I LOST MY SUREFIRE E1B! ANY SUGGESTIONS TO SECURE AN EDC ?

I learned a valuble lesson today. I relied soley on the clip from my Surefire Backup E1B to secure the light onto my belt. I chose the E1B because of the power,smooth finish and sturdy clip (so I thought). I know it fell from my belt at somepoint within my day. I spent the day getting in and out of my vehicle trying to find an XBOX for my daughter. I know I didn't missplace it becasue I never used it once that day. Within a few hours I noticed it was not cliped to my belt and it had fallen off . Someone somewhere hopefully found my Surefire and received a great free christmas gift I hope they will appreciate. the light was only 1 week old!

Does anyone have any sugestions other than a lanyard. The E1B does not have a loop or a hole to fasten a lanyard to.

any suggestions would be appreciated.

The only truly reliable way other than a belt pouch is to get smaller EDC and carry it in the pocket. This is why I went to a L0PSE as my EDC. Not as bright perhaps, but it is always in my pocket when I need it. I can stand the less bright light, not having one through loss is not an acceptable option. I back it up with other brighter lights in my jacket, bags, and vehicle.

tgbydesign said:

I learned a valuble lesson today. I relied soley on the clip from my Surefire Backup E1B to secure the light onto my belt. I chose the E1B because of the power,smooth finish and sturdy clip (so I thought). I know it fell from my belt at somepoint within my day. I spent the day getting in and out of my vehicle trying to find an XBOX for my daughter. I know I didn't missplace it becasue I never used it once that day. Within a few hours I noticed it was not cliped to my belt and it had fallen off . Someone somewhere hopefully found my Surefire and received a great free christmas gift I hope they will appreciate. the light was only 1 week old!
Does anyone have any sugestions other than a lanyard. The E1B does not have a loop or a hole to fasten a lanyard to.
any suggestions would be appreciated.

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There is a thread going on right now about how people secure their EDC's. Maybe some of the ideas (some with pics) in that thread will be helpful to you?

tgbydesign said:

...The E1B does not have a loop or a hole to fasten a lanyard to...

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"Au contraire mon frere"

H2Orower said:

"Au contraire mon frere"

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sweet setup. I like the tailcap on my E2Defender, which is clearly useful in above cases.

H2Orower said:

"Au contraire mon frere"

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To be fair, the E1B in its stock configuration does not have a lanyard attachment point. Though as you point out, you could get an alternate tailcap (Surefire Z68 or other tailcap) and have your lanyard attachment point there.

Another way might be to drill a hole in the clip and create your own lanyard attachment point. :thinking:

Otherwise, carrying it loose in your pants pocket (if you have fairly loose pants with deep pockets so it does not accidentally fall out) or carrying it via a belt holster are probably your best bets. :shrug:

You have my sympathies. I lost my first E1B in exactly the same fashion; I had it clipped to my belt one moment and it had fallen off and disappeared the next. :mecry:

hey tgbydesign,
sorry about your light. i don't trust clips for my edc.
check out akj concealco www.greatholsters.com . i have one for an e2e and a 6p. and they are great for my needs. i don't care for lanyards either. a big plus is that they are dressy if need be and they kind of blend in with your clothes and are hardly noticable at all. you can also adjust the tention on the holster as needed.
they may seem expensive but they are cheaper than buying another e1b.

A suggestion I have is to tie a lanyard around the groove in the light using an English Diamond Knot or similar. I did the same with my Novatac when I bought it and the paracord has never come loose.

The beauty of using the English Diamond Knot is that as soon as you try to pull the cord off, the knot 'cams' pulling the cord tighter around the torch.

Andrew

Here's what did to secure my E1B. I used the smallest black plastic zip-tie I could find to "pinch shut" the clip to itself, effectively creating a secure place to connect a split ring. The split ring ends up attached to the clip down near the tail cap. It can't come off unless the zip-tie breaks (not likely at all). I then put a standard Surefire lanyard on it. Sure, it makes the clip only a one way clip instead of 2 way, but I was never planning to use the clip anyway. Now it's perfectly secure.

Also, on a side note, I was able to increase the grip on my E1B by wrapping the head and tailcap with rubber tape I found at a hadware store. There's no adhesive on the tape, you just stretch it as you wrap it around the light, and it just sticks to itself. Now there's no way it will slip out of my hand.

Sorry, I can't post any pictures.

I've yet to see any clip on a gizmo that I'd trust not to snap or work itself loose - even clipping pocket knives on the inside of pockets can fail.

Ultimately, I just go with a belt pouch of some sort which still isn't fool-proof, but does offer a better degree of security.

The drawback is the Batman effect, but oh well - at least you're a well-prepared nut in a cape.

