L2 vs. E2e

JBL14

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I have a Surefire E2e that I'm happy with, but I'm thinking of getting an L2. How does the L2 compare with the E2e in terms of throw? Any other comments in terms of output comparisons between the two?

Thanks
Mike
 

nexro

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The L2 is more of a flood light. On high, the L2 will put out more light (100 lumens) compared to the E2e (60 lumens) though the E2e will definately throw further.

For the L2, the good thing is you get two levels of light. For me, the low beam is good for navigating in the dark and day to day use while the high beam is good for making a wall of light.

You won't regret getting an L2 /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 

cheesehead

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Low on the L2 is still relatively bright. L2 is a bigger light, less of an EDC. The L2 is also a much cooler color, kinda like using a fluorescent light versus a regular light bulb. Color (red) are better defined with the e2e, but the e2e's beam looks yellow in comparison.

Eh, you know you have to get it.
 

Joseph

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[ QUOTE ]
nexro said:
CCW,
Nope /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Actually yes. Let me show you some pictures.
IMG_0021.jpg


IMG_0023.jpg


left is the beam of e2d with L2 head and right is the vise versa. L2 body + e2e head produces about the same amount of light as original e2d(maybe slightly dimmer) does but L2 head + e2d body is about half bright compared to original L2 brightness. I think this is because L2 has the regulator in its body. It was quite a suprise that L2 body can run MN03. This experiment was done by one of flashholic in Korea and he didn't to further experiment. Some one please tell me whether the MN03 runs regulated. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Joseph
 

nexro

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oops, my bad.
I remember I did try putting the L2 head on my E2e body, but the light I got from 2xCR123 batteries is dim as the 5W was underdriven.

The regulated MN03 sounds interesting though.
 

cheesehead

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The L2 will pop an MN02 (on high), maybe the MN03 will work regulated since it takes more current, but I'd be afraid.
 

JBL14

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[ QUOTE ]
nexro said:
The L2 is more of a flood light. On high, the L2 will put out more light (100 lumens) compared to the E2e (60 lumens) though the E2e will definately throw further.

For the L2, the good thing is you get two levels of light. For me, the low beam is good for navigating in the dark and day to day use while the high beam is good for making a wall of light.

You won't regret getting an L2 /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[/ QUOTE ]


Thanks (to all) for the feedback. The reason I'm asking is because I'm looking for a good "do it all" flashlight for summer vacation. There's nothing wrong with the E2e, but I'm thinking I'd rather go with an LED that won't burn out or go through batteries as quickly.
 

leukos

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Joseph,
I would be interested to hear more about how well the E2e head worked on the L2. Did the bulb burn out quickly? What happened on the low setting? Did this friend of yours do any modification to make it work? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif
 

cheesehead

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E2E POPS (at least my MNO2 did)! Don't do it. It may work with the MN03, but I doubt it. Running it on low, is ok, but dim and yellow.
 

Joseph

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[ QUOTE ]
leukos said:
Joseph,
I would be interested to hear more about how well the E2e head worked on the L2. Did the bulb burn out quickly? What happened on the low setting? Did this friend of yours do any modification to make it work? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

No modifications were done. Just unscrew/screw. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
I'm sorry that I can't tell you about the longevity of the bulb since he was afraid of poping the bulb.
What he did was just change heads, turn them on and take pictures. As you know SF bulbs are just too pricy for satisfying curiousities. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

Joseph
 

JBL14

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OK, so I bought an L2 today. I'm very impressed with it. It does not have the throw of most of my other (incandescent) Surefires, but it really puts out a nice wall of light.

Some questions:

How does the L2 behave when the batteries get low? Does it eventually dim or does it just shut down?

Also, has Surefire published a lifespan for the LED unit? How many hours does it have in it?
 

cheesehead

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L2 stops working on high. Then it dims and stops.

LED life, well, that's not something I'd worry about, 100s of good hours, if not thousands.

T3 has a lot more throw, but little sidespill, er, well, like an incan.
 

leukos

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Like cheesehead said, the L2's circuitry works like a semi-regulated light for both the high and low setting, but once the the batteries are depleted to a certain level, the high setting kicks out, and it will only run on the low setting's circuitry. There is a 10 ohm resistor in the tail cap that will still make the low mode look a little dimmer, so you will get a little better efficiency when the batteries are depleted to leave the L2 in high mode.

5watts have an average life span of 500 hours before reaching 50% output; I'm guessing when run at full specs that long. For your L2, that will mean running thousands of batteries through it before the LED starts to dim. But even then, SF's warranty covers LED's, so you could return it to them for a new one. The L2 is one fine light IMHO! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif
 

Cornkid

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I've got an idea. Why dont we all chip in a few bucks for a bulb and have one of us with the proper equipment work on it. (run and graph output levels. etc.) I think it would be cool to see how long the L2+MN03 combination would work and if the bulb would be regulated at all..

-tom
 

MrBenchmark

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[ QUOTE ]
leukos said:
5watts have an average life span of 500 hours before reaching 50% output; I'm guessing when run at full specs that long. For your L2, that will mean running thousands of batteries through it before the LED starts to dim. But even then, SF's warranty covers LED's, so you could return it to them for a new one. The L2 is one fine light IMHO! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree about the L2. I worried about getting a 5W LED because of the shorter rated lifespan of the light. But I figure that by the time most of them fail, SF will have long replaced the LuxV with something brighter, more efficient, and cheaper for them to produce, as LED technology improves. So if mine ever does fail, I'm guessing they won't fight too hard about replacing it. But I bet it never gets a chance to fail, as long before it does I'm likely to buy something that runs twice as long or is twice as bright, or both.
 
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