Before anyone jumps in with a ‘this is BLF!’ comment, I would like to point out that I found this for a good second hand price on CPFmarketplace and as the seller was in the UK he knocked another chunk off of the price for me as well. I had wanted to try one of the ‘proper’ Surefires for a while, just to see what the fuss was about and whether they did have any incredible, perhaps transcendent ‘feel’ of pure quality to them… Well maybe not, but I think it’s a good light for what it’s designed to be. You can draw your own conclusions.
Size:
Slightly shorter than a P60 host, with a noticeably thinner body and head. Good for belt carry and fits comfortably into a jeans pocket, but not small enough for EDC in my opinion.
Efficiency:
Current (6v): 30ma low, 220ma high
Rated lumen output: 3 lumen low, 60 lumen high
Measured (estimated) lumen output: 14 lumen low, 118 lumen high
Now also tested on single li-ion:
Current at 4.15v: 37ma low, 310ma high
Estimated lumen output at 4.15v:14 lumen low, 116 lumen high
Current at 3.7v: 40ma low, 340ma high
Estimated lumen output at 3.7v: 14 lumen low, 116 lumen high
Current at 3.6v: 40ma low, 300ma high
Estimated lumen output at 3.6v:14 lumen low, 90 lumen high
Current at 3.5v: 40ma low, 70ma high
Estimated lumen output at 3.5v:14 lumen low, 26 lumen high
Very impressive, my current readings seem in line with what others have measured. The output readings suggest that there may have been a slight upgrade in flux bin of the XR-E (Q4 to Q5 or Q5 to R2) since the measurements done on the latest version of this light (KX2 head) when it was first released in 2008. The LED itself seems like a more recent version, with phosphor only on the LED die itself rather than covering everything beneath the dome. Alternatively, the 10% higher readings may be because the beam profile of the light is so concentrated that it slightly skews the measurement.
Overall efficiency is very good, 6 hours of runtime on 2x CR123 (equivalent to a 2250mah 18650 cell) at 120 lumens is roughly 80 OTF lumens per watt.
To put that in context, the Zebralight SC600 on its 500 lumen mode is also roughly 80 OTF lumens per watt. A NANJG linear driver running an XM-L2 T6 at 2.5 amps works out at roughly 65 OTF lumens per watt and my Thrunite Saber 1A on eneloop at max mode does roughly 50 OTF lumens per watt.
So, for a ‘dated’ XR-E emitter, it’s pleasing to see that overall circuit efficiency is still up there with the modern frontrunners.
I’m also pleased with the regulation on li-ion. As a buck only driver it will remain in regulation as long as the input voltage minus driver overhead remains over the LEDs Vf. XR-E have higher Vf than XP-G and XM-L, but it seems that the relatively low drive current keeps it down to a low enough level to maintain flat regulation right down to around 3.65v, at which point the Sanyo 16650s that I’m using are virtually empty anyway. It looks like at their 2000mah capacity and with an average current of around 320-30ma they should match the 6 hour runtime on 2x CR123 with almost fully regulated runtime. The drop off at under 3.6v means an extended runtime at around 10 lumens if needed and is also an easily noticable warning well before the cell is overdischarged.
Picture 1 = Zebralight SC600 3 lumen mode (left) vs Surefire E2L ‘3 lumen’ mode (right).
Picture 2 = SC600 60 lumen mode vs E2L ‘60 lumen’ mode
Picture 3 = Same again but further distance, SC600 on the left.
Picture 4 = SC600 700+ lumen mode vs E2L ‘60 lumen’ mode
UI:
It uses a forward clicky switch, half-push once for low and push again for high. There is no mode memory, so it always comes on in low. This is a simple two mode ‘scroll-through’ interface; not my favourite, but simple and functional.
One interesting thing which I have never seen mentioned before is that if you half-press relatively rapidly it will not change mode, but flash repeatedly at the same level. I had originally thought this may be a fault, but it actually seems to be a nice feature that Surefire have programmed in to allow for the manual use of the light as a strobe/beacon.
Having received my 16650s, which are a bit shorter than 2xCR123 cells, I have also noticed that this means that if dropped or shaken then a brief break in contact in the circuit won’t change modes, unlike many other lights which will. In light of this I think Surefire may have been thinking along the lines of possible weapon mounting when they programmed the feature in, to avoid accidental mode changes due to recoil.
