How can I turn my Surefire E2E into a floody LED?

I picked up an E2E for use in the garage and pretty specifically working on cars and motorcycles.

I would like to change it to an LED just for longevity so I don't have to worry about burning out bulbs. I've looked at the Lumens Factory incan's, and the Veleno drop in, both which seem to maintain a very throwy beam similar to the factory lamp.

Are there any possibilities of a reflector, LED drop in, LED head that would give me a very floody beam in comparison to the stock lamp?

I also looked at the KX2 but the reviews and videos I found made it appear to be even more thrown than the stock incan. I really like the look of the KX2 and the idea that it's an LED so I guess it's the front runner at this point just because it gets me to an LED.

Any other suggestions?

Also, any advise on getting this to run on a rechargeable cell? If so, which size and does it need to be bored?

Thanks!

I'd suggest a VME head http://www.malkoffdevices.com/shop/vme-malkoff-valiant-concepts-head-p-67.html

...in combination with a Malkoff M61 drop-in, either a warm or regular tint, in either full output or "low" output module.

Regular M61 module here (and on sale!): http://www.malkoffdevices.com/shop/m61-mod-to-fit-surefire-and-malkoff-p-7.html

Low is here: http://www.malkoffdevices.com/shop/m61l-low-output-to-fit-surefire-p-8.html

Warm Low here: http://www.malkoffdevices.com/shop/...output-to-fit-a-surefire-flashlight-p-34.html

(warm is currently sold out, but they'll be back)

Great combo, sturdy, higher output than the stock E2E, even in low version. Definitely floodier than the stock E2E or the KX2 head. I love mine for just about everything.

There are some issues with color matching of the finish, haveing a slightly larger diameter head, and there's no change to the switching mechanism. The KX2 head will do two output levels, but I see no benefit to that for a mechanics light.

Hope this helps.

Actually, I'd suggest considering another option. Think about the perfect color rendering of incandescent light compared to LED. When I worked on a frame-off restoration of my Jeep, it was before I was really into flashlights, so we mainly used a set of large area work lights on a stand. But with things like wiring harnesses that contain dozens of different colors of wires, some of which look extremely similar, perfect color rendering goes a long way.

I have an E2D LED, and I wanted an incandescent option for it. I bored it out very slightly (only the rear section of the tube), to fit an AW protected 17670 battery. I then used the head from my E1e, and a Lumens Factory EO-E1R bulb. You get about 76 lumens for 69 minutes in this configuration. Then, you can just pop in a fresh 17670 and toss the depleted one back on the charger! The Lumens Factory E series lamps are a little throwy, so I'd just get a diffuser for your stated purposes. Anyone with a Dremel, a steady hand, and about 5 minutes, can easily bore their Surefire E2 series light to fit a 17670.

This setup will not only render colors perfectly, it will be rechargeable, and will cost you a lot less than any of the LED tower/head modifications (if you can even find them for sale).

For a really cheap and easy diffuser for Surefire E series lights, you can buy the Maglite Mini Mag accessory pack for a few dollars that includes the rubber anti-roll bezel cover. You can either frost a Mini Mag lens to go in it, or cut a plastic CD case to shape, rub it with some steel wool or sand paper, and presto - a very cheap but perfect diffuser for your Surefire. It beats the $14 for a Surefire F04 diffuser.

You might want to look at the ThruNite high CRI XPG drop-ins. I've read a lot of good things about them, and have one on order from LightHound right now, with a Solarforce L2X extended body as well.

To make your light floody, regardless of what kind of module you end up using, get some DC-fix diffusion film and pop the lens out of your light, use it to trace a couple of circles on the diffusion film, and after you cut them out put one on each side of the lens. That will make your light extremely floody and only cost a few dollars and some time doing the tracing, cutting, and applying. If you find that film on both sides is too floody, you can use it on one side only for less of an effect.

I do this with my Solarforce L2R with a Solarforce red LED module in it. I've put film on both sides of the lens, and it completely eliminates the hotspot from the beam of the light.

The OP has an E2E, so if he was going to be able to use any of the dozens and dozens of P60 drop-ins, he either needs an E2C adapter plus a P60 style head, or a VME head. These are pretty expensive, and sometimes hard to find, options. Converting an E series Surefire from an incandescent to an LED seems to be about as expensive as simply buying a complete name-brand high-quality LED flashlight of your choice.

