I first saw this lil' guy at Shotshow 2008 and ever since I've been wanting one. The original intent was for everyday carry for undercover police officers or as a backup light for those who already carry a big boy flashlight. It is only 4 inches long and uses 1 CR123 battery yet is still able to produce 80 lumens for 1.3 hours or 5 lumens in its low setting for 37 hours. They call the exterior shape "melted" styling which generally means it was created with as few snag points as possible. The body and clip are specifically made to be easy on your clothing, while still having a decent grip. I remembered hearing that the clip was reversible and one could mount the E1B bezel up or down, thus felt stupid when I could not figure out how to do bezel up . After some futile attempts to move the clip, I found out one still uses the clip as is, however they use the slot that the space between the clip and body makes. An example of this can be seen on my hat mounted picture.
When first turned on the E1B defaults to tactical high-power. If engaged again in under about 1.5 seconds, the light goes into low power mode. This way you can still blind someone in a low light situation, yet also be able to put it in a low power good for reading maps with. The main tailcap button can be half pressed to engage as long as button is held or full press till clicked to toggle the light into constant on/off mode. The tailcap can be slightly turned off to put the light in a safe off mode to make sure the batteries are not accidentally drained. As usual with many surefire products, the E1B is made with highly durable materials ready to take abuse and keep on going.
To compare the E1B to a somewhat similar product I got out my Novatac 120T. The 120T is shorter, but has more thickness and is definitely not made to be easy on the pants. When it comes to the classic dark wall test, the E1B appears to have more throw with a hotspot while the 120 is a little more diffused. I did wish the E1B had the strobe feature of the 120T, but that perhaps would have made the usage interface more difficult for the intended design demographic.
Overall I think the E1B is as rad as I thought it would be. I have been carrying it everyday as my general purpose light and the small size makes it quite easy to always have around. The run time isn't quite enough to go on a big tactical adventure with, which is why they call it the backup light, but it still packs quite a punch for the hour + it can be on. For the common person it makes a great defense light to blind hasslers and make a hasty extraction.
Recommended place of purchase: <www.lapolicegear.com>
As a quick piggie-back update, the G2L now comes with an aluminum bezel to disipate heat quicker and to allow long run times without the worry of melting. The output for the G2L-BK with the Nitrolon bezel started at a maximum output of 80 lumens, leveling to a regulated output of 50 lumens. The G2L-BK with the aluminum bezel starts at a maximum output of 80 lumens and sustains a regulated output of 60 lumens. The total runtime of 12 hours will remain the same.
Recommended place of purchase: <www.lapolicegear.com>
