Flashlights? What's up with 'em?

A word of warning. It's hard to own just one Sebenza (since Fisher of Men makes that comparison), and it's hard to own just one Sure Fire. You buy one, and it's all downhill from there .... You will realize just how poor the maglites really are. They were fine for their time, but there is just so much better out there now. I agree that the Streamlight Scorpion is a fine light. I like mine better than my Sure Fire E2E, as a matter of fact. Of course, the Sure Fire L4 is miles ahead of both.

I was a big fan of Arc flashlights, but they have unfortunately gone out of business. The various LS permutations are some of the coolest little flashlights around. Hard to find now, though.
 
i would get an E2e myself for starters, ya can always add a KL1 head for $48 and it works real well.

the streamlight tasks are good also, but not like a surefire imho, but for the $$ they are hard to beat. they simply arent as bright (incandescent or LED) as a SF, and a little bit bigger than most SF's. also dont like the way ya switch between the LED/incan. either, not a big deal but imho it kills it for a tactical lite (ie a lite to use in conjunction w/a pistol in the dark) if ya just want it for a flashlight, no biggie.



also good is the G2, 6P or Z2, ya can also add the LED head to them. must admit that w/SF LED is best, but the incandescent are not bad either.

i also carry a 5 "c" cell mag in my car, more as a weapon than a light though, i do use it occasionally though,
 
I had a 6p and 9p surefires, the L4 is way way better then both. You can get a started surefire if you want, but I think you will eventually get an L4. :)
 
Before joining these forums, I carried a AAA Mini-Mag on my key chain and had many AA Mag Lites and AAA Mag Lites scattered around. Then, I got my first Photon II, then a Peak 3 LED AAA, then a Surefire G2 and just recently a SureFire e2e. It is an addiction, but the SureFires are amazing. The e2e is about the only light I use now.

I thought there were some pretty good SureFire deals on this site: http://www.lapolicegear.com/surefire.html

Enjoy!
 
Surefires are just very expensive Ruffles potato chips!! Bet you can't buy just one. I have the E1, E2, L4, G2, L6 and a KL1 head
 
Just get the L4 first. You won't NEED another flashlight after that.

WANT....that's a different thing.

And newgraham is good for prices and service.
 
Sure Surefires are great lights and so are Maglights, just different. Surefires really produce when it comes to light, but sometimes too much light. Also they just don't have the heft if you need it. If your looking for light production but like Maglights there are drop in mods LED to fix up your old maglights. Here: http://www.bugoutgearusa.com/

Flashlights are big addiction if your not carefull. I suggest do some reading and handle as many as you can. As with knives figure out what you need/want/like and get them, don't just follow the pack. There are so many brands and aspects to the lights you'll be busy for awhile... Good Luck!
 
smokinbasser said:
...Sunglasses won't help, maybe welding goggles....
Click to expand...

At the very least! :cool:

If you shine a Surefire M6 into someone's face - WHILE THEY HAVE THEIR EYES CLOSED - they still will have to turn their head to the side.

As many have warned - don't shine ANY Surefire into your eyes just to see how "bright" it is - you won't be seeing much after you do that.
 
Fisher of Men, I see you are from Ohio also. Are you close to a Gander Mountain? They carry the Surefire product line, and you can see first hand whatthese lights can do.

Their prices aren't too bad. Occasionally they have the G2 on sale for $29.95 or so, which is a decent price.

Mike
 
Do yourself a favor and never go to Candlepower forums. You'll quickly become an addict and be abandoned by friends and family.
Quality lights are addictive and expensive. Abandon all hope ye.....
 
it's very easy Fisher of Men. MagLites are nice if that's all you've ever seen, but when you try out a SureFire for the 1st time, you will be convinced that MagLites are crap, lame and bulky and needlessly battery-draining when not even used. sure, SF's are somewhat more expensive than Mags, but what you get for it makes up real nicely. imagine the light-intensity of one of those helicopter/prison-spotlights in a 4 oz. package, some even with a clip, and that's a SF! they kick butt. i got an E2e myself, and that's just an entry-model. these flashlights are so cool you never want anything else than SF's. they are small, lightweight, robust and water-resistant and they got light-power you never thought possible in your wildest dreams. some even got pocket-clips! and lots of cool accesoiries and tune-ups to buy for it too.

examples:

- useful in self-defense for blinding. try it on yourself when your eyes adapted to the dark and then shine a SF in your own eyes. don't worry about the temporal blindness and all the weird colors and hazes that are moving around your retina, you can see again within 2 minutes and the colors and hazes will be gone after 2 hours :D . PS. do NOT try this with one of the really Hi-Po models! (actual chance of permanent damage to your eyesight!)

- try a SF in pitch-dark woods! you can shine up to miles away and see everything clear in a prefectly focussed beam. you can even see the beam itself so bright, that you'd think you could touch it.

trust me, once you go surefire, you never go back and start using your battery-draining maglites as hammers instead of flashlights.

SF's have only one con: they eat batteries alive, fast, depending on which lamp is attached. on the plus-side, when not used they will not drain your batteries. something Mags do. another plus is, that if you also got an inova flashlight laying around, you can use the 'dead' batteries of your surefire in those.

just get one and you'll understand why they're so cool.

