I am Ashamed...

I am an incandescent kind of guy. My EDC at the house is an E1e, whe I leave the house I add a A2 Aviator. I hav several SF lights that use the P60 or P61 bulb.

The M6 is My Holy Grail when I want a portable hand held Sun...

OH I have some M3 and M4 SF's as well...

However, there is one thing about the LED lights... "Bulb" life, they do not burn out in normal use.

I have a couple of LED bulbs in SF Nitrolons tht I carry as emergency spares, incase my hotwires burn out. Oh I do carry spare bulbs, but, for the Bad Days, and other survival situations, LED's just might be the way to go.

Try a warm white first and see if you like it?

No reason to feel ashamed...we are just all one big family. Welcome, sit back, relax, meet new people, and ask any question you may have.

There now... that wasn't so bad, was it?

- Jas.

That makes 2 of us Ashamed, but my shame is I have only owned LED and have no idea what I am missing regarding incans,I'm sure the mini mag I own is not a good representation to compare. Are incans brighter? what is the difference in beam appearance? I own several malkoff lights and also S/F lights, all LED and now I am curious and definitely unenlightened,

LMI!

Yeah there's no shame. Everyone here has varying tastes in their lights. Some people like incans, some like cool white tints, others like neutral or warm tints. Good thing is you have many options with LEDs. Hmm I think I smell a late night red eye LED research coming on. Good luck on finding the light that suits you. The light that suits me always gets outclassed by another light that comes out and suits me better.

..and so you should be!

I learned my lesson a few years ago when the LED's were getting bright and I haven't looked back since.

Go fer it!

The 90 CRI XP-G looks a lot like an incan. There's a 3500k 85 CRI XM-L that looks pretty great, too. My personal tastes and the way I use my lights have driven me away from cool whites and toward Hi-CRI warms and incans.

The A2 and M6 are still great flashlights, and ignoring run time, they're still competitive in terms of brightness and capabilities. An M6 with a Fivemega MN socket running 3x17670s is one of the most reasonably priced ways to get a really bright light.

I am like you too. Anyway I started my flashaholism during the time when incandescent was the king and LED was just in it's infancy. Want nice colors? Incands. Want more depth perception? Incands. Want more power? Incands. I too have a whole lot of Surefire incand lights ranging from the M6 down to the E1e. I could never imagine a time like today where I primarily use LEDs now. Given, LEDs has yet to reach the colors generated by a high powered incandescent, but they are almost there and their efficiency make it much more feasible to use.

Since you have lights that take P60 and P61, may I suggest you try out a Malkoff M61HCRI drop-in? It is made by Malkoff and uses a Cree high color rendering index LED with a CRI rating of minimum 90 (incand is 100) and a color temperature of 3000K. You can get this drop-in exclusively only at Illumination Supply, or you can PM csshih. It is LEDs like this that brought me away from incandescent.

Well let's see....

I remember people saying the manual typewriter could never be replaced.

I remember people saying vinyl records could never be replaced.

I remember people saying audio tape could never be replaced.

I remember people saying film photography could never be replaced.

I remember people saying analog aviation instruments could never be replaced.

I remember people saying displacement (engines) could never be replaced.

I remember people saying ditto machines could never be replaced.

I remember people saying cash registers with the manual crank option could never be replaced.

I remember people saying a cash register with manually pushed buttons could never be replaced.

I remember people saying carburetors could never be replaced.

I remember people saying magnetos could never be replaced.

I remember people saying the handwritten letter could never be replaced.

I remember people saying the landline telephone could never be replaced (and I was one of them, but I'd still say for business it'll be here for a LONG time).

I remember people saying the paper check could never be replaced (still hasn't happened but it's days are numbered).

I remember people saying cash could never be replaced (again, still hasn't happened but the days are numbered).

And so it is with incandescent lighting.











I remember people saying this type of thing so, so, so, so, so many times...

I am trying to decide between the SF E1B, or the E1L, to replace my E1e, as my primary 1 cell EDC.

Those of you that have used one or both, what are your opinions?

I will definately stay with a SF product.

NE450No2 said:

I am trying to decide between the SF E1B, or the E1L, to replace my E1e, as my primary 1 cell EDC.

Those of you that have used one or both, what are your opinions?

