Possible E1B problem, would like opinions...

I have a Surefire E2DL which i purchased last week, and am VERY happy with. :twothumbsAs a matter of fact, I was SO impressed, that I went out and purchased an E1B earlier this evening....

Here's where it gets a little strange.

Surefire states that there is a 2 second span in the UI (for both models) where it will change from High to Low mode if momentarily activated within that time-span.

As a consequence, I have become accustomed to waiting for that interval to pass if wishing to have the next activation remain in High mode. (My E2DL is somewhat shorter than 2 seconds, closer to 1.5 seconds) having used this feature for the better part of a week, I rarely get the wrong mode I'm anticipating when using the E2DL...

HOWEVER, when using my new E1B tonight, I am constantly getting the Low mode on my second activation, as it seemed I was toggling between them too fast. That's when I picked them up simultaneously and recognized the problem... the E1B's stated 2 second span is, in actuality, over 3 seconds! (close to 3.5, it seems while looking at my watch):thinking:

This might seem trivial, but the more than 50% increased waiting period (from the manual's specs, and my E2DL's current operation) to reactivate in High mode is WAY to long, from a functional standpoint for this lights marketed purpose.

Has anyone else experienced this phenomenon with their E1B, and if so, have they spoken to Surefire about it?

Depending on the feedback I get, it will determine if I simply return it or try to open a support case with Surefire....:sigh:

Please comment if anyone has any ideas!

Just tested my e1b and it takes no more than 2 seconds to go from hi mode to hi mode, 3 - 3.5 seconds seems way to long. you should exchange it or get it checked out.

Sounds like you have a defective E1b. I suggest calling Surefire and explaining to them that you'd like your light to be fixed. The E1b I've played with before have never taken more than 2 seconds to cycle.

I have just checked my E1B against my E1L and their behavior is identical from the subject standpoint. There is no difference in the response time. Of course in one high comes on first while in the other it is low first but level changing appears to be the same.

the last time I had the E1B it doesn take so long as 3 seconds to switch between modes.

i think around 2 sec for both E1B models I handle.. if u are in USA, no worries called surefire..

My E1B does take over two seconds to cycle through the modes.
This has never been a concern for me as i can cycle very quickly through the modes by temporarily pressing the switch,then fully pressing my desired setting.

I don't know that I've ever checked mine. If I want Hi, I hit the button, if I want low I give it a double tap. I can't think of an occaision when I've wanted to switch modes in less than 2 seconds, so I don't think I'd notice if mine was like this. But...Since it bugs you and it doesn't match Surefire's specs, I'm sure they'd replace it for you though.

First off, thanks everybody for the helpful comments! :thumbsup:

Since the majority say that their particular E1B's fall within the designed/advertised 2 second span for same mode selection, I decided to call Surefire's support number to get some help, as it seemed my specimen was an exception to the rule.

After carefully explaining the situation, and further explaining that I had another light (E2DL) with the same UI and was getting different results between the two, I thought it would be a no-brainer...

Seems I am horribly mistaken in my understanding of Surefire's operation manuals and their advertising:

1. The 2 second delay printed in their Owners Manual and their advertised specs is merely a "guideline". 3 to 3 and a half seconds is "good enough"

2. I apparently bought the wrong flashlight as the E1B Backup model is NOT intended for tactical use.

3. Most Surefire specimens within the same model-run have "differences" in how their UI's operate (?) and perhaps I should go purchase another E1B as I might like that one "better"

4. If I send this one back to Surefire, and they discover that it will switch from High mode and back to High mode again in ANY time-span… that's good enough and it will be sent back to me with no-reprogramming or replacement.

Phew! I feel better now that that's all cleared up…..

Unbelievable.

This is NOT the experience I was expecting as a recently new member of the Surefire owners club!:thumbsdow

I basically begged them to give me an RMA number, and they did, but to what end? REALLY not sure what I should do now… seems like I will just be wasting my time…

Why don't you try to exchange your light with another one in the place where you bought it yesterday?

I can't say I had EXACTLY the same experience with my E1B interface as you did, but I DID have problems with misfiring. What I recall, since I returned the light for an L1, was the E1B would frequently fail to switch from High to low without a second attempt. This particularly was true when the light was cold and hadn't been used in several minutes to an hour. Since I would have preferred the light to have started in LOW every time, this was particularly frustrating since I couldn't always quickly switch out of high when first turning on the light. When I returned the E1B to the dealer, we tried several other E1B's, probably from the same shipment, which all behaved the same. If there are good E1B's out there, I didn't find one. In any case, I am much happier with the L1.

Kilovolt said:

Why don't you try to exchange your light with another one in the place where you bought it yesterday?

Click to expand...

I actually tried to do this during my lunch break at work. The dealer kindly allowed me to compare against his "demo" E1B and even opened a new, packaged unit so we could try that.... what we discovered was that of the other two, one was exactly the same as mine, and one was actually a little worse. (longer span between same-mode activations) He also pulled out an E2L Outdoorsman, (same UI) and that one was nearly 4 seconds!

Another surprising thing was that of the 3 samples of E1B's we had to look at (mine included) there were 3 different tints to the beam, with the worst one being very noticeably green. (mine seemed to fall in the middle)

I have to assume that quality control is not being applied effectively with the lights from this batch the dealer received, or possibly that their standards are so loose that most "anything goes" (my conversations with their customer support tech would seem to bear out the latter)

I guess I'm just gonna eat this particular light and its problems. The beam and construction are still extraordinary for its size, but the consistency in almost all other areas (UI, color tint, etc) is pretty frustrating, to say the least.

I really expected more for a 150 bucks. At least I got lucky with my earlier E2DL.

But should luck really have anything to do with it?

Hey I might happen to know a fellow CPF'er that would gladly take that light off your hands But anyway that is a pretty depressing customer service story. Also interesting that there was 3 noticably different tint's all from one dealer? I guess when you mass produce lights SO much its hard to get them all 100% perfect in every way.

Novanet said:

This is NOT the experience I was expecting as a recently new member of the Surefire owners club!:thumbsdow

Click to expand...

Probably not what you were expecting for $150, either! My E1B takes a hair over 2 seconds to stay on high. Much as I like it, I do think it's an overpriced light.

I've noted variable mode memory times when using different battery configurations. For example, 1x16340 vs 2xSF123A produces vastly different mode switching memory times for a Kaidomain multi-mode drop-in. Perhaps, you are seeing a similar effect due to manufacturing variation in Vf for the LED in your E1B. Certainly, you see such variation when it comes to tint.