Surefire E1e HA or Wine

H

H2600

Joined
May 4, 2003
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I've been thinking about picking up a higher powered light to complement the Arc AAA on my key chain. I'm looking for something strong enough to be tossed into the small, front comparment on my backpack. It seems that the Surefire E1e fits that bill. Does anyone know of a good source for the E1e? I don't really have a problem with scratches on the finish so the Hard Anodized version is not strictly nessecary. I'm finding the price a little hard to swallow though (I'm a student) so I'm looking for a good, cheap dealer (I hope those two things aren't exclusive).
I'm also looking for other BladeForumites opinions to make me more confident with my decision: Does anyone here carry the flashlight in a backpack? How well does it hold up? Compared the generic plastic flashlight that most Americans keep in a closet (myself included) how bright is the Surefire?

Thanks for any information or opinions, I'm really looking forward to getting one but I still have to come to terms with the $70 price tag.
 
Just a thought, but ... you're going to carry it in a backpack and you don't seem to have more money than you know what to do with -- is the slightly smaller size of the E1e worth the price for you? You could get a longer 3volt flashlight using 2xAA cells, or a brighter 6v flashlight using 2x123 cells -- or 4xAA, look at the Princeton Tec Tec-40.
 
Yeah, for as much as you'd be using it I'd go with the Tec-40. I think you could stick lithium AA's in there and be okay timewise. .
 
Thanks for the responses so far. I did a little more searching online and realized that the E1e is a very small flashlight...much smaller than I thought when I posted my original message. It seems that I'm in the market for something more on the order of the E2e or G2 Nitrolon. I think the "E" series might be a little more overbuilt than what I need and I'm considering Larry's recommendation of the G2; does anyone have any experience with that flashlight.

P.S.: I must have sounded a little more pathetic in my post than I intended to. I'm not made of money or anything but I'm definitly not begging for bread on the street corner. I was really just trying to convey the fact that I appreciate a good deal.
 
You can't go wrong with the G2, I love mine. The plastic body doesn't feel nearly as cheap as pictures suggest, it's extremely stout.
 
The G2 is a good light as are the E1 and E2. I have had all three That being said I have sold off almost all my Surefire lights keeping only my 6p for use with my defensive pistol. I was very happy with the quality of the beam but it was the cost of use that killed it for me. Batteries are not that bad as they are available on the net for around a dollar each. I was changing them about once every two weeks. It was the lamps that I was having problems with. I use my lights at work and they are always getting bumped or dropped or smashed against something. I would bust a lamp at least once a month. Depending on if your bag is padded and how you treat it this may or may not be a problem. The bulbs are most fragile when hot. At 15-25 doallrs a lamp that adds up. I have switched over to LED lights. An Arc LS and Longbow Micra have taken the place of the E1 and a 3 watt XM-2 by Electrolums has replaced the E2.
Patrick
 
Check out a PT Rage, it uses four AAA batteries and it still surprises me when I turn it on. It has a xenon bulb and a stippled reflector for a pretty smooth beam. It's waterproof up to 500 feet and doesn't scratch very easily. I paid 19 Euros for it here in the Netherlands so in the US it will probably cost about 12 Dollar.

Mylan
 
You mention durability, but not application. What will you be using the light for? Were you looking more for throw or for flood? If you are keeping it in your backpack I personally would go LED instead of incan just because I wouldn't want to risk the bulb going out as the result of being bounced around. If you want to use AA batts, the Streamlight 7LED PolyPro is a nice floodlight that lasts a long time and is waterproof to about 200 ft. It's available at Costco for ~$20. If you're looking for more throw, I'd go with the Pelican M6 LED at around $45. It has a nice white (in my experience) 1W LED that throws really well with a pretty good runtime and clickie tailswitch. The Surefire L4 is probably my favorite stock EDC light but it's probably higher than what you want to pay. And since you're carrying it in a backpack anyway--be sure to pick up some sort of spares carrier to carry some extra batts with you.
 
I've never had a problem with my bulbs going out when bumped or dropped.
I have dropped my E2eHA out of a second story window on to concrete (by accident :) ) before and it never went out. I think my G2 is a little more fragile though.

Ryan
 
The G2 is sweet. It's plastic, but it's extremely well made, plenty bright, and an incredible deal. You'll be set for life with the combo of an Arc AAA and a Surefire G2.
 
I'd go for a Streamlight Twin Task 2 cell CR123 light. You get long runtime, dual switching that lets you go back and forth between a decent LED flood beam for walking around and general quick lighting and a powerful zenon bulb for when you want more throw and a blinding beam. They are a great light, very well made and retail for around $30.

The G2 from Surefire is also an excellent choice, I have two. Totally bombproof and uncomplicated. The only thing is you might want to consider the bulb issues as others have said above. I'm finding that I carry LEDs almost all the time now.

If you have a continued interest in this go to Candlepowerforums.com and be prepared for flashlight heaven. :)
 
Ryan0619 said:
I've never had a problem with my bulbs going out when bumped or dropped.
I have dropped my E2eHA out of a second story window on to concrete (by accident :) ) before and it never went out. I think my G2 is a little more fragile though.

Ryan
Click to expand...

I have dropped my E2e-HA sooooo many times; I have literally lost count of how many times I have dropped it. No broken bulb yet! (BTW this is all on my first bulb) :D
 
You can get into a G2 for about $35 or less.

They are great lights for the $$.

I like my E2e-HA. Great pocket light.

Might want to look into the INOVA X5T-HA. Kicks ass.
 
The only problem I had with the G2, is the lock-out procedures. You have to untwist everything to keep it locked off. I wanted one also to carry in my sling bag, bought one, found it was too much hassle to lock off, then traded it off for an Inova X5. I've been happy with my X5. Great light for the price. But I'm thinking of picking up an Inova X0 and putting my X5 in my glovebox. :) Just a thought.




Blades
 
Actually there is a way to install a clickie switch in the G2 endcaps. I've converted all of mine, and love it.

The clickie switches come out of a $6 flashlight from WalMart.

Mike
 
I've taken a closer look at the G2 and it really seems to suit my purposes. I appreciate the suggestions regarding LED lights but I like the idea of a "blindingly bright" light from incandesants. Does anyone have any information regarding the lumen output from an X5? The price of both the G2 and X5 are right in the sweet spot for me so I'm looking for some more (comparative?) reviews--does anyone know of any good websites for flashlight reviews/comparisions?
 
The nice think about a G2 and Inova X5, is the old batteries that won't work in the G2, wil still work in the Inova X5. You can use the Inova to suck the last little bit of juice out of those "spent" 123's from the G2.
The X5 is more of a flood light and it will last a few hours with diminshing brightness. The G2 will give you that blast of light for about an hour or so, then nothing.
If you want detailed info about almost any light in the world go visit www.candlepowerforums.com . But, be warned, you might start another expensive hobby of trying to find the ultimate light. :)
What about the Streamlight Scorpion?? Bright as a G2, a back-up bulb included. About $35-40.00.



Blades
 
G2 for extreme bright
Pelican M6 LED for long term usage
UK 2AAA slipped into my backpack as a loaner
Arc AAA as my pocket light
 
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