JohnnyLunar said:

The OP has an E2E, so if he was going to be able to use any of the dozens and dozens of P60 drop-ins, he either needs an E2C adapter plus a P60 style head, or a VME head. These are pretty expensive, and sometimes hard to find, options. Converting an E series Surefire from an incandescent to an LED seems to be about as expensive as simply buying a complete name-brand high-quality LED flashlight of your choice.

Click to expand...

Sorry, I don't have any Surefire's, but I assumed the lens would be removable/replaceable like just about every other P60 compatible host out there... I'll keep it mind.

Take a look at this option. I put one on my E2E and it works great. Fit from body to m2e adapter leaves some exposed threads but nothing too concerning.

http://www.tnvc.com/shop/tx-4-cree-led-600-lumen-conversion-head/

There are also some modders that could modify an existing e2e head into a triple xpg

"Frosty" Contact Paper, from your local home improvement store. It turns any beam into a wall of light.
One roll will last your typical flashaholic a lifetime, with enough left over to cover your garage windows
for privacy.

(What happens in the garage, stays in the garage.)

Grab one of the old Veleno Designs E-Series drop-ins, they go for about $50, less if used. Then grab the F04 Surefire diffuser for about $10, and you have the option to get a 1 mode, or 2 mode, or 3 mode LED. The result is a warm LED that is floody, and can run off 2X CR123 or 1X 17670 rechargeable Li-ion.

i will back up johnnylunar hear, def go 17670 & lumens factory bulb and just grab a surefire f04, there are cheaper diffusers but this is the best period so for the money it aint really expensive is it. lumens factory bulbs are priced nicely and are generally high quality they also have awsome customer service. im using ultrafire 17670's which are doing the job nicely.

Put an old Lux V KL4 head on it. Wall of light. Done.

FWIW - my Veleno is quite floody. It's about a year old, so I guess that qualifies as an "old" model.

What's great about being a flashaholic, is that there are so many options out there to turn just about any stock flashlight into anything you want it to be. Some lights may be best left alone, but sooner or later, a true flashaholic will start wondering, "How can I make this light better/brighter/more efficient/more throwy/more floody/etc., etc., etc...".

Having said that, I really feel like the E series incandescents are best left incandescent. A P60 compatible Surefire incandescent (P/C/G series) is so easy to change into an LED. You just unscrew the head, drop out the incandescent lamp, and drop in your favorite...well, "drop-in". You're done. Depending on the drop-in you chose, you probably didn't spend more than $20 or so, and you haven't changed the look or form factor of the flashlight itself.

If you want to change an E series incandescent into an LED, you either have to spend a ridiculous amount on a complete Surefire LED E series head, or look around for aftermarket heads, adapters, pieces and parts to change your E series. These can be hard to find, out of circulation entirely, expensive, and to top it off, they usually completely change the look and perfect form factor of the E series.

LED drop-ins and heads will always be more efficient, and usually brighter, than their incandescent counterparts. But there is still a place for incandescent lights, especially for purposes like auto repair/maintenance, where wire colors, fuse colors, paint colors, fluid colors, etc. are so vital to differentiate. Sure, there are high CRI LED drop-ins and lights out there, but they still can't render colors quite as well as a bright white incandescent.

When you have a rechargeable setup like the E2E with a Lumens Factory EO-E1R that puts out more light than a stock Surefire P60 lamp, for over an hour, you've got a terrific little pocket incandescent. And besides the rechargeable batteries and charger (which the OP said he'd want anyway), you've only spent $15 on the EO-E1R. Try turning an E2E into an LED for anything close to $15!

If the OP truly wants an LED for his stated purposes, I'd recommend looking around for a complete LED flashlight, that offers a warm tint, maybe high CRI, floody beam, and multiple levels of output. You may even find a light that fills these requirements and still costs the same or even less than converting your E2E to an LED. Then you'll still have a great incandescent pocket light in the E2E.

I'm starting to agree that it might be best left alone or at least stick with incan bulbs from Lumens Factory and some RCR123's. I'll proceed that way for now.

Thanks for all the input!

With the E2E, if you bore it out for a 17670, you have quite a few more options than if you leave it alone and just use RCR123s. The Lumens Factory EO-E1R lamp is awesome, but there is also the HO-E1R, which was tested at 46 lumens for 112 minutes. These are both running a 3.7V 17670. With 2xRCR123s (7.4V) you don't have to bore out your light (I don't think) and you can use the two LF E2 lamps, which are a little brighter than their E1 lamps, but with a pretty steep drop in runtime. The EO-E1R is just about perfect for a rechargeable option in this form factor, I believe.