-Trevor

I've been carrying my L1 in a Gerber Multi-Tool sheath, fits nicely. E1B has to be pretty close to the L1 in size, isn't it?

At the very least, put a small piece of paper inside the battery tube of any and all lights that will be outside the house with your name, number, email, address, and phone #....there are still a few honest people out there that will do the right thing. When the batteries go dead, they'll notice the note.

Sorry to hear about your loss...I lost my E1B With keys attached, in a NASTY local pond. Fortunately I used a large magnet on a rope and was able to get 'em back.

I've found that I am very aware of what I'm carrying. I find myself brushing my hands over my pockets to feel the clips of my knife and lights on my pockets while walking around. I just do it out of habit and have found them close by when they do get loose.

DaFABRICATA said:

I've found that I am very aware of what I'm carrying. I find myself brushing my hands over my pockets to feel the clips of my knife and lights on my pockets while walking around. I just do it out of habit and have found them close by when they do get loose.

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Lol, I do the same thing. I'd hate to lose my E1B. I did drop it once in the woods, but I realized after just a few steps, and I found it. I did scare myself though for a second!

..post up the coordinates of the last know location and give an approximate radius to where you noticed it was missing.




Being a new poster, I'm not sure of your previous experience with clips or EDCing a torch, but I'll give you two centavos from my many years since you opened by saying that you've "learned a valuable lesson".


Though I feel like the newly appointed clip ambassador/evangelist, I would NEVER rely on ANY clip for belt duty. If you wish to belt carry, a holster/sheath is the preferred method. Anything exposed on a belt is subject to a tremendous amount of incidental contact that goes wholly unnoticed, thus your loss. A clip is primarily designed to create a more secure means for pocket carry. It is the natural evolution of just throwing all your junk in your pockets and then heading out the door. The problem with that, besides having to dig around in your pockets, is the fact that if you have to go prone, kneel or sit down your items are at risk of falling out of your pockets (depending of course on where your pocket is located and how tightly you wear your pants). The clip keeps it secure at the top of your pocket and readily accessible. Because the torch is shielded by the pocket, and only the clip is exposed, it takes a direct hit for something to dislodge it enough to cause loss. ..something that should definitely get your attention, but the belt and suspenders types can/do attach a lanyard/tether of some type for absolute safety. I've never needed to go to such extremes *edit* for EverydayCarry(!) *edit* and find lanyards/tethers to be liabilities because of entanglement and general uselessness. Unless you are an avid climber, kayaker, or some such "extreme" sport enthusiast and actively pursuing those activities, lanyards/tethers are superfluous. Something either goes in a pocket *edit* preferably with a clip *edit* or a dedicated sheath/holster. I do get the idea that lanyards seem to be very fashion forward for the well equipped desk/keyboard warrior so that should probably be taken into consideration as well.

You mentioned you spent the day getting in and out of your car. You might check your seat belt. I once thought I'd lost a knife only to find it securely clipped to my seat belt. I guess it snagged it while I was buckling or unbuckling!

Hope it's there.....

Armed_Forces said:

.. Unless you are an avid climber, kayaker, or some such "extreme" sport enthusiast and actively pursuing those activities, lanyards/tethers are superfluous. Something either goes in a pocket or a dedicated sheath/holster. I do get the idea that lanyards seem to be very fashion forward for the well equipped desk/keyboard warrior so that should probably be taken into consideration as well.

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We find lanyards around the wrist useful when carrying flashlights in hand, especially when the flashlights are slippery, our hands are cold or wet, or arthritic. This experience is based on walking nightly for the last 7 years.

parnass said:

We find lanyards around the wrist useful when carrying flashlights in hand, especially when the flashlights are slippery, our hands are cold or wet, or arthritic. This experience is based on walking nightly for the last 7 years.

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My condolences, I haven't gotten to that point (yet!) but that's a perfect example of a valid "non-extreme" lanyard use. I've probably missed more examples and they will surely be brought to my attention, but my feelings will not be swayed

I actually slide the lanyard between pant and belt while edc'ing so that if the light does escape the pocket, the lanyard catches the light.

Hell, I dummy-cord just about everything to me.

Although, granted, in civilians not so much.

-Trevor

The clip on the E1B is designed for pocket use, not so much belt use. SF do have longer clips on E series for use with belt. I always ride my E1B clipped to the pocket or inside, I would never trust it on a belt. I'm guessing that's why SF didn't design some sort of attachment point for a lanyard for the E1B, because most of it would be secure inside the pocket.
DaFAB has an interesting idea with the paper with details inside the battery tube. This could for you or against you. You just don't know what the intentions of the person is who finds it. If i was a thief I'd be thinking there mite be more SF's at the address on the paper, and it mite be a good opportunity. By all means if your going to go that route, don't include your address. Name phone and email should suffice.
I really do hope it turns up somewhere.