My first test of Surefire's durability.

Chuck289 · Feb 18, 2007

Tonight I was climbing a ladder that went to the rooftop of a 2 story building. My friend was at the bottom holding the ladder and lighting the area with my streamlight nightcom. I had my Surefire G2 in my shirt pocket. Just as I was stepping off the ladder my G2 fell out of my pocket, about 20-25 feet and smacked right on the concrete below. This is the short conversation that followed,

Friend: "Oh sh**! There goes your flashlight"
Me: (Yelling down from above) "It's Okay, It's a Surefire"
Friend: (picks up the light, hits the tailcap, and it lights up) ".......Wow"

Only a couple very small scratches on the tailcap. Other than that, good as new. I was impressed too, but I couldn't act like it in front of my buddies :grin2:

ScooterBug · Feb 18, 2007

i have droped my Z2 at work many times and it looks like it has been through a war (and Has) but it has NEVER failed me. :grin2:

Valpo Hawkeye · Feb 18, 2007

My heart sinks every time I drop a light. I had my beloved L4 out in a parking lot and dropped it right on the concrete. I was afraid to pick it up for fear of the damage. To my surprise, there was nothing, zip, nada. I was impressed. Another time I dropped just the KL4 and it went rolling down some stairs; again, nothing! Gotta love HA!

BTW, why were you going to the roof?

Size15's · Feb 18, 2007

I believe that just because a device can survive an accident, it doesn't mean it should be subjected to accidents because of this. Precautions against dropping your tools should be taken (since dropping things wastes time, and the device may well fail)

I have similar experience with SureFires - it is rare that one will fail and I would bet that a SureFire would be functional after a drop rather than it fail.

Al

search_and_rescue · Feb 18, 2007

When I got my Surefire M6-CB I accidentally put the batteries into the magazine upside down. Then I was driving with it in the passenger seat and suddenly braked, it went Ka-Boom! on to the floor.

Since that time it lasted me seven hours of night hiking on dark, narrow wooded trails on the original six-pack (not constant use of course). It's still going strong on that original six-pack. Oh and I'm using the Surefire MN21 HOLA. :laughing:

Illum · Feb 18, 2007

a two story high should not kill the flashlight beyond scratches and or denting...I know because I've done some of my own experimenting on my poor G2. theres a greater possibility that anything higher than that height on concrete will break the xenon filaments or if the light was on for a considerable time before it dropped so be careful :ohgeez:

scubasteve1942 · Feb 18, 2007

Hmm were you using the p60 in the G2?

CM · Feb 18, 2007

The most likely damage to a dropped Surefire is a broken lens (or blown incandescent). Electronics and LED's take shock very gracefully.

Chuck289 · Feb 18, 2007

scubasteve1942 said:
Hmm were you using the p60 in the G2?

I was using the P60.

The lens on the G2 is lexan, correct?

Illum · Feb 18, 2007

CM said:
The most likely damage to a dropped Surefire is a broken lens (or blown incandescent). Electronics and LED's take shock very gracefully.

mainly because Surefire electronics are potted I think :ohgeez:

Size15's · Feb 18, 2007

Chuck289 said:
I was using the P60. The lens on the G2 is lexan, correct?

Yes, the G2 features a Lexan window.
(Note that the G2Z and G3 feature Pyrex windows)

adirondackdestroyer · Feb 18, 2007

I would hope that a G2 would survive a 25 ft fall. I remember a thread someone did a while back about dropping their Streamlight 4AA Luxeon down a elevator shaft and how it survived a bunch of very very high falls! I doubt any incan could ever handle a fall from such a height.

Owen · Feb 18, 2007

Lucky that was a G2. Would have really banged up an Al light.

adirondackdestroyer said:
I remember a thread someone did a while back about dropping their Streamlight 4AA Luxeon down a elevator shaft and how it survived a bunch of very very high falls!

That was a Fenix L1P. The SL 4AA got drop tested in this thread: https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/117570

pactchncn · Feb 18, 2007

I was up in a catwalk 50 feet up moving stage weights onto the rigging system. I had my E1E was clipped to my pocket. I brushed it with a stage weight and it fell 50 feet onto concrete. I dreaded walking down the 70 stairs to find my Surefire had a cracked bezel, but amazingly the lamp still worked. A quick phone call to Surefire and two weeks later a new bezel was on my doorstep.

firefly99 · Feb 19, 2007

Chuck289 said:
Tonight I was climbing a ladder that went to the rooftop of a 2 story building. My friend was at the bottom holding the ladder and lighting the area with my streamlight nightcom. I had my Surefire G2 in my shirt pocket. Just as I was stepping off the ladder my G2 fell out of my pocket, about 20-25 feet and smacked right on the concrete below. This is the short conversation that followed,

Friend: "Oh sh**! There goes your flashlight"
Me: (Yelling down from above) "It's Okay, It's a Surefire"
Friend: (picks up the light, hits the tailcap, and it lights up) ".......Wow"

Only a couple very small scratches on the tailcap. Other than that, good as new. I was impressed too, but I couldn't act like it in front of my buddies

pactchncn said:
I was up in a catwalk 50 feet up moving stage weights onto the rigging system. I had my E1E was clipped to my pocket. I brushed it with a stage weight and it fell 50 feet onto concrete. I dreaded walking down the 70 stairs to find my Surefire had a cracked bezel, but amazingly the lamp still worked. A quick phone call to Surefire and two weeks later a new bezel was on my doorstep.

hey Chuck / Pactchncn,
Yours experiences show that incan bulb does not break so easily. Your flashlight still worked, after a fall of 20~50 feet and the incan lamp was not broken.

Is the flashlight switch on before the fall ?

Do you think this is due to the fact it is a Surefire incan ? or Incan lamp is tougher than what we think ?

pactchncn · Feb 19, 2007

The lamp was off when it fell, I'm sure if it was on it would have broken. When a filament has current running through it, it basically melts and emits light doing it. This causes it to be more fragile. Stage lights work in the same way, bump the light when it is hot and the lamp is shot, when cold they can take quite a beating before they will break. I did not expect it to work. I was amazed when it still did.

jumpstat · Feb 19, 2007

Chuck289,

Was your G2 switched on when it fell 2 storys down?

Chuck289 · Feb 19, 2007

jumpstat said:
Chuck289,

Was your G2 switched on when it fell 2 storys down?

My G2 was off when it fell out of my pocket.

RedLED · Feb 20, 2007

I dropped my U2 on our tile floor, it made an awful noise, and it worked.

Redled

My first test of Surefire's durability.

Enlightened

Enlightened

Flashlight Enthusiast

Flashaholic

Enlightened

Flashaholic

Enlightened

Flashlight Enthusiast

Enlightened

Flashaholic

Flashaholic

Flashlight Enthusiast

Flashlight Enthusiast

Newly Enlightened

Enlightened

Newly Enlightened

Flashlight Enthusiast

Enlightened

Flashlight Enthusiast

Similar threads