PS. i bet you never knew what the hype is all about with those "photon" keychain thingys, right? heheh! :) . get one of those too btw!
 
Here's another vote for the L4. It's my first (and only so far) Surefire and I couldn't be happier with it. It's very bright, very light, and nice and small. I think it's actually a little shorter than a AA Maglight. I got mine from lapolicegear.com as well. It looks like they have some kind of free shipping and free battery deal going on right now.
 
I'll throw Inova into the ring. They now offer a wide variety of LED lights with excellent quality at a reasonable price.

Paul
 
The L4 is next in my list but right now an E2D and L1 with VG body are my my lights of choice.

If you plan on whacking someone upside the head with it then the E2D is optimum!
 
I got an Surefire A2 a couple weeks ago. It's simply amazing. Low level LED's for general use (as bright, if not brighter than my Inova X5)... Then... if I need the LIGHT.... Heh... It's great for "checking out that strange noise after dark"... LED's for getting downstairs and outside... Highbeam for lighting up the neighborhood.
 
OK....

Too many consider Brighter = Better.

Of course we all want more light, and it is really impressive to have a flashlight that's brighter than anyone else's - or at least much brighter than expected for the size......

Although it is a legit purpose (at least for flashaholics :D) the majority of people's usage tends to be a bit more practical than that.

Coming down to the practical - often the "right amount" of light is what is needed - to light one's path even outdoors in the unlit countryside - may not require quite as much light as one might at first think (afterall we are NOT trying to light up the entire countryside with a flashlight).

Often a not quite so bright flashlight allows our eyes to still utilize the existing light (eg: moonlight) to see by - whereas a very bright light would definitely dazzle and cause anything outside of the hotspot to be much harder to see (ie: a tunnel effect).

Please take a look at this thread - where there was some very informative responses to explain this:

Dorcy 1AAA Outdoors over at CPF

A quick explanation - the Dorcy 1AAA is as the name suggests a single AAA battery 1LED light for less than $6 from one's local Wal-Mart and has the brightness of about same as the more famous ArcAAA (also 1LED 1x AAA light) - it's a bit brighter than a MagLite Solitaire but definitely not as bright as a MiniMag 2AA light........

As a lot people can attest (especially hunters finding their way back after dark) the immensely popular MiniMag 2AA flashlight is more than adequate for even walking in the dark woods - probably mainly because it's about the right amount of light for the purpose (of course it will not light up the entire forest or some object hundreds of feet away - we're talking typically about the path 3-12 feet in front of us - and the right amount of light).

That brings me to LED technology - although it's still somewhat in its infancy relatively speaking - it is starting to get to practical levels.

For example the recent MJLED drop-in mods for the MiniMag - will give brighter, whiter and much superior smoother beam than the standard bulb - and the battery life is in the region of 30+ hours of very good brightness on 2x AA alkalines........ and it costs about $6!

Please take a look at this comparison -

MJLED drop-in for MiniMag 2AA over at CPF

I have now done two MJLED mods and they are as good as each other and I am very, very pleased with both.....
a better MiniMag with 30+ hours runtime on a pair of AA alkalines.........

MJLED mod compared to standard MiniMag
MJLED_mMag.jpg


Comparison of second MJLED direct link -

#2 - Re: MJLED drop-in for MiniMag 2AA


--
Vincent

http://UnknownVT2005.cjb.net
http://UnknownVT.cjb.net
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Very Interesting I was thinking about buying an entry level surefire, but I already have several mini maglites. HMMM
 
If you've asked the question, you're already screwed. Especially if you've got a few Mag lights and always thought of them as "The Stuff". Look in the Gadgets & Gear for SAle by Individual forum here on BFC for a week or so and score yourself a slightly used Surefire E2 or E2e in the $70.00 range. They show up regurlarly as guys get teh hots for a enw custom. It will give you the light output of a 6D cell Mag light with their roasting Kapton bulb in a package that's slightly smaller than a Mag 2 AA light. Truly pocket size.

I have a variety of Mags from a Solitaire (single AAA) up to the 6 D cell model. They all sit idle these days. Except for 2 AA model that I just converted to a Luxeon 1 watt LED light:)

While there's now a sprouting market in boutique and custom lights, Surefires are something you can depend on and count as a real value once you've played with one.

The G2s are a great if somewhat bulky starter Surefire, and they're cheap!

The E2 series is much more pocket carry friendly with the same sort of output and run times as the G2, but in a MUCH cooler package.

The L4's are just the Bomb! I don't leave home without it in my pocket. It's my reference light although it is pricey.

My wife who always busts my nuts for my gadget obsession and who I'd already give an Inova X5 to, played with my E2 when I got it a year and a half ago and loved it so much, I bought her a G2 to see if she'd really carry it. She did and loved it so much that she asked for an E2D for Christmas this past year. Being the good husband that I am, I got it for her:)

The Inova stuff is cool and so is the Nuwai stuff, but Surefire is the real deal.

You need at least one.

John
 
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