Request for Runtime/Regulation Chart for Surefire E1L with KX1B Head

Since the E1L is now shipping with the KX1B head, I'd certainly appreciate a runtime/regulation chart from someone who can do it. Thanks in advance for any replies.

Bump, I'd like to know as well.

Me too.

me too

me three.... Bueller?.... Bueller?...

I can't believe nobody has done a runtime test with the KX1B head... I still have an E1L and would love to know what sort of regulation it has on high, as well as runtime on low.

cland72 said:

I can't believe nobody has done a runtime test with the KX1B head... I still have an E1L and would love to know what sort of regulation it has on high, as well as runtime on low.

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This is from 880arm's post #102 of the Surefire E1L-2013 Model thread.

Slumber Pass said:

This is from 880arm's post #102 of the Surefire E1L-2013 Model thread.
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15/01/13/15d07bf8f3c315b0b714325dffa06af9.jpg

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Thank you!

So while the E1L-A has a very sharp dropoff at first, it is pretty stable from that point on.

As for the KX1B, it looks like it has almost three hours of regulation on high with a decent taper for another hour.

I have the E1L-A and the initial dropoff is not at all noticeable, at least not to my eyes. You can see a slight decrease in light output, as noted on the graph, but it is not a huge difference.

cland72 said:

Thank you!

So while the E1L-A has a very sharp dropoff at first, it is pretty stable from that point on.

As for the KX1B, it looks like it has almost three hours of regulation on high with a decent taper for another hour.

Click to expand...

Am I reading this right that the KX1B is brighter than the KE1 head after the first couple of minutes?

edit: I think I get it now - the two lines represent % of starting brightness, not a numerical value. If someone can confirm which it is I'd appreciate it.

cland72 said:

Am I reading this right that the KX1B is brighter than the KE1 head after the first couple of minutes?

edit: I think I get it now - the two lines represent % of starting brightness, not a numerical value. If someone can confirm which it is I'd appreciate it.

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I think you're correct on both points.
The KX1B is brighter (80 lumens) after the KE1 head drops out of its "burst" mode (down to 70ish lumens from 90).

Although the lines represent percentages, I believe they are both a percentage of the same max brightness of the KE1 head.

Slumber Pass said:

I think you're correct on both points.
The KX1B is brighter (80 lumens) after the KE1 head drops out of its "burst" mode (down to 70ish lumens from 90).

Although the lines represent percentages, I believe they are both a percentage of the same max brightness of the KE1 head.

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If so, that's a hell of a hard pill to swallow, in my opinion. Why would anyone want a larger head, higher price tag, with a lower output and sharper initial output drop?

I suppose we'd need to know the runtime on low as well, but it still looks (to me) like the KX1B is the better head.

cland72 said:

If so, that's a hell of a hard pill to swallow, in my opinion. Why would anyone want a larger head, higher price tag, with a lower output and sharper initial output drop?

I suppose we'd need to know the runtime on low as well, but it still looks (to me) like the KX1B is the better head.

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I think they're just different, not necessarily better or worse. The KE1 does have the potential to run almost twice as long as the KX1B on high. The beam pattern of the KE1 also put a little more brightness into the spill, which some find desirable for an EDC type light. It's a compromise of output vs runtime.

BTW, here's the thread 880arms chart came from. There's some good info there.
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?363763-Surefire-E1L-2013-model

The increase in efficiency is what I like about the KE1 head, though. Look at that area underneath the graphs' runtime curves. That's a lot of improvement. SF could have certainly made them brighter and kept the runtime the same as KX1B but I'll take the added runtime. I just wish they stuck to the 1inch bezel dimensions.
I also get curious how much the new head runs on low compared to the KX1B because ofthe increase in efficiency.

My E1L with KX1B has a noticeable green tint to it... is this common? I got it on clearance from Eastern Mountain Sports a few years back, for a great deal but I generally grab an E1B instead if I am throwing a smaller light in my pocket.

RobertMM said:

The increase in efficiency is what I like about the KE1 head, though. Look at that area underneath the graphs' runtime curves. That's a lot of improvement. SF could have certainly made them brighter and kept the runtime the same as KX1B but I'll take the added runtime. I just wish they stuck to the 1inch bezel dimensions.
I also get curious how much the new head runs on low compared to the KX1B because ofthe increase in efficiency.

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Good point. Overall you DO get more light with the KE1.

fresh eddie fresh said:

My E1L with KX1B has a noticeable green tint to it... is this common? I got it on clearance from Eastern Mountain Sports a few years back, for a great deal but I generally grab an E1B instead if I am throwing a smaller light in my pocket.

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My KX1B is pretty white. In fact, the beam is actually slightly whiter than my E1B, which is just a smidge on the cool side. I think it's just the tint lottery at work.

Slightly off topic:

I used to use my E1B all the time, but now find myself going back to the E1L because of the knurled body and low mode first. If I think I might need quick access to high output mode, I usually grap my L1 Cree. The E1B body is just really slippery, and after having dropped it on a hunting trip a while back, it fell right on the switch and turned itself off. I was feeling around on the ground for it in the dark (this was at camp, and I didn't have a backup light on me).