good value and quality?
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Rothrandir
Flashaholic
yup...it's the standard /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
a perfect combination of brightness and smallness (within realistic levels of course /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif )
but, as with all things..it depends on use.
tell us what you want it for, and we will say what is best /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
i must say though...it is the second best way to start flashaholism (the first being an arc aaa /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif)
a perfect combination of brightness and smallness (within realistic levels of course /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif )
but, as with all things..it depends on use.
tell us what you want it for, and we will say what is best /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
i must say though...it is the second best way to start flashaholism (the first being an arc aaa /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif)
Rothrandir
Flashaholic
sounds good! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
now go to www.tacticalwarehouse.com and buy an arc aaa, and surefire e2e /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
if you see anythig else you want, get that too /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
now go to www.tacticalwarehouse.com and buy an arc aaa, and surefire e2e /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
if you see anythig else you want, get that too /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Welcome Trocky,
On my first go around with flashlights the E2 HA was my first quality light. At that time 123 lithiums couldn't be had for less than 3 bucks so I kind of moved away from flashaholism. A renewed interest in them and surefire 123's for a buck and change, I'm on a tear again. I had traded my first E2 for a knife, so my first purchase was an E2e HA. Probably my favorite light so far. Durable, Flexible (KL1), Bright MN03, less bright MN02. I think this light is a definate must for everyone. You could not go wrong with this light. Having said all that I've got an Arc LSH-P on the way. YEEEEEEEHAAAAAAW!!!!!!!!!!! dtsoll
Oh yeah, My good buddy rocketmaninphx is also mailing me an Arc AAA LE. YEEEEEEEHAAAAAWWWWW!!! yet again
On my first go around with flashlights the E2 HA was my first quality light. At that time 123 lithiums couldn't be had for less than 3 bucks so I kind of moved away from flashaholism. A renewed interest in them and surefire 123's for a buck and change, I'm on a tear again. I had traded my first E2 for a knife, so my first purchase was an E2e HA. Probably my favorite light so far. Durable, Flexible (KL1), Bright MN03, less bright MN02. I think this light is a definate must for everyone. You could not go wrong with this light. Having said all that I've got an Arc LSH-P on the way. YEEEEEEEHAAAAAAW!!!!!!!!!!! dtsoll
Oh yeah, My good buddy rocketmaninphx is also mailing me an Arc AAA LE. YEEEEEEEHAAAAAWWWWW!!! yet again
For overall value, the E2e's pretty much the standard... Weigh everything, initial cost, pocketability, brightness, beam shape, cost of ownership, etc, and you might think this is equilibrium...
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
What's with the ARC's??? And i missing something? your the second guy to mention them. How do they rate with the SFe2e?
What does anybody think of this BOTACH place ...good, bad???
Does a MN03 bulb/lamp assembly fit in any of the battery carriers that hold 6 lithiums?
Thanks all for the input here.
What does anybody think of this BOTACH place ...good, bad???
Does a MN03 bulb/lamp assembly fit in any of the battery carriers that hold 6 lithiums?
Thanks all for the input here.
Trocky, the E2HA is a terrific light. It's good value when you think of the 60-80 bucks you'll pay for it (and another 50 or so for the LED head) vs. the labor and materials that went into it. Whether that's worth it to you depends on what you expect out of a flashlight. It's like buying a really nice wristwatch for 100 bucks when a $10 plastic Casio will tell you perfectly well what time it is, or a fancy windproof cigarette lighter instead of a disposable Bic, etc. Most of us here think that the E2 is really really cool and that that's good enough reason to buy it regardless of what we actually need.
If you want a cheaper alternative, look at a Princeton Tec PT40 (somewhat larger than the E2 because it uses four AA cells, but still pocketable and you can use rechargeables), which will be in the same brightness league as the E2. If you want something smaller, try Princeton Tec's "Rage", which runs on four AAA's so it's about the same size as the E2, but less bright (rechargeable AAA's are also fine). The Rage will still be about as bright as the E2's LED head and will be more than plenty for finding your way around a parking lot. Either of these lights will run you 10 to 15 bucks. If you want something really bright and still cheap, look at a PT "Surge", which runs on eight AA's and is about the size of a typical 2D flashlight, not pocketable, but at 20-30 bucks it's about as bright as you'll get for something that size that doesn't cost a lot more. All of these arguably beat the E2 on pure practicality/economy grounds, they're just nowhere near as nifty or as well-made.
To have an idea of what you're getting into, the Rage or the LED head will be about as bright as a typical 3D flashlight from a hardware store; the E2 with the HALO bulb will be about 2x that bright. The Surge is maybe 2x as bright as the E2.
