Newbie Question

Don't take this the wrong way, but now I'm sure I'm a geek. The knife forums were (are) bad enough, but now a flashlight forum!

I've carried flashlights for years just like good pocket knives. It's only recently that I've discovered "better flashlights". I mean better than Mag lights. I have a half dozen of them: Mini Mag, Mag 2D and an old 6D monster. I've also got a Photon3 and have given many Inova Microlights as gifts.

The question is: What should I get to step up from a Mini Mag for an EDC? So far the cadidates are a Surefire E2 and an Inova X-5. Any other options? Ideally, I don't want to go bigger than the Mini Mag.

jmx

hi jmx,
if you need long throw get the surefire. very good for maximum brightness but runtime is quite short... the inova produces a nice bright beam but lacks the ability to illuminate objects far away so it's more like a floodlight. for close up tasks and edc it's IMO fine though. maybe you should check out craig's review page to get an impression of both lights. by the way - both will be a major step-up to a minimag in every respect.

chris

If your used to a minimag and don't really need something as bright as an E2/E2e how about an E1/E1e. I got one 2 days ago and am now in love with it, visually it is quite a bit brighter than my mag 2AA, and the beam is perfect, very focused but with a beam shaper you can make it more useable a close range.

As far as size goes the bezel is the same diameter as a mag AA, but it's no longer than a mag solitaire. You really can put it in your pocket and forget about it.

If you want something brighter then go for the E2/E2e, they really do have all the light you need in a small EDC.

Tim

Hi Jmx... welcome to the CPF. You`ll find CPF`ers to be a friendly group of people, with a good sense of humor.

If you buy the Surefire E2 or E2e as your next flashlight, you`ll never regret it. It`s of the highest quality, has a really spectacular light beam for its size, and is a "must have" flashlight in the always-exciting world of flashaholics.

The E2/E2e can easily be carried in your pocket, and like alot of the rest of us, will probably forever become a part of your EDC.

In any event, if you`re a true flashaholic {such a condition, if you have it, being totally out of your control), the E2/E2e will just be one of many nice flashlights that you will end up buying. (Make sure, for instance, that you also get a few Arc flashlights from Peter Gransee.)

Good luck to you, and again, welcome aboard!

Welcome to CPF.

E Series SureFires that are fresh out of the factory now come with a LockOut TailCap. This is a real improvement for 2002.

Personally, I'd suggest an E2e-HA.

You'll be wanting more SureFires once you get your first.

Good Luck!

RE: Sense of humour?
Please email me those that display such a thing and I'll make sure they're moderated!

Al

This is not good. After reading the reviews of both the Surefire E-2 and Inova 5-X, they seem like completely different lights. One with a diffuse light that's easy on the eyes and has great battery life. The other one seems like a torch. Real bright but terrible battery life. Both seem tough as hell.

It almost seems like a person might really need both.

jmx

jmx if you can wait six months SF is releasing a light that has both incandescent and LEDs in the bezel. So you choose which kind of light you want and still have the option of a long burntime if you use the LED's.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by jmx:
This is not good. After reading teh reviews of both the Surefire E-2 and Inova 5-X, they seem like completely different lights. One with a diffuse light that's easy on teh eyes and has great battery life. The other one seems like a torch. Real bright but terrible battery life. Both seem tough as hell.

It almost seems like a person might really need both.

jmx<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Ahh, welcome to the world of the Flashaholic - the search for the perfect light. Long runtime? Bright spot? Dispersed beam? Which is more important? The eternal question (at least, until Surefire come out with a 2000lumen HID light the size of the E2, with a 20 hour runtime..)
This is actually a turning point - the choice you make now may affect your outlook on flashlights (or torches, where I come from) for the rest of your flashaholic life..

Many here will tell you to take the easy route - get 'em both! Others will point to one or the other. But ultimately, the choice is yours. Choose well..

Graham

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by jmx:
It almost seems like a person might really need both. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Now you`re getting the hang of it!

What about the recently discovered 6 lamp Flashled? Seems like a cool light especially with the dual power option. Is this a gimick?

jmx?

What about the recently discovered 6 lamp Flashled? Seems like a cool light especially with the dual power option. Is this a gimick?

It`s OK, nothing special and a little spendy even on Ebay. Not blinding, but the battery life is OK. I found that the 2AA battery option was virtually useless (white model) cos it was so dim. But in an emergency, any light is nice to have so it`s not totally useless.
Seems nicely enough made, but I broke the switch in mine after I dropped it. Admittedly it did get dropped 10-12ft onto concrete so it`s a miracle it survived at all

There are better lights, there are worse lights. It`s OK.

only puts out about 3 lux at 1 meter

Hmmm.....I must check mine again. Maybe I got a duff one? I`m sure it was dimmer than that.

I am in the process of completing my review on the 6-LED FlashLED. It's a decent light. I like the AA option for getting around indoors at night - only puts out about 3 lux at 1 meter - dosen't kill your night adaptation.

The N cells are about a buck a piece at Wal-Mart. The Inova x5 blows it away (96 lux vs. 70 lux with the N cells), but then you're spending about $5 for one change of batteries for the 123A's instead of $3 for the 3 N cells.

I concurr with Chris's opinion - there are better, there are worse.

It all depends on what you need....