True Stories

I'm contracted at a local nightclub as an I.T. Manager/Surveillance Director, and my best investment has been the Backup®. I am constantly asked by security guards, bartenders, and police officers that I come in contact with, after they see my little light, what type of flashlight I use. I've dropped it from various heights (accidentally) about thirty times. This light should have been called "The Survivor." It has been submerged in the pool, accidentally run over by my 3,500-pound sedan, even found tumbling in the washer with the pants. Without fail, every time I use it, IT WORKS. I am a very happy customer with the Backup from SureFire.

Eric R.
Miami, FL

I went on a hike with a friend and three of his kids in Belle Smith State Park in Illinois, home of a natural arch. Even though this was only a hike of few hours, I brought along my E1B Backup™, which I take with me pretty much wherever I go.

The arch forms a sort of a tunnel 10 or 15 feet long, strewn with boulders and smaller rocks. As we approached it, my friend's youngest went scrambling toward the entrance. I took out my Backup and scanned the rubble in the "tunnel" (although it was broad daylight, it was still quite dark inside), when my light's beam revealed a copperhead emerging from behind a boulder. The child was less than a yard from the snake and was heading right for it. The minute my Backup's beam hit the snake, my friend called out for his son to stop, and he halted in his tracks. I kept the beam on the snake, which quickly retreated back behind the rubble. My friend then said, "That light saved my son's life."

As we resumed our hike, my friend asked me several questions about my flashlight...he's since bought one for himself.

Alan B.
Urbana, IL

I've been using SureFire flashlights for several years now and have several. I recently upgraded my everyday carry light to your E1B Backup, and this is the flashlight I've been waiting for! Ultra powerful and ultra compact—the best of both worlds.

As a firefighter, I rely on a powerful flashlight in pretty much any rescue situation. Recently, my E1B Backup saved the day on the scene of a call. Our engine was out, doing training in one of the local neighborhoods, when we were approached by two animal control officers who asked for our assistance. A dog was barking from the storm drain of the sewer. We helped them pry the lid off the manhole cover, and the animal control officers tried to light the area with their off-brand, standard-issue flashlights, which only lit up a tiny area inside the vault of the sewer. We tried one of our big, bulky flashlights that we carry on the engine, but its size made it too awkward to hold and look down the manhole at the same time.

So I pulled out my Backup. The whole vault area instantly lit up from the 80 lumens coming out of the tiny light in my hand. It even out-performed our big, bulky, box-style flashlight. Once we could see the area, we noticed a pipe in the back corner of the vault that led to another vault about 150 feet away. We pulled the cover off the other manhole, and when I shined my light down there, I discovered a very frightened Labrador puppy cowering in the darkness. While I lit the way with my E1B, one of the animal control officers climbed down and coaxed the dog into her arms. We pulled the officer and the puppy up to safety and returned the dog to its grateful owner.

Thanks, Surefire, for making excellent gear that aids so many firefighters and rescue workers and other public safety agencies across the country. I look forward to seeing what new and innovative products you come up with next. You definitely have a customer for life!

Davis S.
Springfield, VA

I just got back from an 18-day African safari, hunting dangerous game. Prior to my departure, I purchased another Surefire flashlight-the Backup™-which probably saved my life.

One morning, while walking into a blind, I heard a noise ahead of where my guide and I were walking. I grabbed my light and held it ready in my left hand. Suddenly, from less than 15 yards away, in total darkness, a tusk-less cow elephant charged us. I hit her with the bright light and stopped her in her tracks at about eight yards. My guide yelled, and she turned and walked away with her calf. I am convinced, as was my guide, that the Backup's intense light played a huge part in changing her mind.

Thank you for an awesome product.

Art H.
Montana

I work as a bouncer, bodyguard, and security guard and have been an avid user of SureFire products since I started out; my toolbox includes an E2D as my everyday-carry flashlight; a yellow G2® at the front door of my home, in case of power outage; a 6P® LED in a V70 holster at work; and just this week, an E1B™ for backup at work. Well, on its second night on the job, my E1B Backup lived up to its name. I was called to a local bar, where an alcohol-affected male who had jumped up on a table in a confined corner had gone from dancing humorously and generally being a laughable character to throwing glasses at staff and patrons.

I verbally challenged the belligerent male as I approached. Said male, seeing my baton on my belt, jumped off the table and pulled me into the confined corner, grappling with me over the table he had been standing on and pulling me onto the floor. At the same time, the offender grabbed the baton on my belt and attempted to draw it, screaming in no uncertain terms his intent to seriously injure me. With my strong hand tied up attempting to keep the baton in its holster, I could neither draw my baton or my 6PL, so I unclipped my Backup from my pocket with my weak hand and gave the offender a flash of 80 lumens square between the eyes, momentarily stunning him and causing him to release the baton, giving me time to break away from the entanglement. As I got up, I let him have another blast with the Backup while I drew my baton, telling him in no uncertain terms to comply with my instructions or else. End result: the male ''saw the light,'' so to speak, and left the bar in cuffs. What could have been a brawl ending with me being seriously assaulted with my own equipment ended well—with a little bit of ''backup'' from SureFire.

Stewart O.
Toorak, Australia