Surefire Backup or Novatac 120t ?

I plan on buying my my first high dollar light(expensive at least to me:laughing. I want to buy an American product , and I have narrowed it down to the Backup and the 120t. So I am leaning toward the Surefire but are all their lights made in the USA?

Yes, they are all proudly made in USA.

I recommend the Surefire L1. Superb light!

Federal LG said:

Yes, they are all proudly made in USA.

I recommend the Surefire L1. Superb light!

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+1 :thumbsup:

Federal LG said:

I recommend the Surefire L1. Superb light!

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My L1 should be arriving from Battery Junction tomorrow. I liked my E1B so much that I decided to pick up a couple more Surefires. And so it begins...

Federal LG said:

Yes, they are all proudly made in USA.

I recommend the Surefire L1. Superb light!

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What does the L1 have over the E1B?

fresnorich said:

What does the L1 have over the E1B?

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Yes, I would like to know this as well. Maybe more spill?

fresnorich said:

What does the L1 have over the E1B?

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The main reason that I ordered the L1 is the different switch and UI. Low first, then high. Press for momentary, twist for constant-on. Oh, that and the fact that I like new toys.

I have a Novatac 120t, L1, and E1B. They are all great American made :twothumbs lights and I would recommend any of them to any one. My 120t has been a great light and I love the versatility but I carry the Surefire Backup the most out of all three. If I could have only one and never the others I would go with the L1, it is a great bullit-proof light and in my opinion Surefire makes the best lights on the market. All in all I would go with the Surefires first unless you want to run RCRs. Congrats on your first big purchase and excellent choise on buying American, they're all great lights.

A vote here for the Surefire E1B Backup. I briefly had an L1 (Cree) last year and to me the small, pocketable profile of the E1B is superior. Output from both lights on high is practically the same.

The main difference is the user interface -- on the L1 you press for momentary, twist for constant on (low first, then high). On the E1B it's all about clicking with the tailcap (high first, then low).

Also, the E1B is about $25 cheaper than the L1; that would give you enough cash to pick up a box of SF123 batteries or an F04 beam diffuser.

At the risk of heresy, Novatac is a newer company, while Surefire has been around a long time as an established company and has a great lifetime warranty.

Playa4Life said:

The main reason that I ordered the L1 is the different switch and UI. Low first, then high. Press for momentary, twist for constant-on. Oh, that and the fact that I like new toys.

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I can understand that. Personal preference is what it comes down to then.

Me, personally I like the clickies and I guess the E1B gives me that. (I don't own a L1) but what it sounds like is my Kroma, as in momentary or twist for all the way on.

The E1B, I can lightly press between the high and low and once I get what I want I can press harder (click) for constant on.

:welcome:

A vote here for the Surefire E1B Backup. I briefly had an L1 (Cree) last year and to me the small, pocketable profile of the E1B is superior.

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+1

The L1 had too much length for a single cell, IMO. The E1B is a nice smooth light, the E1L is a nice textured light. Both are awfully nice.

The Novatac gives you a slightly higher high with about the same level low, but the beam characteristics are totally different than the Surefires. The E1B/E1L have a well defined hotspot, great for throw. The Novatac hotspot fades to spillbeam with the smoothest transition you can imagine. Plus the 120T has the two additional modes (0.3L and strobe).

Hard to find fault with any of those lights.

if you prefer clip carry, i'd go with the backup. in my experience, the 120t is much more prone to being set off accidently. some complain about the e1b being a bit slick; however, an o ring can work wonders in that regard if it becomes and issue for you. anyway, both great lights...

I'm new here and my first led was the SF E1L, how cool it is, I carry it and use it every day, what a fantastic beam. Now as they say, you can't just eat one chip and after starting to look around here a bit, I found myself eagerly awaiting delivery of my new Fenix P1D CE, even smaller and sure seems much brighter. Well now, it appears i'm just scratching the surface so I have a new Fenix TK10 en route. Obviously I'm not done yet but hopefully that will tide me over for a while, I do have my eyes on a E1B or another E1L, the newer version ( a little brighter with 2 settings). :naughty:

I don't have the e1b or the l1(I own several surefires...and the e1b is on my short list)but I do own the 120t,and it setting among several cr123 lights.I always manage to grab it for around the house. It's spot that fades into spill is what I'm most impressed with,althought it has throw the inhouse and out the front door use is my choice 9 times out of 10.Best of luck with your first major purchase,my buddies thought I had lost it on my first purchase on a modded arc lsp..."you spent a hundred and what on a what".