Help IDing and Modding

Good afternoon folks,

I've been lurking around here for the last couple of weeks and have to say that the flashlight culture is one that I find intriguing. The longer I spend here the more I want to learn. As a matter of fact, this site and the fine folks in it, helped me make my 2 most recent flashlight purchases (a Fenix PD32 for work, and a Sunwayman V10R for EDC).

I find myself getting more and more interested in the Modding side of this site. Though I'm still trying to familiarize myself with terms and theories, I decided to scrounge around my garage and see if I had anything worth modding. I found 2 flashlights I'd bought through the years and wondered if they were suitable or moddable. I included pictures below:



This one I know, it's a Streamlight Tasklight (it says it right there on the light). I'm still familiarizing my self with the concept of flood vs throw but if throw is "reach" then this one seems pretty poor. It's got a side button that turns it on and cycles between the 3 settings (1 led, 3 leds, off). Is this one a candidate?

Then I have this one:



I know it's a Surefire (I've noticed a HUGE surefire following on this site) but I don't know the model. I know SFs are, for the most part, highly customizable but i'm not sure about this one. Is there anything I can do with this?

I mainly want to start learning by way of doing. I recently tried to unsuccessfully purchase a custom flashlight for sale in the forums so that I can take it apart and learn from it.
In the absence of that I'd like to get my feet wet with either of these two lights.

I look forward to your suggestions.

Brickhaus said:

Then I have this one:



I know it's a Surefire (I've noticed a HUGE surefire following on this site) but I don't know the model. I know SFs are, for the most part, highly customizable but i'm not sure about this one. Is there anything I can do with this?

I mainly want to start learning by way of doing. I recently tried to unsuccessfully purchase a custom flashlight for sale in the forums so that I can take it apart and learn from it.
In the absence of that I'd like to get my feet wet with either of these two lights.

I look forward to your suggestions.

Click to expand...

It's a Surefire G2, incandescent due to the Nitrolon bezel (part where the lamp is housed). It's P60 (AKA D26) compatible, though, using an LED drop-in with more power, 1.0A or more, is asking for trouble as plastics don't dissipate heat very well and electronics don't like being cooked. You can buy a substitute bezel for it made of aluminum, which will help keep things running cooler, but, you are still limited to about 1.5A max. When looking for parts to modify this light you need to mind your voltages. Too much and you release the magic Jeannie from the little black chips and too little results in a dim light, unless this is what you were trying to accomplish.

Thanks PCC for IDing it for me. Now that I know it's a Nitrolon G2 I can look for upgrades. I'm thinking a new switch, I'll look for a bezel, and upgrade the lamp to an LED. I will definitely be searching the forums but do you guys have any suggestions?

Will I be stuck with the existing 2 battery config or will the larger 18650(I think that's right) work?

Also, what about the streamlight is there anything I can do to that one? It's got an aluminum body, unlike the G2. Has anyone ever played with a twin task light? I havn't found much on the forums yet but I'm going to keep looking. If you guys have any suggestions for either though, I'd appreciate it.

I have no experience with the Streamlight and can't offer any advice based on the fact that I don't even know what it looks like.

You are stuck with either 2 X CR123a primary or two rechargeable CR123a (AKA RCR123a or 16340) batteries due to the diameter of the sleeve inside the Nitrolon tube. You can always add a CR123a extender to make it fit 2 X AA, but, you get less energy density doing that. You can, of course, use three CR123a batteries with that extender, too. As for the switch, are you looking to change it to a clicky switch? There's the McClicky with brass retainer kit that ElectronGuru sells via Oveready.com. The stock twisty switch is deadbolt reliable, though. For bezels, you can go with a Surefire Z44, which is the bezel used in just about everything that is P60 compatible. More specifically, you can look for the G2L version, which is black hard anodized. There are cheaper adtermarket alternatives, too. For the LED drop-in, I'd suggest the Malkoff M61 in any flavor that has an "L" in the name (M61L, or M61LL, for example) since these are the lower power longer lasting versions of his drop-ins. They're single mode drop-ins, though. If you want multiple modes, keep in mind that the high mode should be used sparingly.