Surefire Outdoorsman E2L AA Help!

[sniper]

O.K., I admit it...I've had a love affair with the surefire E2L AA for years.

I just never could afford it. Now, my favorite sports emporium has them for, like $125. I still can't/won't afford it!
That is about 2X my maximum budget for any flashlight!

Soooo...tell me true; is there a light that equals the Outdoorsman, at about $50-60 or less?

It doesn't have to singe someone's eyebrows at 3 meters, and three modes are enough, High, Medium and low...no strobes or SOS... and it should have a good runtime on plain old AA rechargeables or akaline batteries.

Are there any suggestions?

Thanks.

 

[BenChiew]

Try Fenix. The LD20 runs on 2AAs but is probably obsolete now. There should be a current corresponding model similar to this. Check their website.

 

[GunnarGG]

Armytek is coming out with some new lights that might fit.
Partner and Smart
I don't have any Armtek lights but they seem to be sturdy and the new lights are supposed to have TIR lens.
There are a few threads going on right now about them.

 

[bedazzLED]

Hi sniper.

If you are after a great 2xAA light, I would suggest looking at the Shiningbeam 'Caveman'. It is certainly bright enough, build is top notch, runtime is excellent, and you can get it, with delivery costs well within your budget.

Here is a review of it too:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...iew-Shiningbeam-Caveman&p=3805075#post3805075

Regards,
bedazzLED.

 

[whiteoakjoe]

FourSevens QT2A-X For my money this is one of the best AA lights on the market, 2 levels with a twist of the head and you get to choose between 5 levels from 280lm to .3lm of output, and 3 flashing modes. Just select the ones you want for loose and tight head and it keeps them set for you. Its easy to set the modes when things change and you need something diffrent. But its nice to be able to feel the light and know what mode its going to come on in in the dark. And half the price of a surefire E2L with better output. The Quarks are also Lego-able so you can build a Quark system or mix and match lights. Others may have favorites of their own, but for me the Tactical Quarks are still the best lights I have ever used. I have 6 now.

 

[boet]

I have 3 of these beauties. Very happy with them, simple UI and aa batteries (Eneloop). I paid near full price, and think that $125 is a fair deal. Buy what you are lusting after, otherwise you will always be thinking of your loved one - nothing else can take its place!

 

[Up All Night]

How about a two speed, 100 high, 15 low 2 AA that throws better than my E2L AA with usable, albeit dim spill for around $15. No shipping involved and if you don't like it you can take it right back.
Rayovac 2 AA Indestructible @ home depot. It isn't pretty but it certainly works. I owned three, gifted two and the one I kept has been running on the included Alks for what seems like an eternity. Performance wise, it's a reasonable alternative. For fit & finish my E2L is outstanding!!!

P.S. Yes I'm serious!

 

[RI Chevy]

Shining Beam Caveman 2-AA or Four Sevens/Quark 2-AA. They are both very nice lights for about a little more than 1/2 the price and are very comparable to the Surefire E2L AA.

 

[biglights]

I really like Surefire, but there is no way I would spend that much on a AA light. There are a lot of good choices out. The 47s is very nice with different modes. If u want to keep it simple go with the Fenix E21. Can be had for around $30. Nice high/low. I have one and it is all beat up, still going strong though.

 

[JCD]

Buy what you are lusting after, otherwise you will always be thinking of your loved one - nothing else can take its place!

In my experience, the cheapest option is to get what you want to start with instead of wasting money on alternatives that don't quite fulfill the desire, ultimately resulting in the purchase of the model originally desired.

 

[tonkem]

In my experience, the cheapest option is to get what you want to start with instead of wasting money on alternatives that don't quite fulfill the desire, ultimately resulting in the purchase of the model originally desired.

I agree. Get the surefire first. I have an e2l-AA and it runs forever on a set of eneloops. Don't regret my purchase. Shop around as they have announced a new e2l-AA at 120 lumens but never know when it is coming out. Good luck.

 

[silentlurker]

Wow, 120 lumens from 2xAA! How is Surefire so advanced? :ironic:

Seriously, why is the E2L-AA so much dimmer than competing AA lights?

 

[RedForest UK]

Wow, 120 lumens from 2xAA! How is Surefire so advanced? :ironic:

Seriously, why is the E2L-AA so much dimmer than competing AA lights?

Runtime and efficiency. Think about it; if the E2L AA will do 120 lumens for 5 hours on eneloop (and I wouldn't be surprised if the 80 lumen version did 120 OTF already, the '60' lumen E2L does 115 OTF). At the roughly 1.5 hour runtimes offered on max mode by other competing 2x AA offerings that would equate to 400 lumens. The TIR lense with XR-E means this is more focused and seems like more in actual use.

Outdoors with decently night adjusted eyes, anything over 100 lumens in a throwy light is overkill for the vast majority of situations. Of course it's fun to use more, but our eyes adjust and it's ultimately a waste of energy. If you want a light for genuine long-term use outdoors sometimes it can be best to simply remove the options to burn power faster than necessary and ensure a long runtime regardless of the user.


With regards to price however, I agree that the RRP isn't justfiable. Although the lifetime warranty should also be considered within that.

I would recommend getting a Fenix E21 for around $30-35 as a solid reliable 2x AA light. (Actually the E11 is very nice with its TIR lense and high efficiency on 1x AA). Then just wait for a deal to come up on the E2L AA second hand or on sale at a more reasonable price.

 

[Machete God]

I wholeheartedly agree with the sentiments expressed in the following two posts:

I have 3 of these beauties. Very happy with them, simple UI and aa batteries (Eneloop). I paid near full price, and think that $125 is a fair deal. Buy what you are lusting after, otherwise you will always be thinking of your loved one - nothing else can take its place!

In my experience, the cheapest option is to get what you want to start with instead of wasting money on alternatives that don't quite fulfill the desire, ultimately resulting in the purchase of the model originally desired.

I don't have the E2L-AA, but I do have the L1, LX2 and E1B (all lights with TIR optics). That "100 lumens" will have surprising reach, and 8 hours on high with Lithium AA batteries is nothing to be sniffed at. You might want an F04 diffuser for using at close distances, though, as the beam is quite narrow. The things that are going for the SF are its build quality, runtime, efficiency and the SF lifetime warranty. That said, I like the suggestions of the Rayovac Indestructible and the FourSevens Quark 2-AA (or whatever name it goes by now). The Rayovac comes with a lifetime warranty, while the Foursevens has a 10-year warranty.

Ah, the 47s 2-AA is now called the FourSevens QT2A-X (thanks to user 'whiteoakjoe' above).