SureFire E2E vs A2 - Revisited

I know, this is old news, however quite a bit of time has passed since the public release of the A2. People change and circumstances change. Now that time has passed and folks have had time to EDC, use, compare and put each light thru the pace, I thougt it'd be interesting to hear if your opinions have changed.

That being said, I'll ask the question I asked many months ago. Of the folks who have used both lights, which one of the two do you perfer and why? Please, if you've never had both the E2E/E2O and the A2, then you can't answer this question. I'd like this thread to be specific to the question I asked, without bringing other lights into the mix. If you had both, got rid of them both in lieu of Flashlight X, good for you, however don't tell us about it in this thread.

For EDC the E2e is my choice based on size and comfort in my pocket. For work however I like the A2 for its low light option and greater throw.

I'll bite...
I used the E2e HA as an EDC light and was perfectly content with it. I liked the idea of the A2 but delayed the purchase for a while. When I finally got the A2 w/Blue LED I was pleased. I carried one for a few days and then the other for a few days. Provided my battery supply was OK I could have gone on like this indefinately, but... I did start to run low and only carried the A2. Then the blackout of 2003 hit and the A2 was the most versatile light for me. Today, the E2e stays home and the A2 is with me.

Why... The LED only action on the A2 is the main reason. I like the incan. beam and the size of the E2e better but use the A2 on LED only more often. I use it when navigating the dark house at night, to see just the sidewalk in front of me when walking my dog after dark, bathroom breaks in the middle of the night, etc. The blue LED works well for me. The bonus is that if I want the "High" beam, I don't have to switch lights.

Should be some interesting comments in this thread...

The A2 is overpriced for what you get, but then that's the SF line for 'ya.

For over half the price my E2e did fine. The low light option of the A2 was too low for my liking. The regulation didn't interest me either. The artifacts in the beam bugged me too.

I have bought quite a few E2e's for the parts. If I wanted to use one, I'd have to build it back up and grab a LA out of a box full of them. Although I prefer LED's and usually have three LED lights on me, If I needed to carry just one light, it would be the A2. As Gone Jeepen stated, for me the LED's in the A2 would be all I needed for the most part but when more light is required, it's right there. The A2 incandescent provides the best "full spectrum" color return of any of the lights I own or can talk about.

- Don

The A2 for me has become a constant companion for those times when I don't expect to use a light. Since giving in to the flashlight bug, I have "several" very nice LED and Incandescent lights to choose from , but the A2 while not the best at everything makes an extremely nice compromise. Recently I shifted to a white A2 after getting talked out of my Red A2. A good friend wanted it for looking around in his duck hunting blind and the White LED in the A2 is almost too bright. I haven't decided if I want to risk losing my A2 when I travel, so the E2e will always have a place in my travel kit along with a KL1 for longer battery life and an ARC AAA for low level lighting needs.

Besides, when was the last time you went out with just one light nearby? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif I know that I have an ARC LSH~P, along with an E2e ~ E2C / P61, a McLux PR X3T 5W, and a Stinger HP in my car /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I agree with McGizmo about the "full spectrum" color rendering. I had an A2 and sold it to fund another purchase. I now wish I had sold something else as I still EDC an E2e-CJ, but found during the blackout that the regulation would have been nice to have so I would have a little more forewarning and much less "yellow beam".

As for the LED's, the white are plenty for creeping around in the dark for whatever reason. I would prefer red, but I'm not in love with the concentric ring pattern exhibited by the red/blue/green LED's.

The only other drawback to the A2 is size. I carry inside my waistband on the left side canted outward. The A2 is longer and I hadn't gotten used to it before I sold it. I think it is something I could live with knowing what I know now.

If I had it, the A2 would be my choice. The only thing I can think of to make it more appealing would be an all-black HAIII. Maybe the next one will have a scallopped bezel. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Although I use my L4 now, I liked the A2 over the E2e hands down. I think it comes down to size. The light output and hot-spot are better on the A2, so if the A2 isn't too big for you, than it's the right light. If the A2 is too big then the E2e is what's left.

this_is_nascar
My vote goes to the A2. I like that it's regulated & has a long runtime with the LEDs. I like it so well that I bought a second one from you for a backup. If the A2 didn't exist I would be very happy with the E2E. I still have my E2Es and if I were to carry them in my front pants pocket I would choose the E2E, but I carry my two cell lights in a holster so the size difference doesn't matter.

McGizmo
I would like to know what lights you can't talk about /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/hahaha.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/sssh.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinser2.gif

I have two E2's and an A2, and the A2 goes with me everywhere. Heck, I bought it used from you, Nascar. I find 90% of my light usage is met by the LED's and I like that the incadescent output does not yellow over time. The only thing I could imagine preferring to the A2 would be a dimmable 5w. We'll see if the L2 or LS5 makes it out first /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

I'd like to say something nice about the E2, but I have caught the dimmable bug, bad.

Raindrop,

If you think the white LED's are almost too bright, you might want to consider swapping them out with Nichia 312's. These 3 mm LED's have a broader and more even flood beam than the 500's that are stock. There is less artifact as well. I can't help you on the "red request" but this may be a more viable alternative.

- Don

I owned an A2 with red leds. I traded it for an E2e. I have never looked back.