Quality:
Machining is generally very good, with very effective knurling. There are a couple of tiny burrs at the very tail end of the body, but scratching these with a fingernail highlights that the aluminium itself feels harder than any other light I’ve found with a similar defect.
Anodizing seems good, a natural tone well-matched throughout the light. The last owner said it had only been used for around 10 minutes around the house and had never been outside, yet there are a few small wear marks at the head and tail, I’m not sure if that reflects on its durability though.
Threads are smooth and thick cut, feeling solid. They are anodized on the inside of the tailcap but not anywhere on the body or the head. They are not square cut and there is a small amount of play which means that you have to untwist the tailcap slightly more than on some other lights to activate Surefire’s (imo unfairly patented, but widely ignored) tailcap lock-out.
The clip is the short version, and seems useful and of high quality, if a little bit stiff.
Internal tailcap design is interesting, with what looks like a number of additional components to what most manufacturers use. It looks robust, hopefully it is too.
Fit and finish:
Fit and finish is functionally very good. But I am harder to please than that and can find a few imperfections. Firstly, there are a few fragments of dust between the glass TIR lense and the AR coated lense in front of it, it seems interesting to me that Surefire would bother with two lenses as that should cut down slightly on optical transmission, but they did.
The emitter is slightly off-centre, the hotspot itself is well centred, but a brighter portion of it within the overall hotspot is slightly to one side. Luckily, the brighter section works out as nearer to top of the beam when held in a right handed overhand position (clip facing to 5 o’clock). Which is useful, as that part will generally be aimed slightly furthest away, so benefits from a bit of higher brightness there.
Overall, in the build quality and fit and finish departments I would say that it most closely resembles some of the more solidly made recent Zebralight models; anodizing is similar, threads are similar, aluminium is similar quality (just a bit thicker on the Surefire). I can’t personally speak for internal quality on either, but that is my impression.
Beam profile:
A clear TIR lense is used on an XR-E, so the beam is very much throw-oriented. It noticeably outshines my SC600 hotspot in intensity on a white wall, despite overall output being no-where near it (this is shown in ‘Picture 4’ above, though the E2L seems a bit more intense in reality). There is no circular spill-beam like a typical reflector, but a slow tapering off of light as you get away from the hotspot, I find this type of beam very useful outdoors for full (albeit low level) peripheral lighting and no sharp drop-off in output at the edge of a defined spill area.
The TIR itself seems to have a very (very, very) light diffusion coating, which is only visible from an angle. The beam is quite clean for a clear TIR, but obviously messier (mainly rings) than an OP reflector.
Tint:
Is fine. I can see how some may class it as slightly green on the low mode if compared to a 1A type tint, but to me it is a reasonably nice creamy white, especially on high.
Durability/long-term reliability:
I’ve only just got it, so I’m not smashing it up! Surefires (especially these more traditional models) have a good reputation for durability, but I have no first hand evidence for or against this.
What I can say for sure is that it has a lifetime ‘no-hassle’ warranty. If it does break, ever, I (or whoever owns it by then) will be getting it fixed or replacement parts for free or no more than the cost of posting it back for repair.
This is a very good guarantee, and imo would double the value of any light i.e I would pay around $50 for a Nitecore EA4, but probably around $100 if it had such an unconditional lifetime warranty from a company that can be relied upon. This brings the perceived price of Surefires down to more reasonable levels, although I still wouldn’t pay anything like full UK retail price for any of them.
Conclusion
This is a well-made and well thought out light which is well suited to long term outdoor use where runtimes are important. Output is much more than claimed by Surefire (what where they thinking?!?) and efficiency comparable to many of the latest releases. The warranty is very good to have, and I am happy with it for the price I paid (around £50). However, at £150 RRP in the UK, it is seriously overpriced for most buyers. The fact that it doesn’t fit anything but 2x CR123 cells ( I have Sanyo 16650s on the way), would rule it out for quite a few people too.
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One Q: Due to the higher $, what made you want to buy this one? Thanks.
…and, of course, that would surely void said warranty.