Urgently need help choosing an SF Flashlight!

[Palestofwhite]

Hello everyone,

I really need some directions with choosing the correct light for my application. I'm relatively new to this, and I'm in need of a good light for my night trekking in a nature reserve near my area.

I will like something that has a good throw when in high power modes so I can search around the clearings, while maintaining a reasonable amount of flood, etc when in low mode to light the path and nearby surroundings when I'm making my way in the woods.

As said, the nature reserve will be pitch black at last light, and I don't want to risk having a light that will fail me so I choose SureFire (not that other lights will). I'm having a problem of telling how sufficient actually is 3 or 5 Lumens as I have nothing to do comparisons or get a feel with.

I have also done my fair share of research and I currently have the L1, E2DL and maybe the E2L in mind as I have not much of info on the rest. I will like something more manageable (Compact?) and not go more than 2x C123 to power it up. The Trekking process will not go more than 3-4 hours per session, but the light will be constantly on for that period.

What should be good for me? I have a budget of about $170USD and I hope for it to work as it is Stock. Though upgrade options are welcome but at a later stage due to financial planning.

Thank you all in advance!

 

[nosuchagency]

the utility of the u2a may be worth looking into. they can be had within your price range off ebay.

 

[Kilovolt]

Hi Palestofwhite and a warm :welcome:


With a 3-4 hours session duration in mind I suggest that you limit your choice to a 2 cell light. With a U2 you can always use the minimum amount of light you need by choosing among the six available levels and thus saving the batteries. So I agree with nosuchagency's suggestion.

 

[paintballdad]

Hello and welcome to CPF. You made a good choice picking Surefire for its reliability. But there are quite a few brands out there that are just as reliable and might better suit your requirements.
In a single cell format, the only Surefire that has a runtime of more than 4 hours on high will be the E1L. I'm not sure in what proportion you'll use the light in both hi and low modes so i suggested the worst case scenario. 3 lumens in total darkness is a fairly useful level and the 45 lumen high is not shabby in the throw department when paired with the TIR optic. And it's under $170 NIB.

 

[kyhunter1]

Get a Surefire 6P with a Malkoff M60L drop in. Runtime is 4 hours at full 140 lumen brightness, and several hours of dimming afterwards. Price will be around a $100.00 or a few dollars more for both. Malkoff is IMO better than Surefire quality.

 

[mpkav]

Hello and welcome to CPF. You made a good choice picking Surefire for its reliability. But there are quite a few brands out there that are just as reliable and might better suit your requirements.
In a single cell format, the only Surefire that has a runtime of more than 4 hours on high will be the E1L. I'm not sure in what proportion you'll use the light in both hi and low modes so i suggested the worst case scenario. 3 lumens in total darkness is a fairly useful level and the 45 lumen high is not shabby in the throw department when paired with the TIR optic. And it's under $170 NIB.

I agree, I love surefire and own several but since I have found this forum I have been introduced to so many other quality lights!!! Might be worth straying from surefire for this one!! In the past month I have picked up a Wolf eyes boxer 24w, Olight M30, and a Nitecore extreme. These have been some of my first non-surefire lights. Lots of great choices out there for what you are looking for!!

 

[1dash1]

Are you just lookiing for illumination or are you looking for rendition?

If you're uncertain, I'd suggest compromising with something reasonably warm, like the Fenix P3D Rebel.

And be sure to carry an extra set of batteries and a small backup flashlight.

 

[GPB]

If I understand your dilema, you have $170 and want light with a bright high, good low, and the reliability of a Surefire. You'll have no trouble spending that amount on a SF, but with that budget you might also want to consider seperate lights, and a set of rechargeable batteries. For example, a Headlamp will give you some nice floody, long lasting light as well as a hands free option, and a seperate bright thrower would give you the distance spotting ability you're looking for. The fact that you have 2 lights will give you the redundancy and relilability your looking for. You could probably spend $25 on the batteries and $50 on each light and still have some left over.

I'm not trying to take anything away from Surefire. I have 2 of them and love them....but anytime I see someone on a budget considering them I wonder if there isn't a better option. I think lights, like a lot of things, are not great multi-taskers. When you try to get a light that serves many purposes ( high and low power, floody and throwy, bright and long lasting, etc ) you give up so much in compromises that you end up with a light that is just average at a lot of things, but not great at anything. You're usually better off filling multiple needs with multiple lights.

