Surefire: L1 or E1b ???

[Brasso]

I'm thinking about picking up one of these lights for a small backup light. For those who own them: Pro's and Cons?

The E1b appears to be smaller, cheaper, and brighter. What am I missing?

 

[Albinoni]

Let me start my rant here, the E1B would have to be one of the most overpriced torches I have ever come accross and I mean grossly overpriced, for what it offers. I mean take a look on Ebay for eg and I have seen some going for US$285.00.

To me these days there are other flashlights out there that are up there with SF's for sure eg fenix and Jetbeam and prob more to name.

With the F'up American economy I am still surprised that SF can still afford to hike up their prices.

 

[It01Firefox]

I own both and you're correct, the E1b is smaller and brighter.
The big difference is in the UI:

For the E1b you have to tap or click your way through the high mode to get to low.
With the L1 you have that beautiful two-stage twisty UI where a light press will give you low and a hard press will give you high mode. You can also twist it to low mode constant-on and quickly engage the high mode by a simple press on the tailcap.

I love them both but the E1b is really a lot brighter that the L1.


Markus

 

[ninemm]

I was recently wondering which was "better" myself. I owned and sold an E1B. It was an impressive thrower for the size and bright. I recently picked up a new L1. Definitely less bright than the E1B. But a few things stand out. 1) The L1 has a simpler, easier to use UI. 2) the L1's overall shape is less bulky and I find it fits my hand better. Plus, it has some really great knurling as opposed to the smooth body of the E1B.

Those are just some of my thoughts as an individual that has owned both. Hope it helps. You can typically get E1Bs on that auction site for $115 (where I got mine) new and L1's tend to run a little more I think.

 

[chef4850]

Price is a subjective thing and it's meaning is different for everyone. I personally like the L1 for looks but that is my opinion.

Both are nice lights but I find myself picking up the L1 a lot more. Plenty bright and great build. Just personal preferance. Not much difference in the high output on either light as least not that noticeable.

Chef

 

[Federal LG]

I have them both, but I prefer the E1B for EDC.

It´s smaller, cheaper, brighter, cloth friend (no knurling), has a tailclickie, best tint (my L1 tint is terrible greenish)...

The only "cons" is the shorter runtime in high mode.

And yeah... it´s ridiculously overpriced for what it is... :thumbsdow

 

[KDOG3]

Niether. HDS EDC Clicky 140 or 170.

 

[Curias]

Citing that $285 ebay price is not fair to Surefre. They can be had new from here: http://www.batteryjunction.com/surefire-e1b-backup.html, for $139 plus 24 free 123As.

 

[angelofwar]

If I REALLY had to pack lite, then, yes, the E1B...weighs less, and will fit in smaller areas. But, as most other's have stated, the L1 has more going for it (minus higher out-put)...the awesome UI, shape, knurling, fit, and finish. If you want a pocket rocket, go for the E1B...if you want a better light that you will get more use out of, go for the L1. I hate clicking my E1B on just to use it for 30 seconds...

I have both (well, my 2nd L1 is en-route, but I had one before I gave it to my brother), and if I did have to choose just 1, it would be the L1.

BTW, I got my E1B (very nice shape) for $92 and my L1 for $85, both on the marketplace.

And ditto on what curias said...

 

[Meganoggin]

I have both, but I carry the E1B in my pocket every day. It is smaller and more pocket friendly. However, the L1 always gets taken on camping trips (on a lanyard) as I find it a better area light - the E1B is much more throwy in nature.

Also the E1B has a great two way clip. Hope this helps - Pete.

 

[jp2515]

Let me start my rant here, the E1B would have to be one of the most overpriced torches I have ever come accross and I mean grossly overpriced, for what it offers. I mean take a look on Ebay for eg and I have seen some going for US$285.00.

To me these days there are other flashlights out there that are up there with SF's for sure eg fenix and Jetbeam and prob more to name.

With the F'up American economy I am still surprised that SF can still afford to hike up their prices.

Price is a subjective thing. If you don't like Surefire that's fine but to knock them for a price you saw once on a auction site is not representative.

Besides many members, including myself bought most of our lights off the Marketplace. Got a nicely used E1B w/ E2DL tailcap for ~$90 and an excellent condition current generation L1 w/ F04 for $100 even. Hardly the 285 unless we are talking about the M6 that I picked up...

 

[Brasso]

Good info.

I think I would prefer the L1 now just for the UI. More useful for LEO work.

I already have a HDS Clicky. Great light, overall a better light, but I like the instant on Hi that the L1 offers. No scrolling thru modes. My Clicky is vacationing with Tekno Cowboy right now getting an R4 tan.

