One thing to note: The specs aren't what you are getting for the duration of the lights battery life. With the Surefire DFT EDC 1 you will get 100% of output from the moment you turn the light on, for approximately 1 minute and 15 seconds. At this point it will drop from the 650 lumen output to approximately 330 lumens which is were it will stay for the majority of the life of the battery, regulated.. then slowly drop as the cell continues to drain lower and lower until it shuts off. For the EDC 2 you will get the same 1 minute and 15 seconds of full output, then it will drop down to approximately 433 lumens and will regulate there for the remainder of the battery life, only dropping down further close to the end of the battery life. For both the modlite PLHv2 and OKW, you will get full output for approximately 3 minutes and 37 seconds before the lights drop down to a place that the battery can sustain for a more prolonged period of time. For this reason the modlite also gets MUCH hotter then the surfire lights do. The surefire lights do not get hot at all. The modlites do get hot, not quite so hot you cannot hold them, but for some can be uncomfortable. These lights are all very similar, and great quality. I'd say the biggest difference between them is runtime. The surefire EDC 2 is able to outperform the modlites in runtime by a very large margin. So really grabbing any of these lights is a good decision, they are all quality, however some pros/cons listed above for each. I own all the lights, even the EDC 2. - I have been carrying the EDC 1 for EDC recently and really enjoy it. They are all very similar, but some do certain tasks better then others. If its outdoors / long range I need the light for, I'd go OKW or EDC ... if its indoors / short-medium range outdoors PLHv2 all day. I really like all the lights, almost equally. I've done independent testing of all the lights, and even though the surefires step down after just 1 minute and 15 seconds, they still push out a great amount of light to a great distance. After both the surefires and modlites stepped down, I tested them out at a distance of approximately 50-70 yards. They all illuminated the object similarly and did not feel needing anything more to identify what I needed to. However, I did seem to find that the surefire EDC2 in particular did an extra good job of it. (Makes sense the EDC 2 over the EDC1 because after step-down, the EDC 2 is putting out approximately 103 lumens more then the EDC1. If I have to pick only 1 light. It'd prob have to be the Modlite PLHv2. In a handheld I feel like less candela and higher lumen is the way to go generally. For most edc tasks you dont need super long distance throw, tight hotspot ect. So less candela and more lumens of the PLHv2 makes more sense. Again, they all are designed for different tasks, and they do them well. These aren't good EDC lights in my opinion, they aren't utility lights as stated in the review. These are exclusively tactical lights for military and LEO. Those that need a massive amount of light for a short period of time. Car stops / Room Clearing buildings / foot pursuit / looking for suspect ect.ect. This is why these lights give you 100% full output on the front end, and then end up having to step-down to a more sustainable output shortly after. It gives the end user that crucial initial 1-3 mintues at 100% before the drop. Then a more sustainable output for the remainder... Lastly, I can report the step-down on these lights aren't super noticeable, its more so noticeable if your really looking for it and have 2 lights. One thats been on past the step-down time and the other you turn on fresh side by side. Then you'll see the difference. These step downs are to be expected with these smaller lights that are putting out this much light and candela! Good reviews keep them up.
@@flashlightcrazy thanks for the reply! - enjoyed your review. Figured I’d mention about the step down because of course companies aren’t advertising that. They just put “x” lumens for “x”time and that’s it, which IMO is a bit dishonest.
Great review as always. RE: Surefire and potting. If you look at a Surefire PCB board (which they manufacture in house), you'll see it's got a weird coating. That's the conformal coating they use. It's a little different than the black thermal epoxy that Malkoff and Modlite are known for, and depending on who you ask, SOME people still call that potting. The other interesting thing Surefire does is that they use a contact pin system instead of wires and soldered joints. I think it's one of those situations where there are multiple ways to end up with durable, well made lights. I'm glad to see you picked up the EDC1-DFT. I have one, and was similarly blown away by it. I absolutely love the feel in the hand (you hit the nail on the head about that taper shape), and that checkering is so good; it's smooth with little pressure, so it doesn't snag, and then when you grip hard, it's VERY aggressive. Of course, Surefire switches are great. It's my only Surefire handheld (I love Malkoff, haha), and it's an amazing thrower.
Thanks for the info re potting surefire. I would call that a form of potting for sure!! I figured they had to use something like that seeing as they have been making weapon lights for a long time
@@flashlightcrazy Yeah, it's a neat solution. It essentially helps waterproof, while still allowing water vapor to evaporate off the surface. Then, with their pin setup, there's no solder to crack or fracture, which is what thermal epoxy helps prevent. The interesting thing is that the Surefire method lends itself to easier repair, while the thermal epoxy solution tends to just need replacing, which seems to be reflected in the fact Surefire often repairs under warranty (or for a fee), while other companies might simply send a replacement. I'm going to imagine, for their large government contracts, being able to repair components for warranty work is a massive cost savings. There's a bit of disagreement you can find about who uses epoxy and who uses conformal coating, and some seem to have switched between the two for certain products. I find either is perfectly fine. I think marketing and the social media hyping has kind of made people lose sight of track records (as you mention, Surefire's been doing this a long time, so it OBVIOUSLY works), and people seem to thing methods are binary. I've had excellent reliability from Surefire products, and their customer service has been excellent. Not quite Malkoff levels, but well above average, haha. Great videos, as always. Oh, and outside of the runtime, apparently the EDC2-DFT is just about the same (the specs are marginally better, but I've seen some pictures, and it was hard to tell a difference side-by-side), and people with both seem to concur, so unless you REALLY want those runtimes, you can probably save yourself quite a bit of cash.
