SureFire EB1 Backup 200 Lumen Flashlight

[Sean]

I just bought another EB1 tactical and was in for a surprise:

The electronics in the head are now different.

My first EB1 with serial number A04813 won't run with LiFePO4 cells until they are almost empty but runs well on IMRs. Furthermore it has the "pre flash" issue and sometimes doesn't go on when I repeatedly press for momentary on. It also has a slightly frosted lens and a hotspot which sort of blends into the surrounding beam. I can also put this head on my E1B body and with the clicky tail cap it works like the E1B.

My new EB1 with serial number A11850 runs perfectly on fully charged LiFePO4 cells. It doesn't have any issues when strobing manually and to my surprise it has only 1 level on my E1B body! Furthermore it has a perfectly clear lens and a very well-defined hotspot which is larger than on my older EB1.



So obviously the electronics have been changed in the new EB1 and now the head works like the LX2 head. It would be interesting to see runtime charts with the new head but I'm not equipped to perform such a test.

I like both EB1s and am not even sure which I like more as I'm not in the habit of strobing manually, so functionally the old EB1 was perfect and I quite like the possibility of using the head on an E1B body with clicky. On the new one I like the LiFePO4 compatibility.

This information might be important for someone thinking of buying the EB1 with the idea of using the head on an E1B.

Where did you get the newer EB1T from? Does anyone know who is carrying the newer version?
I just bought one and it's the older version. The only issue I have with it is that it won't work with fully charged LiFePO4 cells. I really like the beam. But I'm wondering what the beam without the diffusion film looks like. Could you take a side by side comparison shot?

 

[Sean]

Doing some more testing, it seems my EB1T will work with fully or almost fully charged LiFePO4 cells if I screw the tailcap down to constant on. But if I try to reach high by pressing the tailcap all the way down it won't work. This seems odd. I can't quite figure this out. Anyone else try this? After doing this a few times it seems to start working normally (probably because the voltage has dropped enough) but I have one cell that just refuses to give me high output in the EB1T even though it has been run down quite a bit more than others I have tried.

Tried another test, put a cell fresh off the charger into the EB1T and it didn't work on high, tightened it down and still not high. Put it in my E2DL body with a battery spacer & EB1T head and it works on high, no problem and switches between high & low no problem. This is strange. If the head is programmed to not allow this high of voltage then why does it allow this voltage on the E2DL body & tailcap? Must be a combination of the tactical tailcap and head.

 

[tonywalker23]

Just got my brand new eb1t in the mail today

Same old firmware that my old one had that I sold to buy this one… bought it from la police. I was hoping to get one with the bugs worked out.

 

[Sean]

Just got my brand new eb1t in the mail today

Same old firmware that my old one had that I sold to buy this one… bought it from la police. I was hoping to get one with the bugs worked out.

That's also where I got mine. What's your serial number? Mine is under 5,000. I've found them to carry older stock on lights as if no one buys from them much? Or maybe they bought a huge lot of them when they first came out? Not sure.

Just have Surefire fix it.

 

[tonywalker23]

I've already boxed it up but the number was 4000 something.

I had an eb1 a while back. I tried to get Surefire to fix it and they wouldn't. I told them what was going and an they said I didn't need to worry about it my light was normal. When I told him many people on cpf talk a out the problem he said he'd never heard of it. I tried to explain to him again and he have another ignorant/dishonest answer.

 

[tonywalker23]

As far as la police having older stock… the e1la came with a one way clip instead of a two way. Arm880 had the same problem with his light like that. Think it was due to initial stock. Guess that means la police still is trying to sell their first batch?

 

[Sean]

I've already boxed it up but the number was 4000 something.

I had an eb1 a while back. I tried to get Surefire to fix it and they wouldn't. I told them what was going and an they said I didn't need to worry about it my light was normal. When I told him many people on cpf talk a out the problem he said he'd never heard of it. I tried to explain to him again and he have another ignorant/dishonest answer.

My concern is simple. The EB1T doesn't work with Surefire's own rechargeables. But apparently the newer version does. So they are aware of the problem and have fixed it.

 

[Sean]

As far as la police having older stock… the e1la came with a one way clip instead of a two way. Arm880 had the same problem with his light like that. Think it was due to initial stock. Guess that means la police still is trying to sell their first batch?

