True Stories

In the dark a flashlight is a priceless commodity your senses can't do without. This is especially true when your house is enveloped in darkness for days. Our house was one of the 260,000 homes in Northern Illinois that lost power for days after a torrential rainstorm. And for those powerless days, my U2 Ultra™ was the most valuable part of our household.

My U2's adjustable light feature was invaluable at night because we used the 100-lumen setting to read, then the two-lumen setting for household tasks--because the batteries lasts for 40 hours at this setting. Days of living in the dark demonstrated why the variable-output feature of the U2 makes it the ultimate personal flashlight. I've used the U2 Ultra's powerful 100-lumen beam in low-light shooting courses with my handgun, and now it has proven itself as a finely adjustable instrument for surviving a long-term power outage. Its balance between battery consumption and high-intensity brightness proved absolutely crucial.

Brian B.
Warrenville, IL

About 0030 hours, my wife woke me, saying the disaster sirens were going off and that a tornado had been spotted and was getting close. I placed my wife and daughter in the safest room in the house and grabbed my "disaster kit," which included a SureFire E2L. We called to warn my father-in-law, who lives about 25 miles away. Ten minutes later we called him again, on his cell phone, and he told us that his farm was no longer there. "It's all gone," he said.

I immediately headed out with my E2L. I could only drive within a half mile of what was left of the farmhouse, so I got out and walked, in the driving rain, my E2L in hand and my spares carrier around my neck. Moving through the terrain, I had to avoid needing rescuing myself—some of the downed power lines were still live, and the possibility of being punctured from debris was a real threat. As I maneuvered through, I found three other people in the dark, trying to search for anyone who needed assistance. One of them did not have a light source, and two of them had dead flashlights that were no longer usable. None of them could see well enough to safely navigate their way out of the debris. Using my E2L, we all managed the terrain safely and made it to the farmhouse.

If it hadn't been for my E2L, four people could have sustained injuries or gotten hypothermia. Luckily, my father-in-law was okay and everyone was safely accounted for. Now every member of my family has a SureFire flashlight. Thanks, SureFire.

Kelly J.
Springfield, MO

Until last fall, I would never have paid $185 for a flashlight, even though I'm an elk-hunting guide and spend a lot of time in the mountains at night. I got your A2 Aviator last September as part of a tip from a successful client. It came in the mail the day before I killed a bull with another hunter.

By the time I packed the elk on horses, it was get-lost dark with no moon. While I knew the area, a large forest fire had recently wiped out all trails. I turned on your high beam and could see for what seemed like acres. I easily oriented myself and led the horses and hunter out quickly and safely.

If I ever lose that light, I will gladly buy a new one, no matter what the price. (That second hunter since purchased his own SureFire flashlight.)

Chris K.
Emigrant, MT

I’m a Naval Reservist with Naval Special Warfare/Special Boat Team and an avid weekend sailor. Recently I was sailing solo on the Chesapeake Bay at night in a 26' Annapolis, when a squall with near gale-force winds and driving rain churned up waves, swamping and killing my outboard engine as I was making my way to safe harbor at 11:00 at night. Fortunately, not having my 300,000 CP flood light that I normally carry on the boat, I remembered to bring my Navy-issued Surefire Z2 Combatlight®.

Although the entrance to Broad Creek is marked by a lighted day-marker, the two intermediate channel markers are not, and the last lighted buoy was over a mile away. Missing the two unlit mid-channel markers meant running aground in pounding surf, damage to the boat, or possibly even worse. Fortunately, SureFire led the way. I kept shining my Z2 where the day-markers should have been (according to the chart), and sure enough, the Z2 lit them up almost 200 yards away in the pouring rain. I was able to sail down the channel, around the last marker into the harbor, and then drifted unscathed into the nearest dock. After I tied up the boat, I kissed the dock. I sure am glad I had my Z2 to light the way.

Thanks, SureFire!

Tom W.
Virginia

I purchased my E1L Outdoorsman about six months ago. The E1L is indeed an excellent light with small size and great output. I always carry it with me.