You gotta check out the new Nitecore MT2C Pro! High/low with 1800 lumens and 67000 candela. Suuuper compact. Greenish tint though (similar to the other Nitecore Uhi led lights)
OKW is my fav because of the hotspot being slightly more diffused and even. I have PLHv2 and OKW, have used several Surefire WML's and they are great but the OKW is truly awesome.
@@callofduty60 the quality of threads in the body are much softer than that of the modlite, cloud, weltool and older surefire lights. Their quality isn't what it used to be and the threads on the body are acute rather than more square off the threads on the head held just fine don't seem to have any noticeable damage.
@@adanma17 My initial point was, whenever dealing with an items with threads, you should be careful, slow it down and not force anything. If you do this, then you won't have any problems.
I was stuck on this for a long time too. And since i have had both the 18350 and the 18650, I prefer the 18650. So much better runtime and not too much bigger at all
@@flashlightcrazy I went with the 18350 just because it fits in my pocket a little better and I’m carrying other stuff. I have both for mounted options but I will update once I get it.
Hopfully the Modlite handheld light are better than their pistol lights because mine had to be sent back for repairs twice....The Surefire isn't worth buying in my opinion Surefires waterproofing is terriable and the output is lacking for amount of money you're paying for it
One thing to note:
The specs aren't what you are getting for the duration of the lights battery life.
With the Surefire DFT EDC 1 you will get 100% of output from the moment you turn the light on, for approximately 1 minute and 15 seconds.
At this point it will drop from the 650 lumen output to approximately 330 lumens which is were it will stay for the majority of the life of the battery, regulated.. then slowly drop as the cell continues to drain lower and lower until it shuts off.
For the EDC 2 you will get the same 1 minute and 15 seconds of full output, then it will drop down to approximately 433 lumens and will regulate there for the remainder of the battery life, only dropping down further close to the end of the battery life.
For both the modlite PLHv2 and OKW, you will get full output for approximately 3 minutes and 37 seconds before the lights drop down to a place that the battery can sustain for a more prolonged period of time.
For this reason the modlite also gets MUCH hotter then the surfire lights do. The surefire lights do not get hot at all. The modlites do get hot, not quite so hot you cannot hold them, but for some can be uncomfortable.
These lights are all very similar, and great quality. I'd say the biggest difference between them is runtime. The surefire EDC 2 is able to outperform the modlites in runtime by a very large margin.
So really grabbing any of these lights is a good decision, they are all quality, however some pros/cons listed above for each.
I own all the lights, even the EDC 2. - I have been carrying the EDC 1 for EDC recently and really enjoy it. They are all very similar, but some do certain tasks better then others.
If its outdoors / long range I need the light for, I'd go OKW or EDC ... if its indoors / short-medium range outdoors PLHv2 all day.
I really like all the lights, almost equally. I've done independent testing of all the lights, and even though the surefires step down after just 1 minute and 15 seconds, they still push out a great amount of light to a great distance. After both the surefires and modlites stepped down, I tested them out at a distance of approximately 50-70 yards. They all illuminated the object similarly and did not feel needing anything more to identify what I needed to. However, I did seem to find that the surefire EDC2 in particular did an extra good job of it. (Makes sense the EDC 2 over the EDC1 because after step-down, the EDC 2 is putting out approximately 103 lumens more then the EDC1.
If I have to pick only 1 light. It'd prob have to be the Modlite PLHv2. In a handheld I feel like less candela and higher lumen is the way to go generally. For most edc tasks you dont need super long distance throw, tight hotspot ect. So less candela and more lumens of the PLHv2 makes more sense.
Again, they all are designed for different tasks, and they do them well.
These aren't good EDC lights in my opinion, they aren't utility lights as stated in the review. These are exclusively tactical lights for military and LEO. Those that need a massive amount of light for a short period of time. Car stops / Room Clearing buildings / foot pursuit / looking for suspect ect.ect. This is why these lights give you 100% full output on the front end, and then end up having to step-down to a more sustainable output shortly after.
It gives the end user that crucial initial 1-3 mintues at 100% before the drop. Then a more sustainable output for the remainder...
Lastly, I can report the step-down on these lights aren't super noticeable, its more so noticeable if your really looking for it and have 2 lights. One thats been on past the step-down time and the other you turn on fresh side by side. Then you'll see the difference. These step downs are to be expected with these smaller lights that are putting out this much light and candela!
Good reviews keep them up.
Woah!!!! Thanks so very much for that comment mate! I love learning more from you guys with comments like this.