Well that's nice to know. I've got one on the way from them. We will see when it shows up.

 

[Robin24k]

I've already boxed it up but the number was 4000 something.

4000-series is quite old. The EB1's that I got in March 2013 were in the 6000-series.

 

[tonywalker23]

I got an email today. (Surefire is sending me a two way clip for the outdoorsman so that's out of the way). La police said they were sorry for sending me an old product. They said they would send me a ups sticker and give me a refund or exchange although they couldn't promise I'd get a new one like I want due to their mixed stock.

I sent another email saying if I can talk to whoever pulls it from stock I can tell them what to look for (clear lens instead of frosted, that's right isn't it?) but they haven't responded.

I know I could just refund it and buy one from somewhere else but I got a discount code that makes the light about $130 which is hard to beat.

 

[Robin24k]

They won't be able to pull lights out of the box for you. You'll need to find a higher-volume retailer, or buy direct from SureFire.

 

[tongkang]

Got a chance play with new EB1 Clicky at my local place and found the beam profile more floody than mine,hotspot also bigger and I'm sure i will find it less lux in further distance...all I can say is not cool,if I'm not mistaken the head been screwed further down compare to my EB1,the lens also crystal clear...maybe that should cost the floody beam?

 

[Sean]

I got an email today. (Surefire is sending me a two way clip for the outdoorsman so that's out of the way). La police said they were sorry for sending me an old product. They said they would send me a ups sticker and give me a refund or exchange although they couldn't promise I'd get a new one like I want due to their mixed stock.

I sent another email saying if I can talk to whoever pulls it from stock I can tell them what to look for (clear lens instead of frosted, that's right isn't it?) but they haven't responded.

I know I could just refund it and buy one from somewhere else but I got a discount code that makes the light about $130 which is hard to beat.

How's the tint on your E1L-A?

 

[tonywalker23]

I shined all three on the wall in low. The defender was whitest. The backup was in the middle. The outdoorsman was the greenest.

But it wasn't anything terrible.

 

[BillSWPA]

If there is a good way to determine which lights have the new firmware, it would seem that it could turn a problem into an opportunity. While I certainly prefer the newer version, other participants in other threads have expressed a preference for the old version. Separate out the old versions, list them separately on the seller's website, and perhaps offer a discount on the older version. Advertise that this was done over in the marketplace and here.

That could be a win-win for everyone. Customers know they are getting the light they want. Dealers don't have to worry about customers getting the old version, complaining, and returning it. People who cannot afford or perhaps do not want to pay typical Surefire prices can get the older light at a discount, will full knowledge of what they are buying and why it is discounted. Perhaps some of them would come to appreciate Surefire lights and purchase others.

 

[Sean]

I don't know if anyone else is aware of this or if I missed this somewhere but if you switch the heads on the E1L-A and EB1 (early version) that the EB1 head will work on the E1L body with clickie tailcap (we already knew this) but what I didn't know is that the KE1 head works on the EB1 body with tactical switch. Press for low, press all the way for 90 lumen high. Thought that was pretty cool. The only problem is if you give a full press it only comes on low. You have to press for low and then hesitate for a second and then press all the way for high.

Also, I tested the output of the EB1, it's closer to 250 lumens at startup. I then tested the E1L-A. Output at turn on was about 92-95 lumens until stepdown (after 2 minutes) to 70 lumens. (according to my setup)

 

[270winchester]

EB1 (early version) ...
Also, I tested the output of the EB1, it's closer to 250 lumens at startup. I then tested the E1L-A. Output at turn on was about 95 lumens until stepdown (after a 2 minutes) to 70 lumens. (according to my setup)

Good to know. So the initial output is higher than the advertised 200 for even the early versions. Thank you.

 

[Sean]

Good to know. So the initial output is higher than the advertised 200 for even the early versions. Thank you.

It does make sense looking at run time charts of the EB1 and remembering that my LX2 and older E2DL both put out about 250 lumens as well.

 

[AznDragon567]

Is there a way to tell if you have the old EB1 vs new EB1?

model numbers > 6000 = New version of EB1?

 

[Robin24k]

Possibly, but definately not 6000 because that range was manufactured before March 2013.

If the serial number is on the head, rather than the body, it's definately new.