Surefire Maximus, Minimus AA, Minimus Tactical and Minimus Vision!

[nullface]

I'm about to buy a Minimus, but I'm not sure if I should get a normal Minimus or a Vision. Is there an easy answer?

 

[cland72]

I'd say Minimus if you don't care about tint or if brightness is more important. Get the Vision if tint is more important to you.

 

[nullface]

I'd say Minimus if you don't care about tint or if brightness is more important. Get the Vision if tint is more important to you.

I have a few additional question, I'm no flashaholic so I have to make a few things clear to myself before I make my choice. The Vision is by no means a HCRI version of the normal Minimus right? It just has a warmer tint.

And I have a HDS Systems EDC (current gen) and a SureFire 6P with a Malkoff M61L HCRI drop-in, to which one does the Minimus Vision compere in warmth?

 

[pjandyho]

I have a few additional question, I'm no flashaholic so I have to make a few things clear to myself before I make my choice. The Vision is by no means a HCRI version of the normal Minimus right? It just has a warmer tint.

And I have a HDS Systems EDC (current gen) and a SureFire 6P with a Malkoff M61L HCRI drop-in, to which one does the Minimus Vision compere in warmth?

The Minimus Vision has a warm tint but it is cooler in tint compared to both Malkoff and HDS. Not exactly sure what color temperature it is but I would likely say it borders around the ballpark of 3500K to 3800K.

 

[nullface]

The Minimus Vision has a warm tint but it is cooler in tint compared to both Malkoff and HDS. Not exactly sure what color temperature it is but I would likely say it borders around the ballpark of 3500K to 3800K.

Wow is the Vision even cooler than the HDS (none HCRI)?

 

[pjandyho]

Wow is the Vision even cooler than the HDS (none HCRI)?

I was referring to the HCRI version of the current generation of HDS lights, and since you did not mention, I assumed you are referring to the HCRI version. The older HCRI HDS lights using the SSC P4 has a slightly cooler tint which is quite similar to the Minimus Vision.

 

[MarkIAlbert]

I find headlamps really useful around the house:
1) Midnight snacking - great for avoiding waking up the house and still gives you two free hands - one for the plate, one for the glass.
2) Power outages. In the last two years, we've been without power for a total of 4 weeks. Headlamps that were both efficient (for long life) and bright were a huge help.
3) Home repairs - much easier to have a headlamp aimed where you need it than to have a wife or child aim a light (as they complain "are you done yet").

WOW! EDC'ing any headlamp, let alone a big one like the Maximus, is way beyond me. My hat off to the flashaholic (if not headlampaholic) in you. I EDC my Klarus Mi X6 SS and I am considering EDC'ing a 1 X CR123 flashlight like the Niteye 10 TIC but the Maximus is way too inconvenient for me to EDC.

As I admitted earlier, I don't "need" more than 80 lumens on my headlamp. I just "want" this; w/o doing SAR or caving. I now realize that keeping this 500 lumen headlamp in my car would be harmful for its fixed Li-Ion battery and I am desperately trying to find another use for it. I wish having it on my person, at all times, was an alternative for me, though.

 

[P_A_S_1]

I'm about to buy a Minimus, but I'm not sure if I should get a normal Minimus or a Vision. Is there an easy answer?

They're close enough in brightness that I would choose based on the tint alone. Finding a store that has both to compare side by side would be your best option.

 

[dwong]

Was in the same boat and end up with the Vision, I never dial pass 50%.
For use in house or night hike, 30-40 lumens is more then enough.

I'm about to buy a Minimus, but I'm not sure if I should get a normal Minimus or a Vision. Is there an easy answer?

 

[think2x]

Cons:
-Needs a strap going across the top. It's heavy enough that I have to have the headband uncomfortably tight to keep it from creeping down my face. Forget jogging or anything rough.
-Lots of artifacts in the beam, although that doesn't bother me in actual use
-Ditto for a blue hotspot and greenish spill
-Not as bright as the rating would lead me to believe.

Just as an FYI, I have had great results using this on flashlight lenses and today I mustered the nerve to apply it to my Minimus Vision. Mask of the surrounding area and give the lens a light coat or two of this.......http://www.houzz.com/photos/2620253/Valspar-Glass-Frosting-Spray-Paint--11-Ounces--housekeeping-

While it will make it more floody, it also makes the beam pattern great IMO totally eliminating the two issues in bold.