If you want a cheaper alternative, look at a Princeton Tec PT40 (somewhat larger than the E2 because it uses four AA cells, but still pocketable and you can use rechargeables), which will be in the same brightness league as the E2. If you want something smaller, try Princeton Tec's "Rage", which runs on four AAA's so it's about the same size as the E2, but less bright (rechargeable AAA's are also fine). The Rage will still be about as bright as the E2's LED head and will be more than plenty for finding your way around a parking lot. Either of these lights will run you 10 to 15 bucks. If you want something really bright and still cheap, look at a PT "Surge", which runs on eight AA's and is about the size of a typical 2D flashlight, not pocketable, but at 20-30 bucks it's about as bright as you'll get for something that size that doesn't cost a lot more. All of these arguably beat the E2 on pure practicality/economy grounds, they're just nowhere near as nifty or as well-made.
To have an idea of what you're getting into, the Rage or the LED head will be about as bright as a typical 3D flashlight from a hardware store; the E2 with the HALO bulb will be about 2x that bright. The Surge is maybe 2x as bright as the E2.
Welcome Trocky,
For someone willing to join the CPF, owning an E2e is no more necessary than say breathing, or sleeping, or an occasional bite to eat. However, there are other alternatives that might suit your needs, if not pocket book, better. You might be happier with the E2e/KL1 combination off the bat. Or if you're like me and some others, you may find that the A2 more than justifies the additional size and expense.
Regardless, you can't go wrong with an E2e and if you find down the road that another light would be better for you, you will find that you can sell the E2e here on the forum without much effort.
- Don
For someone willing to join the CPF, owning an E2e is no more necessary than say breathing, or sleeping, or an occasional bite to eat. However, there are other alternatives that might suit your needs, if not pocket book, better. You might be happier with the E2e/KL1 combination off the bat. Or if you're like me and some others, you may find that the A2 more than justifies the additional size and expense.
Regardless, you can't go wrong with an E2e and if you find down the road that another light would be better for you, you will find that you can sell the E2e here on the forum without much effort.
- Don
Personally, I'd stay away from Botach. People have had nightmares ordering from this place before. You can search the Cheers/Jeers section and find a few tidbits about them.
As for the Arc, the AAA LE is pretty much a staple here on CPF. It's usually the most carried secondary light you'll find. The Arc-LS is quite bright for its hand-picked luxeon stars (the Premium brand). It's brighter and whiter than the KL1 for the E2e... Construction of the Arc is top notch, and it more than favorably compares to the E2e/KL1...
As for the Arc, the AAA LE is pretty much a staple here on CPF. It's usually the most carried secondary light you'll find. The Arc-LS is quite bright for its hand-picked luxeon stars (the Premium brand). It's brighter and whiter than the KL1 for the E2e... Construction of the Arc is top notch, and it more than favorably compares to the E2e/KL1...
Trocky,
If you are looking for a light to check out parking lots and such, I would certainly, at least check into an E2e. Arc's I will leave to the others on this board who are a wealth of information. Besides I don't even have an Arc in my possession yet. Come on Friday!!!!!!! Anyway if the 60-80 bucks isn't a big issue, or even if it is /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif I'd go for an E2e, it's a great place to start your obsession....or I mean hobby. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif dtsoll
If you are looking for a light to check out parking lots and such, I would certainly, at least check into an E2e. Arc's I will leave to the others on this board who are a wealth of information. Besides I don't even have an Arc in my possession yet. Come on Friday!!!!!!! Anyway if the 60-80 bucks isn't a big issue, or even if it is /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif I'd go for an E2e, it's a great place to start your obsession....or I mean hobby. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif dtsoll
Trocky, there are two basically different Arcs, each made in a few variations:
Arc AAA: tiny keychain light (size of Mag Solitaire), powered by one AAA cell, has a DC-DC converter to boost the voltage to run the ~9000 mcd white Nichia LED. It will run for four hours or so on a new alkaline AAA, or over an hour on an AAA that's too dead to run an incandescent light. This is a beautiful little light and everyone should have one. The "standard" version is 20-25 bucks. The "limited edition" has a hand selected LED for smoother color and maybe a touch more brightness, but costs quite a bit more and (my opinion) isn't as good a value as the standard version (get it if you're very fussy or just want "the best"). Versions have also been made with different colors of LED and different finishes, though most of those aren't currently available. Note that the AAA's brightness is like a typical penlight, enough for close-up tasks or seeing where you're going in the dark, but it's not a long-range searchlight.
