Do I need a Surefire E1E ?

Safety1st · Oct 25, 2006

My current line up of lights are:

Orb Raw, HDS Basic60LE, E1L, C2, E2D, L2, L4, Gladius, Falcata9v.

They all have different roles. The Orb Raw is for when i'm at formal functions/events, the HDS is a EDC, the E1L remains in my vehicle along with the C2. The E2D sits next to my bed. The L2 is my dog walking light. The L4 is a EDC at night.
The Falcata9v is next to the front door.
Finally, the Gladius is what I use on duty. (LEO).

I like the idea of a E1E. However, having already got a HDS and a E1L, is the E1E worth it.

Will it wow me where those others dont?

MarNav1 · Oct 25, 2006

One can never have too many light's, can one? Especially Surefire light's!

B737Driver · Oct 25, 2006

Safety1st said:
I like the idea of a E1E. However, having already got a HDS and a E1L, is the E1E worth it.

Will it wow me where those others dont?

For me, the answer was no. After getting my HDS B42, I got rid of my E1E-BK.

Good luck,

B737Driver

powernoodle · Oct 25, 2006

Nothing really wrong with the E1e, but I have one and it never gets used. Unlike the regulated LED Surefires the E1e immediately starts to diminish in output, and there is that pesky problem of incan bulbs being fragile and/or burning out at the wrong time. Don't know about the E1e vs. E1L, but flashlightreviews.com says that the E2L puts out more light than the E2e.

I still like incans, but only in applications where an LED can't match the output, like the SF M3 or X10 for example.

Everything is relative. Compared to a 2D Mag-lite, the E1e is awesome. Compared to the new generation of small, bright LED lights, its not so awesome, IMO.

peace

trailblazer · Oct 25, 2006

If you already have an E1L I would not get the E1E, In my experience the E1L is far superior.
Tom

Danbo · Oct 25, 2006

Not one of my favorite Surefires, so I would say no.

xdanx · Oct 25, 2006

How about a Kl4 for your E1l instead of a E1e?

bestcounsel · Oct 25, 2006

I own a E1L and i feel that the E1E cannot compare. If i need an incan, i just go for my G2 or 6P.

I just ordered an e2l body so that will help a lot too.

joema · Oct 26, 2006

powernoodle said:
...flashlightreviews.com says that the E2L puts out more light than the E2e...

Sure you don't have that backward? It looks like the E2E has nearly double the overall output of the E2L:

E2L: http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/surefire_kl1gen2.htm
E2E: http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/surefire_e1e.htm

Scottiver · Oct 26, 2006

You already own an E1E- sort of. Just get a MN01 bulb, put it n the head of your E2D and screw the head onto your E1L body and you've get an E1E.
Another cool thing to do is to screw the KL4 head from your L4 onto the E1L body and that makes a very nice little light. Just like the L4 except maybe half the brightness. Lots of combinations are possible with the E series lights.

oldgrandpajack · Oct 26, 2006

My EDC's are two Surefire E1E flashlights. That way, I have a spare lamp, battery, and tail cap. My spare E1E has the Z52 tail cap, so if the Z68 on the other one fails, no worries. Also have a waterproof match carrier with two spare batteries. Lets see, that gives me about 6 hours of light, if the batteries are all fresh. They are so small and lightweight, I forget they are in my pockets. Yet, when an emergency comes up, they are there, which is what makes them the best flashlights available for EDC. Was grocery shopping this summer, when there was a blackout. The employees kicked out all the stores customers, for safety reasons. The employees let me continue shopping though. My E1E was able to light up the dairy cases, from the bakery, all the way across the back of the store. And, the battery had been in the light for over a year, being used intermittently, to check the mail box, and transmission level, water level, and oil level on my car. I used that E1E for over half an hour, before getting to the check out, which was running on backup batteries. I am still using that E1E, with the same battery in it. Didn't even get to my backup E1E. And, when it comes to the "fragile" incandescent lamp assembly, don't you believe it. These flashlights have been carried for over a year, and both work just fine, thank you. Plus, you can't beat the output of an incandescent flashlight. LED's have a long way to go yet, as far as I'm concerned, and I have all the Surefire LED Flashlights and bezels, except the new Kroma.

Sometimes, smaller and older is better. Incandescent light is a mature technology. LED technology is still in it's infancy.

oldgrandpajack

Safety1st · Oct 26, 2006

Great advice guys...thanks very much..

I like the KL4 ideas for my E1L..

kelmo · Oct 26, 2006

I'm agree with Gramps.

The E1e is a very underated flashlight. It is a very small, bright, and has decent burntime. Its my around the house light. And it is the light my wife uses for our evening strolls. I have mine sheathed in a generic Swiss Army Knife holster with a glow in the dark lanyard. Along with a full SC3 spares carrier you will have plenty of light for a long weekend road trip. For casual use you can't beat it. I used to have a E1L. When I got my E1e I gave it to my wife.

