Well, I just (the other day) got a Surefire M2 to replace my Scorpion as an EDC.
I should start off by indicating that I wasn't unhappy with the Scorpion and I have several for in the cars, etc.
The reason I ordered the M2 was that it was waterproof, had a pyrex lens and an impact resistaint bulb assembly. Basically, I wanted my EDC to be more or less bullet proof. While I've never seriously damaged a Scorpion the M2 obviously had an advantage in construction.
When you are ready to scream and say, "Hey! you should be comparing the Scorpion to the E2 or E2e, not the M2!", go back and re-read the previous paragraph. I wanted something better than the E2. This has tradeoffs of course, but this is why I'm looking at Scorpion vs. M2 rather than Scorpion vs. E2. I already had a Scorpion after all.
1) I was supprised that the M2 appears lighter than the Scorpion. I'm not totally sure, but it seems that way.
2) In some ways I (gasp!) think the Scorpion's beam is nicer. The M2 beam has a brighter hotspot and falls off more rapidly. The Scorpion of course is adjustable where the M2 is not so it is hard to compare exactly. The M2 is a tad sharper and more even, but the Scorpion is no slouch. In any case they both have nice beams.
3) I thought the M2 with the brighter bulb would be clearly more bright, but I don't think the difference is that great and it seems like depending on the surface you illuminate (various outdoors) you might even have a hard time deciding which one was brighter.
4) I hadn't thought of it when I ordered it, but the clip on the M2 makes it more awkward to hold than the Scorpion. There are definately more and less comfortable positions (makes sense). Of course the M2 supports a grip that the Scorpion does not because of the little rubber ring about 1/3 of the way down from the tail switch. I think I have seen that you can remove the clip, but I wouldn't because....
5) The clip is cool. I've taken to carrying my M2 in the pocket of my slacks secured by the clip. Just the head of the flashlight sticks out and makes a handy nob to grab it with.
6) I had seen both compared in pictures and I was afraid the M2 would be much larger/more bulky. While it is bigger, it isn't huge or annoying.
7) The M2 will fit into the same Ripoffs C0-30 pouch but it is a bit snug and the clip would probably rather to be on the outside of the pouch. http://www.ripoffs.com/datasheets/co30/co30.html
In general, it seems that the M2 might be a bit difficult to pouch carry due to the clip and size.
8) The HA finish of the M2 should stand up a lot better.
9) I've never found the rubber handle of the Scorpion to be problematic as some have (in regards to pouch carry).
10) I've also not seen the short bulb life that others have with the Scorpion. I suspect since I use mine in small bursts that the bulb doesn't get stressed much by heat, but who knows? Maybe I just don't use it enough?
11) There appears to be a rubber ring around the bulb in the Scorpion. I suspect this might be to give it some side to side impact protection, but it could just be to help retain the bulb. As far as I can tell the Surefire's shock protection is mostly front-to-back shock as would be experienced by firing a handgun.
12) I have had the bulb of a Scorpion fall out with impact into the reflector housing which took a bit of work to fish out since the lens is glued in place.
13) I have cut the rubber housing on one of my Scorpions, rendering it vunerable to water (it still works fine).
14) I have melted a pouch and lens with a Scorpion by having it accidently activating while I was unaware. The former would still be a problem with the SF, but Pyrex would save me from the latter. The melted lens didn't really degrade the beam much, so it simply got religated to the dog walking drawer and the dog walking unit moved to EDC.
15) Waterproofing on the Scorpion head is cheesy to say the least. I'm not sure how well it works (I've been disinclined to test it), but this poor design has partically led me to select the M2 as EDC. Note, this could be fixed with a simple O ring. Hmm.
16) Despite every day carry and hard use, the Scorpion has always worked very well. So even though it isn't built nearly as well, it is still been very reliable. It works much better than Maglites, for example. In fact, I 've never taken out my Scorpion and have it not work, ever.
17) Looking at the Scorpion after a lot of carry and hard use, you do see a bit of wear on the internal parts such as the lamp assembly where it contacts the batteries and flashlight body. I suspect it will wear out at some point and that point will be much sooner than the M2 (although it probably will still be a long time before that happens). The M2 looks like a clear long term winner. This probably isn't a big deal if you simply disgard the Scorpion when it shows the first signs of wearing out.
18) You can reasonable hold the Scorpion in your teeth for hands free holding. Try this with the HA Al finish on the M2 and you are going to need to visit the dentist.
19) Both feel pleasant in the hand.
20) The rubber on the Scorpion makes it feel more secure in the hand while carrying it. Sometimes while carrying the M2 (lightly), I almost feel like it might slip out of my hand.
21) The varying pressure on the M2 tailcap switch a bit seems to result in some variations in the beam brightness while this isn't noticable in the Scorpion.
22) Other people will probably notice the M2 where they wouldn't the Scorpion. If this is good, bad or indifferent depends on you.
What they need (IMO):
M2 - Uh? As far as it goes, I can't really think of anything to improve upon the M2 other than a dual brightness ability, ala the SF Digital Series prototypes.
Scorpion - Better waterproofing, a Pyrex lens.
Summary:
I like both. The SF is clearly the better light in (basically) all ways. The price difference (est. $36 vs. $150) is fairly large and it determining if it is worth it is going to depend a lot on what you value.
I think the best analogy is a good tool vs. the best tool. A recent comparision in an auto magazine between a Subaru WRX and an Audi S4 also comes to mind. Both are good, one is clearly better, the only question is, by how much and is it worth it to you.
For me it is. Of course it might be helpful to point out that I already had all my EDC stuff and emergency kit stuff, etc, etc. and this was just honing it a bit. Basically, I already had good tools, I'm just starting to replace some with the best tools.