Arc LS: This uses a one watt Luxeon LED and is as bright as a typical 2D flashlight. It uses one lithium cell but there's a 2AA battery holder available for it as an accessory, so you can use rechargeables. With the 123 holder it's a bit smaller than the Surefire E1e/KL1 combination. Opinions here vary as to which is preferable. The Arc is a smaller light with typically a better LED, but the Surefire fits into a big system of accessories. The Arc LS also comes in a more expensive "premium" (LSH-P) version with a selected LED. Right now the Luxeon LED's are bleeding edge parts and there's enough variation between them that the premium Arc will really get you a brighter/whiter light (i.e. bigger difference than between the AAA's), so you have to decide if it's worth the extra cost.
Between the two of these I'd say you need an AAA since you can put it on your keyring and always have it with you. The LS is a very good light too but there are various other options you might choose for a pocket sized, medium powered light. (Examples: Surefire E1e/KL1, Minimag/Badboy, or even an incandescent like a PT Rage or an E2e with MN02).
Regarding the E2e/KL1 combo: the KL1 has the same 1W Luxeon LED as the Arc LS so it serves about the same purpose. The E2 body has two 123's so it has longer runtime than the Arc, at the expense of increased size. Do you really care about swapping out two batteries after four hours, instead of 1 battery after 2 hours? So I'd say the E1(e) makes more sense than the E2(e) for attaching a KL1. But the E1/KL1 combo is still bigger than the Arc, and Arc seems to select LED's more discriminatingly, so between the two I'd take the Arc. The E2's main advantage is its much brighter MN03 incandescent head, or the coming KL4 5-watt LED head (that needs two 123's to run).
So: if you want a bright LED light, I'd say get the Arc LS, and get the 2AA tailpack and some NiMH cells if you want economy running it. If you want an even brighter incandescent light, get the E2e/MN03. And if you want a great combination, get both, they won't overlap like an LS and KL1 would.
Arc AAA: tiny keychain light (size of Mag Solitaire), powered by one AAA cell, has a DC-DC converter to boost the voltage to run the ~9000 mcd white Nichia LED. It will run for four hours or so on a new alkaline AAA, or over an hour on an AAA that's too dead to run an incandescent light. This is a beautiful little light and everyone should have one. The "standard" version is 20-25 bucks. The "limited edition" has a hand selected LED for smoother color and maybe a touch more brightness, but costs quite a bit more and (my opinion) isn't as good a value as the standard version (get it if you're very fussy or just want "the best"). Versions have also been made with different colors of LED and different finishes, though most of those aren't currently available. Note that the AAA's brightness is like a typical penlight, enough for close-up tasks or seeing where you're going in the dark, but it's not a long-range searchlight.
Arc LS: This uses a one watt Luxeon LED and is as bright as a typical 2D flashlight. It uses one lithium cell but there's a 2AA battery holder available for it as an accessory, so you can use rechargeables. With the 123 holder it's a bit smaller than the Surefire E1e/KL1 combination. Opinions here vary as to which is preferable. The Arc is a smaller light with typically a better LED, but the Surefire fits into a big system of accessories. The Arc LS also comes in a more expensive "premium" (LSH-P) version with a selected LED. Right now the Luxeon LED's are bleeding edge parts and there's enough variation between them that the premium Arc will really get you a brighter/whiter light (i.e. bigger difference than between the AAA's), so you have to decide if it's worth the extra cost.
Between the two of these I'd say you need an AAA since you can put it on your keyring and always have it with you. The LS is a very good light too but there are various other options you might choose for a pocket sized, medium powered light. (Examples: Surefire E1e/KL1, Minimag/Badboy, or even an incandescent like a PT Rage or an E2e with MN02).
Regarding the E2e/KL1 combo: the KL1 has the same 1W Luxeon LED as the Arc LS so it serves about the same purpose. The E2 body has two 123's so it has longer runtime than the Arc, at the expense of increased size. Do you really care about swapping out two batteries after four hours, instead of 1 battery after 2 hours? So I'd say the E1(e) makes more sense than the E2(e) for attaching a KL1. But the E1/KL1 combo is still bigger than the Arc, and Arc seems to select LED's more discriminatingly, so between the two I'd take the Arc. The E2's main advantage is its much brighter MN03 incandescent head, or the coming KL4 5-watt LED head (that needs two 123's to run).
So: if you want a bright LED light, I'd say get the Arc LS, and get the 2AA tailpack and some NiMH cells if you want economy running it. If you want an even brighter incandescent light, get the E2e/MN03. And if you want a great combination, get both, they won't overlap like an LS and KL1 would.
FlashlightOCD
Enlightened
Nobody has mentioned the Surefire P6. It was the "original" and is slightly less expensive than the E2E and only marginally larger in size.
