question for you flashlight junkies

markIVbigblock · #1

I dont really know where to go to find the kind of info im looking for so hopefully some of you guys that are into flashlights could help me out. I have always been a mini-maglite kinda guy but lately i have been looking for something with more output and have been looking to the surefire's as they seem to be THE flashlights everyone likes and they appeal to me as I need something rugged and reliable but their runtimes dont seem to be that long but I have been looking at the E1L and the E2L and was reading up on the shot show report and it says with the cree LED's it should produce an output of 30 lumens for 17 hours for the E1L and 45 lumens for 18 hours for the E2L, I dont really know what "lumens" are so do these have more output than a mini-mag and does anyone know the approximate output of a mini-mag in "Lumens"? and if so does anyone know when these new surefires are going to be released? also does anyone else have any other suggestions? or maybe opinions on these 2 lights? if they have more output than a mini-mag and really last that long I will prolly buy 2 of each. Thanks

Aaron

kahrk9 · #2

http://www.flashlightreviews.com/index1.html

Please try the above link for information. For EDC, I use a T1 from INOVA, though I also have several other choices from INOVA and surefire.

I would reccomend a light with LEDs like the INOVA or the Surefires you mentioned. I have an E1e and an E2e by surefire, as well as a KL1 head which converts them to LED. The surefire's light is yellow tinted when used with the standard incandescent head, but becomes a very nice white light with the LED. Some white LEDs have an unnatural blue tint (or other color) but the Surefires are not afflicted with this problem.

There are many good choices based upon your intended use. If you want a flashlight for your emergency bag, I highly reccomend one that uses CR 123A lithium batteries. They are not affected by cold temeratures. You can order a 12 pack of lithim 123s from surefire directly for about $15.00.

Richard

ront · #3

Hi Aaron,
You will find that most of the Surefire lights don't have a real long runtime, and that is because they are bright. They are good lights and built well.
This is a good website to look at and you can learn a lot about flashlights there. The site is http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/.
I think that either of the two lights you mentioned will be brighter than the mini maglight.
Fenix makes some pretty nice lights for a pretty fair price. They have several models now that use the cree light. This is some of the newest technology in lights. http://www.fenix-store.com/
I hope this helps you a bit.

Ron

Darkfin · #4

http://spyderco.com/forums/showpost.php ... stcount=11

Brightguy.com is a good place to buy and compare.

Gl.

dedguy · #5

I'd suggest an ARC-AAA they're super tiny and super bright and run on an AAA battery. Make an excellent keychain light.

Blub · #6

Streamlight Strion and another vote for http://www.flashlightreviews.com/index1.html

yablanowitz · #7

Just out of curiosity, have you tried one of the new 3Watt LED Mini-Maglites? They are available at Wal-Mart here, and they are BRIGHT. I think my 2 AA cell LED Mini is brighter than my 4 D cell Maglite. And you can buy at least 4 of them for what you spend on a Surefire.

While you are there, look for the Brinkman Maxfire incandescent. It runs on the CR123 batteries (included), works well and is cheap enough to have several stashed in handy places. Ditto the Dorcy Metal Gear LED which runs on 3 AA cells.

I'm not saying the Surefire isn't worth its price, just that there are lower cost alternatives.

Darkfin · #8

/agree on Dorcy. I have a 3 watt led that also rivals the Surefire 6p, for about 1/2 the price. http://www.dorcy.com/products.aspx?p=414275

Of course for THIS forum's purposes, there is no more appropriate flashlight than :spyder: !

J Smith · #9

My E2L is rated at 30 lums and is brighter than a 3 D cell maglight.
Lums can be misleading,lums measure all the light output even if the human eye can not see it.Thus my 30 lum led E2L looks brighter than a 65 lum G2 incan.The LED Surefires put out more visable light.
The run time on my E2L isn't bad at all,3 hours at full brightness and 3 hours at low level.I want to try one of the new ones when they come out.

J Smith · #10

yablanowitz wrote:Just out of curiosity, have you tried one of the new 3Watt LED Mini-Maglites? They are available at Wal-Mart here, and they are BRIGHT. I think my 2 AA cell LED Mini is brighter than my 4 D cell Maglite. And you can buy at least 4 of them for what you spend on a Surefire.

While you are there, look for the Brinkman Maxfire incandescent. It runs on the CR123 batteries (included), works well and is cheap enough to have several stashed in handy places. Ditto the Dorcy Metal Gear LED which runs on 3 AA cells.

I'm not saying the Surefire isn't worth its price, just that there are lower cost alternatives.

I haven't tried one yet mainly because the only thing I have read about them was bad.Last thing I read the guy bought one and he said the beam shot was so bad he took it right back in for a refund.

TheKnifeCollector · #11

I AM a big SF fan. I EDC a SF E1e & a CR2 Ion. I LOVE the E1e's; I own 5 of them. I highly recommend SF.
But, if you a great little light, I would highly recommend the Arc-P! It is THE flashlight that I keep on my keys at all times.
You have been given some good sites to check out, I hope that you DO check out the sites.