Keep an eye out in the BST section. Oldgrandpajack sells E1e's from time to time. He's a great guy to buy from.

kelmo

bestcounsel · Oct 26, 2006

As an EP guy, efficiency is key. While carring a e1l, all i have to worry about is carring 1 extra battery in pocket and all together i have about 8 hours of light. I do not have to carry an extra lamp or extra batteries because of runtime.

The Porcupine · Oct 26, 2006

Jeeze Gary......! I was going to say "heck no", but after reading Old Grandpa Jack's post, I dunno! Got me thinking and now my head hurts! :ohgeez:

I am not gonna try that again anytime soon!:laughing:
But Jack's right; incans provide beautiful light and they are not fragile. I sold an E2E to a good friend last year after his house was broken in to.
He has used the light a lot and the MN03 still works perfectly after having been dropped quite a few times and gone through five sets of batteries!

Chronos · Oct 26, 2006

I've got a little E1W that I picked up ostensibly for my wife. Well, she looked at me, shook her head, and that was that. I have to admit this little bugger is really growing on me. It has a nice beam pattern and I love the form factor. Hmm. I'm talking myself into keeping it.

oldgrandpajack's comments ring so true. That is the type of real world testimonial that I love to hear or read. Didn't someone post a pic of George Clooney in the Africa outback using his E1?

ugrey · Oct 26, 2006

I had an E1 until I realized that I could have 60 lumens (E2e) instead of 15 with only a very slight increase in size. I bought a 2 batterry tube and an MN03 lamp assembly, and presto chango, I had an E2. I have never missed the E1. Besides that, the new single batterry LED lights beat the E1e in lumens very easily. The E1e seems obsolete to me due to increases in LED technology.

firefly99 · Oct 27, 2006

oldgrandpajack said:
My EDC's are two Surefire E1E flashlights. That way, I have a spare lamp, battery, and tail cap. My spare E1E has the Z52 tail cap, so if the Z68 on the other one fails, no worries. Also have a waterproof match carrier with two spare batteries. Lets see, that gives me about 6 hours of light, if the batteries are all fresh. They are so small and lightweight, I forget they are in my pockets. Yet, when an emergency comes up, they are there, which is what makes them the best flashlights available for EDC. Was grocery shopping this summer, when there was a blackout. The employees kicked out all the stores customers, for safety reasons. The employees let me continue shopping though. My E1E was able to light up the dairy cases, from the bakery, all the way across the back of the store. And, the battery had been in the light for over a year, being used intermittently, to check the mail box, and transmission level, water level, and oil level on my car. I used that E1E for over half an hour, before getting to the check out, which was running on backup batteries. I am still using that E1E, with the same battery in it. Didn't even get to my backup E1E. And, when it comes to the "fragile" incandescent lamp assembly, don't you believe it. These flashlights have been carried for over a year, and both work just fine, thank you. Plus, you can't beat the output of an incandescent flashlight. LED's have a long way to go yet, as far as I'm concerned, and I have all the Surefire LED Flashlights and bezels, except the new Kroma.

Sometimes, smaller and older is better. Incandescent light is a mature technology. LED technology is still in it's infancy.

oldgrandpajack

My all time favourite. While it is not a thrower or fire starter, it provide as much light as a stock 2D Mag from a tiny package.

Agreed on all the points mentioned by oldgrandpajack.

The little incan lamp is so hard to destroy. I had to use a machice vice to crack away the glass bulb and use drill press to get rid of the material under the glass bulb.

KDOG3 · Oct 27, 2006

Why did you do that? Were you putting a LED in there or something? I always thought about putting a Nichia 5mm in one of them but I don't know if it would be too much voltage/current with a primary cell.

I had a little black HA E1e a while back and loved it. I may get one again.

Ty_Bower · Oct 27, 2006

Safety1st said:
...is the E1E worth it?

Will it wow me where those others dont?

No, the E1e won't wow you. It's a fine little light, but if you're only looking for whiz-bang, you'll be disappointed.

As many others have pointed out, the E2e is much brighter. What makes the E1e special is that the light it makes seems more comfortable than an LED, yet it has a more manageable output level than the "tactical" incandescents. Sometimes there are places where the E2e is just too bright. The E1e is a very good light for in the house and around the yard. It's no good for search and rescue. It's useless for impressing your non-flashaholic friends. The best you might get is a "aww, how cute" from the girls.

Scottiver makes an excellent point mentioning how you've already got all the parts you need except the lamp. For fifteen bucks, you almost owe it to yourself to go buy an MN01 lamp just to try it out.

Do I need a Surefire E1E ?

Enlightened

Flashlight Enthusiast

Newly Enlightened

Flashlight Enthusiast

Newly Enlightened

Enlightened

Enlightened

Enlightened

Flashlight Enthusiast

Enlightened

Enlightened

Enlightened

Flashlight Enthusiast

Enlightened

Enlightened

Flashlight Enthusiast

Enlightened

Enlightened

Flashlight Enthusiast

Flashlight Enthusiast

Similar threads