Which Surefire?

W

wellywasp

Joined
Nov 12, 2005
Messages
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Unfortunatly my recent Orb order would not be dispatched till the 19th due to the orb peoples vacation. so i have decided to take a step into the Surefire line of lights. But i have hit a few problems
1. i cant decide on a light.
2. i cant justify spending the money on one
3. lithium batteries are to expensive except for surefires brand which i have to order.

i need a torch that i can go hiking and camping with thats bright enough to beat my current torch (cybalite 2 lithium cell 15 lumens at a guess) and thats small enough to carry in the pocket. oh and did i mention that it should be under $100 :o

thanks for replying
Rob
 
Surefire G2 Nitrolon should be $34 bucks at any decent outfitter. It's the plastic version of the 6P, has 60 lumens (edit: sorry, 65 lumens) and about an hour of runtime nonstop, longer if used intermittently.

I only buy batteries from Surefire now--everyone else is more expensive.
 
How about the Surefire G2? Should help you with point #2, and for #1 you don't have to worry about not liking it because it didn't break the bank by buying it in the first place.

For #3, do you want to be able to buy batteries from a local store in person? because you should be able to find batteries for the G2 on the Internet for 1-2 bucks apiece.
 
jw556 said:
Surefire G2 Nitrolon should be $34 bucks at any decent outfitter. It's the plastic version of the 6P, has 60 lumens (edit: sorry, 65 lumens) and about an hour of runtime nonstop, longer if used intermittently.

I only buy batteries from Surefire now--everyone else is more expensive.
Click to expand...

Darn! Beat me while I was typing my reply! :) :o
 
yeh i have been looking at the G2 but I got a couple of issues with it. It doesnt look as pocketable as some of the other lights (kinda hoping for something metal with a pocketclip) and im not relly sure i need all of those lovely lumens for just an hour of use, the lickelyhood that I will need to blind someone are pretty slim. the cheapest i can find surefire batteries for is 2.45 pounds so about $4 at a guess. but it still looks like a very nice price
 
I like the G2 alot!! How about an SF E1e. GREAT little light!! And to me, SF are very much worth the $$. I LOVE SF's.
 
TheKnifeCollector said:
How about an SF E1e. GREAT little light!! And to me, SF are very much worth the $$. I LOVE SF's.
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yeh the E1e looks nice aswell but then i saw the E1L outdoorsman which is brighter and longer runtime and i just get all confused again :(
 
The Ele has a regular bulb,the E1l is an LED. I have an E1e, and it doesn't have nearly the runtime for serious outdoor stuff.
 
I have an E1e with a first generation KL1 head. The light is exceptionally bright and has amazing throw with the standard light bulb head. I'd say it is comparable to a 2 cell or 3 cell mag light. But bulbs burn out and the batteries only last an hour to hour and a half; hence why I purchased the LED conversion head.

The LED allows for a much longer runtime and is incredibly bright. It has served my needs as an EDC and for basically every other activity I do such as camping (The clip is oriented so that the light can be attached to a hat and work as a headlight). I do not know much about the E1l or E2l but they seem comparable to buying a standard E1/E2 and attaching a KL1 head.

The E1e with the KL1 is rather pocketable. It also has a clip which is tight and ensures that you won't lose it when clipped to your pocket or other gear. The body has a checkered pattern that makes it easy to grip even when wet or greased up. The power source is still a 123 but as many have mentioned you can order a box of 12 for 21 dollars from Surefire. There are variety of on-line sources for cheaper 123s as well.

If you want a more scientific and methodic review of the light then look at this review.
 
wellywasp said:
3. lithium batteries are to expensive except for surefires brand which i have to order.
Click to expand...
Join candlepowerforums and look up the supporting dealer's specials. You'll find links where you can get cells from batterystation or amondotech for $1 a piece.
 
The G2 Nitrolon is a great flashlight to get, as per about the previous 6 or so posters mentioned. Another one to check out are the ones mentioned in the thread strarted by cockroachfarm entitled "Flashlight bargain" in the Gadgets and Gear forum. Two decent enough flashlights for $20 at Sam's club... can't beat it!
 
Get yourself (if you don' t already have one) a good ole 2 AA Mini Maglite. Find one with the accesories kit that contain a metal clip, nylon holster, etc. Then buy a TerraLux Ministar TLE-2 drop in LED kit. You will now have a long running (4 hours?) bright white LED with 25 max lumens that runs on widely available and inexpensive batteries. This should run you less than $50 US.

www.lighthound.com
www.brightguys.com
www.batterystation.com
www.themartialist.com

Good luck,
N.
 
the best is a little over your $100 limit, my fav SF is an E2e w/a KL1 head on it, small, easy to carry but plenty bright enough for most anything, good batt life, if ya can find a used E2e (~$70 or so) and get the KL1 from SF (~$50) the 2 together make a really nice light imho, i have probably 8 SF's and thats my fav by far for a edc lite. SF makes one w/a KL1 head like i said they call it the E2L IIRC. the G2 is good too but i like the metal bodies and the E2e is quite a bit smaller and the brightness level is so close its not of any consequence imho w/the std bulb anyway.
 
I recommend that you not buy your first Surefire. Unless, of course, you're prepared to buy a lot of them in the future! These things are addicting! :eek: :)

I must have about a dozen of them, scattered around the house and in the vehicles. I just love em! Get yourself an E2e to start with. That should hold you over for a little while. :)
 
My first SureFire was a G2, which was nice. Then I bought a C2 Centurion, which I like so much better. If I were to start from scratch, I would save up the extra cash and get an aluminum light with a pocket clip.
 
My first Sure Fire was the orginal 6P. Great light. That got me totally hooked on SF's.
 
thanks for the help guys, i think im gonna go with the 6p after reading the testimonials on the SF website. Approximatly how long will the lamp last before it goes? is a spare essential?
btw i kinda hope i do get addicted to em ;)
 
I suspect that the P60 lamp in your 6P will last at least 25, if not 35+ hours before showing signs of age (this will start as a brown discolouration to the inside of the bulb).

knowing what I know now (and based on my experience) - if you do not have a spare or backup you will end up needing it and kick yourself for not having one.
(this goes for many things in life with the exception of perhaps women you may not agree with your forward planning)

If were starting out I would get a G2 rather than a 6P, but I would also get an SC1 Spares Carrier, spare P60 lamp assembly and box or several of SF123A batteries. Keeping spares close means in my experience that the lamp will last forever (well none of the P60's I have have died of old age yet)

Al :)
 
i have never had a bulb blow in my surefires & weapon lights included knock on wood.
 
Skip the SF for now, and grab a Streamlight 4AA luxeon. Nice and bright for 4hrs + with extreme throw
 
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