Surefire water resistance

How waterproof are they? I am planning to take an e2e out to a local river that's about 4 ft deep max. Will it cause dmg to the light?

not very...they tend to vary from unit to unit. its best you test yours for water-resistance before you submerge it. in my experience and from posts on cpf, the E2e and its derivatives aren't very consistantly water-resistant.

in any case, if your E2e leaks through the lens seal, you can get a new bezel from surefire. if it leaks through any of the other openings, clean and lube the O-rings. also check to make sure your E2e has the plastic wedge under the clip, which prevents the O-ring from pinching out, thus compromising the water-resistance at that area.

Oh ok, thanks. Another question: I've heard from some places that an E2e is as powerful as a 4D Maglight and from other places that it beats a 6D. How bright is it?

WTF do you mean Surefires aren't very water-resistant?

That's pretty absurd to pay that much for such a seemingly high-quality product but for it to not be water-resistant...

water resistance and waterproofness mean two different things.

I would say the E2e is water resistant, but not waterproof.

Drjones:

Surefire is obviously very water resistant in terms of rain and stuff, but I think everyone is talking about submersion. I don't think there should be any problems with o-ring seals if it is submerged, and the lens seal is a problem with all flashlights that aren't made for underwater use. I'm sure if SF made a diving light it would be flawless in its water resistance, but Surefire's aren't designed to be submergible lights and shouldn't be used that way.

I've read somewhere that there is a 6PN which is tested to US Navy specs for waterproofness so that particular model can be used submersed in water.

SureFire do offer a selection of models that are tested and rated waterproof - these are intended for Specialist Military and LEO usage which demands such ratings.

It is one of SureFire's aims to give their models the highest level of water-resistance possible. To that end, improvements are being made all the time.

SureFires are not divelights and are not sold as such.

I would not consider a SureFire suitable for use underwater unless it was one that had been rated as such by SureFire.

However, if you need your tools to perform in a wet or submerged environment, I suggest you take them on a dry run to test their performance.

Perhaps it is worth calling SureFire Tech Support 800 828 8809 to see whether they can give you any more official advice?

Respectfully,

Al

Screehopper: Interesting, I'll have to look that up...

FNinjaP90: The E2e is closer to a 6D, but the difference between a 6D and 4D isn't very big (but definitely noticeable).

if your E2e cannot resist water when submerged in shallow water, then i would say its leaking and chances are heavy rain might cause it to leak again. in any case the trouble-maker for the E2e is usually the lens seal, so if you get that fixed you should be ok. by the way the E2e isn't the only sure with lens-seal problems. by most accounts they've had this fixed as of late, so YMMV.

This weekend, due to my son not getting out of my Poke Boat very gracefully, my 6P with the extension to make it a 9P, & a turbohead, spent the night (about 10 hrs), along with my G2Z, in 4 feet of water at the lake. No leakage on either light. The extension doesn't even have an o-ring.