That being said, I also bought an E2O. I swapped lamp assemblies between the two. The E2O w/MN03 is my shirt pocket carried bright light while the E2e w/MN02 gets used most often. Just a simple matter of where I prefer the short clipped light. I will be getting a holster for the E2e.

The MN02 LA is awesome! The 2 light levels with these 2 lights are great to have. Plus 1 spare MN03 can fit in either light! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I simply preferred 2 E2x(s) rather than 1 A2 for the money.

I really think the A2 is a terrific light. I think I would have liked white leds better. The length was a bit much for me too. If your pockets are deep enough (money) I can't fault anyone's choice of the A2. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

Ditto. The A2 is a bit longer than I'd like, but the (white) LEDs are important enough I wouldn't switch to an E2e even though that would fit completely in my bag.

A 2-level KL5 would probably make me wish I'd waited, as the short battery life is my other A2 gripe. The L4 hasn't enough throw on "high" even if it was dimmable.

Also, the A2, IMHO, just looks better than the E2e. I like the slightly conical "rocket nozzle" shaped head.

i had both the E2e and A2, but i sold the E2e a long time ago and i've been perfectly happy with my A2, which i got for a very good price. i actually use the LEDs 95% of the time, and i don't consider it too big for its output. as and when i need the high output option, its there. i'll address some criticisms of the A2 below:

1. Unregulated LEDs: Probably due to the flatter discharge curve of lithium cells, I don't actually notice the light getting dimmer when I'm using it. Its not much more different from how my Arc AAA dims as the battery runs down due to its partial regulation. As such if people don't mind the semi-regulated nature of the Arc AAA, I don't think they would have an issue with the unregulated LEDs in the A2. Having said that I usually change out the batteries once the batteries get used up to the point where they can no longer power the incandescent lamp so this is really a non-issue to me.
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2. Too big: Yes, the A2 is larger than the E2e, but its still slimmer than my C2, hence I don't consider it big. I've basically gotten a light that's smaller, yet more functional than my C2 so I'm happy. Secondly, smaller isn't always better to me. Lights that come in the size of the Arc LS or E1e are too small for me to use them comfortably. Smaller is good, but only up to the point where it doesn't impede on the comfort of the user.

Speaking of comfort, I thought the C2 was the most well-balanced light I had in terms of size and comfort, but the A2 is better. The C2 is actually too thick, which is why I always felt the grip rings were necessary. Basically the grip rings kinda compensated for the lack of grip due to the C2 being too thick. The A2 is perfect in this regard, and so is its length.

The Arc LS was too short for me to use comfortably, often requiring me to either lift up my pinkie to avoid covering the lens or contort my thumb to reach the switch. The A2 allows me to wrap four fingers around the body with the bezel clearing my palm nicely, and in that position my thumb is at the perfect distance from the tailcap switch such that I'm not stretching or contorting it to reach the switch.
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3. Crappy beam: The hotspot isn't as round as an on E2/E2e, but I find it acceptable. It has the same oval-shaped hotspot as my C2 which I'm used to, except its more white so it doesn't really bother me much. Another issue brought up on CPF regarding the beam was the bright peripheral ring of light and the dark middle corona, but in comparison with my C2 the "dim" inner corona is actually the same brightness as the corona on my C2, and it is the peripheral ring of light of the A2 that is brighter. In any case, this honestly didn't bother me one bit. I was expecting it to be much worse after the fuss kicked up about it but I was disappointed, so to speak.
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4. 50 lumens isn't bright enough: 50 lumens isn't as bright as 60 or 65 lumens, but it stays that way throughout its runtime. I think this is something most people forget about, because a P60 or MN03 dims throughout its runtime, and its really only exactly 65 or 60 lumens respectively, at one point of time in its runtime if you run it continuously.
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5. Short runtime: Again, a shorter runtime of full brightness, not dimming light output. Considering how many people including myself usually change out the batteries in non-regulated lights once they start to yellow, the useful runtime of the A2's high beam is actually more than that of my C2 or an E2e.
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6. Incandescent bulb suddenly shuts off instead of going into moon mode: I think the LEDs which still light up when the light drops out of regulation works well as the moon mode of the A2.
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that's about all i can think of right now /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Heck Chamenos,

That was one hell of a good comparison. It almost makes me want to rush out and buy one. Only two things stop me, one is cost and two is availability in the UK. (still difficult to find)

Doug

The A2 I bought was with red LEDs which I didnt like or use very often (wasnt very satisfied with the LED beam quality, and red color wasnt that useful for me). So I still carried my E2.
Later I got hold of the white LEDs which are much better. This made the A2 much more useful for me and actually resulted in selling the E2. I now carry the A2 (in addition to my L4).

I have later learned that the LED beam quality of the Red LEDs can be improved by sanding the LEDs, but the white ones are more useful for me.

Bjorn

Unless I specifically need the low level output from the LEDs, I will use the E2e. I prefer the size, beam, and Clickie tailcap of the E2e.

Chamenos,

Very well thought out. I agree.

Some really great comments guys. Thanks.

The output of 3 5mm LED's is way over my dark-adaption threshold, so I use white LED's in my A2 for color rendition. I've got an old CMG Infinity for preserving night vision, and I run a half-dead cell in that. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif