who carries a Surefire?

Dress - E1e left pants pocket or belt
EDC- D3 on belt or clipped to left pants pocket

Well worth the money in my opinion.
I would also recomend feeding them with duracell ULTRA DL123 or SUrefire SF123 batteries those give me the best results both in brightness, purity of light, and run time.
 
im only just getting into the LED thing, myself and the wife both have princeton tec LED's on our keyrings now. pretty good light source. i'd really like to get one of those x5 LED's but as always its the added cost of yet another new gadget...it can wait..for now;)

tnx again for all the info soa, it is certainly true about cheap 123a's. luckily i manage to get new/sealed panasonic cr123a's for about £1.50 ea at a local bootsale/market and they give good results in my scorpion.

i did try rechargeable 123a's but they only gave about 20 mins runtime per set of 2, might be ok for some considering the savings but it drove me nuts.
 
I've looked at SureFire, but
desided for me a Streamlight Scorpion
was alot better fit. I also carry a
Mini-Mag AA. So I don't spend all my
money on those CR123 batterys.
You may also want to look at an ARC-AAA
or LS. You can look over at CandlePowerForums.com for ALOT of INFO.:eek:

One more thing if you get a CR123 eating
light. A trick a guy on CandlePower
came up with is buying a CR223 and cuting
it in half. Save half your money that way.:)
 
I generally carry my trusty old SureFire 9P in the back pocket of my Levis, right next to my wallet.
 
You would think I'm going away to a cave for a few years with all the lights I carry... At work(armed security patrol), I carry a Surefire E1, E2 and 8X, and I have about a dozen cyalume light sticks I keep with me, plus a rechargeable 1/2 mil cp spotlight. Of course I rarely care just one of anything... I usually have at least 3 or 4 knives, at least 2 multi-tools, and lots of strange gadgets(can't be without the GPS and scanner!). I haven't been without a Surefire since wandering around underneath a pier at night with nothing but a AA Maglite with almost dead batteries. Seems like the maglite bulbs burn out really quick, too. I went through three Maglite bulbs on that MiniMag in 3 months, and between 5 Surefires, I have only had to replace two bulb assemblies in the past year, both of them on used lights(3P and 8X). If you are going to use it much, I definitley recommend getting a rechargeable model. The 8 series is nice, but if I can save up the money I have my eyes on the new 10X. Can you say bright? i could probably leave the spotlight at home with that thing.
 
I just got some new toys delivered from TAD today. :D In addition to my E2e...I have an Inove X-5 and 2 AAA ARC led lights with me today.

They are pretty cool! The Inova is well made...can't wait until the sun goes down so I can play with it.

The AAA ARC lights are really cool. Very small, well constructed, and pretty damn bright. Nice size for a keyring.

Read somewhere on the forum that the Inova's can use "dead" batteries from the Surefires. :) It is going to replace the AA Maglite that always seems to have dead batteries when I try and turn it on.
 
well i just ordered my ha e2e from agr, ups 2 day so it should be here by monday. my first surefire, i'm so excited :D. I also ordered six sf123a's, i hope they last me a while. Hey TornAdo, how do you like the zipka - e2 combination? that's what i've been thinking of, that way i don't have to carry one for long life, one for brightness and one for hands free, since the zipka serves dual purpose. do you find yourself comfortable just using it in your hand? Let me know.

- Pete
 
Daily carry is an E2 or E1e. They both carry well, and I moreso appreciate how the E1e drops into that fob/key/lighter pocket in a pair of bluejeans.

Cooler weather, when I'm wearing a jacket or coat more (and coincidently, when it gets dark sooner), I'll toss my M2 into a pocket.

My M3 stays on the nightstand, and my 8AX is a general utility light around the house, because I don't have to keep feeding it batteries.

While some maybe alarmed at the price of batteries, they can be acquired cheaply enough if you shop online, buy in bulk, and get in on group buys. Play your cards right, and batteries are right around $1-1.25 apiece.

The 223 splitting works well, especially when you consider that technically, you're paying for "one" battery. Carefully split the plastic case, remove the metal connecting strip, and you have a pair of 123s. Some batteries may require a quick covering with scotch tape, as the batteries retain the uncovered metal shell, which would ground on the inside of the light. Well, probably not a G2...

I just got done with a group buy of 223s, which brought the price of each 123 down to $0.70. Beats the hell out of retail store prices.
 
