Surefire L1 Vs HDS Systems EDC

Hi all

I recently decidied to move over to an LED Flashlight from my (slightly excessive) Streamlight scorpion, I'd pretty much settled down on the Surefire E1L.

However, it was whilst scouting for the best prices on the E1L that I discovered that ARC light's old AAA and other lights weren't quite as long gone as I'd previously thought.

During my search I stumbled upon the HDS Systems EDC and the Surefire L1, which left me a little confused ...

I was initially taken by the low-light (1 Lumen ish) setting of the Surefire L1 over the E1L which I thought would be adequate for reading maps, searching inside a rucksac in the dark (is this the case?). However the HDS EDC seems to offer alot more versatlity for a similar price in a smaller package.

My question really is; are these features needed, usefull, practical? or are they just a gimmic?

Reading through a couple of reviews casually, it sounds like a lot of features that could potentionally be useful (those instasnces where you're blinded by your light whilst reading a map, but want to then light the trail to see where it goes etc), however I'm not entirely convinced the constant clicking would be convenient, nor that the features are all together required.

I'm pretty much thinking of the basic version with the extra run time and the guaranteed clarify / colour as the ultimate model sounds way over the top, as I'd only want 3 settings really (Map reading, trail / room illumination and maximum), though couldn't clearly find if the basic model let me program my light as such?

The surefire L1 sounds like a much more conservative package, though I'm not entirely sure how useful the 1 Lumen low-output mode actually is. Is it practical for map reading and searching rucksacs? Or is it even bright enough to navigate a dark corridor?

I prefer the look of the Surefire and the guarantee instills a little extra confidence. I'm not entirely sure what the reputation of either light is amongst the flashlight community.

As I say, I like the idea behind the HDS light, but if I stump up the extra for the longer run time and guaranteed tint the cost will be considerably more.

What it comes down to in the end is, are the extra features really useful, practical and will I end up using them, as at present I fear they'll just start to annoy me compared to the Surefire's relatively simple operation.

Cheers for any help.

They are both great lights. I would probably recommend the HDS over the L1 for what you want it for. The low on the L1 is pretty low.

The cheapest HDS, the Basic 42, IMO is a better light than the the Surefire L1. And of course, they only get better when you look at the higher models.

IMO the biggest issue with the L1 is the optics. Works great for throwing light a good distance, which is good for the high mode, but for the low mode, it's the opposite of what you want, which would be a nice flood. Most people who have the L1 are dissappointed with the low mode. Many add a the flip-up beamshaper (a diffusing lens) which turns the narrow spot into a floody spill.

However, the HDS B42 can do much more, without needing the beamshaper. Normal mode is 10 lumens, and will last 8 hours on regular lithium CR123A. This mode is enough to walk around at night, find the fuse box, etc. If it's too much, there's two more modes lower than that. The lowest is very dim, not quite enough to read by, but it won't kill your vision. The low inbetween the lowest and the primary is good for reading. I never really used either of these, since they require multiple clicks to get to, and at that point, your vision is probably adjusted to the 10 lumen primary. This is the only part where I think the L1 has a benifit, since you can access low with one button push and save your night vision.

If you can swing the cash for an Ultimate EDC, you can program the light to do what you want. You can set the brightnesses to what you want, in the order you want. It's a bit daunting at first, but it doesn't take long to get the hang of it, and then it becomes second nature.

I think the XR models are are worth the extra cost, but I'm less certain about the GTs. I had a 42XR with beautiful tint. However, depending on how you look at it, the XR might be pointless, for one more reason that I think the HDS is better than the SF L1: rechargables. The HDS loves 3.7v lithium rechargable batteries. You don't even need protected cells, because the HDS's circuitry has its own protection built in. If there's one area where the HDS might fail to impress it would be runtime on maximum, even with an XR model. Like 30 minutes with a rechargable. If you go one light level lower though, the runtime goes through the roof. But if you're using rechargables, even running at max isn't much of an issue for daily use, because you can always just recharge them. Compared to using lithium primaries, rechargables can pay for themselves very quickly.



BTW, check out the Fire-Fly III in the Manufacturers forum. This light has almost as many features as the HDS Ultimate (some might consider this a good thing, since there's less to deal with). Fully programable brightness levels in 5 different operating modes. The HDS makes the L1 look big, but the FF3 makes the HDS look excessive. Price is about the same ($130). No pocket clip though.

