Your thoughts on the new Surefire Cree E1L

I'm looking to replace a single cell CR123 light.......my grandson was here visiting this summer and he really took a "shine" to my single cell CR123 light so I made him a gift of it just before we put him on the plane to return home. Now I would like to buy myself a replacement light of sorts. Initially I thought I would spend somewhere in the $50 range and have been looking at the Fenix line-up, but I have always liked the form factor of the Surefire E1L, although it's a bit "above" what I had planned to spend. I see they are now using Cree emitters, the beam seems to have just a bit more spill, and the runtime is now about 10 hours; 30 lumens, I think, will be adequate for my general EDC needs. I have used the search function, but as the newer version of the Surefire E1L is rather recent, I have been unable to find any over whelming feedback posted from owners. I did see a few beam shots, and frankly the color in one photo looked very yellow....almost incandescent yellow. I am fairly certain I was looking at an E1L and not an E1E.

Still, I have always been interested in owning a Surefire E1L and would appreciate hearing from some owners of the new Cree version.
Thanks in advance for your thoughts and impressions. :thumbsup:

- regards to all !

Phosphor, I am not answering as an owner of a E1L because I have an L1 CREE (not much different though). These small lights are very well built and it is a real pleasure to hold one in your hand. You really feel the quality.

My advice is: if you wish to get yourself a Surefire E1L just do it. The expenditure is not really too much (we are not talking Croma here) and the quality of the flaslights is very good. And in any case you have in your favour a no-questions-asked warranty. Last but not least should you get tired of it (unbelievable....) it will take you just one day to sell it here on CPF.


:twothumbs

Drop a Line to OpticsHQ and ask for a quote and tell them you are a CPF member. You will be pleased with the answer. They are very helpful and good guys . Shipping is included but is FEDEX Ground ie. Slow.

as a side note, you might want to pick up one of those Pelican battery + case combos that has an insert for the E1L size light.

You have probably already found these two threads, but just in case:

First thread

Second thread

I've been playing with an E1L for about a week now. My sample is slightly green in tint however its tough to notice unless compared to a "cooler" led side by side. Output is nearly perfect for general use. I've used it more with an F04 Beam Diffuser (indoors and on the boat) than without because I like the soft flood it provides. Outside, the F04 normally comes off. For dark adapted eyes, the 30 lumens is actually too bright (at least in my case). However for dynamic use in which the pupils are not so dilated, output is pretty good for such a small light. I don't consider the E1L a WOW light but its a great General Purpose light. Also, you can put it in your pocket and never know its there until you need it.

I've owned a E1L for about three weeks now (they were all out of L1s and I needed one NOW, flashaholic moment).

It is my new EDC. It is small enough that it rides nicely in my pocket with my keys. Hardly know its there.

It is definitely a spot, with little side spill. I would recommend the diffuser mentioned above. Out on the street or in the woods it is great for lighting things up at a distance.

The beam is nice and white. Don't notice any distracting color at all. This is in "real-world" use. I haven't been lighting up any white walls with it. Excellent build quality and size. Any smaller would seem too small for my hand.

Go get one, you'll like it.

Has anyone been able to complete a runtime test on the new E1L? I am hoping that the lower output/higher efficiency LED yields long flat regulation like we've seen on the E2L. I think Surefire really hit the E2L and E1L out of the park. There are still folks who prefer runtime to brightness (as long as the single brightness level is sufficient for most tasks) and 1 well balanced level to several modes.

I've had my E1L for about a year now. When I was buying it all I could think was, "I am about to spend NINETY NINE dollars on a flashlight?!"

I don't regret it one bit. Haven't had any problems whatsoever. With the new Cree version you are getting a lot more light for the same price.

Three words: Go for it!

I find the E1L too small for my hands. The L1, on the other hand, fits much better and the two stages (lo/high) rate higher in my book. Maybe :santa: will bring me a Cree L1.

I have a Lux E1L, Personally it is my first true EDC Flashlight. Small. Compact puts out good light and then the bonus of a SureFire. I am planning to get an E1L Cree (Among an G2L and L4 and possibly a G3) this year as i bought mine when the Cree E1L's were just being rolled out to online dealers and no in-store dealers had them yet (I was going to check the local store to see if they had one. They didn't have the cree and didn't think they even had any E1L's so i was just about to leave when the said they had found one )

So yes. I would for sure recommend a E1L of any generation (KL1 or KX1) and found my 99.00 to be VERY well spent.

I got the Cree E2L and I find it small enough for EDC! Beam is spot with little spill, but at close range, spill is much useful. And for a 45 lumens light, throw is about the same as the Fenix L2D on high, with much more runtime... You will love it!

Former E1L-C owner here. As far as output and runtime, I was very satisfied with the Cree E1L. Beam is definitely more throw, though not as throwy as the previous KL1. The deal breaker for me was that it doesn't work well with 3.7 rechargeables - the light would flicker every 2 seconds.

Just opened the package on my new Surefire Cree E1l.
Now that is a great flashlight! I see now what the
Surefire supporters are talking about!!!! Great form
factor and overbuilt to the max! A fine tool rather
than a toy (not that there is anything wrong with toys:thumbsup

Check out Battery Junction for free shipping, a CPF discount plus a bunch of batteries thrown in to sweeten the deal.

Joe

I got my KX1 head from nathan, with a single cell body and a SF clickie tail cap.

the light is pretty good. Great regulation, the brightness is just right for a single cell light and has enough spill to be useful.

the battery just keeps going in this light. I'm still on my first battery and I use mine every night for various tasks in the 3 or so weeks I have had the light assembled. I don't have a screaming high or a really low low-level with it, but that's what the L1 is for. It's a tool and serves my needs perfectly. If I wanted flood I just pop on a F04 diffuser.


I don't need 6 levels and 4 kinds of strobe when I just want a light for a hike, work on the car, put in on my bike for a headlight, etc, the tough anodizing, reliability, useful runtime and the water proofness are all very reassuring.

I find that having a L1-Cree and an E1L cree covers pretty much all I need for almost all the things I do, they are great tools and well worth the money.

Just got my E1L cree today! I can say that I am very pleased with this flashlight. I did notice a more "greenish" beam compared to my L1 cree which is very white but thats O.K. The head of the E1L also is also a little longer compared to the head of the L1 cree. Maybe thats because the electronic circuit is in the head (KX1) of the E1L? Here is a pic to share.

I played around with the E1L in a store. Nice light, but I thought it was a little front heavy. I liked the E2L better.

i really like the new surefire crees. alot. the only thing that bothers me about the e1l is that the clip is on the body and the head is so long and head relative the the overall size of the light making it a bit top heavy and it upsets the overall balance of the light esp. when clipped to a pocket.
on the otherhand its a great compact light that has great runtime and brightness. its the perfect level of light outdoors when your eyes get adjusted. not at all overpowering. but its still got plenty of brightness. the e2l is a bit brighter has a bit longer runtime and has better balance. if i could only have one i would make it a e2l. but then again im not you so it comes down the you trying them out and making a decision. the l1 is good to and is aobut the middle ground between the two ExL lights. and has more brightness on the top end but i dont care for its low level, a tad to bright to be considered "low"

I put my KL4 head on my new E1L and it looks much more porportional to the body and it works well with a 3.7V RCR battery!

It seems to me that the E1L and E2L have ''greenish'' tints to them. I had an old L2 that had a ''greenish'' tint and it was great, because it was the closest to the color of an incandescent.
I don't have any new Cree's yet. Are these ''greenish'' tints like the Lux V ''greenish'' tints?