Surefire 2013 Flashlight 'Brochure' is Out

It should have a link on the surefire.com website soon.

Looks a lot like last year's Illumination Tools section of the main SF catalog, many of the pictures are the same. Not sure if the big catalog, including lights, will still be issued separately or if this 48 page lights only 'brochure' along with others for the various non-flashlight SF product lines will replace the full catalog.

Political comment deleted, Keep it for the underground. - Norm

As I feared, the 'programmable' icon is missing from the light listings this year, otherwise there doesn't seem to be a whole lot new in the SF 2013 Illumination Tools.

Also, SF weaponlights are in a separate 47 page brochure. Perhaps it's just segmenting the market but it made me think twice when Thorsten commented on another thread that he hoped a new SF light would not be labeled a 'weaponlight' because that would make it illegal in Germany. It is possible that marketing laws for firearm accessories will change here in the U.S. according to some views.

Not debating the politics, but perhaps SF is being ready by breaking the catalog into sections. Or maybe there will still be a big SF catalog in 2013 and these brochures will be used to better target certain markets.

Vox Clamatis in Deserto said:

. . . but perhaps SF is being ready by breaking the catalog into sections.

Click to expand...

Interesting observation. Up until this morning, the link on the Surefire page said "Catalogs" but now says "Brochures."

880arm said:

Interesting observation. Up until this morning, the link on the Surefire page said "Catalogs" but now says "Brochures."

Click to expand...

Wow, now you've got me believing my own BS...

Thumbing quickly through the new SF publication, I see some conspicuous omissions of lights previously listed in the 2012 'Catalog'. The T1A Titan seems to be gone, probably not ever a big player anyway. Also, the Isis/Aegis trendy TIR purse light seems to have vanished. Several other TIR lights are gone, the UM3 Commander, UM2 Ultra, ZM2 Combatlight, and DM2 Defender. I speculate that some of these were replaced by lights in the less expensive P2X/Fury family.

Speaking of the Fury, it is now listed at 600 lumens instead of 500, the usual questions arise over this change (as with the E1B, for example) is this an upgraded emitter (XM-L2?), was it always 600 lumens, did the measurement standard change etc...

The E2D LED Defender Ultra is about the only new light I see, one of the many at 500 lumens.

The UB3T is pictured with the old TIR/Fresnel optic (without the window), might just be a recycled product picture, a lot of this 'brochure' seems to be a cut and paste of last year's catalog. SF still has a job posting for a 'Production Design Warrior' to do catalogs, ads and packaging. Maybe the last guy or gal is no longer with the company.

Perhaps the oldest light pictured this year is the Kroma Mil-spec, it is possibly still sold to the military under some contract from the DARPA light days. It's now listed as 130 lumens on white, I think the old one I have is only 50 lumens on white.

Maybe it's me but I don't see a lighting brochure on the site. Did they pull it down already?

mikeand said:

Maybe it's me but I don't see a lighting brochure on the site. Did they pull it down already?

Click to expand...

No, I don't think it has been put up on the website yet. Also, I believe the brochures already posted will be updated.

I'm told the 2013 brochures will be Illumination Tool, Weaponlight, Suppressor, Law Enforcement Tactical Trinity, High Capacity Magazine and Earpro. I'm still not clear on whether the traditional SF catalog will be released this year.

Look for these pubs online in the next couple of days or so from what I understand.

No, I could not see them on the main site either, but you can find them here:
http://www.surefire.com/media/wysiwyg/main_site_pdfs/

To me it looks like that they are taking another direction this year, and just include lights that are coming in 2013 or have already been released. No more a long list of prototypes in the catalog. I was surprised though that the P3X didn't make it to the catalog.

I really hope the Dominator runtime is a typing error, 0.25 hours on high (i.e. 15 minutes to 50 lumens) makes it utterly useless.

That LX2 500 lumen TIR optic looks like a keeper. Lets just hope it has flat regulation. I don't understand why the LX2 only gets 500 lumens, while the less expensive Fury gets 600 lumens?

brianna said:

That LX2 500 lumen TIR optic looks like a keeper. Lets just hope it has flat regulation. I don't understand why the LX2 only gets 500 lumens, while the less expensive Fury gets 600 lumens?

Click to expand...

They probably did that so that they can claim it to be 600 lumens next year and it appear as an upgrade. Pure speculation on my part.

Has anyone seen photos of the click-on version of the lx2 ultra? I keep seeing it referenced, but they always show the photo with 2-stage twist only. Also, are the tailcap threads the same between lx2 & L1, traditionally?

brianna said:

That LX2 500 lumen TIR optic looks like a keeper. Lets just hope it has flat regulation. I don't understand why the LX2 only gets 500 lumens, while the less expensive Fury gets 600 lumens?