Pros: Less expensive, slightly brighter [65 lumens vs 60], optional P61 Lamp Assembly provides even more lumens [100+] at the cost of shorter battery life [20 mins].
Cons: Slightly larger, doesn't have HA finish so it is less rugged, less sexy [at least by this boards standards].
- - -
Edit: I'm just a little bit dyslxeic ... as pointed out below, the flashlight model is Surefire 6P [not P6].
Pros: Less expensive, slightly brighter [65 lumens vs 60], optional P61 Lamp Assembly provides even more lumens [100+] at the cost of shorter battery life [20 mins].
Cons: Slightly larger, doesn't have HA finish so it is less rugged, less sexy [at least by this boards standards].
- - -
Edit: I'm just a little bit dyslxeic ... as pointed out below, the flashlight model is Surefire 6P [not P6].
The P6 is a big tank compared to the E2, with about the same output using the normal (P60) bulb. The P61 is the only reason to use it, but do you REALLY want to burn a pair of batteries every 20 minutes just to walk around in a parking lot?
But if we're on low-cost Surefire alternatives to the E2, we should also mention the G2, which is like the P6 but has a plastic (Nitrolon) body. It costs a lot less, is a bit lighter, maybe more scuff resistant, and maybe more comfortable to hold without gloves in chilly weather (since it doesn't transmit heat away from your hand as quickly).
For elegance and pocketability though the E2 beats both the P6 and G2 thoroughly.
Also, on the E2, there's a gunmetal or "satin grey" (E2e-SG) version that costs less than the HA version and doesn't have the hex bezel, which may make it a little more comfortable for pocket carry. It's a color mismatch for the KL1 but you might not care.
But if we're on low-cost Surefire alternatives to the E2, we should also mention the G2, which is like the P6 but has a plastic (Nitrolon) body. It costs a lot less, is a bit lighter, maybe more scuff resistant, and maybe more comfortable to hold without gloves in chilly weather (since it doesn't transmit heat away from your hand as quickly).
For elegance and pocketability though the E2 beats both the P6 and G2 thoroughly.
Also, on the E2, there's a gunmetal or "satin grey" (E2e-SG) version that costs less than the HA version and doesn't have the hex bezel, which may make it a little more comfortable for pocket carry. It's a color mismatch for the KL1 but you might not care.
Size15's
Flashaholic
It's 6P!!!!!!!!!!!!
6P, 9P, 6R, 7Z, 6Z, 9Z, 12PM, 12ZM, 6PX etc
I'm trying real hard not to get real anal and edit all the posts.
Please get it right!
Al
6P, 9P, 6R, 7Z, 6Z, 9Z, 12PM, 12ZM, 6PX etc
I'm trying real hard not to get real anal and edit all the posts.
Please get it right!
Al
yclo
Flashaholic*
Maybe there's a replace all function in your mod menu? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
Flow
Newly Enlightened
What type of finish is the gunmetal?
I've decided on getting an e2e, but not sure which yet.
Getting a bb400 instead of kl1.
The ha3 is ha3, but the satin grey looks much sexyer (in my oppinion). If it's basicly painted on or just plated, I'm going ha. But if it's still annodized at all I just may go with it instead, I just like the style a lot better.
(edit)
I think now I truly understand "buy both". If I can't make up my mind, well, I'm sure not buying neither.
And by annodize at all (if I'm even spelling it correctly /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif) I mean like a maglite. In a nice nylon holster and not dropping it (_not_ dropping a ~$70 light /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/twak.gif) it should hold up just fine for me.
Idea. Would it be possible to have it stripped and ha3'd?
I know it would be costly, but I really really like the style of this light.
I've decided on getting an e2e, but not sure which yet.
Getting a bb400 instead of kl1.
The ha3 is ha3, but the satin grey looks much sexyer (in my oppinion). If it's basicly painted on or just plated, I'm going ha. But if it's still annodized at all I just may go with it instead, I just like the style a lot better.
(edit)
I think now I truly understand "buy both". If I can't make up my mind, well, I'm sure not buying neither.
And by annodize at all (if I'm even spelling it correctly /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif) I mean like a maglite. In a nice nylon holster and not dropping it (_not_ dropping a ~$70 light /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/twak.gif) it should hold up just fine for me.
Idea. Would it be possible to have it stripped and ha3'd?
I know it would be costly, but I really really like the style of this light.
FlashlightOCD
Enlightened
The E2E-SG [Satin Grey] is anodized and is cheaper than the HA. If you are going to treat it nicely you probably don't need the HA.
