True Stories

I'm a bouncer at a large local club in Laredo, Texas. It was closing time, and the crowd was leaving the club, and one man was not very happy when my boss informed him he would not be allowed to leave the club with his beer, which is illegal in Texas. He started to argue with my boss, even threatening his life, and then, in the blink of an eye, he pulled a knife.

I whipped out my E2D Defender® and shined it directly in his eyes. Blinded from the light, he blinked, and that was all it took. My boss and I took him down and took his knife away before he could hurt anyone. He was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon. While waiting for the cops to arrive, he informed us that he'd just gotten out of jail for stabbing someone. He also said that he'd never seen a light that bright used so quickly.

My Defender truly did defend lives that night: mine, my boss', innocent bystanders', even the knife-wielding guy's. Thanks, SureFire.

Walter M.
Laredo, TX

I'm a big hunter, and I take my E2D Defender® with me everywhere. I had just returned from a duck hunting trip, and when I arrived home it was cold and dark. It had snowed over the past few days, and water was dripping from my roof into a five-gallon bucket in my driveway. As I unloaded my gear in the dark, I went to grab my Defender to help guide the way, but it was gone. Little did I know that, in the midst of unloading, I'd dropped my light in the five-gallon bucket of icy-cold water. Luckily I had a 6P® on standby, which I used to unload the rest of my gear and look for my Defender. After a long search, I finally gave up hope and went inside for the night, convinced I had left my Defender at my hunting spot.

The next morning, while cleaning up my driveway with the rest of my gear, I peered into the bucket. The water had frozen solid, and there was my Defender, suspended in the middle of the block of ice. It was as if I was looking at a pre-historic piece of Amber with a mosquito frozen in the middle. I smashed the ice block up and chiseled my Defender from the ice. I pushed the tail-cap, as if in slow motion, and the light turned right on. I couldn't believe it! Submerged in freezing water and then frozen in solid ice? I'm not sure what other product would survive conditions like that.

Once again, SureFire has proven they truly make the best lights on the planet. Thank you.

Aaron H.
Prescott, AZ

While working the night shift on my local volunteer ambulance squad, a call came in for a multi-vehicle accident on a major highway. Our first-line ambulance was already out on a run, and when we arrived on scene, we saw what appeared to be a four-car crash. Unfortunately the generator was acting quirky on the rig, and we couldn't use our powerful flood lights to survey the scene.

While extricating a patient trapped in the vehicle assigned to me by my incident commander, I turned around while the fire department cut through the windshield. Out of the corner of my eye, the E2D Defender clipped to my helmet illuminated the roadside, revealing another two cars we hadn't seen. Thanks to the brightness of the E2D, three passengers received lifesaving emergency medical treatment.

Marc G.
Teaneck, NJ

Last week my buddy and I went fishing at the Black River up in the mountains of New Mexico. Man, we were slaying 'em. So, anyway, once we caught our limit, we headed back to the truck, but on the way, I saw something at the bottom of the river, so I bent down to pick it up. Much to my surprise, it was a SureFire E2D Defender! I'd never even heard of SureFire until then. Well, even though the flashlight was covered with moss, it still worked. Now it's the brightest flashlight I own, and I'm thinking about getting another one.

Alex E. El Paso, TX

While in Wisconsin, fishing for white bass, I dropped my E2D Defender® over the side of our 16 foot Alumacraft. We eventually got it back by snagging the lanyard with a treble hook. After taking the batteries out and letting the whole flashlight dry overnight, the next day we replaced the batteries and, what do you know, it came through with 60 lumens of powerful light. But that isn't even the impressive part.

The very next day, as we were backing up the boat to the launch, the truck ran over my pile of gear, completely breaking my custom fishing rod. However, as I sifted through the splintered graphite, plastic, and metal, I found my SureFire completely unfazed by the one-ton truck's tires. That was last year, and I still have my SureFire today.

Thanks for the best of the best, SureFire. I really do inflict cruel and unusual punishment on my SureFire.