1- Can you use a single uncut 223 in a surefire 2 battery light ie. e2/c2/d2 ?

1- why the hell are 123s so damn expensive? I feed mine Duracell Ultra DL123 and they run me 10.99 for a 2 pack and I buy 3 2 packs at a time so I can feed my d3 twice.
 
image022.jpg
 
Normally these are all over the place, but I'm packing up for a move.

surefiresS.jpg


There are a couple missing, an M2 in the car, an M6 at my parents other house, a couple of E2s in storage with my office stuff.
 
I recently purchased a couple. I carry the e2 executive 2 battery model. I carry it in my front pocket with no problems. It and my TNT are constant companions. I live near the Fountain Valley facility where they make them and bought it there. Incredible amount of light. If you carry it in your pocket be careful that it doesn't go on. It gets hot in a hurry!
 
...dang, those pictures of those purty flashlights sure make me jealous. Money's tight when you're in school (at least it is for me!)

During hours of darkness when I'm walking about in the city, I've usully got a 6P (with the P61 headlamp installed) gripped in my left hand. Why? 'Cuz it's kinda dark on some of the streets I have to walk, and I might need to light something up all of a sudden (immediately before breaking contact, aka running like the wind). During the day, the 6P is stashed in my book bag, tailcap stuffed in a holster to prevent battery drain (aka accidental activation). It's come in handy one or twice. :D
 
I went hog wild years ago and acquired SureFire 6Z's and 3P's for personal use as EDC, home use, outfitting my automobiles, etc. This was in the days before the current "aircraft landing-light in a Maglite-size unit" SureFires came out.

You guys with the new M4 Devastator and M6 Magnums, how impressive a device are they? Durability? Battery longevity? I'm tempted to buy, but have never had opportunity to put one "through its paces", so would be delighted to hear real-world, user feedback. :)
 
Originally posted by F150
1- Can you use a single uncut 223 in a surefire 2 battery light ie. e2/c2/d2 ?
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, no, the cells in a 223 are side-by-side, and you'll have to get them stacked for use in a light.

The plastic cases aren't hard to peel open, just be careful you don't puncture a cell casing. That might be bad.

Also, make sure the cells have an exterior coating to insulate it from the flashlight's barrel. Some 223s come with a plastic coating, like Vartas. Others, like Duracells, have no coating, leaving the exterior metal of the shell exposed. A quick single layer of thin packing or scotch tape does the trick, but no too thick. Surefire tolerances are pretty tight, and too much tape will prevent the cells from easily dropping in.


1- why the hell are 123s so damn expensive? I feed mine Duracell Ultra DL123 and they run me 10.99 for a 2 pack and I buy 3 2 packs at a time so I can feed my d3 twice.
Click to expand...

123s are expensive because people that use one set a year in a camera will pay the price, thinking, "that's not too bad, a whole year out of a battery..." It's what the casual market will bear.

The trick is, now that you have a Surefire that will make good use of them, is to buy in small bulk quantities from either Cheapbatteries.com (12+ of GE-Sanyos brings it down to $2.00 per; Duracells are $5.00 per),or Zreiss.com (2 "cartons" of, or 48 GE-Sanyo 123s brought the price down to $1.69, IIRC).

Don't forget eBay. There are some great deals on 123s on eBay.

Buying 223s can afford better savings. For example, I just went in on a group buy for Duracell 223s that a fella put together. Buying my portion of 25 223s (or 50 123s) came out to $35 after shipping. That's about $0.80 per cell after I separate them.

There is some slight performance increases using Duracell Ultras or especially Surefire's 123s. However, using less expensive batteries in "utility" lights is only logical. I keep SF123s in my "bump in the night" lights, my M2 and M3, and regular batteries in my E1e, E2, and 6p, since I use them so darn much for mundane chores and lighting needs.

I only bought from a drugstore twice, and said that that was enough.

HTH
 
I carry an E2e or M2...as the situation dictates. I also have a CM3 (C3 with an M2 bezel) for when I need a bigger light. In truth, I once thought the M2 would be all I would ever really need...but then I found that the E2/E2e is much nicer to carry.
 
Great products! I either have an E2 or E1 with me all the time, and the "Big Boys" at home.. :)


"Hunters seek what they [WANT].., Seekers hunt what they [NEED]"
 
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