New Surefire Heads - Really 5 lumens on low?

I just got an EB2 that seems to put out much less light on low (rated 5 lumens) than my E1B (also rated 5 lumens) and my KX1b E1L (rated 3 lumens). Attached is a picture of the EB2 (left) vs E1B (right), both on low. The camera picks up much more drastic difference than the eye in this situation, but the difference is quite noticeable.


Before I contact SF, has anyone else noticed a fairly dim 5 lumens in their EB2 or EB1, or even their new E1L or E2L? Thanks.

I know it sounds obvious but have you tried with fresh batteries in each light?

Labrador72 said:

I know it sounds obvious but have you tried with fresh batteries in each light?

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yes, thanks for the suggestion. fresh batteries in each, although this does not affect the low mode as much.

that does look like a huge difference. maybe it's because we're talking a 1-cell light versus a 2-cell light?

tobrien said:

that does look like a huge difference. maybe it's because we're talking a 1-cell light versus a 2-cell light?

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thanks. to clarify, they're both rated for the same lumens, so they should appear just as bright (or close to it accounting for slight variations in beam). regardless, the 2-cell light is less bright than the 1-cell light.

youreacrab said:

thanks. to clarify, they're both rated for the same lumens, so they should appear just as bright (or close to it accounting for slight variations in beam). regardless, the 2-cell light is less bright than the 1-cell light.

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oh whoops, I got them mixed up. :/

That's a big difference....if you have a smartphone, you can download a free light meter app to get rough lumen estimates.

Varnished wood is not a good surface for beam comparisons. I think one beam is reflecting directly into the camera and the other is not. ​

Bear in mind that a lot of the older Surefire models had significantly understated output, my E2L (I think KX2 head, '3 and 60 lumens') actually reads more like 15 and 120. If they've switched to more realistic ratings then a genuine 5 lumen mode may seem much lower.

RedForest UK said:

Bear in mind that a lot of the older Surefire models had significantly understated output, my E2L (I think KX2 head, '3 and 60 lumens') actually reads more like 15 and 120. If they've switched to more realistic ratings then a genuine 5 lumen mode may seem much lower.

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Thanks, this is helpful, I was unaware of that.

monkeyboy said:

Varnished wood is not a good surface for beam comparisons. I think one beam is reflecting directly into the camera and the other is not. ​

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Sorry this is incorrect. The image is not perfect for several reasons, but it gets the point across, the one on the right is significantly brighter.

To put it in perspective, the eb2 appears about 3/4 as bright as my KX1B, both on low.