Surefire L1 still relevant?

[mcdj]

I just snagged a Surefire L1 on ebay for $87.50 shipped, sealed. Seems like people are/were very fond of that light. And to me it's quintessentially designed. Did I do ok at that price? And is it still a decent light, in "light" of the technological developments, and the availability of quality, feature packed budget lights since its release?

 

[Z-Tab]

That's a reasonable price. It is still the only single-cell, multi-stage tactical light and with an RCR123, it's quite competitive in terms of brightness.

In my opinion, the L1 is a substantially better light than 95% of the other stuff that's out there.

 

[sawlight]

I hope, someday, to find one of the old versions of an L1, sure, it was a bit green, but the run time on those things was nothing short of impressive!
I was really sad they killed the low low on the "improved" version.
But all in all, it's a solid, reliable light that works!

 

[Darvis]

You will be hard pressed to find a better light and since it's now discontinued, at that price for an L1...

It's still one of my favorites after years of collecting and hundreds of lights, I've been EDC-ing one again because they throw so freaking far for such a small light and as Z-Tab said above, try dropping an RCR123 in it and see how bright it gets! The L1 has great LUX (Lumens are not always what matters) and that LUX plus the optic that creates it does a great job helping the L1 keep pace with all of the barn burners out there, it is most definitely still a very relevant light and will be for quite some time I suspect.

Well done for sure.

 

[Tommygun45]

What are the lux numbers like vs the e1b? Does it outthrow it. I had an L1 but didn't have an rcr so I sold it. Now Im bummed.

 

[skyfire]

good price, the L1 is still on my "to buy" list.

and with it discontinued, i should really get some sooner than later.

 

[archimedes]

The L1 ... one of SureFire's finest. Great UI - simple and reliable. I think I have four of them now.

And the red (Gen5) version runs for a couple of thousand hours on low :huh:

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?316124-*1-K-hr-Update*-L1-RD-(L1-Red)-vs-X5-Red-vs-24-7

:wow:

 

[kelmo]

Welcome to CPF!

That was a great price for a L1. There are many brighter but fewer more practical lioghts. The next time you go camping wait until it gets really dark then you will see why this light is an ageless classic.

kelmo

 

[Viper715]

Good price for a new one. I paid $70 for a used and they often go for $80 used. I love mine especial since I put an E1B clip. One of the best lights I own of many.

 

[Darvis]

What are the lux numbers like vs the e1b? Does it outthrow it. I had an L1 but didn't have an rcr so I sold it. Now Im bummed.

Don't know the numbers, but I have both and, visually on a primary they are the same.. but put an RCR in the L1 and the difference is undeniable...

 

[Tommygun45]

Thats good to know. I love my E1B but I refuse to use lights that cant run off rechargeables unless I have to. Maybe I need another l1

 

[mcdj]

thanks folks. help a noob out here...I had no idea there were rechargeable 123s until I came here. What's the best one to get, compatible with the L1? I keep seeing the name Trustfire pop up. And would the same batteries work in the following lights I also have coming my way?

Novatac 120E and Storm
Nitecore EX10
ASP Tungsten 1
Jetbeam III M XML

 

[radu1976]

I don't want to transform this thread into a nonSF vs SF one but I think that L1 - latest version - is quite outdated !
And I have to mention that I do have 4 x SF : 2 x E1Ls , one E1B and one LX2 with E2E body and tailcap.
No doubt, its quality is at high levels but ... take a comparison to THRUNITE T20 for example :
- L1 is 3 times more expensive
- L1 is almost twice as long - 11.5 cm vs 6.3cm - and also considerably heavier -
- while runtime on HIGH appears to be roughly the same, L1 probably puts 90-100 lumens while Thrunite T20 - 185 ANSI lumens according to its specs - Besides that T20 offers an ultraLOW for some of the flashaholics' tastes :)
- L1 steps ahead when it comes to throw putting probably 3 times more lux than T20.

 

[Z-Tab]

The thing is, there aren't any lights that are out now that actually compete with the L1. If you want a single-cell, multi-mode tactical light, there is only one.

That Thrunite might be a fine light, but it doesn't do the same things as the L1 (outside of being a flashlight). If I recall correctly, the L1 was measured at over 300 Lumens on a single RCR123, so the Thrunite is hardly competitive there, either.

EDIT: 300 might have been with a different body (I think it was either bigchelis or Captain Spaulding that measured it), anyway, I found this http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...-Surefire-L1&p=3699235&viewfull=1#post3699235 which says that it runs 230 on an RCR, more than an LX2.


mcdj - The Novatacs both run on RCR123s, I don't know about the other lights.

 

[mcdj]

sorry, all those lights are 123 lights, but I take R123 to mean rechargeable. I have read that some lights don't like rechargeables (?). sorry to be a noob.

 

[Z-Tab]

It's a matter of whether their drivers can handle the added voltage. A CR123 primary is 3v and an RCR123 is 3.7-4.2v. Some lights burn out if you overdrive them.

 

[Vox Clamatis in Deserto]

It's a matter of whether their drivers can handle the added voltage. A CR123 primary is 3v and an RCR123 is 3.7-4.2v. Some lights burn out if you overdrive them.

Late model L1's run great on an RCR123. Thanks for the tip Brasso!:thumbsup:

 

[Chrontius]

If nothing else (and yes, there is something else, I'm playing Devil's advocate) the first-gen L1 is absolutely worth it as an awesome mod platform - driven at such "classic" drive currents, an XM-L is going to be very respectably bright, and still pack the epic runtimes of the early generations, though the low low may be lost if tweaking the driver's levels isn't sufficiently easy.

Heck. I want an L1.

Hey, would anyone else be up for an L1 Mk.1 reissue with a modern emitter - either XM-L for power or XP-G for throw?

 

[angelofwar]

UI, Compact Size, a nice balance between the highs and lows (while I do prefer lower lows for around the house/tent reading, the low on here is enough for navigating safely, where as the 2.2 of the old one, while fine for looking through a pack, lookingin a dark closet, is not an ideal "navigation" brightness). I keep mine on my back-pack as a back-up light...being discontinued, I want to keep it in decent shape for as long as possible, that's the only reason I don't pocket EDC it. Still one of my faves. My l1 Red gets used all the time for navigating the house at night. I put a half dead cell (~2.3 volts) in about 5 months ago and use it on a daily basis and it's still kicking. I'm seriously considering picking up the other red model on the MP just to have a 2nd for 30 years down the road whe nmy currentred one bites the dust. I honestly don't see another light like the L1-Red being made ever again :0(.

Thanks for the compliment on the runtime thread archimedes...I must have been out-of pocket since I never responded...sorry about that!

 

[RedLED]

Still one of my favorites. The original version has a nice flood, and a great low, may be a little purple, but this is an old light, and I remember how cool the LED L1 Surefire was when I first got it. I will just keep it stock. I have the other generations, and I like the last Gen. 10/60 best, great all purpose light for general daily use.

Also, I love my Red L1 which is a square beam, and it is very handy. Wish I had bought the first Gen. in all the colors.

True classic, and I will still be looking for spares of all Generations and colors for some time to come.

Really, the L1 is my most loved production based light in the single cell CR123 class.