Newbie Recommendation for Surefire LED

[Justindo]

Hi all,

I'm new to the forum and looking for an LED flashlight to use around the house, walking the dog, camping, hunting, etc. I've been looking at the two-setting Surefires, but have not been able to see any of the models I'm looking for in person due to poor stock at the local dealers. Based on Surefire's website, I think I've narrowed it down to these three models:

E1B Backup
E2L Outdoorsman
L1 LumaMax

The efficiency of the E2L is attractive, but I'm wondering if 3 lumens is enough for regular use. Of these three, which would you recommend, and why? Thanks in advance.

 

[precisionworks]

:welcome:

I'm wondering if 3 lumens is enough for regular use

Here's a recent thread on that question:

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=192254

The efficiency of the E2L is attractive

It's a nice all purpose light, not too big, good brightness, low cost as Surefires go.

 

[Gunner12]

3 lumen is enough for most night adapted/semi adapted eye use.

Out of the three, I'd recommend the L1 but overall(or new E1L), since you don't seem to need it for "tactical" use, the Fenix P2D-CE Q5 or Olight T10 might be better(8% off coupon at Fenix Store is "CPF8").

:welcome:

 

[FrogsInWinter]

Persoanlly of the three, I would lean towards the E2L.

The 3 lumen low mode of the E2L is most useful for navagating around the house when all the lights are off or outside when there is little or no ambient/background light available. Its good for not totally destroying your night adapted vision (though a red led would be better for preserving night vision).
The 60 lumen high mode would be adequate for most everyday activities.

Of course you should always have at least 2 lights on you. A good choice to consider would be an ARC-AAA light to go on your keys.
http://www.arcflashlight.com/arc-aaa.shtml

:welcome:

 

[parnass]

Hi all,

I'm new to the forum and looking for an LED flashlight to use around the house, walking the dog, camping, hunting, etc. ....

The E2L provides you with several hours at full brightness for walking through woods, walking your dog, etc. The other two models run down the battery in less than 2 hours when run at full intensity.

I have a 1-level (45 lumen) Cree E2L and it is great for taking walks in the dark. There are coyotes and other critters in my rural neighborhood so I appreciate a light which lets me see some distance ahead without worrying about running down the batteries.

 

[yaesumofo]

The E1B is one of the brightest single cell flashlights I have (and I have a bunch). There is little side spill all of the emitters energy is concentrated into the beam.
I highly recommend if possible, that you do your best to have a first hand look at any flashlight you are interested in. go to a gun shop or sporting goods shop that stocks surefire flashlights.

Yaesumofo

 

[DM51]

Welcome to CPF, Justindo.

There's some good advice above, and no shortage of other information available in the various forums here.

If you have not already done so, it would be a good idea to register on CPF MarketPlace too. It is a separate forum, so requires separate registration. The link to it is at the top of this page.

You will find used lights for sale there at good prices. Because CPFers take good care of their lights, some that are listed as used are almost indistinguishable from new. Buying and selling there is a very good way to try out a number of different models until you find those that best suit your purpose.

 

[BigD64]

You may want to consider the E1L 2 stage.

 

[BabyDoc]

They say "beauty is in the eye of the beholder". You really should try the light out if you can get the chance. If not, buy your light on line from a dealer with a liberal return policy.

Personally, I prefer the L1 over the EB1 Backup. It has a more focused, wider, and more uniform hotspot than the EB1, with much less spill. The color of the L1 is a bit warmer than the EB1. It could be sample variation that mine is more warm, but I have heard that said by others here who have had both lights. The L1, although only 65 lumens on high, looks much brighter than that. It could be because, as said before, its energy is focused into a broad hot spot, rather than a good portion of it spilling off into the periphery. There is a big difference in the interfaces, which you may also wish to consider. I prefer the twisty switch of the L1 over the 2 step switch on the EB1 or other E1L. I found the 2 step switch on the EB1 misfired and skipped switching, if the time intervals between presses were too close together. No such problems with the L1. Moreover, the L1 starts in low mode, which is the mode I use the most. With the EB1 you need to press the switch twice to get from high to low.

 

[GPB]

have you considered the G2LED ? It doesn't have a low power mode, but it's considerably less expensive than some of the others. It doesn't have the "work of art" apeal that those lights have, but you can buy it and about 20 sets of batteries for what the E2L will cost, or get the G2L, rechargeable batteries and a charger and still spend less than on some of those lights.

 

[precisionworks]

Buying and selling there is a very good way to try out a number of different models until you find those that best suit your purpose.

Great suggestion


There isn't a store within 100 miles that carries decent lights, but any light you want to try will come up on Buy/Sell/Trade within a few days. It's never cost me more than $5 to try a light & sell it, and a Surefire will usually sell FAST.

 

[Justindo]

Hi all,

Thanks for the warm welcome and the helpful advice.

I know I should try the lights in person, but I've been to four local dealers and all only had a few Surefires in stock, some of which were made in China. Which Surefires are made in China?

At this point I'm leaning toward the E1B Backup because it has the newest technology, it's the brightest, it's the smallest, it's well-priced, it's pretty efficient and a single cell which means fewer batteries used, and the 5/80 seems like a useful combination. The two-click interface seems sensible too. I've read the two long threads on this forum on this light and I can't find any major negatives. Are there any strong reasons why I shouldn't get the E1B Backup?

 

[GPB]

Are there any strong reasons why I shouldn't get the E1B Backup?

Because it costs $50 more than the G2, is only an inch shorter, and has 10 hours less burn time ??

 

[Gunner12]

Brightest 1 CR123 powered from Surefire yes, but there are brighter lights out there. I don't think any of them have a forward clickie though.

The main thing against the E1B is the slippery body.

Surefires are all made in the USA. If it says made in China, then it's from a different company.

China does have some pretty good lights though, Fenix, Lumapower, Dereelight, Tiablo, Nitecore. Some say they have comparable/better build to Surefire. That was not my opinion.

(my opinion, you can skip this part) I think the Dereelight and Tiablo should at least be close to Surefire's build quality. Fenix would be lighter and smaller but it won't feel as well built, and the only ones with a forward clickie is the T1 and the L1/2T V2.0 made last year. Lumapower and Nitecore would be similar to the above. If you look at output, the Fenix P2D-CE Q5 puts out 145 lumen on turbo(almost 1 hour runtime) and around 80 lumen on high(7 hours). It costs $60 before shipping and will take most abuse without problem(just don't drop it off a 10 story building). But the Surefire would feel better built(probably is) and is probably simpler to use.(end)

The main gripe I've heard about the E1B is its slippery body. Besides that, it seems like a good light.