Introduction
SureFire is on a roll, having recently released the Turbo series rifle lights, pistol lights, and handhelds. The X300-Turbo delivered the highest candela we’ve ever seen on pistol light, and I found the EDC1-DFT so powerful and convenient to carry that it’s been my EDC for a couple months now.
Now, after years of teasing them at SHOT show, Surefire’s released their XR lights, which allegedly produce 800 lumens and 15,000 candela — high numbers considering their size.
Let’s see if the light lives up to its hype!
First Impressions
The SureFire XR2 is… strange. It has a proprietary, removable battery, two white-light LEDs, and a laser. It also costs ~$539.
The SureFire XR1 is nearly identical, minus the laser. It costs ~$404. Our review sample is the XR2, but output should be identical for both.
The XR2 ships with only one battery. There is no way to charge the it while it’s installed, so the light is out of commission while the battery is being charged. SureFire says they’ll sell the batteries seperate but I’ve yet to find out where you can buy them or what they’ll cost. The recent SureFire XSC had a similar proprietary cell, but SureFire shipped those lights with two batteries in order to avoid the charging issue, so I’m not sure why they handled the XR2 differently.
One concern I have with this light is its ingress protection. We purchased three samples of the XR2, and all three of them exhibit an air gap between the body of the light and the rear of the battery, as seen below:
The waterproofing seal is towards the front of the battery, so this may not matter. We’ll have to see.
Given that the battery is the lowest feature of the light, this misalignment may affect holster fitment as well.
The only light I’ve seen which looks similar to the SureFire is the Olight Valkyrie IR, which has a white-light emitter and an IR emitter side-by-side.
The SureFire XR2 (left), the Olight Valkyrie IR (right).
I had an interesting conversation with a SureFire engineer about the XR2. He mentioned that the dual-emitter setup can be more thermally and electrically efficient than a single emitter producing the same amount of light. Painting with broad stroakes, this is because two LEDs running at half power can produce more light (and less heat) than one LED running at full power, and because two LEDs provide more surface area for cooling than a single LED.
I’m curious to see how these theoretical benefits play out in the real world!
Manufacturer Claims and Specs
Here are some of the key specs for the XR2:
| Spec | SureFire XR1 / XR2 |
| Lumens | 800 |
| Candela | 15,000 |
| Runtime | 30 Minutes |
| Battery | SureFire Proprietary |
| Waterproofing | IPX7 |
| Price | ~$404 / ~$539 (Street Price) |
Judging by the specs, this light should perform well, but it’s going to be hard to justify that price tag.
If you want to see more, I’ve scanned the whole manual here:
Let’s take the XR2 down to the lab and get some real-world data.
Into the Lab: Lumens, Candela, Color Temp and CRI
Lumens
SureFire claims 800 lumens for the XR2.
Ouch. The SureFire produces a fair amount of light, but at 18:23 it’s at less than 10% of its claimed maximum output, and by 23:52 it’s completely dead. This falls short of SureFire’s 30-minute claim.
Let’s get a closer look at the first ten minutes:
The ANSI/PLATO lumens for the XR2 come out to 743 (this is an average of the output from thirty seconds to two minutes, and is the standard measure for flashlight output). This is 92% of SureFire’s claimed 800. This is strange to see, since we’re accustomed to SureFire reaching or exceeding their specs.
Candela
SureFire claims 15,000 candela for the XR2.
| Candela (0s) | Candela (30s) |
| 16890 | 15110 |
By the ANSI/Plato standard, the XR2 exceeds its 15,000 candela claim by just a hair. Not bad considering the light’s size.
Color Temperature and CRI
The SureFire XR2’s color temperature tested at 6200K. This is fairly cool, but on par with what we’ve come to expect from high-output tactical lights.
The SureFire’s CRI tested at 68.2, with an extremely low -23 R9. This means that objects will appear washed out and bluish under the illumination of the XR2, and positive target identification way be more challenging.
The chart to the left is a numerical representation of the light’s emission of various colors of light. The chart on the right represents spectral distribution. The sun’s light would perfect match the black circle in shape and alignment, but artificial light distorts and shifts the shape.
Takeaways
If you’re in the market for a high-end pistol light, the SureFire XR2 may be for you. It produces a lot of light in a compact package. That being said, there are competitive offerings from Streamlight (the TLR-7 Sub) and Sig Sauer (the Foxtrot2R) which may accomplish the same goals at a lower price point, and on top of that use non-proprietary batteries.
Even though the XR2 isn’t the best performer, I’m excited to see SureFire try something new. A couple years ago, I considered SureFire a dinosaur in an evolving industry. Recently, though, they’ve been refreshing their proven products to meet and exceed the expectations of the modern consumer. While they haven’t nailed the compact segment quite yet, I’m excited to see how their products continue to improve.
What do you think? Are you considering a SureFire XR2? Or would you drop the laser and get an XR1 for a bit cheaper? Or would you go another route entirely? Let me know in the comments!