 

[jp2515]

Good info.

I think I would prefer the L1 now just for the UI. More useful for LEO work.

I already have a HDS Clicky. Great light, overall a better light, but I like the instant on Hi that the L1 offers. No scrolling thru modes. My Clicky is vacationing with Tekno Cowboy right now getting an R4 tan.

Excellent, now off to the Marketplace as I saw a few NIP L1 available for sale.

 

[DM51]

Let me start my rant here, the E1B would have to be one of the most overpriced torches I have ever come accross and I mean grossly overpriced, for what it offers. I mean take a look on Ebay for eg and I have seen some going for US$285.00.

To me these days there are other flashlights out there that are up there with SF's for sure eg fenix and Jetbeam and prob more to name.

With the F'up American economy I am still surprised that SF can still afford to hike up their prices.

Albinoni... to add to the catalogue of your previous offenses and the nuisance you cause here with the innumerable unnecessary new threads you persist in posting, we now see you trolling. Take a week off.

 

[WadeF]

As far as using the flashlight, I like the L1 over the E1b because of it's UI. When it comes to pocket carry, the E1b is nicer when it's in the pocket (won't tear up your clothing, etc). I'm not sure what the current price is for the L1, but $139 for an E1b is a fair price for a quality product made in the USA.

 

[Mr Bigglow]

If you generally want to come on in bright mode, you can't beat the E1B. As stated previously, for EDC the smoothed out exterior is an asset. And while it was exceptional, I have seen them in the US, new and over the counter, for $110.

 

[Kestrel]

I EDC'd the L1 for two years and an E1 for a year. I found that the E1 didn't fit my hand well at all, and ended up greatly preferring the L1 during actual use. I've also read some complaints as to the non-knurled E1B feeling a little 'elusive' in the grip during operation/mode changing.

Check the link in my sig for my 'ode' to the L1 if you're interested. I'm just crazy about that light.

 

[Mr Bigglow]

I've found that anything with sharpish defined edges or, to a lesser extent, kurled surfaces, wears through clothing with discouraging speed, if carried in the same body position. It's a problem you get with any such rigid object. If your EDC position is not critical and/or not in a pocket, sure, kurling is to the good.

 

[Kestrel]

I've found that anything with sharpish defined edges or, to a lesser extent, kurled surfaces, wears through clothing with discouraging speed, if carried in the same body position. It's a problem you get with any such rigid object. If your EDC position is not critical and/or not in a pocket, sure, kurling is to the good.

Interestingly enough, during three years of EDC I found that my shorter (knurled) E1 was much harder on my jeans than my knurled L1. The shorter E1 would lie horizontally in my pocket, positioning one of its sharply-defined edges at a prominent position in the front of my jeans pocket. The longer L1 would tend to ride vertically in that pocket, providing less of a wear point on the outside of my jeans. :shrug:

 

[saabgoblin]

I have both, but I carry the E1B in my pocket every day. It is smaller and more pocket friendly. However, the L1 always gets taken on camping trips (on a lanyard) as I find it a better area light - the E1B is much more throwy in nature.

Also the E1B has a great two way clip. Hope this helps - Pete.

While I don't have the 65 lumen L1, I do have an older generation L1 that I love and the beam profile differences are as I suspected between my E1B and the current L1 substantiated by Meganoggin. The E1B is a great EDC with amazing throw and the UI between the L1 and the E1B are minor in so far as my usage is concerned but I prefer having a light fully ready to use and sometimes when I carry my L1, I lockout the switch to avoid accidental activation so I tend to have to rotate the switch before accessing any modes. They are both great lights, even my 1st generation L1, the main detractor of the E1B is that there is no way of easily attaching a lanyard unless you upgrade the switch to a used E2D from the MP or or grab a hold of a Z68 tailcap. Personally, I prefer the upgraded tailcap because the rim around the switch will allow for tail standing and it acts as a shield to avoid accidental activation and I always have my EDC on a lanyard connected to a shackle clipped to a belt loop. There is also a delrin tailguard that is available from J.S. Burly's that will work on a L1 or E1B and I am sure that you could drill a small hole in the material to accept a split ring. I now carry my E1B with the E series beam diffuser which creates great flood while allowing me to have powerful throw on demand but the extra switches do cost you a few extra duckets but they do come available fully outfitted on the MP from time to time. There is a new LX1 in the pipeline but an actual release date has not yet been made concrete so you can like the rest of us for it's release.

As with every other light, there is a trade off so decide what you need and then make the best choice, I know that I do love the concentrated throw of the E1B because it cuts through light pollution better than any of my other lights that are more balanced between flood and throw.