Kilian W.
Lake Forest, IL

I live on a 30 acre property here in Pennsylvania, and I feed corn to the deer all fall and winter. Last November I didn't get up the mountain to feed them before dark, so I decided to take my Grizzly ATV up the mountain with my bucket of corn and apples. I got to my feeder around 7:00 pm, and I started to dump the corn and apples when, suddenly, I heard something big coming straight at me--fast! It was pitch black, and whatever was charging me was only 30 feet away.

I kept my cool and grabbed my SureFire E2D Defender® from my back pocket and put the beam right on a huge black bear--a bear known by the locals as "the record bear" because it's about 600 pounds, avoids all hunters, but it's not afraid of people or dogs. We were about 10 feet apart, and I thought I was done for, when I hit the charging bear right between the eyes with the blinding beam of my E2D Defender®. He stopped dead in his tracks and did an about face real quick--thanks to my Defender! Now I never go outside at night without it.

Scott N.
Lehighton, PA

I'm a deputy sheriff, and I'm currently assigned to one of our three jails. The housing unit holds about 130 inmates. One night, about two months ago, my partner and I heard a disturbance, which turned out to be a fight. We yelled for the two inmates to stop fighting and for the crowd to move back, but nothing stopped. My partner then pepper sprayed both inmates, but they just kept on fighting through the pain.

The fight had to be stopped before anyone else joined in, so I struck one of the inmates in the back with my E2D Defender flashlight. The inmate stopped fighting right away, and the other inmate, realizing he was about to get hit, rolled onto his stomach and put his hands in the small of his back. I held up my pepper spray and flashlight at the crowd of inmates and told them to move to the far side of the sleeping area, which they promptly did.

We are not allowed weapons in the jail, beyond pepper spray, so I am sure glad I chose the Defender as my duty flashlight.

Sam S.
Livermore, CA

For most of my life I have been fascinated by flashlights—especially SureFires. I carry my E2D regularly and have had great pleasure showing it off to friends and family. After a good demonstration, people are usually quite impressed; however, sometimes I have to deal with people who simply don't understand the inherent beauty and utility of a finely crafted illumination tool—the eye rolling and the "What's the big deal?" commentary from these unfortunate, uninformed folks.

I did, however, prevail when my wife and I had to pass through a security checkpoint at a recent high-profile event. As I approached the table where security personnel were asking people to remove personal items for inspection, I grew concerned that my E2D might raise suspicions and get temporarily confiscated. My wife, who thinks my flashlight interest is silly, had just passed through the checkpoint and was looking on. The armed guard picked up my E2D and, instead of looking at it with concern, said, "Is this a Surefire? Wow, what model is this? These are the greatest! I've got one at home!"

As I passed through the checkpoint, my wife's half-cocked smile made it clear she knew I was going to milk this experience for all it was worth...which I did, relaying the story to all of my friends at the event. It was so satisfying, seeing my wife have to concur repeatedly that I'd indeed had a moment of absolute "flashlight cool." Oh sweet, quite unexpected, validation!

Jeffrey Y
Sherman Oaks, California

My scout troop and I were on a trip in Canada, when a friend of mine and I—both of us afraid of the dark—were walking down an overgrown path with my E2D Defender®. Suddenly, we came upon a wolf. I immediately shined the light in its eyes. It stood there, staring back for several seconds, until it realized that 65 lumens to the retina hurts.

Without my E2D, I'm not sure what would have happened next.

Andy S.
Danville, PA

I am a frequent purchaser of SureFire products and am extremely impressed. I recently purchased a SureFire E2D Defender® and regularly carry it with me. One day I was at a bar until about 11:00 pm. On the way out a rather short man stopped me and said, "Give me your money or I’ll cut you!” I noticed an old fishing knife in his hand.

I reached for my wallet but instead whipped out my SureFire E2D light. I rapidly shined it in his eyes. When he closed his eyes, I struck him in the forehead with the built-in strike bezel. He screamed in pain and dropped the knife (which was smaller than it appeared). Once he dropped the knife I tackled the assailant. I restrained him and called for my bar buddies. They appeared and one went to retrieve some rope. Once he was tied up I told them what had happened.