Thanks.

One thing I haven't been able to find out is how high the 'minimum' on the EDC is. Is that actually a useable amount of light?

Having faced a similar decision recently, I agree that the HDS EDC is a much better choice. For me the multiple levels, even excluding the ability to program individual levels, is the key. I find myself selecting different levels all the time, based on the amount of ambient light (need more as the ambient level rises). So being limited to just one "low" setting would be very restrictive. This is how I've come to view my two stage single cell lights, e.g. the McLux PD. Wonderful lights. Exceptional craftsmanship, but only two levels. I find that I need more. That's why my next purchase will be a second HDS EDC.

If you're looking to save money on the light, you might ask yourself whether GT is absolutely necessary for your application. It's my opinion that many people can be quite happy with "generally" white LEDs and that very few of us really need a "pure" white LED (if we're honest with ourselves)

Just my $0.02

yep, both good lights. with Surefire having a substantially better reputation and resale value.

HDS will put out more flux than L1. but you need to look closely at Surefire L4, which puts out more light than HDS 85 at a fraction of cost. mint L4 pop up on b/s/t for aprox. $125, then do a two stage tailcap mod.

since my personal preferance is a mechanical controls vs IC driven controls. I like the L1 much better. controls are much more positive. more personal preferances, older L1's with a so17 reflector dropped in is my fav.

your mileage may differ

:wave: welcome :wave:
There is a CPF saying BUY BOTH!


I got a HDS 60LE , a Surefire L1 and also E1L.
The Basic HDS got 4 levels, the min being very dim.
The dim on L1 is practically useful for map reading and for looking thru your bag.
I bought the L1 before the HDS. The HDS has a hot spot for throw and nice spill to light up an entire room. The L1 is basically throw, which later on I got a beam shaper to make it a flood beam.
Having more levels in a flashlight is kinda useful cause you can choose a setting to suit any of your use. You will probably end up using them

Thanks all.

I think the biggest thing here is throw Vs spread as you put it.

I don't really need throw all that much as I generally use my light for navigation or checking my office building is empty if i'm the last man out, but a little is nice so I guess the HDS wins that round.

If the Surefire's Low beam is also going to be a spot then it's not quite as useful as I'd thought, so I guess the HDS wins that round to.

The more I read the more I think the HDS sounds like a more useful setup.

I have to admit I would much rather have mechanical controls after having an old IC driven 9v LED light refuse to do anything but low power now but I'm assuming this has been worked past now

Could anyone quantify the various output settings of the basic 42 in real life terms of what you can use it to illuminate (e.g. Minimum - Enough light to read a book at 6", Secondary - enough light to read a street sign at 5', etc)?

As I understand it you get Maximum, Primary, Secondary, Minimum with the basic model and from what people have said already minimum is not much use?

Thanks again for all the help

The HDS goes nicely in the coin pocket of my jeans wighout me really noticing it. I don't think this could be done with the L1. If I did not have my EDC U60 I would probably get a firefly3 though, being even smaller.

Minimum on my HDS EDC 60XRGT is 0.3 lumens. I find that if it's good and dark (no ambient light to reduce the sensitivity of my eyes), then that's just right for finding things in a dark closet when I first get up. But if it gets much brighter and my eyes adjust, 0.3 lumens isn't enough except for work closest to my eyes.

The HDS EDC light levels are found on pg 12 of the manual, which is online here: http://www.hdssystems.com/EdcUltimateUsersGuide.pdf

The default settings are:


- Maximum setting: 1 (60 or 85 lumens)
- Primary setting: 5 or 6 (10 lumens)
- Secondary setting: 9 or 10 (2 lumens)
- Minimum setting: 15 or 16 (0.3 lumens)

I thought I would fiddle with them at first, but personally found that the extra added value isn't worth the additional trouble. If I don't fiddle with them, then a hard reset of the light doesn't loose anything. I know other people suggest various tweaks though. That's why adjustable flashlights are great!

I have a funny relationship with the SureFire L1. I keep drifting up to it, looking it over and turning it on, etc...and never actually buying it. However the minute I ran across the EDC 60 Basic I knew I wanted one.

The lowest setting on and EDC 60 is something like .5 lumens (nearly identical to the lowest setting on the Night-Ops Gladius).