looking for a light to replace my E2E.. recommendations?

Hi guys, it's been a long time since I've posted but you helped me out a lot in choosing my first flashlight so I've come back for more advice. Unfortunately I seem to have lost my first light, a Surefire E2E. I haven't seen it in months and I'm afraid it's gone for good :mecry:. I loved that light for what it was; quality construction, very bright, small size.. but I also learned a lot and thought of things that I would like in my next light.

The first thing is a flat tail end that would allow my to stand it up if I wanted to. My E2E had the rounded on/off push button on the rear which prevented me from doing this. The second thing that would be a big help was if it had the option of different outputs. The E2E was all 60 lumens or bust, with no intermediate selections. A couple other minor pro's would be if it used CR123's since I have a bunch left over from my old light, and even more minor, if it had an adjustable beam.

The size and light output I would want to be similar to the E2E (4.80 in, 3.10 oz, 60 lumens). Runtime isn't a big deal to me, but I'd say a minimum of an hour would be good. The E2E was rated at 1.25 and it was perfectly fine for my use... So, given these parameters, can anyone suggest a quality light to replace my beloved Surefire? btw, price range I'm looking at is $50 - $100.. iirc I paid $80 for my SF a couple years ago.


oh btw, I prefer the more natural looking incandescent light vs the blueish tint I've seen from most LED's (albeit cheap ones). Do the higher quality LED's offer more natural light? Just curious..

edit: I just thought of something else! My E2E had hard edges near the bezel which prevented it from rolling on a flat surface. I would assume that most lights would have something like this for that purpose, but if it didn't, that would suck. Oh and a clip would be nice too. Damn I'm picky...

Durandal02 said:

Hi guys, it's been a long time since I've posted but you helped me out a lot in choosing my first flashlight so I've come back for more advice. Unfortunately I seem to have lost my first light, a Surefire E2E. I haven't seen it in months and I'm afraid it's gone for good :mecry:. I loved that light for what it was; quality construction, very bright, small size.. but I also learned a lot and thought of things that I would like in my next light.

The first thing is a flat tail end that would allow my to stand it up if I wanted to. My E2E had the rounded on/off push button on the rear which prevented me from doing this. The second thing that would be a big help was if it had the option of different outputs. The E2E was all 60 lumens or bust, with no intermediate selections. A couple other minor pro's would be if it used CR123's since I have a bunch left over from my old light, and even more minor, if it had an adjustable beam.

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That featureset essentially necessitates an LED torch of some kind.

The size and light output I would want to be similar to the E2E (4.80 in, 3.10 oz, 60 lumens). Runtime isn't a big deal to me, but I'd say a minimum of an hour would be good. The E2E was rated at 1.25 and it was perfectly fine for my use... So, given these parameters, can anyone suggest a quality light to replace my beloved Surefire? btw, price range I'm looking at is $50 - $100.. iirc I paid $80 for my SF a couple years ago.


oh btw, I prefer the more natural looking incandescent light vs the blueish tint I've seen from most LED's (albeit cheap ones). Do the higher quality LED's offer more natural light? Just curious..

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First: Owch. That rules out the Ra Twisty I was going to recommend, but there are some fine Fenixes and Nitecores you should consider... the Nitecores also show up on B/S/T fairly frequently in the $30-40 range
Second: Better LEDs offer better tint, and this suggests you might like the Fenix TK20, designed for outdoor use it sports a 'neutral white' emitter that's even more incandescent-like than most good LEDs.

edit: I just thought of something else! My E2E had hard edges near the bezel which prevented it from rolling on a flat surface. I would assume that most lights would have something like this for that purpose, but if it didn't, that would suck. Oh and a clip would be nice too. Damn I'm picky...

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Antiroll is fairly standard. Clips are often optional, though.

Hmmm let see... Welcome back:

I'm going to recommend the EagleTac T10C2 or P10C2 (I haven't figured out the difference yet... hopefully someone else can point out the difference)...

1. Tailstand: Check
2. Multi-Mode: Check (2 modes, low is as bright as your E2E and runs for 10 hours, high will floor you)
3. Uses CR123s: Check
4. Adjustable beam: We don't adjust our beams around here.... lol
5. runtime: check (over an hour on high, 10 hours on low, with low being as bright as the E2E... hard to argue with eh?)
6. price range: Check
7. incan: nope, this is an LED... If it's been awhile, you may find that the newer LEDs are getting better, the Cree's used in most of these nicer lights tend to be a reasonable tint. The nasty blue associated with cheaper lights is not likely something you will have to deal with here, but it won't be as warm and wide-spectrum as an incan, but they are definitely not bad. At this size class, the output is so much greater for the LED, that it literally starts to overcome some of the incan advantages.
8. antiroll/clip: check

6/8.... not bad...

I was going to point out, that the only way to meet the multi-mode requirement within that price range is going to be with an LED, I can't think of any other lights that meet a lot of the requirements on that list that are incan and fall in that price range with multi-modes. (they are very rare).

Eric

Got a look at the new E2L 2 stage cree led yet?

About the exact same output level as you are used to but it runs in regulation (no dimming) for 6 hours on high and a nice 100 hours on low.

:shrug: Not bad.

Replace an E2e with an E2e...but if you want other options..

If you can deal with a size and price increase, try a Surefire A2. It has both LED's and an incandescent beam that is regulated. Adding on a delrin tailguard can give you tailstand capabilities also.

Sgt. LED recommended having a look at the E2L, similar to the E2e but an LED (higher output, multiple levels, more efficient.)