@@flashlightcrazy thanks for the reply! - enjoyed your review. Figured I’d mention about the step down because of course companies aren’t advertising that. They just put “x” lumens for “x”time and that’s it, which IMO is a bit dishonest.
I love my EDC2-DFT and Fenix TK 16 V2.0
I appreciate your hard work in your videos.
PLHv2 multi mode is the perfect edc light. Love it
Great review as always.
RE: Surefire and potting.
If you look at a Surefire PCB board (which they manufacture in house), you'll see it's got a weird coating. That's the conformal coating they use. It's a little different than the black thermal epoxy that Malkoff and Modlite are known for, and depending on who you ask, SOME people still call that potting.
The other interesting thing Surefire does is that they use a contact pin system instead of wires and soldered joints.
I think it's one of those situations where there are multiple ways to end up with durable, well made lights.
I'm glad to see you picked up the EDC1-DFT. I have one, and was similarly blown away by it. I absolutely love the feel in the hand (you hit the nail on the head about that taper shape), and that checkering is so good; it's smooth with little pressure, so it doesn't snag, and then when you grip hard, it's VERY aggressive. Of course, Surefire switches are great. It's my only Surefire handheld (I love Malkoff, haha), and it's an amazing thrower.
Thanks for the info re potting surefire. I would call that a form of potting for sure!! I figured they had to use something like that seeing as they have been making weapon lights for a long time
@@flashlightcrazy Yeah, it's a neat solution. It essentially helps waterproof, while still allowing water vapor to evaporate off the surface.
Then, with their pin setup, there's no solder to crack or fracture, which is what thermal epoxy helps prevent.
The interesting thing is that the Surefire method lends itself to easier repair, while the thermal epoxy solution tends to just need replacing, which seems to be reflected in the fact Surefire often repairs under warranty (or for a fee), while other companies might simply send a replacement. I'm going to imagine, for their large government contracts, being able to repair components for warranty work is a massive cost savings.
There's a bit of disagreement you can find about who uses epoxy and who uses conformal coating, and some seem to have switched between the two for certain products.
I find either is perfectly fine. I think marketing and the social media hyping has kind of made people lose sight of track records (as you mention, Surefire's been doing this a long time, so it OBVIOUSLY works), and people seem to thing methods are binary. I've had excellent reliability from Surefire products, and their customer service has been excellent. Not quite Malkoff levels, but well above average, haha.
Great videos, as always.
Oh, and outside of the runtime, apparently the EDC2-DFT is just about the same (the specs are marginally better, but I've seen some pictures, and it was hard to tell a difference side-by-side), and people with both seem to concur, so unless you REALLY want those runtimes, you can probably save yourself quite a bit of cash.
Surefire EDC2 DFT is better than all three =)
I use my EDC2 head with a Modlite body+tailcap and a switchback. I love it!
Would love to hear you embellish as to why it is the best out of them all.
You gotta check out the new Nitecore MT2C Pro! High/low with 1800 lumens and 67000 candela. Suuuper compact. Greenish tint though (similar to the other Nitecore Uhi led lights)
I never have any Modlite T_T. Their design is perfect. I have one EDC1-DFT, too, and it is my EDC light now.
That surefire looks very nice...love the build quality and candela...but not very bright. Lumen output is lacking for me.
With all the candela, my surefire DFT EDC's look brighter then my PLHv2.
OKW is my fav because of the hotspot being slightly more diffused and even. I have PLHv2 and OKW, have used several Surefire WML's and they are great but the OKW is truly awesome.
I would love to see a comparison of beam color of the W3 Pro Tac and similar against these for those like myself considering going with an LEP instead
Would be sweet if you compared a Surefire E1B Backup to a Malkoff MDC (one of the cr123 ones).
i want a modlite!
Why wasn’t you’re beloved welto lh1 not in the comparison
This was a specifically USA made comparison. The LH1 vs OKW vs EDC2 will be next
Do be careful with the surefire I crossed threaded by accident and it flatten them out. I swap out the body for that of a weltool.
This applies to just about anything with threads, lol...just common sense really.
@@callofduty60 the quality of threads in the body are much softer than that of the modlite, cloud, weltool and older surefire lights. Their quality isn't what it used to be and the threads on the body are acute rather than more square off the threads on the head held just fine don't seem to have any noticeable damage.
@@adanma17 My initial point was, whenever dealing with an items with threads, you should be careful, slow it down and not force anything. If you do this, then you won't have any problems.
I’m really stuck between the 18650 or 18350 for edc. What do you think is better. I’m going with PLH-V2 head.
I was stuck on this for a long time too. And since i have had both the 18350 and the 18650, I prefer the 18650. So much better runtime and not too much bigger at all
@@flashlightcrazy I went with the 18350 just because it fits in my pocket a little better and I’m carrying other stuff. I have both for mounted options but I will update once I get it.
Hopfully the Modlite handheld light are better than their pistol lights because mine had to be sent back for repairs twice....The Surefire isn't worth buying in my opinion Surefires waterproofing is terriable and the output is lacking for amount of money you're paying for it