There was a snowstorm a few nights ago in Ontario, Canada, and while I was driving home, I had a flat tire. I had to pull over and change the tire in the snowstorm on a small countryside road, surrounded by complete darkness. I clipped the E1L to the brim of my baseball cap, so I could light up the tire and have both hands free. The whole process took about half an hour, and the E1L performed its duty perfectly. It really saved me.

Thanks for producing such dependable flashlights, SureFire.

Yu-Jen C.
Ontario, Canada

My E2E Executive Elite has been a great tool in the duck blind. On early, dark mornings, I was able to use the lightweight light to tie decoys and set out my spread. It was also a great help in getting the equipment and guns organized before the sun began to rise.

I was extremely disappointed when I couldn't find my light after the first weekend of duck hunting. I looked everywhere for a couple of months but wasn't able to find it. Then on a late-season duck hunt, I dropped my duck call in the back of the steel blind into about 10 inches of water. While looking for the call, I raked my hand across the flashlight and pulled it out of the water. I clicked it on, and to my amazement, the light powered right up, just as bright as the day I bought it. For over two months, that light had been completely submerged in freezing water and mud.

Today, a year later, the light still works flawlessly. The O-ring seals and durability of this flashlight are amazing. Thanks for making such a high-quality product!

Ryan S.
Baton Rouge, LA

Three days after Hurricane Katrina my dad and I returned to Gulfport to check on his house. Arriving in the dead of night, we could only get my truck within about 100 yards of the house because of downed trees and other debris. The truck’s headlights didn’t reach to the house, so I grabbed my new SureFire M6 flashlight from the glove box and stuck it in my pocket.

As we climbed over fallen trees on our way to the house, we could hear a low humming noise. The light from the truck quickly fell off, so I pulled out the M6. I had not used it before and was amazed by its brightness. And dead in its spotlight was a downed transformer with hundreds of feet of live power lines hidden in the shadows all around us. We were headed straight for it.

Without a doubt, if it weren’t for the SureFire M6 one of us would have been part of a quick and lethal fireworks show. Needless to say, I’m now a huge fan of SureFire products and they are now a big part of our hurricane-preparedness kit.

Tom A.
Miami, FL

As an ER doctor, I have been using a SureFire yellow G2® Nitrolon® for years at work, checking pupils, looking at wounds, etc, and I've always found its bright, dependable light amazingly useful. However, I really developed a new appreciation for my SureFire flashlights this spring, over Easter weekend here in St. Paul.

It snowed about a foot over three days, and during all the shoveling I did, my original (and favorite) SureFire, an E2D Defender® fell out of my jacket pocket without me noticing. Five days later, after worrying that my light had been picked up by a passerby or otherwise lost somewhere else, I found it. Our Jeep was parked on it in the snow/ice/mud, and had driven it completely into the goo, where it had endured the freeze/thaw of a Minnesota spring for a week. I'd read on your website all about SureFires stopping bullets or going through snow blowers, but I can't tell you how great the feeling was to hit the clicky tailcap of my own light and see it fire right up.

Now, after cleaning it off, it's right back in my now buttoned coat pocket. I can't wait to add an E1B Backup™ to my current stable of SureFire flashlights (two G2s, an E2D, a Kroma®, and a 6P® LED), as it looks like a real winner. Thanks for the great tools!

Luke A.
St. Paul, MN

While driving home from a friend's place in the interior of Alaska, I ran my truck into a ditch. I used my E2E to assess how to get back on the road, and in the ensuing battle to get it out of the ditch, I dropped my E2E. Horrified I tried in vain to find it through the two-foot-deep snow, but my efforts were unsuccessful. Reluctantly I took note of the approximate vicinity of where I dropped it and vowed to find it when the ice melted.

I bought a new E2E replacement to use while I was deployed to Afghanistan. When I got back, it took me all of five minutes to go back to the area where I'd lost the old one and find it. I picked it up and tried to turn it on, but no success. So I threw in a fresh pair of batteries, and it worked as good as new. Five months of -30° temperatures for five months and all that needed replacing were batteries. That's why I own three of these bad boys.

