I have tried a lot of flashlights in different environments. Since these things are not cheap I'd like to share my experiences to help others who may be searching for a good flashlight. I am not a flashlight guru or physicist. This is merely meant to be a recommendation of a few lights that I have found to stand out from the crowd. If you really want to learn a lot about them, check out www.candlepowerforums.com. That site has a great wealth of knowledge.
For the past couple of years I've pretty much stuck to Surefire lights. I assumed them to be the best in the industry because I heard about them most and the ones I've owned were outstanding. Recently however, I took a chance and tried some other brands and I'm really glad I did. Surefires are great but they are certainly not the only choice for a terrific light. I'll get into specifics below.
First Light USA Tomahawk Series
I saw these advertised in a gun magazine. While I found the design intriguing, the price scared me away. The MSRPs range from $160-230 depending on options and I try to keep the flashlight purchases around $120. After some patient searching, I acquired a specimen of the GP and MC for about $100 each on eBay. The GP is their bottom-tier light with a single white LED that has 3 brightness levels. The MC has a single white LED and a set of 12 LEDs around the main emitter. This ring contains LEDs of two colors (red/green or red/blue), 6 LEDs per color. The colors alternate around the ring. My sample has red/blue LEDs. Both colors can be activated at once to produce a purple beam in the case of a red/blue model. One of the lights included the First Light Tactical Retention System (TRS) belt clip which sells for about $30. I was really surprised to get these for so little. The lights were in perfect condition and turned out to be a great purchase. Good:
I really like the main white beams on these lights. They are very smooth and artifact free, something I don't see with a lot of lights having smooth reflectors. Usually lights with orange peel textured reflectors have smoother beams in my experience. With the exception of the U2, especially the newer emitter version, the Tomahawk's main beam is much smoother than Surfire lights I have tried. The spill light is very useful. While the beam gradient is smooth, it can still light up objects at a good distance.
The control panel is easy to use and very effective. Once you learn the user interface it's very simple and effective. It gives the user instant access to any of the 3 brightness settings. Changing colors on the MC model was the only thing I couldn't figure out without instructions. It can also be locked quickly and easily. You can spend 2 minutes with this light and know how to use it.
This light is constructed very solidly.
The belt clip and finger loop are useful, though the clip is not great (see below)
The TRS belt clip is both very well thought out and constructed.
Bad:
This light is very bulky. It fits well in the hand but does not carry easily.
- The metal belt clip is very solid but contoured to fit well on M.O.L.L.E. gear. It's a real pain to clip the light on to a belt, especially wider ones.
The TRS system is nice but the light really sticks out too far from the waist. When I wore it I was constantly knocking it into things.
On my GP specimen the beam seems to point slightly to the right when the body is pointed straight ahead. It's only a minor issue that most people probably wouldn't notice but should not occur on a light this expensive.
Conclusion:
This is not an "every day carry" (EDC) light due to its bulk, at least not to carry on your belt in civilian attire. If you're in a tactical environment with lots of gear (like a military deployment) or want something for a backpack or vehicle it would be great. I keep the MC in the bag I carry daily. The quality construction and nice beam make this light worth the money I paid for it ($100) but I wouldn't pay the retail since it's too big to carry in a pocket. I use it often while walking my dogs because the finger loop lets my release my grip on the light to manipulate leashes and the scooper.
- Still own it: Yes & no
- Why: I kept the MC model because I love it's versatility but I couldn't justify the GP and sold it.
Inova X0
Inova 24/7
Nite Ize Accessories for Maglite
Novatac EDC 120P
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 in civilian clothes.
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
most 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 most Surefire beams,
except the U2.
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:
This light is very bulky. It fits well in the hand but does not carry easily.
- The metal belt clip is
very solid but contoured to fit well on M.O.L.L.E. gear. It's a real
pain to clip the light on to a belt, especially wider ones.
The TRS system is
nice but the light really sticks out too far from the waist. When I wore
it I was constantly knocking it into things.
On
my GP specimen the beam seems to point slightly to the right when the
body is pointed straight ahead. It's only a minor issue that most people
probably wouldn't notice but should not occur on a light this
expensive.
Conclusion:
This
is not an "every day carry" (EDC) light due to its bulk, at least not
to carry on your belt in civilian attire. If you're in a tactical
environment with lots of gear (like a military deployment) or want
something for a backpack or vehicle it would be great. I keep the MC in
the bag I carry daily. The quality construction and nice beam make this
light worth the money I paid for it ($100) but I wouldn't pay the retail
since it's too big to carry in a pocket. I use it often while walking
my dogs because the finger loop lets my release my grip on the light to
manipulate leashes and the scooper.
- Still own it: Yes & no
- Why: I kept the MC model because I love it's versatility but I couldn't justify the GP and sold it.
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 in civilian clothes. 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 most 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 most Surefire beams, except the U2.
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.
- You have to turn the tail cap down VERY hard to keep the belt clip in one place and get the light to work.
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
Surefire C2 Centurion with Malkoff M60 LED Module
Surefire E1B Backup
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 vacation (March 2009). While no one wants to lose anything this expensive it did have a positive ending. I bought the Novatac 120P to replace it and really like it. I found another E1B on eBay for $110 (March 2011) and decided to replace the one I lost. I don't know why because the Novatac has worked well for me but I just wanted to give the E1B another shot. It is nice to have a EDC backup though.
Good:
I like the dual output beam. I used the low setting a lot more than high because is saved battery power and low is all I usually needed. The high beam could really light things up at a distance but it didn't have a lot of useful spill light.
The bezel-down clip is great but not perfect. It did allow the light to be carried deep in a pocket without the head sticking out.
This light has a "melted" finish with no hard knurling. It's easy on clothing.
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. 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 with my first specimen. We'll see how the new one does.
Conslusion:
The E1b is a good light but for the price there are other 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. I'll compare my new E1B over time side-by-side with the Novatac.
Surefire E1e Executive Elite with KX1 LED Head
Surefire L1 Digital Lumamax (6th Generation)
This page was last modified on 27 Nov 2011 12:35