Good luck and be sure to give us a report on whatever you buy.

 

[Outdoors Fanatic]

Hello everyone,

I really need some directions with choosing the correct light for my application. I'm relatively new to this, and I'm in need of a good light for my night trekking in a nature reserve near my area.

I will like something that has a good throw when in high power modes so I can search around the clearings, while maintaining a reasonable amount of flood, etc when in low mode to light the path and nearby surroundings when I'm making my way in the woods.

As said, the nature reserve will be pitch black at last light, and I don't want to risk having a light that will fail me so I choose SureFire (not that other lights will). I'm having a problem of telling how sufficient actually is 3 or 5 Lumens as I have nothing to do comparisons or get a feel with.

I have also done my fair share of research and I currently have the L1, E2DL and maybe the E2L in mind as I have not much of info on the rest. I will like something more manageable (Compact?) and not go more than 2x C123 to power it up. The Trekking process will not go more than 3-4 hours per session, but the light will be constantly on for that period.

What should be good for me? I have a budget of about $170USD and I hope for it to work as it is Stock. Though upgrade options are welcome but at a later stage due to financial planning.

Thank you all in advance!

Get the new E2L Outdoorsman, the best general purpose LED light, hands down.

 

[Palestofwhite]

Hello everyone,

Thanks for all the precious input you guys have given, but while reading through your various recommendation, some problems arose.

I know that it might be cheaper to get SF lights from maybe Ebay, but the shipping charges of 30USD is too high for me. I live in Singapore and with 30USD can fetch me a good holster and spare batteries. Furthermore, the event will commence in another 3 days. Shipping from US to Singapore will take a good 2 weeks.

I checked and the U2 Ultra costs 300USD here. Too expensive. The local dealers here are really limited and I had a hard time finding one initially. There are no testers so I will have no idea how I should judge the Lumens besides the run time as reflected on the webpage.

E2L seems like a good choice. A single C123 operated model is fine too cause I can change the batteries within intervals. Not too bad of an option?

 

[DHart]

Definitely two lights... I would never intentionally head out into nature at night with only one light.

Your nightly treks sound like fun. If it were me, I would choose lights which thrive on Li-Ion rechargeables and pass on the Surefires. Surefire makes good quality and cool lights, but there are so many other excellent options available now.. with much more versatility and flexibility. First choice for me for the application you describe are lights that run on a single 18650.

I would go with a Solarforce L2 host with Solarforce R2 3.7v 5-mode lamp... driven by a single Trustfire black 2400 mAh 18650 Li-Ion. I would also take an MG L-mini II 3-level light also driven by a Trustfire black 2400 mAh 18650 Li-Ion. (I have both of these lights, in addition to many other great options including Surefires, and would be completely confident in the wisdom of trusting this choice for the job for myself.)

The L2 would be used for distance & general use (signaling & sos available if needed for emergency) and the L-mini for everything else/all around general use/back-up, mostly in med. or low output. You will have waaay more than all the runtime, with plenty extra, than you would possibly need using these combinations. And then, before you head out the next night trek... just top the cells off on the charger... and you're starting out freshly charged every night. I think this would be a sweet set-up for you! If you have a failure of any kind including the complete loss of either light, the other light is there to cover you. Definitely two lights.

L2 =========== $25
L-mini II ======= 42
two TF 18650's === 10
WF-139 charger == 19
Total ========= $96

Estimated Runtimes on 18650:

L2 on high ===== est 2.2 hrs.
L2 on med ===== est. 4.5 hrs.
L2 on low ===== est. 7 hrs

L-mini II on high == 2.8 hrs
L-mini II on med == 8 hrs
L-mini II on low == 72 hrs

And you can always carry a spare (third) 18650 if you want to, just for extra safety/capacity.
All the cells will work in either light! Nice.

You can spend a lot more money if you want to. But
you certainly don't need to! These are good quality
lights.

Don't head out there with just one light, no matter what the light is.

 

[old4570]

SSC p7 .... Anything less is just that ...

