ARC LSL or Surefire E1E/KL1

droopy170

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Jun 1, 2003
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Greenville, SC
Hi all,
Newbie here and have been lurking around to find info. With Fathers day coming up I convinced the wife it was time for a new toy, I mean tool yea that's it. Decided I had enough knives(at least till next week).Any way I have narrowed down my choices for my first high-end light to the LSL (package ARC has on sale)or E1E/KL1. I would appreciate the experts thoughts and views on which to start with. The E1 definately has the cool look thing down, but the LSL seems to be a bit better in preformance. Does the KL1 make the E1E equivelent? Are there any dealers that support the forum that you would reccomend? Thanks for any help./ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowdown.gif
Droopy
 

dtsoll

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Mar 7, 2002
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nebraska
Droopy,
Definately not an experts opinion but I think you need both /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif The benefit of the E1e/Kl1 is that you would have the incandescent option. I also like the Arc LS although mine is a LSH-P. I can't comment on the LSL-P cause I don't have one yet? The sale Peter has is very tempting but I must restrain myself, if I can that is. It is a good deal. Now I'll let the experts chime in. Good luck. dtsoll
 

chamenos

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Aug 2, 2002
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droopy: the LSL has a flood-type beam, whereas the LSH has a more focused hotspot for longer throw. i would go for the LSL package if i were you, for a number of reasons:

1. the arc LS is guaranteed waterproof to 50 feet whereas the surefire E1e is advertised as weatherproof. according to my experience, the surefire E series lights tend to be a little less consistant and reliable in terms of water-resistance. my arc LSH-P has been submerged to a depth of about 2 metres and did not leak at all.

2. the arc LS's regulator is about 85-90% efficient, whereas in the KL1 the effiency is about 70-80% if i'm not wrong...someone please correct me if i am. this would mean more output or runtime per battery.

3. if you decide you want a high dome luxeon, you can get an arc LSH whereas the KL1 only comes with a low dome.

4. the leds used in the arc LS is hand picked, meaning you'll get a very white light output, unlike the KL1 which tends to vary more in between units and is usually on the purple side.

IMHO, if you want to get a KL1, you should go for an E2e since the incandescent option makes more of a difference than that of an E1e /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 

Lightoleum

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Feb 18, 2003
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Northern Virginia
Droopy,

I don't (yet) have any of the new LSL/H models, but I do have a E1e/KL1 and a couple of the older First Run LS models, and I've EDC'ed all of them. The E1e LOTC is a Good Thing(tm), as I found after letting a buddy handle my LS. He hadn't backed off the LS twisty tailpiece quite enough, and the little bugger came on in my cargo pocket a while later. I don't know how long it had been on when I noticed it, but it was too hot to handle! It's one of the brown-board series, and it gets pretty toasty. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif The other LS (a green board) seems better behaved, and the clicky tails on the new ones are probably safer, but....

I've left my E1e/KL1 on for 20-30 minutes at a time, and it only gets warm. It's also very versatile, in that it can run off 1, 2, or 3 123 cells, or a couple of AA, so it's a natural for use with a UBH, which is where mine is just now.

That said, both my LS are whiter than the KL1, and somewhat smaller to carry, so an LS and a LE are what I'm carrying, along with a way bigger A2 that's just too cool to _not_ carry. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 

droopy170

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Jun 1, 2003
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Sorry to be so ignorant but I am assuming the "E1e LOTC is a Good Thing(tm)" has to do with the switch. I have no idea what "UBH" means. Thanks all for the responses so far. Also how do you get the different battery combinations? Can't find anything like that at Surefire's web site.

Droopy
 

PaulW

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Mar 23, 2003
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Laurel, Maryland
Welcome Droopy,

LOTC = lock out tail cap
UBH = universal battery holder

You can enter any term you have a question about in the search box after selecting "Search" at the top of the page.

At the SureFire site, if you read through all the fine print, you'll find that the E1e is one cell and the E2e is two cell. To go three cells requires a UBH or a 123 cell extender (both of these are specially-made pieces of hardware that are sometimes available here).

Using the search engine here at CPF will help you a lot. You could use the words "Arc LS KL1" and select the "and search option, for example. Good luck, and keep asking questions.
 

Byron Walter

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May 21, 2001
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Location
Stow, OH
I prefer my LSL to my E1/KL1 due to 1) smaller size and 2) longer run time (about 30 min more). And my LS is much brighter. But on the other hand I have another KL1.. a very early production unit... that is brighter than the LS (this one is on an E2). My take on the KL1 series is that they work most efficently on the E2 series and Arc delivers the best bang on a single 123.
 

Gransee

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Jan 26, 2001
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Mesa, AZ. USA
Btw, to those interested I have commissioned a lab in Scottsdale to test several KL1s and Arc-LSs with a integrating sphere and spectrometer. They are setting up the equipment as I type.. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif I will post the pics of the lab in the Arc forum.

The purpose of the test is to measure lumen output and color temp of both lights by an unbiased third-party.

I am not sure how we will fare in these tests. I expect the LSL (low dome) to have a lower lumen number because we don't drive the LED as hard (this gives us the longer batt/LED life). But in the LSH (High dome), we might be brighter because we use the new high domes (we are the first to use these). We will have to wait for the tests to know for sure.

Peter
 

PaulW

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Mar 23, 2003
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Great! I am very interested in the numbers that result from the tests. I'm sure a lot of others are, too.
 
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