Chance of burning 2 Surefire bulbs in 10 seconds

I purchased a brand new Surefire E1E and it arrived on tuesday. I turned it on and within 5 seconds the bulb blew. I called Surefire and they sent a new bulb which arrived today. I put in the new bulb and it seemed different than other bulbs. It looked like it was getting dimmer and dimmer. I turned off the light and looked at the bulb without removing it. I looked ok, so I turned it back on and it got dim very quick and turned off. It would not turn on. I took out the bulb and it was completely black on the inside. Now this bulb was take out of package and placed into light and was used for less than 5 seconds.

New E1E, total runtime 10 seconds.
What are the chances of 2 bad bulbs that only last a few seconds?

Are you using a rechargeable cell?

Nope, the one that was installed in the light from the factory. It measured at 3.14 volts.

That's pretty bad.

I have an E1E that I legoed together from the head off of an E2E and body & tailcap purchased from another CPFer. (Replaced the head on my E2E with an aftermarked one from TLS, and didn't want to have a spare head just lying around).

My lego was missing one thing, a suitable bulb. Didn't want to use the stock E1E bulb due to price. I bought two Lumens Factory HO-E1A lamps from Lighthound. No issues with those, a bit less expensive than the stock E1E bulb. Despite the 40 lumens number on the LF lamps, I doubt output would be significantly brighter than the SF lamp.

Another idea. . . Send it off to Milky so he can convert it into a Room Sweeper, or a Red Eye.

I recently, just a couple of days ago, put a LF HO E1A bulb in my E1e.

I have been carrying the E1e as my EDC for quite a while, and have used it so much I have a few factory bulbs.

None of them had a short life, I just have used this light a lot.

I really like the new LF bulb.

It is brighter than the stock bulb, and has better throw, not twice as bright, however it is an improvement.

Blow two bulbs in cumulative seconds of runtime?

Hey, I did it too. This last Thursday.

Second one was my mistake - stock bulb on two IMRs?

I thought I was the only person who blew up a P91 and a MN16 within 24hrs of each other.... $70 down the drain...

To save this from being a five million word thread, make arrangements with SF to send it back. They can send you a prepaid mailer. Get that E1E in for for repair/replacement. Never head of such a thing with an E1E, and never with mine. Please folks, do not talk this thread to death.

Bill

OK, disregarding my own advise, never install a bulb with the switch turned on. This can occur accidentally, of course. With E1E, remove batteries first, install bulb, install battery, screw body onto head, add tailcap, and turn light on. If you did this then refer to paragraph above.
Bill

I already had one replacement bulb sent from Surefire. It arrived today in a little box. I guess I have to give them another call monday to see what we can do about this one.

I had an E1B but I was hoping that this would fill that role after I sold it. I seem to gravitate toward the color rendition of incan.

eshishlo said:

I had an E1B but I was hoping that this would fill that role after I sold it. I seem to gravitate toward the color rendition of incan.

Click to expand...

Ah! Sounds like Milky's Red-Eye mod would indeed be perfect for your needs. (100 lumens, plus nice warm inca-like tint).

Check out the link below.
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/211483

It looks very interesting...having incan color and maybe throw in a 2 stage like the E1B (if possible) that would be the perfect light!

What is the approximate price range of something like that?

eshishlo

No doubt you are having a string of BAD luck. DO NOT buy any lottery tickets for a while.

I have not had any short life problems with the new bulbs I have bought and used in my E1e.

And I use and carry it a lot. I use it most every day/night.

My Lumens Factory HO E1A bulb is only a few days old but so far I like it a LOT.

I am going to keep records on how many batteries it uses before it goes poof.

My E1e is one of my MOST favorite lights. It is in my pocket right now.

I NEVER go ANYWHERE without it.

I have even washed it in the washer 3 times. :huh:

I like to keep it clean.

eshishlo said:

It looks very interesting...having incan color and maybe throw in a 2 stage like the E1B (if possible) that would be the perfect light!

What is the approximate price range of something like that?

Click to expand...

Couldn't tell you. I only have one Milky light, and one on the way. (E1E form-factor is just too short for my hands).

Your best bet is to PM milkyspit over at the CPF MarketPlace, or send him an e-mail.

(His e-mail address is at the top of page 2 from the link in my previous post).

Well, I finally got around to call Surefire and they gave me a RMA to send the light in for repair or replacement. It will be interesting to find out what the problem is with the light.

There is something to be learned from this thread.

It is a good idea to have a Sure Fire Spares carrier, or two, [containing batteries and bulbs] with you, especially when on some kind of trip.

Even LED's can "go dead".

Which is also why I always have at least one SF G2, or G2LED [with a Spares Carrier] with me on the road as well.

No that I have learned that a G3LeD will put out useful light with 2 AA batteries, I will be getting a couple of them as my Traveling ESL's.