Surefire Clips

Am I missing something on Surefire's placement of their clips? It seems every Surefire I have except the E1B have a clip placed too low on the body so the head sticks too far out of my pocket for comfortable carry.

E2D
E1E
C3
Now my brand new E2DL

I don't mean to bash Surefire, I have and will continue to buy their lights and love them all but EDC'ing any of them except the E1B is a pain to me.

I realize my clip preferences won't change a thing at SF but I was hoping some Military, LEO or First Responder on here (SF's target market?) could educate me on why SF positions their clips like they do.

Thanks

Bob

Looks like they fixed the problem for 09 thats IF the 09 lights ever come out :shakehead

gsxrac said:

Looks like they fixed the problem for 09 thats IF the 09 lights ever come out :shakehead

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I hear that. I'm trying really hard not to pull the trigger on the E2DL right now -- I'd rather get the LX2 instead, but it's not easy... It would be easier if there was a definite release date, or I could pre-order...

SureFire's PocketClip attachment point was designed into the 'neck' of their flashlights. The bezel being the 'head' - for incandescent flashlights this represented a far shorter proportion of the overall length compared to the body.

We're seen how the bezels have increased in length and weight as SureFire have engineered the electronics into the bezels as well as the mass required for thermal management.

We're also seen that the number of batteries required to achieve a 'normal' or 'tactial' level of output has decreased from three to two to one as ever more efficient LEDs have been developed.

As a result the PocketClip attachment point at the top of the body below the bezel has become more like the 'waist' - this is especially so of single-SF123A models but also so of the L5 (this was very obvious with the proto-type KX5 which was longer and heavier than the KL5)

So the solution SureFire turned to was the 'two-way' PocketClip they 'invented' many years ago. I have a proto-type somewhere from the M2 development days.

It appears SureFire intend to make more use of the two-way PocketClip design with a number of their proposed updates using this clip.

They have also begun to use the U2-style clip more with models such as the K2 Kroma, the EW-04 Delta and the proposed UB2/UA2 concepts also made use of this style of clip.

This change is something that SureFire are aware of, and are increasingly addressing. Ergonomics are one of the areas SureFire tend to excel at so I suspect they will ensure their PocketClips evolve as their flashlights have evolved.

Al

At a trade show last week i expressed my desire for reversible or just deeper pocket carry clips to the 2 gentlemen representing Surefire. I made some other comments on their products as well and their general attitude was that I was SOL. They could've at least lied to me and said they'd write down my comments or something.

If I was in the military I would want a light that stuck up out of my pocket, the bezel and head of the light are the largest points and easiest to grab. Keeping the largest part fo the light out of the pocket/holster keeps things from getting caught as there is a relatively straight line down the body. You jam the head of the light into your pocket/holster and it's hard to holster and hard to remove.

gallonoffuel said:

At a trade show last week i expressed my desire for reversible or just deeper pocket carry clips to the 2 gentlemen representing Surefire. I made some other comments on their products as well and their general attitude was that I was SOL. They could've at least lied to me and said they'd write down my comments or something.

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I suppose it was a long shot that they'd have some spare two-way PocketClips in their pockets. I've been on the SureFire booth at quite a few SHOT Shows and I don't believe ever known any SureFire representative to carry spare PocketClips...

Al

As the goldfish said in a truely "tactical" situation you want to grab your light quickly and the first time, If the light is burried in your pocket it is hard to grab and deploy quickly, dont take this the wrong way because I would like to EDC a surefire aswell but its just not practicle for the "civilian" market.

Youfoundnemo said:

As the goldfish said in a truely "tactical" situation you want to grab your light quickly and the first time, If the light is burried in your pocket it is hard to grab and deploy quickly, dont take this the wrong way because I would like to EDC a surefire aswell but its just not practicle for the "civilian" market.

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A huge +1
I think some people just expect way to much of something that isn't designed for a specific purpose.

Size15's said:

I suppose it was a long shot that they'd have some spare two-way PocketClips in their pockets. I've been on the SureFire booth at quite a few SHOT Shows and I don't believe ever known any SureFire representative to carry spare PocketClips...

Al

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Mr. 15's, I was under no assumption that they'd have spare clips. I was just letting them know that I believe, if they offered them for sale to the public and made them easily replaceable, that I believe there is a market. From the polls I've seen on CPF, most people are torn between bezel-up, bezel-down, or no clip at all. If they made all their clips replaceable and modular within a series, I let them know that it might be a welcomed change. I really want an E1b clip for my E1d I put together, but finding just the clip is difficult.

That makes more sense now.

You may not have done but I suggest it could be worth trying to avoid mentioning the internet [forums] when speaking with SureFire representatives.
If you speak about your uses of the product and your experiences it can be easier for them to relate to your point of view.

SureFire haven't listed their long and short clips as regular retail items. They don't have model numbers (Z-numbers) and I think it's unlikely the two-way clip will be any different. This is unfortunate but I guess SureFire experience that people call them about clips and o-rings and there isn't any appreciable demand for these sorts of items to be have a higher profile and be more obviously available.

Al

SureAddicted said:

A huge +1
I think some people just expect way to much of something that isn't designed for a specific purpose.

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If that was directed at the OP, I was just asking the question and requesting an education of which Size15 came through for me (Thank you Al). As I stated in my original post I certainly don't expect SF to give a flip about my clip preferences and I will still buy SF's products despite my dislike of the clip design. But as with everything I collect I like to learn more and more about them.

I really don't think this "it's faster in a tactical situation" makes much sense... If you lose the light because the short clip doesn't hold on well, thenit's not going to be much good when you do need it. I'm fine with an inch sticking out of my pocket, as long as there's 3-4" in the pocket to hold it securely. E2D's and L2's are fine, but the L1 is just lopsided on a clip. The original model L1 was much better balanced.

But obviously SF has realized this, and is trying to come up with a batter solution. The E1B clip is a definate stepin the right direction. I have no doubt that now that SF is becoming more civilian oriented in some of their designs that we'll see better and better clips, look at the U2 style and again, the E1B.

I'm just crossing my fingers that they start offering the clips as seperate items so you can customize to whatever works for you. Anyone wanna trade my L1 clip for your E1B?