E1B Tail Cap

The first thing I did when I got my E1B was to remove the head take out the battery and click through 100 On/Off cycles ( 200 clicks) and just went through another 100 cycles.

It looks like the switch is of a whole new design, nice and solid. I'm hoping that SF will replace the Z-57 with this design and am surprised that I haven't seen any discussion or opinions on it.

So what do you guys think.....I'm giving it a :thumbsup:



BraddahBill

I have found the action on the e1b to be a bit hard. That is, you need to exert a fair amount of pressure to work the switch. Did you run the 100 cycles to "break it in" and make it easier to use? If so, did this help?

I agree with you Braddah Bill. The two that I've used including my own have both been much more positive than any Z57 that I've used and feel more like a Z58 in their action. I too hope that Surefire uses a similar design for the rest of the E series.

The "action" on my switch is unchanged, and yes, it takes a little more pressure to activate than the Z-57 but I see that as a good thing. I was just doing a little test to see if the switch would develop any problems early on as some have reported have reported in the past with the Z-57.


Bill

eric_wolf said:

I have found the action on the e1b to be a bit hard. That is, you need to exert a fair amount of pressure to work the switch. Did you run the 100 cycles to "break it in" and make it easier to use? If so, did this help?

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I received a Z61 today from SF, and it's the new design. (At least by internal appearance.) 1/4 turn for robust lockout is a good thing! Larry

One of the first things I noticed about the E1B tailcap is that it does not rattle when in the ON position, like most of my other E-series clickies do.

My switch had trouble right from day one and did not operate well. The light would flicker, and sometimes not turn on at all for 5 or 6 clicks, and then start working again. It was completely unreliable and only functioned properly about half of the time.

This brings me to why I like Surefire lights. I took the switch out and was happy to see that this new switch can be completely disassembled as other SF switches can be. I took the whole switching unit apart and cleaned the contacts, added a little progold, and put a little nyogel on the springs and contact areas. The switch has functioned flawlessly since...

Thanks for using parts that can be easily serviced in the field SF...

X Racer said:

This brings me to why I like Surefire lights. I took the switch out and was happy to see that this new switch can be completely disassembled as other SF switches can be.

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If you ever take it apart again how about taking some quick photos, I'd like to see how the new parts differ from the old style.


Bill

I'd be glad to, although it works like a champ now. When you remove the retaining ring at the back and the rubber boot, the switch just slides out the back. Then you just slide the metal retaining sleeve off and the rest is pretty obvious...