me especially in unfamiliar territory.

 

[carrot]

Gotta disagree with you there, 10 lumens on my Saint was plenty for unfamiliar territory on my last night hike a few weeks ago.

 

[jhc37013]

Yes I'm sure it just depends on one individuals needs it's just not enough for me personally while hiking but I can see how it can be plenty for others. It seems like most folks while EDC'ing for normal daily use fall into two categories those that like to turn the light on in max supernova bright while others like to start up in in matchstick low. Sometimes I feel like the odd one who starts in medium(60-100lms depending on light).

 

[jimmy1970]

Surefire U2A would be a nice choice if you can spare the coin - 6 levels of light, 2 cell configuration for nice, long runtimes.

James...

 

[Curias]

Thank you all for your replies.

The LX2 was my first choice, as the 15 lumens for 30 hours seemed pretty good for hiking.

But the places I hike around here in Tucson have a lot of rattlesnakes that blend in with the ground, and often don't even rattle when you walk by them. The more light the better.

Never seen 15 surefire lumens though, may be enough.

Also, wouldn't a diffuser reduce the output in the process?

I'm kinda taking it as you guys are recommending the LX2 or E2L over some sort of M60LL modded Surefire for my intended purposes.

 

[jhc37013]

The rattlers and copperheads in my area is the same reason I also prefer as much brightness I can without compromising to much runtime this is why I like the E2L. As jimmy1970 also suggested the U2 is another great option with nicely spaced output options via a selector ring.

I have not had the pleasure of owning a Malkoff drop in yet the one I want has always been out of stock but you could get a Surefire 6P and your choice of drop in. I'm sure others can comment on which Malkoff would be best for hiking.

 

[pjandyho]

The rattlers and copperheads in my area is the same reason I also prefer as much brightness I can without compromising to much runtime this is why I like the E2L. As jimmy1970 also suggested the U2 is another great option with nicely spaced output options via a selector ring.

I have not had the pleasure of owning a Malkoff drop in yet the one I want has always been out of stock but you could get a Surefire 6P and your choice of drop in. I'm sure others can comment on which Malkoff would be best for hiking.

The 15 lumens the LX2 puts out is bright enough for many applications close range. Should not be a problem spotting a rattlesnake about a few feet away, which is enough to avoid them.

 

[Noctis]

You could also try a Surefire 9P bored for 2x18500 lithium cells.

I bring up lithium cells because of your stated preference to avoid having to change the batteries, and the thicker lithium cells are capable of holding more power and thus providing more runtime than the standard CR123 cells. Not to mention that you'll probably save more money in the long run by using rechargables over buying replacement CR123s even if you only change them between each hike instead of in the middle of one.

Surefire lights are favored by the military because of their durability, reliability, and because of the military's infinite supply of CR123 cells. For what you need, I strongly suggest the bored body & lithium cells. Sure you could opt to use the rechargable RCR123s, but the storage capacity is still far less than the thicker lithium cells.

If there's any fault at all with Malkoff drop-ins it would be the fact that they are only single-level, thus losing some flexibility when compared to some 3 level drop-ins that lets you adjust the light level according to your needs. However the heatsinking is excellent and Malkoff is absolute GOLD for running your light for extended periods. And so long as you don't drop your light right on the lens, there shouldn't be any concern about damaging it, as every part of it is rock solid.

I can't really recommend much to do with the rattlesnakes. Runtime and brightness are on two opposite ends of each other. If you go for one you'll lose out on the other.

You could try a Surefire 9P bored body with a Malkoff M60WLF. Warm tint LEDs are said to have better color rendition would may or may not help you distinguish snakes from the rocky terrain(might help if someone here had a pet rattlesnake). I feel the flood might help you more during your hike as the narrow optic is sometimes described as giving you tunnel vision and I don't see why you need too much throw during a hike. Lumens output is about 100.

The all-important runtime is hard to say for sure. Stated runtime is 4 1/2 hours on 2 CR123s. A 9P body can hold 3 CR123s. Assuming you get 2 hours 15 minutes with each cell, you can get 6 hours 45 minutes for sure. But also, since storage capacity of the thicker 18500 cells is greater, I think it would be okay to assume that it can last you at least 8 hours.

 

[computernut]

My E2L is a great outdoors light. Because it starts off low you find that you can use low for most things and use the high when you need it. This saves battery power and it seems like the thing will last forever.