Kevin L.
Daly City, CA

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

I work on a drilling rig in Northern Canada, and I experience some pretty harsh weather sometimes. I started off my last rotation at work with a rig move in -40° C weather. At that temperature pretty much everything freezes and starts acting up. My watch and cell phone were the first items to freeze up and stop working. The next item to fall victim to the cold was my folding knife, which froze shut and proved extremely difficult to open. But, when it came time for my SureFire E1B Backup™ to perform, I was pleasantly surprised. After I cleared the frost from the lens and pressed the tailcap, the light came right on, which made me very happy. I used my E1B a fair amount that day, and, even in the extreme cold, every time I needed light, it fired right up.

I've tried many different pieces of gear at work, and nearly everything fails in these extreme conditions—but not SureFire. Thanks for making such a great light, one that can stand up to extreme, real-world conditions.

Cody H.
Ladysmith, BC
Canada

On September 5th, 2008, Hurricane Ike hit the Texas coastline and Houston, Texas, where I live. About four in the morning, when the hurricane was at its worst in our area, I was not able to see our neighbor's house because trees from our yard had fallen on their house and cars. Thanks to them and me both having SureFire flashlights, we were able to give light signals to each other through windows in the house. This was a relief to find out everyone was okay.

Once the hurricane had passed, we were without power for 15 days straight. If I wouldn't have had my SureFire, I don't know what I would have done. I used my SureFire every night when I would take a shower, thanks to it being fully waterproof. I used it around the house; I also used it every night to grill outside for the neighbors and my family, due to us having no ovens or microwaves to cook. The three SureFire flashlights I have were lifesavers. Thank you so much.

Cody P.
Huston, TX

In NYC we've had a pretty brutal winter so far. Snow, negative wind chills for weeks at a time, pretty bad. I have an E1B Backup™ the backup, which I bought in October. After about a month of using it, I became very accustomed to having it with me all the time. One day, I reached for my handy-dandy, bright-as-hell little friend and it wasn't there. A strange feeling, since I carried it religiously. I felt lost without it.

The very next day, after searching high and low, I went out and purchased a new Backup. I started using my new flashlight without a though of the old one, figuring I'd never see it again. Two days ago, three months later, I'm walking my dog and there, lying in a puddle of mud and ice, is my original Backup! I couldn't believe it. I hit the button, and it was a bright as the day I bought it.

For over three months in subzero temps, wind, snow, rain, dirt, and water, this little flashlight laid there patiently, covered under a pile of snow and ice, just waiting to be found and used by its owner. I put the newer one in a drawer, and now I carry my original, and amazing, little Backup.

Paul C.
Yonkers, NY

I purchased a G2® LED at the recommendation of my brother, a retired military officer and army pilot, a few months before Hurricane Ike hit. I'm sure glad I did. I'd been using Mag-Lites for decades and, frankly, never really owned a proper flashlight. When Ike hit, my G2L was literally my best friend.

The storm rolled in, and I hunkered down. I used my light liberally to check my windows, doors, attic, and everywhere else water and trees might have breached my home as the storm waned down. My area had no power for six days, and my G2L's batteries lasted for five days without replacement, an amazing feat, considering how often I used my light.

I work for the largest chemical fertilizer plant in Texas. We sustained tens of millions of dollars in damages, as we are directly on the Houston ship channel and endured massive storm surges. Our plant had eight feet of water over 30 acres of offices and plant production rooms. While our staff and half dozen security officers used heavy, foot-long flashlights while we surveyed the damage, none shined as bright as mine. They had these $300 flashlights that wouldn't even last four hours without recharging, and they could not recharge without sticking them on a generator.

I was always one of those people who thought a $10 flashlight from a big box store was enough. I was wrong. As a gun enthusiast, I intend to also supply myself with your tactical lights. Anyone who lives in an area with extreme weather, as I do, should have a SureFire. Thanks for making an outstanding product.

Kevin L.
Missouri City, TX

I was disappointed when I lost my SureFire L4 while I was moving some items into an outside storage area in early winter, and I gave up hope of ever seeing it again...until today. When I returned to the storage area this spring, there was my L4, frozen in the ice. The flashlight had survived being frozen under snow and ice in -50º C weather in the Canadian arctic, and it worked perfectly when I chiseled it out. When I looked inside of it, it was dry, and the batteries were in great shape. I am now wearing it on my belt again.

Troy H.
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
Canada