I still have my black HA E2e sitting in a box in a draw somewhere but I use my SF C3 with P90 more. I understand what you mean about the LED vs incandescent. I had a P60L in my C3 for a few days and prefer the P90. I am not afraid of the lamp fialing ebcause I have back-ups (Fenix P1 CE and CR2 Ion on my keychain.)

Good luck,
Jason

A bit more money and go for the L1 cree or E2DL, 2 stage output....

hear is a review of the eagletac p10c... this looks like a winner
www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=208637

mdocod said:

I'm going to recommend the EagleTac T10C2 or P10C2 (I haven't figured out the difference yet... hopefully someone else can point out the difference)...Eric

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The T10C2 has a larger reflector by about 1/4" than the P10C2. The P10C2 is closest in dimensions to your lost E2E. Both will come very close to your wish list and are excellent lights IMO.

JasonC8301 said:

Replace an E2e with an E2e...but if you want other options..Jason

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Could not agree more. My E2 has always been one of my favorites and is still a frequent EDC. If mine was gone, it would be replaced.

That said, there are many new choices that are brighter, offer multi-levels and longer run times. If you can, get two.

Mark

E2DL is a must - pay the cost. :twothumbs

Kingfisher said:

E2DL is a must - pay the cost. :twothumbs

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Love mine.

Durandal02 said:

The first thing is a flat tail end that would allow my to stand it up if I wanted to...

...The second thing that would be a big help was if it had the option of different outputs...

...The size and light output I would want to be similar to the E2E (4.80 in, 3.10 oz, 60 lumens)...

...Runtime isn't a big deal to me, but I'd say a minimum of an hour would be good.

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As others have said already, I recommend a Surefire E2DL LED Defender. I realize the list price is above your "$50-$100 range", but if you look around, you can get fairly close to that $100 mark, especially if you don't mind a "like new" one. Check out CPFMarketPlace.

I also really like the latest E2L Outdoorsman, but that doesn't allow tailstanding the way it comes.

Put me down as a vote for the E2DL.

Basically the same light you had, with a tailstandable tailcap, 2 modes, a little more aggressive head, and a bit more oomph!

*edit* Now that I look at your other requirements... I would also suggest a dereelight C2H with a 5A emitter. Warmer tint, you will probably like it.

You might want to check out the (2008) INOVA T1. 100 lumens,warm tint,and 4 hour high brightness before dimming. I love mine.

Thanks a lot for all the great replies! I am currently going through all of the suggestions. So far I'm really liking the EagleTac P10C2, but I still have more research to do. I'll update if I have any more questions, and when I make a decision.

divine said:

*edit* Now that I look at your other requirements... I would also suggest a dereelight C2H with a 5A emitter. Warmer tint, you will probably like it.

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I went looking for the C2H on the Deree website and came across the CL1H V4. I really like the V4 better but it can't tailstand! I wonder why they didn't make a tailstanding cap for the V4 as well. From the pictures it looks like the button sticks out just far enough to make it tip over. Then there's the CL1H V3 which will tailstand with a different cap, but it doesn't take 123's, oh well.. they're a bit large in the head anyway.

Hello Durandal02,

The CL1H and the EagleTac I was suggesting are pretty similar size lights, both a bit bulkier than the E series you are accustomed to. The E series is one of the most "slimmed down" CR123 lineups out there, most of the CR123 powered lights out there are a little bulkier, The advantage being, that more heft may equal more strength if it is dropped or ran over or smashed or something.

With Dereelight, you might be able to arrange a CL1H V3 that you like, to be shipped with a 3SM (multi-power) module. I'm not 100% sure about this but it seems like if you contacted a reseller, or contacted dereelight directly, they might be able to put that together for you. The DereeLight platform is a great option to get into, as future "pill" upgrades could be done to swap to higher efficiency emitters when the technology comes out. You could also switch to a "digital" module if you ever wanted to switch to li-ion rechargeable cells.

well u can always go with the surefire e2dl if u prefer an e series range though..

You could always send your e2e to milkyspit to have him work some magic on it!

mdocod said:

Hello Durandal02,

The CL1H and the EagleTac I was suggesting are pretty similar size lights, both a bit bulkier than the E series you are accustomed to...

With Dereelight, you might be able to arrange a CL1H V3 that you like, to be shipped with a 3SM (multi-power) module. I'm not 100% sure about this but it seems like if you contacted a reseller, or contacted dereelight directly, they might be able to put that together for you. The DereeLight platform is a great option to get into, as future "pill" upgrades could be done to swap to higher efficiency emitters when the technology comes out. You could also switch to a "digital" module if you ever wanted to switch to li-ion rechargeable cells.

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seale_navy said:

well u can always go with the surefire e2dl if u prefer an e series range though..

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The EagleTac is hardly bigger than my E2E; it is the same diameter and only 12mm (.5") longer. And the CL1H is about the same as the EagleTac in length, but the bezel is larger by 8mm. I don't think that the extra length is a big deal, but the additional 8mm girth of the Deree would be more noticeable I think. What I do like about the Deree though, is that they make it very easy to change different components of the light to suit individual needs, such as upgrading down the road.

bluecrow76 said:

You could always send your e2e to milkyspit to have him work some magic on it!

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I would definitely consider that if I still had it! Unfortunately you either didn't read, or mis-read my original post, as I no longer have this light. At this point I think I am going to take a step up to the LED and give that a shot. If I really don't like it I may buy another E2E. Heck, I may buy another E2E even if I do like the LED. As for the E2DL, it is .9" longer than the E2E and .5" longer than the EagleTac. It is also about twice the price..

Durandal02 said:

I would definitely consider that if I still had it! Unfortunately you either didn't read, or mis-read my original post, as I no longer have this light.

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Yep... evidently I totally glazed over that part!