Ive started upgrading my P60 Hosts to SSC P7 , no Im not getting rid of my good R2's , but im upgrading the so-so's to P7 ..

Even my old Luxeon Romisen is SSC P7 now .....

 

[Sean]

I would also suggest the E2L Outdoorsman. The one I owned actually put out nearly 10 lumens on low, plenty to see a path in front of you in pitch black. On high it was more like 85 lumens.

The E2L will run almost 6 hours on high and many hours on low. It's the one you want. The E2DL will only run 90 minutes on high. Besides, in pitch black conditions and you wanting a small light the extra lumens you get from the E2DL probably won't be necessary. I'm very pleased with the performance of the E2L.

 

[Palestofwhite]

Hello again,

Thank you all so much again. I will be carrying a spare light. I have no idea what brand it is, but it is a standard issue when I was in the Army. The light has like 3 white LEDs and a single Halogen (if I'm not mistaken). It should be a hybrid but our military sector cuts whatever cost they can. These lights are way too weak for tactical use, although they are standard issues for field camps. This should work as a backup light.

I'm also leaning more towards the E2L now as I have no problem with using non-rechargeable C123s. I think I can still make some claims for them at the end of the day so no worries. I've also read about rechargeable C123s but they are quite risky if not properly used (my main concern).

Secondly, upon further research I also read that the E2L has a steady output for across about 6 hours of continuous use, which is really something I feel to be very useful. I also feel that this won't be my last torch, so chances are I will want to get something else in the future, like maybe a Titan or 1B.

But still, thanks everyone for getting me into the right direction. More input will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Niconical]

I would add this - don't overcomplicate the issue.

There are dozens of interesting routes you could go down and combinations you could choose, but for me, your first post answers the question already. Night trekking. Surefire named it the 'Outdoorsman' for a reason, and they named it well. Get the E2L.

Consider this as well, the F04 disffuser. That's throw and flood covered in one package. Personally I wouldn't be surprised if you end up feeling you don't need it, the E2L will light things up for you more than enough when it's pitch black. However for $14 it's well worth it and is a useful addition to any E-series Surefire.

 

[Palestofwhite]

I will be heading down to the store soon. Anyway I will try and get the Holster, Diffuser and probably a carrier for spare batteries if the price is right. My only worries will be a mark up in price from my dealer. Sadly.

 

[Niconical]

One more thing, hopefully you'll se it before you go to the store....

E1L. Yes of course, less lumens than the E2L, but still very good, and has the advantage of being a single cell flashlight so easier to change and you don't need to worry about having new pairs of batteries, just singles. Still include the F04 though.

 

[Palestofwhite]

One more thing, hopefully you'll se it before you go to the store....

E1L. Yes of course, less lumens than the E2L, but still very good, and has the advantage of being a single cell flashlight so easier to change and you don't need to worry about having new pairs of batteries, just singles. Still include the F04 though.

Actually I was looking at the E1L as well, but I don't know if 45 Lumens will be too little? If only I could get a side by side comparison of both models or even the actual test display set in a store.

But our local dealer says no way because, firstly, Singapore is an extremely well lit country and the demand for lights is very low, unless some specific jobs require. And secondly, not much people here are willing to pay even 15USD on a torch. Some people are already thinking that I'm crazy to be paying such good money on some lighting equipment.

 

[Niconical]

People often think that if they are going somewhere pitch black (night trekking) they need to take brighter lights. The darker it will be, the more light they think they need. Actually that's not really the case. 45 lumens or 65 lumens tested in a store won't seem too impressive, in daylight.

However, even just 5 lumens on a totally dark path will light your way ahead, 45 lumens will be plenty.

There are various CPF members in Singapore, if you put a WTB (want to buy) on the Marketplace, one of them might be able to help. Not too likely really, people don't often want to part with a Surefire unless there is a good reason, but it doesn't hurt to ask.

 

[JBorneu]

The Surefire A2 would be perfect for you but it's out of your price range.

How about a surefire 6PL or G2L? It will be plenty bright as "high mode" light, it will last the entire trip on one set of batteries and you can upgrade it later if you want to. If it is too bright (quite likeley in pitch black) you can use the LED's on your other light.