BORELLI CONSULTING: Tactical Equipment Reviews

SureFire LEDs
By: Frank Borelli, 9 May 2005

At one time, the world of illumination tools depended on incandescent or filament bulbs. SureFire led the way in developing usable combat lights: lights that produced enough light to identify and engage targets in a mixture of carrying / mounting options. The challenge faced with filament bulbs was that no matter how well you shock-isolated them, they were still prone to breaking. Any sharp impact could do it at the least opportune moment. Recoil usually produces just that type of sharp impact...

Welcome to the new age: Light emitting diodes, or LEDs, are much harder to break. When LEDs were first used, the challenge wasn't keeping them from breaking; the challenge was getting usable light out of them without overheating them. The balance had to be found between pushing enough power to get the LED bright enough for use while managing the power in such a way as to prevent the LEDs from overheating and shutting down or burning out. SureFire has found a method to do exactly that and this week we're going to look at some of their LED lights.

SureFire was kind enough to provide me with three LED flashlights for this review: the L1, L2 and L7. Now, anyone who is familiar with SureFire products knows that the numbers in the model number usually denotes how many batteries the light takes. Obviously, the L7 doesn't take 7 batteries. The L7 is a rechargeable model that uses the SureFire B90 batteries. We'll look more at that in a minute.

The L1 and L2 are as you'd expect them to be: personal flashlights that use one and two cells respectively. However, the actual size of the lights is not what you'd expect given the number of batteries each uses - especially if you're familiar with SureFire's line of incandescent lamp personal lights. Due to the circuitry that is required to moderate the flow of power to the LED, the length of the LED flashlights is noticeably greater than that of the incandescents. How much longer? Take a look at the following pictures and you'll see what I mean.

The L1 (LED) on top versus the E1e (incandescent) on the bottom. Both use one battery.

The L2 (LED) above the E2e with SureFire's Scout LED on the bottom. Again, note the longer body of the L2 versus the E2. That extra length is circuitry.

Now, this is not a negative comment about SureFire, or any other LED flashlight manufacturer. Using LEDs, as I mentioned earlier, presents a few unique challenges - especially if you want to get usable levels of light out of them. Additionally, SureFire has equipped the L1 and L2 with a two-stage end-cap switch that allows the user to get two different levels of light out of each light. We'll get into those particulars as we go.

So, recognizing that the additional circuitry (and accompanying size) is required to manage power flow, we must also recognize that the additional capability of a two-stage switch also requires extra size. The end-cap switch on the LEDs is a little longer than those of the comparible incandescents. To me, the additional size is not an issue. I'll happily take a little extra length if it adds to the versatility of my illumination tool. Putting that added versatility into an LED light that provides longer run times makes me even happier. Let's take a look at light output and run times.

Beginning with the smallest, we find the L1 using an optically focused light (that means the lens focuses the light instead of a reflector behind the lens) the L1 produces two different levels of light. They are:
Low beam = 1.1 lumens maximum output for 90 hours, and
High beam = 22 lumens maximum output for 4 hours.

From a one-cell light that is easily carried in a pocket, those run times are pretty good. Yes, they are what you'd expect from an LED driven illumination tool, but I can't help comparing them to the run times for SureFire's incandescent line: the E1e won't even give you one hour of full power light, and when it dies it dies. To get four hours of high output light from a single-cell flashlight is darned good.

The L1 is just over 4.5" long and weighs less than 3 ounces. Like all of SureFire's personal flashlights, the L1 comes equipped with a removable steel pocket clip, lanyard ring around the tailcap switch and lockout capable tailcap. What's that? If you back the tailcap off enough, pushing the button won't activate the light anymore. With the LEDs I noticed that the amount you have to back it off is more than with the incandescents, but I believe that's a result of the two-stage switch more than the LED design. It's also possible to back the tailcap off just enough so that no matter how hard you push the switch it only gives you the "low beam" light.

Speaking of that, I wouldn't recommend either of these lights for tactical work unless you train with them a lot. If you want to make use of the two-stage switch in operational settings, you'd better be able to push softly when you're under stress. That will take practice and self-control. That's not to say that the lights aren't good for this type of work: but the operator has to be capable as well. If you're going to use the light, put yourself under some stress and practice with it. Over-pushing the button is easy when you're breathing hard or in a hurry.

I should mention that you can get the L1 with different color LEDs as well. The L1 is available in White, Red, Blue or Green. Given the level of light output and length of runtime available, I can see the Red L1 becoming a pilot's favorite light.

Moving on, the L2 is just over 6" long and weighs a little more than 4 ounces. The light output is very different from the L1.
Low beam = 15 lumens maximum output for 18 hours, and
High beam = 100 lumens maximum for 1 hour.

Looking at those numbers it's easy to see that SureFire intended the L2 to serve a more aggressive defensive / offensive purpose. While the L1 would serve well for walking navigation and searching for stuff in your trunk, the L2 puts out enough light to affect someone's behavior if you shine it into their eyes, and it is enough to identify targets out to 15 yards or so.

That leaves us with the L7. I was surprised when I started checking into the published data on the L7 because it shows a lower maximum light output than the L2. It took me a minute to figure out why. Two reasons strike me:
1) It's a rechargeable system, and
2) The light is more likely to be needed for short high-intensity operational encounters rather than the intended (potentially longer) personal defense encounters.

The SureFire L7 is available in Black or OD. It comes with both a car charger and a house/office charger.

The published data says that the L7 produces 75 lumens of light for one hour followed by a reduced ("moderate") level of light for another 30 minutes with another hour of "minimal" light output. The L7 is almost 8" long and weighs about 12 ounces with the battery in place. When I received my L7 from SureFire for testing I was immediately impressed with two things:
1) The recharging system was set up for both home/office and vehicle charging. Some manufacturers only include one or the other in their rechargeable flashlight kits forcing you to purchase the other one as an additional expense.
2) It came with two batteries. That means I can always have one in the light and a fully charged backup.

And just because I've been trained this way, if I go through both batteries in the L7, I'll have another light to use. "Two is one; one is none" is a statement many of us have heard either from instructors or in the movies (it inevitably gets said in any movie about Navy SEALs). Where light is concerned, especially for cops and soldiers, it's a good thing to remember. Soldiers hunt deadly prey at night. More than 80% of police shootings occur during conditions of reduced light. Taking light with you into these situations is a good thing.

OK: so retail prices:
The L1 retails for $125.
The L2 retails for $165.
The L7 retails for $205.

When I first started playing with LED lights I wondered if they were worth the initial investment. Then I considered how many incandescent lamps I've replaced in my other lights, and how many batteries I've replaced, and I realized that if the LED lasts the life of the flashlight and the run times are so much longer that they offset the price of batteries, I've actually saved money with the LED driven light.

In future reviews look for information on the SureFire Scout (pictured above) and the SureFire U2 Ultra. The Scout is specifically designed to be mounted on a shoulder fired weapon, while the Ultra offers an even greater variety in selectable levesl of light output.

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