SureFire lights are the industry standard for weaponlights and handheld lights. They are 100% American made and hard to find a fault in their performance. However if you talk to flashlight afficionados SureFire has moved away from the glory of their past.

One of the main attractions to SureFire’s older lights is their modularity. They are colloquially referred to as Legos. You can mix and match heads, bodies and tailcaps. Current flashlight offerings from SureFire are not modular aside from a few models and the Scout Light series. The Scout Light is actually a weapon mountable version of the old SureFire Executive Series of lights aka E-Series lights. It takes all the same heads and tailcaps.

The old 6P flashlights are 1″ diameter bodies whereas the E-Series are 20% narrower at just 0.8″ in diameter.

When the E-Series first came out, they had a tailcap similar in function as the original 6P. It was a twisty style tailcap. It did not have a click for constant on. You press the tailcap and it activated momentary on. If you wanted constant on, you would have to twist the tailcap until the light turned on and stayed on. Untwist to turn the light off. This was the basis for the tactical flashlight. No unintentional constant on. However SureFire quickly gavethe Executive Series lights clicky tailcaps and never offered the older style. While there are some exceptions like the LX2 and A2L Aviator as well as the EB1 with tactical non clicky tailcap there hasn’t been a tactical option for the E-Series sized lights.

Well that has changed. SureFire is making three new lights that harken back to the E-Series origins. First up is the E2T-MV Tactician.

The Tactician has the model number E2T-MV. In the past, E stands for Executive Series and you saw this in the E2E and E2D model numbers. The 2 signifies two cell batteries. Now the MV is a new suffix that means MaxVision. MaxVision is the name SureFire is calling their latest reflector design. Original SureFire lights used a traditional metal reflector with an orange peel texture to shape and focus the beam. When the 6P style lights got LED heads, they still utilized a traditional parabolic style reflector. The E-Series lights actually went through several changes in reflector design. They tried large domed glass reflectors and then the TIR (total internal reflection). Rather than rely on a parabolic shaped dish to bounce and shape the beam, they used a solid piece of plastic where the light beams bounced internally within the plastic reflector to shape the light. Well the MaxVision is a different approach and according to SureFire it is multi faceted.

James Yeager explains the details of the E2T-MV in a video.

Yaeger points out that the tailcap is momentary only but you can twist it for constant on. The pocket clip is robust but single direction as opposed to SureFire’s two way pocket clips design. Interestingly the E2T-MV dual mode is accessed by rotating the head of the light. While I cannot see how this is actually achieved, this is a feature usually seen in other brand flashlights. SureFire has had dual mode switching in their lights but it has traditionally been activated by either activating the tailcap twice, unlocking and rotating the bezel (like on the IR LED heads), or some activation ring like the Kroma series.

The E2T-MV is currently up for pre-order at Tactical Response for only $149.

• Simple push switch (on/off)…”no click” stress proof tactical operation
• Separate switching (twist the tail cap) for constant on.
• POWERFUL 700 lumen beam from L.E.D.
• Beam shape optimized for gunfighting.
• Small body for ease of carry.
• Heavy duty aluminum housing can be used as an impact weapon.
• The most robust pocket clip ever offered by SUREFIRE.
• Runs on 2xCR-123 batteries.
• Lanyard loop capable.
• By unscrewing the head you can have a 7 lumen utility light.

This is not the only new light from SureFire. John Johnston of Ballistic Radio has been working on a light with SureFire.

There are two versions, a single cell and dual cell light.

EDCL-1T is a 1xCR123A 500 Lumens

EDCL-2T is 2xCR123A’s 1,200 lumens.

No intellibeam. Switching designed to give you all the lumens when you want all the lumens.

Both lights are using TIR reflectors as opposed to the E2T-MV using the MaxVision design. The mode switching is very intriguing. John Johnston says it is “gas pedal” so there is no twisting or pressing the tailcap multiple times for different light output. I suspect this will be similar to the LX2, A2L Aviator and tactical EB1 tailcap design. The Kroma tailcaps did the same thing. Half press the tailcap for low light. Press harder and you get full max output. Speaking of output, the numbers on the EDCL lights is rather impressive. 500 lumens on a single lithium CR123 is staggering. Then look at the 2 cell light pumping out 1200 lumens.

The features seen in these three new lights are something we have not seen offered in the Executive Series of lights for a long time. And since they are based on the Executive Series, you can swap these onto existing E-Series or Scout Light bodies. We know the price of the Tactician but we will have to wait and see how much the EDCL lights will be. In the past few years, SureFire has been systematically raising the prices of their lights for output improvement. When the E1B backup first came out, it was under $100. The newest version, the EB1 is 3x brighter and costs $220. LED technology is always evolving and at a fast pace. Because of this rapid progression, updating your lights with more output does not necessarily require a massive increase in price for the light. With the new E1B-MV MSRP at just $149 and the E2T-MV at the same price, we can hope that SureFire is going to continue to price their lights at more affordable prices and stay competitive.