I’m a simple guy who likes simple things. Some might even call me a simpleton. As such, this light from SureFire really appeals to me! Why? It’s simple to operate and it also covers a few different roles in the realm of lights. If you’d like to see which roles it can fill, read on!
A SureFire Way
Back in 1969, Dr. John Matthews had the foresight to know that lasers would play a big role in our future. He founded the Newport Corporation to develop lasers for industrial applications. The business flourished.
Having a passion for firearms, Dr. Matthews decided to combine his knowledge of lasers with his love of firearms. He began experimenting with lasers mounted on weapons, with the idea of helping military and law enforcement with his creations. In 1979, he designed and patented the first commercially available laser sight for a firearm.
The early sight was huge and unwieldy, but refinements would be forthcoming. The new company producing these laser sights was called Laser Products, which would later evolve into the company that we now know as SureFire.
SureFire has sure come a long way. They now offer lights, suppressors, batteries, pens, earplugs, rifle magazines, and other goodies. Best of all, every product is designed and made in America with American materials.
Dependability
For decades, people who know have been depending on SureFire lights and products in places that are less than hospitable. Both law enforcement and military operators trust SureFire. This sounds like a television infomercial, but it is the truth. When I was an operator on a tactical team, we were issued SureFire 6P tactical lights. Those lights went through so much abuse, it was unbelievable. Operating in inhospitable environments, including a prison, was a real test for those lights. My SureFire light never let me down.
SureFire lights have been used everywhere in the world by everyone from citizens up to Navy SEALs. When the SEALs depend on a piece of gear, people tend to pay attention. To put it bluntly, I don’t know of a higher-quality light than SureFire puts out.
Different Classes
Lights fall into a couple of general classes that we commonly use. I’ll generalize a few of the classes here.
Weapon Lights
These are lights that mount on weapons and allow us to identify and engage targets. They invariably throw a high volume of lumens and can blind potential threats. A far reach is desirable, as well as a wide throw to detect threats at close range in our periphery.
Tactical Lights
These are hand-held lights, also with a high volume of lumens, for use in hostile environments. They allow target identification and can also blind potential threats. Not only is a beam that reaches out important, but we also want a wide throw to see threats in the periphery at close quarters.
EDC
Every Day Carry. These are the lights that we carry to cover everyday, mundane tasks. They’re not necessarily “tactical,” in that we use them for common tasks such as looking for the keys that we dropped in the dark parking lot, walking along darkened paths, and other such uses that are typically not life-and-death tasks. Lights in this category don’t have to have ultra-high output. In fact, it’s better that they don’t, because high output means that lights eat through batteries more quickly, which cuts down on longevity. So a lower-output light is often preferable for this task.
SureFire EDCL2-T
The EDCL2-T falls into a couple of the above categories above, which really turns me on. I’ll get into details about that shortly. Meanwhile, let’s take a look at the specifications for this light.
Spec Sheet
- Output: 1200 lumens with one hour of run time. Five lumens with 60 hours of run time.
- Distance: 210 meters.
- Construction: Aluminum.
- Finish: Hard anodized (MIL-A-8625 Type III Class II).
- Weight with batteries: 4.7 ounces.
- Length: 5.93 inches.
- Bezel diameter: 1.125 inches.
- Batteries: Two CR 123A (included with light).
- Switch: Dual stage tail cap.
- Waterproof to IPX7 standards.
SureFire offers a solid warranty. Not that you’re likely to need it, but just in case, it is there. And they do stand behind their products, I can tell you that firsthand. They’re great people to deal with.
Dual Output
This is one of the aspects that I adore about this light. It’s dual output. Per the specs above, it has a 5-lumen output for mundane EDC tasks. A set of batteries will give the user 60 hours of use if this low setting is used. That’s quite a bit of run time, which I like! And honestly, I use the 5-lumen setting quite a bit, since I don’t need to unleash the sun very often. For navigating around the house, that five lumens is just right and doesn’t ruin my night vision.
If more light is desired, you can unleash that sun with 1,200 lumens. Needless to say, it is bright! This setting reaches out a couple of hundred yards to illuminate and identify objects or threats.
Just as importantly, it has a very wide throw, which illuminates the area all around the light. For detecting threats and other objects in the periphery, this is a great feature. SureFire has really achieved a nice balance of distance and throw with their lights these days, covering both near and far bases.
SureFire achieves this level of light output with its Total Internal Reflection (TIR) lens, which helps the light reach out to the distance that it does.
The Switch
How does one access these two light output levels? By the tail switch, which is of the two-stage variety. A light press nets the user five lumens. Press a little harder and you get 1,200 lumens. It’s incredibly simple, easy, and fast!
If something happens where the user has to drop the light, it immediately goes out. Why would we drop our light? Let’s say we’re searching our house because we suspect a bad person has entered it. As we search with our handheld light, we see the threat. We drop that hand-held light (because we’re not searching with our weapon light) and immediately transition to the weapon light.
The switch also has a safety feature—if it’s rotated counterclockwise far enough, the light cannot be accidentally turned on.
If it’s rotated all the way clockwise, the light will remain on.
Covering The Bases
The SureFire EDCL2-T effectively covers two of the bases mentioned above: EDC and Tactical.
The 5-lumen setting allows it to function as an EDC light with a super-long run time. Navigating around using five lumens will not kill one’s night vision, but allows enough light to see at very close distances.
The 1,200 lumens lends itself well to tactical use, blinding attackers and lighting them up at considerable distance with aplomb. I love gear that serves a couple of different functions, so this light makes me happy. On top of it all, we get that extreme durability that SureFire always delivers.
Grip
The body and tail cap of the light are knurled so the user can attain a positive purchase on the light. The knurling reduces the chances of the user’s hand slipping and is nicely done. I think it also adds a certain aesthetic appeal to the light.
As well, there is a lanyard attachment point at the base of the grip. The lanyard is a nice option, since it will allow the light to be dropped but still retained around the wrist should the user need it.
Clip
The spring steel clip is rugged and allows the light to be carried either bezel up or down in the pocket. It’s definitely a nice addition to the light. When carried bezel down, the light carries lower in the pocket, which makes it more concealable and out of the way.
The Size
I’ve listed the weight and length of the light, but dry figures rarely mean very much. How does the light carry?
For an EDC light, it’s about as large as I’d like to carry. Any larger would be excessive to carry in the pocket. This is definitely one of the longer lights, since it uses two CR 123A batteries. This allows it to attain that extra power and run time but comes at the cost of taking up some pocket space.
For just an EDC light, a smaller selection would be more comfortable to carry. But since this one can be used as EDC and Tactical, the extra size can be well justified.
One benefit of this slightly larger size is that it can be very efficient as a less lethal striking device. The light’s durability makes using it as a defensive striking device realistic. There aren’t any radical, sharpened crenellations on the bezel that scream, “Weapon!”—which is a good thing, in my mind. This fact will help the light to pass through security checkpoints better because it’s less likely to be perceived as a weapon.
The Verdict
All the attributes of this light such as the dual outputs, durability, power, versatility, and range make it a winner. SureFire’s customer service, not to mention their experience, also stands behind this product. I highly recommend the SureFire EDCL2-T light to cover the bases that you might need.
The price of $179 is a fair one for the SureFire EDCL2-T, considering the excellent quality that the user receives. I highly recommend it!