They were amazed when I showed them my SureFire flashlight. While waiting for the police I told my friends where they could purchase one. When the police finally did show up and arrested the mugger, I saw a big red-dotted circle on the man’s forehead from where I hit him. Thanks, SureFire, for making fantastic products.

Daniel P.
Palmdale, CA

My wife was recently pursued by a stalker. We noticed him slowly at first, but when I awoke at about 2:30 a.m. and found him looking through a window at us sleeping, we knew it was serious. I did not have my pistol handy, but I did have my SureFire E2D Executive® Defender®. I fired it into his face from about 10 feet away as I was struggling out of bed. He jumped like I had hit him with a bat. I will never forget the look of pain and surprise on his face. He ran so fast that by the time I made it to the door he was out of our yard and gone.

The next time we saw him he had followed us 20 miles from our house to downtown Indianapolis. After we parked and were walking to dinner I saw him trying to follow us in his car. Luckily, he got stuck in the downtown traffic. I ran into the street as I pulled the E2D from its Velcro pouch and put the beam on his face. Same look! He about jumped through the roof. As I kept it on him and he tried to shield his eyes I wrote his plate number on my hand. After I was done I used my SureFire to light my hand so he could see what I had done. At that point he blasted out of the turn lane he was in, almost hitting me, and sideswiping another car.

I gave his plate number to a friend who is a prosecutor, but before they found him he was picked up for stalking another woman. In his trunk was a "Rape/Murder kit” of duct tape, a shovel, and other items the police said were for his women.

I am an engineer and use my SureFire everyday, but on those occasions it really saved the day and my wife. It is impossible for some one who has not actually seen or used a SureFire flashlight to believe what they can do!

Doug W.
Ormond Beach, FL

I take my German short-haired pointer, Hank, for late night walks, and I always carry my SureFire E2D Defender®. One night, while strolling through town, I stopped for some ice cream for him and me (vanilla is Hank's favorite). I tied Hank's leash to the bench outside and went in. While inside, a stranger, armed with the power of persuasion—dog biscuits, lured Hank into the back of his SUV.

From inside, I saw Hank's face in the back window of the strange SUV, so I dropped my ice cream and ran after my best friend. The SUV started to pull off, so I drew my SureFire from my pocket and smashed the car's window with its Strike Bezel™. Hank leapt out of the back and ran to me as the SUV drove off.

I used to only carry my E2D on our late night walks. Now I carry it everywhere, day or night. Had I lost my best friend, I don't know what I would have done. Thanks, SureFire.

Sean K.
Huntington, NY

In January, my friends and I were sledding down a hill on a golf course. On one run, we came close to hitting a tree, so we all dug our hands into the ice to stop. One of the girls cut herself and was bleeding pretty badly.

I had a first-aid kit in my trunk, so I used my E2D Defender® to illuminate the icy path up to my car. When I opened the kit, I discovered that the band-aids inside were frozen solid, way too stiff to apply. Then I remembered reading a SureFire True Story about a guy who used his SureFire to dry fire wood. I figured that if a SureFire could get warm enough to dry firewood, my E2D could surely thaw out a couple of band-aids. It worked, and we used band-aids to help stop the bleeding on my friend's arm before taking her home to get her cuts wrapped up.

Johnathan B.
Rochester, MN

Let me start by stating that I am proudly serving in the US Navy. I work in main propulsion, and about a month ago we were due to get underway for 2 weeks. One of the first things we do before lighting the burners in the boiler is remove the stack covers from the tops of the exhaust trunks (approx. 180 ft. above the waterline). Well when my friend Aaron went up to take them off I let him borrow my E2D Executive Defender.

Everything went as planned until he dropped it down the exhaust trunk. The E2D fell approximately 190 feet straight down until it reached the bend at the bottom, at which point it slid about 85 feet before falling into the trough used to keep water from getting into the fire box. Once he told me and we went to retrieve it (a 45 minute operation), I found it laying in the trough, covered in soot and still shining bright. I picked it up, wiped off the soot, and put it back in its holster like nothing had happened.

