• This is another flashlight I got at a discount. The MSRP on a this one is $189 but you can find them for about $160. I stumbled upon mine on a knife forum for $113. It was brand new in the box but the guy just didn't want it. I found the Novatac lights interesting but didn't consider buying one until I lost the Surefire E1b that did serve as my EDC light. This one is my favorite flashlight and now serves as my EDC light; it's always with me.
• Good:
• The beam on this light is flawless. It has a fantasticly smooth gradient with no rings or artifacts. That means that the center hot spot fades gradually into the spill light and the entire beam, from center to edge, is useful. None of the Surefire lights I've owned come near to this quality of beam. The Novatac reflector has an orange peel texture while the Surefire reflectors are smooth; this may account for the smooth beam. Although, the First Light USA Tomahawk GP has a smooth reflector and its beam gradient is also much smoother than the Surefires'.
• The clip points the bezel (head) of the flashlight down into your pocket when being carried. The clip is also close enough to one end that most of the flashlight is in the pocket. Why does Surefire not equip thier lights with a clip like this? They could at least offer it as an accessory option. The clip on Surefires points the flashlight bezel up and leaves it protruding out of your pocket; it's very inconvenient. They do offer the E1b Backup and Kroma with bezel-down clips. The E1b makes a great EDC light but the Kroma is too big to carry in a pants pocket.
• This light is small for its output. Surefire's smallest light is the E1e Executive, which has a very low output and an incandescent head. The Novatac 120P and Surefire E1e are about the same size but the 120P completely blows the E1e away in every aspect. Once you put an LED head on the E1e (making in an E1l) it's now larger than the Novatac and still not as good.
• This light is programmable. It's the only one I've ever messed with that has this function. There are 4 user-defined settings that are accessible through a series of "clicks" and "presses" of the light's button. There are 21 different brightness settings (.3-120 lumens) and 3 strobe effects to choose from. The light has other features the user can turn on/off like automatic power down. I believe there are 9 different settings but I haven't really messed with them.
• It's got a very solid construction.
• Bad:
• Honestly I don't have a lot to say here. There is a drawback to the nice smooth beam; the 120P beam doesn't reach quite as far as lights with a brighter center and dimmer spill light. This is actually an advantage indoors since you can light up more area but outdoors you don't have quite the range of some other lights. Don't get me wrong, this light is no slouch outdoors; I always have it with me and use it often both inside and outside.
• The user interface takes a little time to learn. If you mess with it for 30 minutes or so it's no problem and it becomes second nature.
• I wish the clip were attached some other way. You have to take off the endcap and its o-ring to install the clip. However, once it's installed the setup is very sturdy.
• Conclusion:
• I highly recommend this light. As I stated earlier, I like to keep flashlight purchases below $120 so I wouldn't pay MSRP. However, after owning one I may fork out the dough if I ever need to replace mine. If you can afford a 120P I doubt you'll be disappointed with your purchase. I recommend this one over any Surefire I've tried, especially for an EDC light.

Surefire 6P and 6P LED

• This was the first flashlight that cost me over $100. Before my E1b I did not carry a light all the time but often found myself needing one. I bought it specifically for an EDC light and it was the bezel-down clip that really turned me onto it. I got mine for $110 but the MSRP is now $150. You can find them for $120-130 if you look and check eBay. I carried this thing for about 18 months and even used it in Iraq before losing it on an airplane during a recent vacation. While no one wants to lose anything this expensive it did have a positive ending. I bought the Novatac 120P to replace it and like the 120P a whole lot more.

• Bad:
• The clip has a serious flaw. Only gravity holds this thing in place unless you are clipping the light to a belt or thick clothing material. Check out the photos below to see a close up of the clip. That's how I lost my light. I was wearing thin pants and the light slipped out of my pocket at some point while I was sitting. For months I meant to put some heat shrink on the clip to lessen its gap but never got around to it. My procrastination cost me $110. The light would often fall out when I took something out of my pocket too.
• The finish isn't very durable. I dropped this light a lot and every collision left a scar. The Surefires I own with a green finish don't seem to mar so easily.
• Battery life on this light was not impressive. I put a KX1 LED head on my Surefire E1e body which made it very comparable to the E1b. Both offered dual output and although on paper the E1b was brighter, a side-by-side beam comparison showed little difference. The KX1 light got much better battery life. Also, every time I dropped the E1b it would not put out a high beam anymore. I had to replace the battery to get dual beam function back. The battery age did not seem to matter. It was very strange and I have no guess as to the cause. Removing and replacing the same battery did not work; it had to be a new battery. This happened at least 3 times.
• Conslusion:
•  The E1b is a good light but for the price there are better options, such as the Novatac 120P. I actually used my E1e/KX1 setup a lot more than the E1b in Iraq due to the increased battery life. I bought a lanyard and carried it around my neck. When I lost my E1b I chose to replace it with something else (Novatac 120P) and don't regret it.