SF L1 or E1L more upgradeable?

[Palestofwhite]

Hello,

I'm relatively new here and I believe some know that I've just gotten my first good light a SF E2DL. The initial idea of me was to get a KX2 for an alternative purpose but I was thinking, sharing a body will mean I won't have an extra dependable light to back myself up.

A good single cell SF will will be good for travel and I feel it should be a better investment since buying the KX2 alone will cost close.

So my question will be, is the L1 more upgradeable than the E1L? I see that the the older E1L has a KX1 head for upgrades. Does that mean that only the E series is upgradeable?

I'm going on a Thailand trip next month and this Single Cell torch should prove itself useful at night. Some cave trips and stuff or even urban use. The E2DL might not be approved by my Singapore customs due to the bezel edges.

I'm quite sure an L1 is powerful but not knowing how much less output does the E1L give?

 

[Owen]

edit: I said L1, but was apparently in need of some sleep!
I believe you would have the same options for optics, reflectors, and emitters with both, but on the L1 you can change the circuit and still have the two-stage tail(though some boards like the Wizard won't work with it, and will just have one mode).
edit: like the McE2S, I think you can change the resistor in the L1 tail to control the level of the low mode as well. My understanding is that with the E1L, a resistor mod to the circuit board to increase the high mode will also affect the low.

 

[cryhavok]

I would actually argue that the E1L is way more upgradeable than the L1.

The problem with the L1 is that the electronics are housed in the front of the L1 body, IIRC. This makes them not as easy to access for converter swaps. Even then, you are limited to a 2 stage light.

With the E1L, the electronics are in the head behind the LED. You could easily swap the board for a multimode one for however many levels you like + fun ones like strobe and SOS. Switching between the modes is easy with the clicky. Also, you could make it function exactly like an L1 with a single stage converter board and a McE2S 2-stage switch. This will essentially give you an L1 in a smaller package.

Both lights use the same heatsink design so swapping the leds is easy in either light.

 

[Cosmo7809]

+1 and you can play lego with all other e series!

 

[Owen]

Yeah, guess when I posted that earlier I was thinking more about what I'd like to do with it, and the fact that I don't care so much for the E1s really short body, than what is actually possible.

 

[carrot]

Notice that the price of the KX1 and KX2 are nearly as much money as buying an entire light! At that cost, I'd rather have a new light. For what it's worth, I too think the E1L is more upgradeable but at prices where it might just make more sense to buy a new light.

In any case, I think the L1 is the better of the two because the L1's method of switching levels is far superior to the "tap" interface of the E1L's. Any fan of the A2, L1, or L2 will tell you that!