The Surefire Executive E2 is an uncommonly bright, compact tactical style flashlight housed in a durable hard anodized aluminum casing.
The light uses special lithium camera batteries to power a 60 lumen bulb for somewhat over an hour.
Smaller than some penlights, the E2 puts out more light than most 2 D cell flashlights!
The version I have here is the Excecutive E2 with a type 3 hard anodized finish. This is the hardest and most durable finish that can be given to a flashlight.
SIZE:
This flashlight is fairly straightforward to use. To get momentary light, press the rubberized button on the tailcap.
For continuous or hands-free use, twist the tailcap clockwise until you get light, and unscrew it to turn the E2 off.
When you first receive the E2, you will need to install the batteries - see below for that.
Like most incandescents, you will eventually pop a bulb and have to relamp the flashlight.
To do this, unscrew the head until it comes off, and remove the old lamp.
Install a new lamp so the bulb goes into the opening in the head, and screw the head back onto the flashlight body.
The lamp in the E2 burns very hot and operates under high pressure, so do not touch the bulb whether it is hot or cold, as the oils
from your skin will cause the
bulb to break, burn out, or even explode. If you forget about the rules for handling movie projector lamps and handle the E2's bulb by the glass,
clean it with rubbing alcohol & kleenex before installing it into the flashlight.
This E2 came outfitted with a stainless steel clip, affixed to the side of the bezel with a hex-head bolt.
[image 2xDL123A]
The E2 uses a pair of lithium DL123A camera batteries. To install them, unscrew the head and set aside.
Slide in two batteries, button-end facing up, and screw the head snugly back on.
Lithium batteries, especially the larger ones like DL123A's (large in relation to coin cells), are nasty things if you dispose of them wrong or get them wet,
so for heaven's sake please don't flush them down the john or toss them into a trout-filled stream. Use a garbage can instead.
Battery life with the 60 lumen bulb (part # MN03) is rated at 70-75 minutes. If you use a dimmer lamp (a 25 lumen model, part # MN02 is available now), you can extend the battery life to about 150 minutes.
Battery discharge curve when left on continuously.
You may get a bit more time with intermittent use.
The lamp is the higher output MN03 for this test.
The E2 is a tough little guy, to say the least.
It is made from thick aluminum, which is finished with a type 3 hard anodize. The small size of the flashlight also prevents leverage-based fractures that can happen to longer
flashlights, regardless of what they may have been made from.
There is no mention of water resistance in the documentation, but the E2 is sealed on both ends with some pretty beefy O-rings,
so I'm positive it will survive a fall into water without springing a leak. The tailpiece actually has both outer and inner O-rings, a feature I've never seen in a flashlight before. Because it uses lithium batteries, water resistance is an important point, and the flashlight would have to be
designed this way to prevent the "evil white foam of death" from coming to get you after a water landing.
A sturdy hard coated spring steel clip (black finish, in my sample) is attached to the flashlight to allow one to carry it anywhere, clipped into a pocket or belt. It can be removed if desired, using the correct sized allen wrench.
The flashlight body has a deeply textured, knurled finish, making it easy to grip even with wet hands. The rubber button switch is also textured in a similar manner. Nice touch there.
The E2 has a very solid, substantial feel in the hand. There is no wobble in the head to any measureable or tactile degree, and all of its parts
mate together like they came out of the same mould. Flashlights just aren't built any better than this. This is a flashlight I would trust my life to - at least, provided I packed around a spare lamp "just in case". :-)
There are a number of accessories that can be purchased for the E2. Here is a listing of some of them:
Beamshaper F04 $11.00
Red filter F05 $7.00
Blue filter F06 $7.00
SC1 Spares Carrier $14.00. Holder for six 123A size lithium batteries and a replacement lamp assembly in a polymer
water-resistant case. Comes with a lanyard.
(A SC specific to the E-series is possibly due soon.)
Replacement Lamps:
MN03 $13.00 60 lumens for 75 minutes
MN02 $13.00 (newly released, July '02) 25 lumens with a conservative 150 min life rating.