Until that day I had been mocked constantly for having an $80 flashlight. Now, over 3/4 of my division owns the exact same model as mine. I thank you for making such a great product, and so does the rest of my division.

Robert B.

I was a volunteer EMT/Extrication technician for a rescue squad in Virginia. One night, I was called out to a major car accident on a back road in the mountains. We arrived on scene to find a car over an embankment, wrapped around a tree. It was dark and raining very hard, and our scene lights couldn't reach down the steep hill. So I un-holstered my E2D Executive Defender® and went to work.

I quickly made my way down the slick slope using my Defender as a guide, holding it in my mouth as I grasped for sticks and trees to keep myself from falling. When I reached the car, I discovered one occupant in the front seat, totally unconscious. In the pitch- black, soaking-wet, muddy conditions, I stripped off my coat and made my way into the car through the back window, only to find my patient was not only unconscious, but also not breathing.

Long story short, I managed to intubate the victim inside the wrecked car with only the light from my SureFire E2D Defender, which I held in my mouth the whole time. All my buddies on the fire department always rag me about carrying a $100 flashlight, but it certainly was worth its weight in gold on that night.

Jason D
Chapel Hill, NC

I work as the head crowd-controller (bouncer) at a large venue in Melbourne, Australia. Recently, a man wandered in through the public thoroughfare, which bisects the venue where I work. He was drenched in his own blood (he'd had a fight with crowd-controllers at a venue across the street) and was clearly under the influence of meth.

In Australia, even if you are certified to carry batons, firearms, and/or handcuffs at work, as I am, it's frowned upon. But I'd heard good things from police and my old crew on using a powerful flashlight to help subdue suspects. So, I've been carrying a Surefire E2D Defender® ever since. In his drug-crazed condition, the bloody man took it upon himself to attack one of the venue managers. Since the man was covered in blood, a normal takedown would have put us at risk of contracting a blood-borne infection. But a couple of quick blasts from my E2D to his eyes gave me and another crowd-controller the moment we needed to engage the offender on our terms, and we were able to take him down without risking contamination.

It was my first ever arrest, not made through use of a baton, handcuffs, or firearm but by a SureFire flashlight.

Stewart O.
Toorak, Australia

It was 3:00 a.m., and I was sound asleep when I was awakened by the sound of garbage cans falling over and something banging against the side of the house. I got up to inspect what was going on, and I looked out the window to see a man trying to climb through another window by standing on the garbage cans. So I go to turn on the backyard light, to scare him away, only to discover that we'd lost power at some point during the night. So I scrambled into the bedroom, grabbed my E2D Defender® and shined it through the window he was trying to get in, while my wife went to call the police. After a flash in the face from my Defender scared him off, we used the same flashlight to find our cell phones to call the electric company to report our power being out.

Thanks, SureFire, for a great product. It was a rough night, but you really helped us through it.

Matt B.
Grosse Pointe, MI

Recently, I purchased a SureFire E2D Defender® for my job as a K-9 security officer for the Chicago Transit Authority. I figured I'd never have to use the light's crenellated Strike Bezel®, what with me having my K-9 partner by my side all of the time, but one day, while patrolling one of the rail stations on the Red Line, I proved myself wrong.

I'd already put my partner in the truck and was ready to take a short break, when I noticed a man acting out of place. I approached him and asked him if he was okay. He suddenly became very agitated and rude and started shouting out racial remarks at me, so I said, "Sir, please follow me over here, and you're going to have to relax." As soon as I touched the guy, he attacked me and pulled out a knife. I immediately grabbed his hand, and wrestled him to the floor. His knife fell out his hand, and he tried with all of his might, while I restrained him, to get it back. He finally managed to grab it, so I pulled my E2D from my Kevlar® vest and popped him in the back of the head with the flashlight's Strike Bezel, knocking him out cold.

The guy was ok, but he had one hell of a headache when he came to, thanks to the E2D Defender, which I now never leave home without. It's a great choice for a non-lethal weapon...and for a flashlight, of course. Thanks, SureFire.

Felipe S.
Chicago, IL