I will definately stay with a SF product.

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I am not saying that Surefire is no good since I collect primarily Surefire lights but Surefire is not the only good maker of flashlights around. I recommended Malkoff products to you mainly because it is made in the USA and also because in many ways, Malkoff provide unsurpassed quality in their products. Sometimes it is more beneficial to be open to suggestions than to stick to a particular brand. I used to insist on Surefire only but over the years I realized that there are indeed some companies that made products that are even better than what Surefire could offer. A good example would be HDS Systems line of clicky and rotary lights.

If you need more convincing, have a look at this video. The light in the video is an Elzetta ZFL-M60 and it uses the Malkoff M60 drop-in module that could be used on any Surefire P or C series lights as well. I am not bashing Surefire but rather bringing to your attention that there are many better products out there to be had for the same price range.

pjandyho said:

I am not saying that Surefire is no good since I collect primarily Surefire lights but Surefire is not the only good maker of flashlights around. I recommended Malkoff products to you mainly because it is made in the USA and also because in many ways, Malkoff provide unsurpassed quality in their products. Sometimes it is more beneficial to be open to suggestions than to stick to a particular brand. I used to insist on Surefire only but over the years I realized that there are indeed some companies that made products that are even better than what Surefire could offer. A good example would be HDS Systems line of clicky and rotary lights.

If you need more convincing, have a look at this video. The light in the video is an Elzetta ZFL-M60 and it uses the Malkoff M60 drop-in module that could be used on any Surefire P or C series lights as well. I am not bashing Surefire but rather bringing to your attention that there are many better products out there to be had for the same price range.

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If Surefire didn't have government contracts, they would go out of business.

Their lights are good, but there are more durable lights and brighter lights that sell at half the price of a Surefire.

The only following for them comes from the LEO/Military users and associates, who get them for half the price (or free) that civilians have to pay for them. In that case then they are very good lights, but paying $300 for a light that another company has matched in every way and sells for $100. It is illogical to go with Surefire in that case.

That being said, I own two. A 6P and 6PX Pro.

I would suggest you put a WTB on the Marketplace for an E1B or an E1L head. They'll both work perfectly on your E1e body and you can save quite a bit of money that way, while still getting Surefire quality and losing none of the functionality (the modes and electronics are all in the head).

If you're buying a whole light, I prefer the E1B, partially for the clip, but also I like that it comes on in high first. If you have to have long run times and won't be able to carry many spare batteries, the E1L might be a better choice.

As far as pjandyho's comments go, Malkoff and HDS both make exceptional products, but there tend to be a lot of people on this site that recommend mediocre lights as being equal to or better than Surefire. It can get to be a little noisy when everybody chimes in with their suggestion of the latest and greatest light from "Fandyfire." I think that Malkoff drop-ins, paired with Surefire P60 hosts, make for nearly perfect lights, and you will not be disappointed with an HDS, or with the great customer service and attention to detail that Henry offers to his customers.

There are other good companies out there, but if you're a Surefire guy, their products are still some of the best in terms of thinking, engineering, and construction.


EDIT: Whatever you do, check out the used market and eBay. Most Surefires don't hold their value well, but the company still backs their warranty on second hand lights. A lot of Surefires can be found at well under MSRP, frequently at prices that are in the same range as their imitators.

Perhaps I'm getting a little off track but the point is being touched on and it is an important point, Incand or LED, I personaly have lots to learn and am looking forward to the journey. But I know for sure that our favorite F/L innovators are under a great deal of pressure from those who simply copy the great work of others. I am happy to own and use the Great! gear I get from both Malkoff and Sure Fire, and yes they often blend with even greater results, part of the fun.
Please pardon the newbies rant,

LMI!

I still love my Surefire E2E, but don't tell these lot

Dude Dudeson said:

Well let's see....

And so it is with incandescent lighting.











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Incandescent lighting has not been fully replaced yet, and wont be until they release an LED that can match a quality well driven incandescent's CRI and depth perception. That's the holy grail for every flashaholic, or at least those flashaholics who are able to recognize the advantages of incandescent lighting. Until that LED is released there are still alot of scenarios where an incandescent is still the superior light source, military and civilian, therefore I don't feel that LED has fully replaced incandescent's, at least not yet. I believe it is premature to say they have.