The E2e, standing for Executive Elite, has an upgraded stainless steel pocket clip and a Pyrex lens, plus a lock-out
tailcap.
There are 2 Finishes available:
E2e Satin Gray, price TBA
E2e-HA Type III Hard Anodized. $85.00
The Satin Gray version does not have the Pyrex lens.
The Lexan lens the original E2 and Satin E2e are outfitted with has an 88% transmissivity, while the anti-reflective (AR-coated) Pyrex lens has a transmissivity of about 95%. So you'll get a brightness increase you should be able to actually see.
The E2 is one of those flashlights that can just about start a fire on my test target it's so bright.
Actually, when the beam was focused with a short focal length lens, it was strong enough to ignite tobacco.
Comparing the E2 with the Brinkmann Legend LX. The LX is a hair brighter, but the E2 has a better quality, more consistent beam.
Spectrographic analysis of the bulb in this flashlight.
USB2000 spectrometer graciously donated by P.L.
TEST NOTES:
The test sample of this expensive instrument was graciously provided by a website visitor, and was shipped out by Arizona Gunrunners.
UPDATE 11-09-01:
Test unit was just received late in the day on 11-09-01.
An LED retrofit lamp assembly is available for the E2, made by a private party who has no affiliation whatsoever with Surefire. See my writeup on an earlier, loaner sample of the E2 which came outfitted with this lamp. Pay attention primarily to the LED retrofit part, and ignore the info about the flashlight itself - all the good stuff about that is right here on this page. :)
To obtain more info specific to the LED retrofit lamp, read this topic on Candlepower Forums.
Remember, it is a third party retrofit or accessory, and does NOT come with the E2.
UPDATE 12-30-01:
Measurements have been taking using the ProMetric system. Below you will find the charts it made.
Cross-section analysis.
Beam contour analysis.
Data provided by the ProMetric System, on loan from Radiant Imaging.
UPDATE: 04-29-05
SureFire has confirmed that all current SureFire lights should be waterproof to about 33 feet/10 meters. Some evaluations were posted before Surefire made the affirmation that their lights were watertight to 1 atmosphere depth. Any new SureFire lights you purchase now should be considered waterproof to 33' (10M).
PROS:
Blindingly bright for its size
Compact
Extremely durable
Easy to grip & use even in foul conditions
Lithium cells give very long shelf life (won't die in your flashlight drawer).
Light output remains more constant throughout duration of battery life.
CONS:
Very short battery life when compared with other incandescents
Batteries can be expensive unless you really shop around. They're $14.00 apiece locally, but you should be able to find them for $2.50 or less apiece if you shop around.
MANUFACTURER: SureFire
PRODUCT TYPE: Miniature lithium tactical torch
LAMP TYPE: Halogen, wattage as of yet unknown
No. OF LAMPS: 1
BEAM TYPE: Medium flood with soft but short fall-off area. Wide corona.
SWITCH TYPE: Rotary tailcap on/off, momentary push tailcap button
BEZEL: Stippled (orange peel) reflector, clear plastic lens.
BATTERY: 2 DL123A (CR123A) lithium
CURRENT CONSUMPTION: 1.076 amps with MN03 lamp
WATER RESISTANT: Yes
SUBMERSIBLE: To be determined
ACCESSORIES: Surefire CR123A batteries
WARRANTY: Lifetime, except batteries & bulbs
SIZE: 4.5" long by 1.1" wide (at bezel) 0.8" wide (at barrel)
WEIGHT: 2.1 ounces empty, 3.2 ounces fully loaded
Do you manufacture or sell an LED flashlight, task light, utility light, or module of some kind?
Want to see it tested by a real person, under real working conditions? Do you then want to see how your light did? If you have a sample available for this type of
real-world, real-time testing, please contact me at ledmuseum@gmail.com.
Unsolicited flashlights appearing in the mail are welcome, and it will automatically be assumed that you sent it in order to have it tested and evaluated for this site.
Be sure to include contact info or your company website's URL so visitors here will know where to purchase your product.
[image 2xDL123A]
