Surefire water resistance

[FNinjaP90]

How waterproof are they? I am planning to take an e2e out to a local river that's about 4 ft deep max. Will it cause dmg to the light?

 

[chamenos]

not very...they tend to vary from unit to unit. its best you test yours for water-resistance before you submerge it. in my experience and from posts on cpf, the E2e and its derivatives aren't very consistantly water-resistant.

in any case, if your E2e leaks through the lens seal, you can get a new bezel from surefire. if it leaks through any of the other openings, clean and lube the O-rings. also check to make sure your E2e has the plastic wedge under the clip, which prevents the O-ring from pinching out, thus compromising the water-resistance at that area.

 

[FNinjaP90]

Oh ok, thanks. Another question: I've heard from some places that an E2e is as powerful as a 4D Maglight and from other places that it beats a 6D. How bright is it?

 

[Drjones]

WTF do you mean Surefires aren't very water-resistant?

That's pretty absurd to pay that much for such a seemingly high-quality product but for it to not be water-resistant...

 

[Screehopper]

water resistance and waterproofness mean two different things.

I would say the E2e is water resistant, but not waterproof.

 

[hawkhkg11]

Drjones:

Surefire is obviously very water resistant in terms of rain and stuff, but I think everyone is talking about submersion. I don't think there should be any problems with o-ring seals if it is submerged, and the lens seal is a problem with all flashlights that aren't made for underwater use. I'm sure if SF made a diving light it would be flawless in its water resistance, but Surefire's aren't designed to be submergible lights and shouldn't be used that way.

 

[Screehopper]

I've read somewhere that there is a 6PN which is tested to US Navy specs for waterproofness so that particular model can be used submersed in water.

 

[Size15's]

SureFire do offer a selection of models that are tested and rated waterproof - these are intended for Specialist Military and LEO usage which demands such ratings.

It is one of SureFire's aims to give their models the highest level of water-resistance possible. To that end, improvements are being made all the time.

SureFires are not divelights and are not sold as such.

I would not consider a SureFire suitable for use underwater unless it was one that had been rated as such by SureFire.

However, if you need your tools to perform in a wet or submerged environment, I suggest you take them on a dry run to test their performance.

Perhaps it is worth calling SureFire Tech Support 800 828 8809 to see whether they can give you any more official advice?

Respectfully,

Al

 

[hawkhkg11]

Screehopper: Interesting, I'll have to look that up...

FNinjaP90: The E2e is closer to a 6D, but the difference between a 6D and 4D isn't very big (but definitely noticeable).

 

[chamenos]

if your E2e cannot resist water when submerged in shallow water, then i would say its leaking and chances are heavy rain might cause it to leak again. in any case the trouble-maker for the E2e is usually the lens seal, so if you get that fixed you should be ok. by the way the E2e isn't the only sure with lens-seal problems. by most accounts they've had this fixed as of late, so YMMV.

 

[txwest]

This weekend, due to my son not getting out of my Poke Boat very gracefully, my 6P with the extension to make it a 9P, & a turbohead, spent the night (about 10 hrs), along with my G2Z, in 4 feet of water at the lake. No leakage on either light. The extension doesn't even have an o-ring.