Click to expand...

Because output doesn't really determine price, & the fury is not the same class of light as the lumamax series.

Also, like you say even if they maxed the output, some would still be expecting perfectly flat regulation for however long. But either way "only" 500 lumens?! You have some high standards my friend!

If the choices are 500 lumens flat regulation. Or 600 lumens poor regulation. I'll take 500 Lumens flat regulation thank you.

leon2245 said:

Also, like you say even if they maxed the output, some would still be expecting perfectly flat regulation for however long.

Click to expand...

Yep, they might be accidentally misled into thinking SF lights were well regulated by the handsome runtime curve at the bottom of page 25 of the Illumination Tools brochure.

I realize SF runtime goes down to 50 lumens, ten per cent or even one lumen depending on the light so the curve can be a ski slope and still look good on the numbers.

Lurveleven said:

I really hope the Dominator runtime is a typing error, 0.25 hours on high (i.e. 15 minutes to 50 lumens) makes it utterly useless.

Click to expand...

I liked 'TBD' in last year's catalog better.

Here is the online brochure:

http://www.surefire.com/media/wysiwyg/main_site_pdfs/2013_Illumination_Tool_Brochure_ps.pdf

Thanks. I am looking for a bright led tactical flashlight.

There's some speculation in the led subforum that surefire is using a new osram led. Only source seems to be a product video from shot show where the rep says new osram led several times. Anyone got any idea what sort of osram led it could be?

I really wish they would have done something with the a2l. It such a great light, but it really needs a boost in power. But I'm already putting money aside for and LX2 Ultra and a E2L outdoorsman! 8 hrs of runtime at 110 lumens!? Very practical! I remember my first Surefire, L2. 100 lumens for an hr and i thought that was awesome lol

DLaird8201 said:

I really wish they would have done something with the a2l. It such a great light, but it really needs a boost in power. But I'm already putting money aside for and LX2 Ultra and a E2L outdoorsman! 8 hrs of runtime at 110 lumens!? Very practical! I remember my first Surefire, L2. 100 lumens for an hr and i thought that was awesome lol

Click to expand...

I've got several A2L's, was thinking of putting an XM-L2 in one of them but so far haven't got up the nerve. When the A2L was released the competition was already well into much brighter XP-G emitters. Proven technology, years of testing, U.S. made, milspec, lifetime warranty, designed by PK etc. but that light was underpowered from the gitgo in my opinion.

Be sure to check out the asterisk and dagger in the E2L AA runtime listing. It is 8 hours to one lumen output on lithium AA batteries, not 8 hours at 110 lumens (actually listed as 120 lumens now). Looks like they got us on that one...

The L2 is discontinued but I see the old L4 is still listed for $160 in the current 2013 SF price sheet, maybe it's in a long standing military contract or something.

DLaird8201 said:

I really wish they would have done something with the a2l. It such a great light, but it really needs a boost in power. But I'm already putting money aside for and LX2 Ultra and a E2L outdoorsman! 8 hrs of runtime at 110 lumens!? Very practical! I remember my first Surefire, L2. 100 lumens for an hr and i thought that was awesome lol

Click to expand...

The E2L cr123 model has run time around 6 hrs regulated, before it begins to drop. I believe I remember reading that the E2L-AA is around 5 hrs on high (with nimh (eneloop) batteries) and almost 10 hrs with the lithium batteries)) without any reduction in output. A quick google and came up with this, depends on which batteries you use: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...rsman-Review&p=3555206&viewfull=1#post3555206

Also, the current e2l-aa is rated at 80 lumens and is no slouch. I have an e2l, e1l, and e2l-aa and love them all. Great all around lights.

tonkem said:

I believe I remember reading that the E2L-AA is around 5 hrs on high (with nimh (eneloop) batteries) and almost 10 hrs with the lithium batteries)) without any reduction in output. A quick google and came up with this, depends on which batteries you use: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...rsman-Review&p=3555206&viewfull=1#post3555206

Click to expand...

Wow, that is indeed impressive regulation, thanks. They could remove the one lumen asterisk from the E2L AA catalog listing since the end of the runtime curve comes suddenly I think. The 50 lumen or ten per cent benchmarks used elsewhere by SF would come just a few minutes earlier from Robin24k's curve on the older E2L AA.

Vox Clamatis in Deserto said:

Wow, that is indeed impressive regulation, thanks. They could remove the one lumen asterisk from the E2L AA catalog listing since the end of the runtime curve comes suddenly I think. The 50 lumen or ten per cent benchmarks used elsewhere by SF would come just a few minutes earlier from Robin24k's curve on the older E2L AA.

Click to expand...

The runtime on high does come to an end suddenly, but you get many many more hours on low, after the batteries cannot supply the high anymore. Great lights.