-john
I should start off by indicating that I wasn't unhappy with the Scorpion and I have several for in the cars, etc.
The reason I ordered the M2 was that it was waterproof, had a pyrex lens and an impact resistaint bulb assembly. Basically, I wanted my EDC to be more or less bullet proof. While I've never seriously damaged a Scorpion the M2 obviously had an advantage in construction.
When you are ready to scream and say, "Hey! you should be comparing the Scorpion to the E2 or E2e, not the M2!", go back and re-read the previous paragraph. I wanted something better than the E2. This has tradeoffs of course, but this is why I'm looking at Scorpion vs. M2 rather than Scorpion vs. E2. I already had a Scorpion after all.
1) I was supprised that the M2 appears lighter than the Scorpion. I'm not totally sure, but it seems that way.
2) In some ways I (gasp!) think the Scorpion's beam is nicer. The M2 beam has a brighter hotspot and falls off more rapidly. The Scorpion of course is adjustable where the M2 is not so it is hard to compare exactly. The M2 is a tad sharper and more even, but the Scorpion is no slouch. In any case they both have nice beams.
3) I thought the M2 with the brighter bulb would be clearly more bright, but I don't think the difference is that great and it seems like depending on the surface you illuminate (various outdoors) you might even have a hard time deciding which one was brighter.
4) I hadn't thought of it when I ordered it, but the clip on the M2 makes it more awkward to hold than the Scorpion. There are definately more and less comfortable positions (makes sense). Of course the M2 supports a grip that the Scorpion does not because of the little rubber ring about 1/3 of the way down from the tail switch. I think I have seen that you can remove the clip, but I wouldn't because....
5) The clip is cool. I've taken to carrying my M2 in the pocket of my slacks secured by the clip. Just the head of the flashlight sticks out and makes a handy nob to grab it with.
6) I had seen both compared in pictures and I was afraid the M2 would be much larger/more bulky. While it is bigger, it isn't huge or annoying.
7) The M2 will fit into the same Ripoffs C0-30 pouch but it is a bit snug and the clip would probably rather to be on the outside of the pouch. http://www.ripoffs.com/datasheets/co30/co30.html
In general, it seems that the M2 might be a bit difficult to pouch carry due to the clip and size.
8) The HA finish of the M2 should stand up a lot better.
9) I've never found the rubber handle of the Scorpion to be problematic as some have (in regards to pouch carry).
10) I've also not seen the short bulb life that others have with the Scorpion. I suspect since I use mine in small bursts that the bulb doesn't get stressed much by heat, but who knows? Maybe I just don't use it enough?
11) There appears to be a rubber ring around the bulb in the Scorpion. I suspect this might be to give it some side to side impact protection, but it could just be to help retain the bulb. As far as I can tell the Surefire's shock protection is mostly front-to-back shock as would be experienced by firing a handgun.
12) I have had the bulb of a Scorpion fall out with impact into the reflector housing which took a bit of work to fish out since the lens is glued in place.
13) I have cut the rubber housing on one of my Scorpions, rendering it vunerable to water (it still works fine).
14) I have melted a pouch and lens with a Scorpion by having it accidently activating while I was unaware. The former would still be a problem with the SF, but Pyrex would save me from the latter. The melted lens didn't really degrade the beam much, so it simply got religated to the dog walking drawer and the dog walking unit moved to EDC.
15) Waterproofing on the Scorpion head is cheesy to say the least. I'm not sure how well it works (I've been disinclined to test it), but this poor design has partically led me to select the M2 as EDC. Note, this could be fixed with a simple O ring. Hmm.
16) Despite every day carry and hard use, the Scorpion has always worked very well. So even though it isn't built nearly as well, it is still been very reliable. It works much better than Maglites, for example. In fact, I 've never taken out my Scorpion and have it not work, ever.
17) Looking at the Scorpion after a lot of carry and hard use, you do see a bit of wear on the internal parts such as the lamp assembly where it contacts the batteries and flashlight body. I suspect it will wear out at some point and that point will be much sooner than the M2 (although it probably will still be a long time before that happens). The M2 looks like a clear long term winner. This probably isn't a big deal if you simply disgard the Scorpion when it shows the first signs of wearing out.
18) You can reasonable hold the Scorpion in your teeth for hands free holding. Try this with the HA Al finish on the M2 and you are going to need to visit the dentist.
19) Both feel pleasant in the hand.
20) The rubber on the Scorpion makes it feel more secure in the hand while carrying it. Sometimes while carrying the M2 (lightly), I almost feel like it might slip out of my hand.
21) The varying pressure on the M2 tailcap switch a bit seems to result in some variations in the beam brightness while this isn't noticable in the Scorpion.
22) Other people will probably notice the M2 where they wouldn't the Scorpion. If this is good, bad or indifferent depends on you.
What they need (IMO):
M2 - Uh? As far as it goes, I can't really think of anything to improve upon the M2 other than a dual brightness ability, ala the SF Digital Series prototypes.
Scorpion - Better waterproofing, a Pyrex lens.
Summary:
I like both. The SF is clearly the better light in (basically) all ways. The price difference (est. $36 vs. $150) is fairly large and it determining if it is worth it is going to depend a lot on what you value.
I think the best analogy is a good tool vs. the best tool. A recent comparision in an auto magazine between a Subaru WRX and an Audi S4 also comes to mind. Both are good, one is clearly better, the only question is, by how much and is it worth it to you.
For me it is. Of course it might be helpful to point out that I already had all my EDC stuff and emergency kit stuff, etc, etc. and this was just honing it a bit. Basically, I already had good tools, I'm just starting to replace some with the best tools.
-john
