E1E vs. E1L

I'm wanting to know the advantages/disadvantages to each. I currently have an E1E and absolutely love it. It goes everywhere with me. I'm in the process of building another one and wanted to know if it was worth getting a KL1, or to stick with incan. I'm not totally tripped on with the blue tint of most LEDs. I got an Inova X03 for Christmas, and while I think it's a nice light, I'm going to grab an incandescent every time if I have the chance. I just don't like the blueness. Is there a whiter LED out there?

Enough rambling. I'm ready to hear everyone's opinions. Thanks in advance.

If you really like incandescent, you should get the A2, which is highly regarded by many (including myself) as one of the best incandescent lights ever made.

Anyway, I would recommend waiting on buying the KL1 head because Surefire is making new conversion heads that use the Cree LEDs that everyone's been talking about, so you'll want to keep your eyes peeled for the KX1 when it comes out.

In league with the CPF mantra...I believe you NEED both of these fine lights. Very good representations of the incan and Led strain.

Thanks so far.

I guess my real question is, are Surefire's LED's bluish like many of the rest? If they were whiter, I'd be inclined to get one, but if they are blue, I think I'll stick with incandescent.

Yes, Surefire LEDs are bluish like the rest. But there's actually a pretty wide variation of tint within LEDs, and some are less blue than others.

My KL1 was a perfece (imo) white spot of light. I say "was" because I disassembled it and it mysteriously stopped working. I think the KL1 is definately worth it to have, the difference between it and the incan is remarkable...
Good luck!!
Dave

My E1L has a nice white beam, probably the nicest of any of my flashlights. But I think some of that has to do with the so-called "Luxeon Lottery".

I own several E1E's and E1L's and have wound up converting most of the E1E's with KL1 heads. The E1L has decent throw, just about as good or the same as the E1E and gives light longer on a set of batteries. Additionally the E1L is slightly brighter than the E1E. The only downside I see with the E1L is that it is slightly longer with the KL1 head than the E1E is with it's incan bulb (I like the small form factor of the E1E). I have E1L's and KL1 conversion heads that range from fairly white to being bluish or greenish in tint. I have one that even comes close to having a pink hue to it. All of that has no real effect once you get outside, the differences in tint are hardly noticeable outdoors. Really the only time that surefire LED tint has been an issue with me is if you are wall hunting. That said I like both the E1E and the E1L, but the LED is quickly becoming my favorite. If you don't like the square beam of the E1L just get a beam shaper and that will take care of that issue, although it sacrifices throw. I think you would like either just fine, but just get both and you won't have to wonder, because basically it comes down to what you prefer.

my $0.02, i prefer the E1L. I like the shorter E1e but for an emergency EDC/backup light, I like the reliability of an LED vs an incan, at the expense of a longer bezel... and I also like the regulation.

For low output applications, dimming incans bother me when I could have used a regulated LED (ie. for more tactical applications, I will definitely prefer, say, an M6 over my L7, even though the L7 is regulated. This is because I want the mostest light with true full spectrum).

To me, the E1e is a (relatively) lower output light, so I compare it to other lower output lights, like the E1L. They are both small form factors, and have great fit & finish. Small pocket lights such as these, I much prefer an LED route. I just cant see why I would use an incan for low light apps... unless of course, you just prefer a incan.

Truth be told, I prefer the adage, buy them both!

dw51 said:

I'm wanting to know the advantages/disadvantages to each. I currently have an E1E and absolutely love it. It goes everywhere with me. I'm in the process of building another one and wanted to know if it was worth getting a KL1, or to stick with incan. I'm not totally tripped on with the blue tint of most LEDs. I got an Inova X03 for Christmas, and while I think it's a nice light, I'm going to grab an incandescent every time if I have the chance. I just don't like the blueness. Is there a whiter LED out there?

Enough rambling. I'm ready to hear everyone's opinions. Thanks in advance.

Click to expand...

You should wait for the new Lumens Factory High-Output and Extreme High-Output bulbs for the E1e. These bulbs are supposed to be much brighter than the KL1/EL1, plus, you will be able to run the E1e on rechargeables. They should be released within weeks.

Check it out here:
http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=144248

man i am in the same pickle, i want the e1e but i dont like that after a little while the incadecent fades and i dont like that the bulb could break. but i dont like the e1l as i am not much of a fan of the beam. i just cant decide wich on to get.

Outdoors Fanatic said:

You should wait for the new Lumens Factory High-Output and Extreme High-Output bulbs for the E1e. These bulbs are supposed to be much brighter than the KL1/EL1, plus, you will be able to run the E1e on rechargeables. They should be released within weeks.

Check it out here:
http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=144248

Click to expand...

+1

And it should only be a matter of days now

I feel the "blueish tint" is mostly an issue with Nichia 5mm LED's. With Luxeons, you can get a wider variety of tints around white.

Personally, I'd go with the LED version - no LA to worry about, regulation, option of using li-ions. But, like TheWiseOrangeOne said, wait until the Cree versions are out.