Why doesn't Surefire make a smaller EDC?

.. small EDC with similar form factor to the Fenix P2D, Nitecore EX10, etc. lights ?

IMHO these lights are perfectly sized for front pocket EDC. The best light you have is the one that is with you when you need it.

Surefire makes some awesome products and feel that if they entered the Novatac, RA Clicky type market, they would do very well. But all the SF LED lights are to big to pocket.

The E1E is an ok size but is incan. Anyone have a clue. ?

Bud

Re: Why doesn't Surefire make a ...

check out the Titan, or the upcoming Al Titan.

What's wrong with the Surefire E1B? That's perfectly pocketable imho.

+1 on the E1B.

There comes a point that the flashlight is too small to be effectively used. Especially wearing gloves, in the cold and wet, and under stressful conditions etc.
I would argue that the E1e, E1L, E1B are already too small for my hands and I'm not using them under stressful conditions where even my current EDC - the L1 may be too small [I guess].

SureFire is [ad]venturing into a smaller range of lights with the Titan T1 and Titan T1A. Perhaps this will develop in the coming years to respond to this new market sector [for SureFire]

With 9P et al, they stuck with the 1" tube, making the lite bigger than they should be.

The lites are well-built but over-engineered to the point of absurd.

IMO, they should either build a smaller lite with the same 3x123 cells, or really, what the ideal solution should have been, created an 18mm 3V cell instead of CR123A. Then the runtime should have been awesome.

these big lites hold these tiny cells, doesn't make sense.



The smaller non-1" lites are real nice but they lack the punch of 200+ lumens with modules like Malkoff. (They are not LEGO pieces as far as I can tell, correct me if I am wrong)

I EDC an E2L without any problems, and I find that my E1e always seems a little too small to be used easily. You might like the T1A.

Size15's said:

There comes a point that the flashlight is too small to be effectively used. Especially wearing gloves, in the cold and wet, and under stressful conditions etc.

Click to expand...

I don't agree, particularly if tactical momentary is not the desired function. I have hiked dozens of miles in the rain, with gloves on holding an HDS or a McGizmo Mule -- and holding a trekking pole with the same hand. The key is to effectively lanyard the light. The smaller and lighter the light, in fact, the easier it is to hold it in a useful orientation for hours on end using a cigar style grip. This is considerably more difficult to manage with, say, an A2.

etc said:

IMO, they should either build a smaller lite with the same 3x123 cells, or really, what the ideal solution should have been, created an 18mm 3V cell instead of CR123A. Then the runtime should have been awesome.

these big lites hold these tiny cells, doesn't make sense.

Click to expand...

IMHO, its very simple - Surefire makes GOBS of money from their CR123 sales.

I think they'd like to keep it that way

souptree said:

I don't agree, particularly if tactical momentary is not the desired function. I have hiked dozens of miles in the rain, with gloves on holding an HDS or a McGizmo Mule -- and holding a trekking pole with the same hand. The key is to effectively lanyard the light. The smaller and lighter the light, in fact, the easier it is to hold it in a useful orientation for hours on end using a cigar style grip. This is considerably more difficult to manage with, say, an A2.

Click to expand...

SureFire's market centres around those for whom 'tactical momentary' is the key function. This was the point I was trying to make.

Yes, SureFire are branching out into wider markets - the hunters, campers and hikers etc, and yes they do not yet have the diversity of products for those market sectors but if SureFire are serious about a wider market dominance then I'm sure they will make products to match/suit.

bullfrog said:

IMHO, its very simple - Surefire makes GOBS of money from their CR123 sales.

Click to expand...

This is not the impression I have from talking to SureFire staff at various levels of the organisation over the last few years.

I agree with everything Size15's says. Surefire lights are made and designed to be able to hold on to. No light feels better in my hand than a Surefire.

The single cell E-series lights are small, any smaller and they are harder to use. Smaller means easier to carry, but a lot of the people SF market to would holster carry anyway.

My HDS is about as small as I'd want if I had to use gloves/winter gear. My E1L is a bit easier (mostly due to the switch sticking out).

The Titan in Al looks interesting and covers the smaller utility light segment well IMHO.

Sverre

I've wondered the same thing. I understand that SF lights are purpose built, and that having a finicky UI or tiny switch won't work for tactical situations. However, I believe that having a small backup-to-your-backup is consistent with their current lineup, as well as their target market of the police and military. You could put an E2DL in a holster, E1B Backup in a jacket pocket, and something the size of a P1D, Arc AAA, Ra, or Ion on the keychain or in the front pocket. These tiny lights wouldn't be tactical at all, having a tiny backup that would always be with you isn't a bad idea.

At least in my opinion, something like that fits better into the SF lineup than a pen does.

The T1A is intriguing though, and it will be interested to see how it is received when it hits the market.