Advice needed... Surefire upgrade or another flashlight?

[BaldGuy45]

As a new guy here, I value others advice. I have bought several lights due to reccomendations and have been pretty satisfied so far, so I submit this question....My wife has been asking what are some items I would like for Christmas gifts. I have bought a bunch of lights in the last couple of months along with a Maha charger and a boat load of AA's. I like the smaller, high powered lights. There is nothing that I really want at the moment, but I did think about upgrading an old SF6P and a newer G2 that I own. I have looked at drop ins, bezels, tail switches, yada yada yada, and I am not really sure what I need. For instance, if I replace the bezel, tailswitch, and add a drop in to both of these lights, thats a pretty good chunk of change. I probably could pick up a couple of new lights for the same money. So 1. Is it worthit to upgarde these lights? Both are stock except for a DX LED drop in. Both in great condition. If I upgrade, what would you folks reccomend? I dont do the rechargeables for the 123's (yet) so it will be regualr batteries for now. I would like to keep it with simple swap outs. I would want to have the ability to return both lights to stock if needed. OR 2. Take the cash and buy something new? Like I said, I like the small high output lights. There maybe something coming out that might be a must have.
Suggestions?

 

[GulfCoastToad]

You're asking for opinions from complete strangers over the internet, so they might be worth the price you're paying for them.

With that said: Fenix LD20 from REI.com seems like a no-brainer to me. 180 lumens, 2xAA, IPX-8 waterproof, and REI's incredible 100% satisfaction guarantee, all in a package that ships for less than $60. I have one, and love love love it.

 

[notrefined]

Malkoff M61HCRI and M61LHCRI from illuminationsupply.com for the 6p and G2, respectively. you will never be the same

 

[Kestrel]

I definitely like the SF's for their flexibility & upgradeability. However, it sounds as though you may have other flashlight interests as well. If I was you, I'd sell off the SF G2 and use the proceeds toward an LED upgrade of your 6P (which is the more straightforward of the two lights for upgrading due to the better heat handling of the aluminum components).

Malkoff LED dropins are a good start and well worth the price. If you're patient you can often pick up used M60's or M61's from private sellers @ CPF/MP for ~$50 or so, which is a great deal for a top-quality dropin with a no-questions-asked lifetime warranty & customer service from Mr. M.

 

[angelofwar]

Grab a Malkoff and be done with it!

 

[signal 13]

Grab a Malkoff and be done with it!

Amen.

 

[papageorgio]

Malkoff baby!

 

[BaldGuy45]

Ok, I ordered a M61 and a M61L for the SF. Do I need a new bezel for the G2 since I am going to run the M61L in it? These lights are used only in short bursts so I think I will be ok but not really sure. Another useful feature I thought of would be clips for these lights. Keep the suggestions coming!

 

[notrefined]

The m61l should be fine with the stock nitrolon Bezel

 

[Bullzeyebill]

You're asking for opinions from complete strangers over the internet, so they might be worth the price you're paying for them.

LOL. Not sure I agree.

Bill

 

[Bullzeyebill]

Moving this to the LED Flashlight forum.

Bill

 

[shane45_1911]

LOL. Not sure I agree.

Me neither. Some of us are strange, but we're not strangers. I'd take candy from most of you!

Back on topic...Malkoff drop in for sure.

 

[HotWire]

If you already have a surefire 6P you should consider the Oveready triple. It is rugged and *bright*. I use mine all the time.

 

[BaldGuy45]

Thanks for the reply. Sorry I havent got back to this but just found the thread again. I didnt know it had been moved. Anyway, I got my dropins by mail today and I will have to say.....Be Easy Guys.... I am not impressed. These are very nice and seem extremely well built but when I took out my el cheapo DX dropin and put in the Malkoff I was expecting a blinding light to leap forth. What I got was a huge spill thats not as bright as the cheapo. "Maybe I need some new batteries" I thought out loud. Didnt help. I am not dissapointed per say, but its not what I expected from all of the talk I have heard about these. I put the 61L in the G2 and of course its even less bright.
Now, in retrospect, they both are much brighter than the standard SF setup, but my M20 Olight that I paid about the same price for as one dropin, puts them both to shame. I know I will not have the most popular opinion here, but for shear lumens and brightness, I feel that I would have been more satisfied to buy a new light with the funds.
Thanks to all for the advice and you may begin the beatings now.

 

[angelofwar]

No worries baldy...we're all here to learn. The L models are actually designed not to be very bright, but, you get more runtime. If you want something that will completely sere your retina's, grab an old M60 off the MP...

The M60 put off roughly 240 lumens, the L, about half that but with double the runtime, and the LL has about 1/4 the lumen out-put of the M60, but 8 times the run-time.

 

[AZPops]

How about a light from Jason; http://darksucks.com/store_alpha2.html

If your looking for more of a tight beam vs a flood, he may still have a TIR Optic available.

 

[FPSRelic]

Thanks for the reply. Sorry I havent got back to this but just found the thread again. I didnt know it had been moved. Anyway, I got my dropins by mail today and I will have to say.....Be Easy Guys.... I am not impressed. These are very nice and seem extremely well built but when I took out my el cheapo DX dropin and put in the Malkoff I was expecting a blinding light to leap forth. What I got was a huge spill thats not as bright as the cheapo. "Maybe I need some new batteries" I thought out loud. Didnt help. I am not dissapointed per say, but its not what I expected from all of the talk I have heard about these. I put the 61L in the G2 and of course its even less bright.
Now, in retrospect, they both are much brighter than the standard SF setup, but my M20 Olight that I paid about the same price for as one dropin, puts them both to shame. I know I will not have the most popular opinion here, but for shear lumens and brightness, I feel that I would have been more satisfied to buy a new light with the funds.
Thanks to all for the advice and you may begin the beatings now.

No beatings for you. If anything, we probably needed to find out what you meant by "upgrade". To many on these forums, the Malkoff drop ins [i[are[/i] an upgrade from a DX one, as far as reliability and quality goes. It sounds to me that you want something that's just brighter than what you have. When you say bright, are you after just brightness or throw?

 

[GulfCoastToad]

.....Be Easy Guys.... I am not impressed.

See post #2. Like I said, "Strangers over the internet." I stand by my recommendation for the Fenix LD20. If you hate it, just take it back.

 

[vb14]

You're asking for opinions from complete strangers over the internet, so they might be worth the price you're paying for them.

See post #2. Like I said, "Strangers over the internet."

Are you saying that asking for an opinion about a flashlight on the biggest flashlight forum in the world, with probably most knowledgeable people about the subject, is a bad idea??? What am I missing here?

 

[vb14]

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