 

[Gxtac]

Never been impressed with sure fire head lamps. Not enough output for the price. Love their weapon lights and LEDs, own 7 total. 2 x300s, 2 ed2 defenders, lx2 lumamax, g2, px2 fury. Would be curious to see the sure fire Maximus in a comparison to the fenix hp15

 

[P_A_S_1]

Odd thing about my Minimus, never noticed the light 'halo' effect many complain about until I actually looked for it. To me it didn't seem that bad however recently I've noticed it's really pronounced. Is it possible to get worse with time?

 

[mthayr]

The latest revision of the Minimus has addressed the body tension issue by replacing the two static tension pins with larger pins that have a small set screw in each pin to allow user adjustment of the tension to compensate for wear/manufacturing tolerances

Can anyone tell me what size hex these tiny little set screws are, I have tried both a 1/20th (SAE) and 1.5mm (metric) wrench to no avail... I need to tighten this as the housing turns badly when turning my light on or off.

 

[cland72]

My minimus vision didn't have enough friction to keep the unit from turning when turning the light off or on. I called surefire and the two adjustment Allen screws behind the velcro pad are 0.035 inch in case anyone needs to adjust tension.

Posted using Tapatalk on my HTC Evo

 

[mthayr]

NICE!! And in case you have trouble finding said teenie weenie hex drivers: http://amzn.com/B003N9B6BC

 

[dwong]

Thanks, just order 2 pairs to go along with Xtra SP1 charger.

Surefire sells a rechargeable battery kit that would work perfectly for you.

 

[mntnrnnr]

Odd thing about my Minimus, never noticed the light 'halo' effect many complain about until I actually looked for it. To me it didn't seem that bad however recently I've noticed it's really pronounced. Is it possible to get worse with time?

I don't have any data to prove it, but I think it *does* get worse with time... When I got mine out last fall for "headlamp season," it certainly seemed the "halo" rings were far worse... And they land right across my nose/face when I have the headlamp positioned at a comfortable angle for walking...

It's such a shame really - in terms of reliability, construction, and UI, this is my favorite headlamp... enough so that without the rings I would be completely satisfied with it and would probably have no need for another headlamp... However, the artifacts dancing in my eyes and across my peripheral vision ruin it. So sadly, I'm still looking for the perfect headlamp...

 

[P_A_S_1]

I don't have any data to prove it, but I think it *does* get worse with time... When I got mine out last fall for "headlamp season," it certainly seemed the "halo" rings were far worse... And they land right across my nose/face when I have the headlamp positioned at a comfortable angle for walking...

It's such a shame really - in terms of reliability, construction, and UI, this is my favorite headlamp... enough so that without the rings I would be completely satisfied with it and would probably have no need for another headlamp... However, the artifacts dancing in my eyes and across my peripheral vision ruin it. So sadly, I'm still looking for the perfect headlamp...

I kind of think so too. When I first got it I looked for these artifacts and barely noticed them, now they're obvious. Odd (and disappointing).

 

[dougie]

Each of us is different but the fact is if we look for imperfections in something we will usually find them. There is no denying that the artifacts you describe seem to be prevalent in the majority of Surefire's headlamps. However, just like you can't train yourself to ignore them an equal number of people can condition themselves to ignore what you find an irritation. The saddest part is that 'if' the artifacts weren't there the Surefire range of headlamps would be some of the best available on the market. As it stands they have been left to stagnate and the issues of beam artifacts ignored so that the headlamps have become something of a niche market for Surefire which is a real shame.

 

[P_A_S_1]

Each of us is different but the fact is if we look for imperfections in something we will usually find them. There is no denying that the artifacts you describe seem to be prevalent in the majority of Surefire's headlamps. However, just like you can't train yourself to ignore them an equal number of people can condition themselves to ignore what you find an irritation. The saddest part is that 'if' the artifacts weren't there the Surefire range of headlamps would be some of the best available on the market. As it stands they have been left to stagnate and the issues of beam artifacts ignored so that the headlamps have become something of a niche market for Surefire which is a real shame.

I agree with the latter part very much so, just a few tweaks to the Minimus line would make a big difference. Correct the artifacts, allow the battery compartment to 'lock out', and Li-ion compatibility (4.2v rcr123) are pretty simple fixes and would make the light much better.