Surefire type III hard anodized finish?

pahl · Jun 27, 2003

How well does the HA finish hold up on the Surefire E series lights.

I'm wondering how well my E1e-HA will hold up over time in my pants pockets with change and keys.

My E1-GM has some small digs and marks. Can I expect the same with the HA or is it preaty tuff stuff?

Rothrandir · Jun 27, 2003

it holds up very well!

the only mark on my e2e is a small ding on the bezel, the size of a grain of sand.
and that's from when it flipped out of my pocket and landed on cement from six feet up /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif

FC. · Jun 28, 2003

Few years back I actually cut a mini maglite in half with E2HA. On a scale of 1-10, 10 being a diamond, HA3 is about 8-9.

SF etching (logo,serial#,patent) will come off with time, but HA will look new for many years.

brightnorm · Jun 28, 2003

[ QUOTE ]
FC. said:
Few years back I actually cut a mini maglite in half with E2HA. On a scale of 1-10, 10 being a diamond, HA3 is about 8-9.

SF etching (logo,serial#,patent) will come off with time, but HA will look new for many years.

[/ QUOTE ]

I had my AAALE HA in my right front pocket for a year and a half where it was in constant contact with a large bunch of keys. It suffered absolutely no damage; no scratches, dings, dents, scrapes or other marks. However, it did become quite shiny, kind of like old pants bottoms that have sat and slid a little too often.

OTOH, I ruined the HA on my new KL4 by opening it up with two pliers making direct metal-to-metal contact. I believe that its vulnerability is influenced by the thickness of the anodize. For example, when I filed down the inside HA near the lip of Doug's UBH to make better contact for his E2C+P91 I had a rough round file which met ferocious resistance from that remarkably tough HAIII

Brightnorm

chamenos · Jun 28, 2003

aren't the etched logoes on surefires exposed alumnium? how're they gonna wear off?

Size15's · Jun 28, 2003

Whilst the HA is Aluminium Oxide and really hard, Aluminium Alloy is pretty soft - TThat's why HA will crack or chip when the Aluminium under it deforms.
The Laser etching dulls over time. It's not something I usually notice until I put my EDC next to a brand new model. I guess it gets dirty? Grubby hands...

Al

revbnc · Jun 28, 2003

I have had mine for almost a year and the only marks are those inflicted by my inability to keep a good grip, thus allowing the light to come in speedy and direct contact with pavement from 4 or 5 feet. No bulb failure though!!!

chamenos · Jun 28, 2003

i do notice the etchings become a little yellowish with time /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif btw i also noticed that besides the tint variation, the reflectivity of HA does vary a little between different parts...both on my arc LS and some surefires. is this something i should be concerned about?