New to forum, have a question, or three.

Hi, I am new to your forum from the good old Midwest USA. I own a Surefire 6P, a 12v Cabela's knock-off of the Surefire, and recently purchased a Streamlight Stinger XT and immediatly ordered the HP upgrade as the XT is great for work inspecting equipment, but far from a tactical light. I hope the HP upgrade makes a difference as the batteries 123's sure burn up fast in my other two previously mentioned lights. I am becoming addicted to trying out new lights and that is what has brought me here. Now here is my question: None of the above mentioned lights are blinding enough for me to dis-orient a street thug to allow time to draw my CCW. I want blinding dis-orienting light small enough to always have with me. I would like it to be rechargable, but if not, I always have the Streamlight for when I need light often like in the shop where I go through a 24 pack of 123's every couple of weeks. I want the brightest/blinding bang for my buck and I cannot afford $300. or more. Remember, compact but blinding are essential. I love my 6P and the Cabela's 12v, I have the 12v on my house gun, Remington 870 express 18" tactical shotgun, it is mounted under the magazine tube on a momentary touch switch which is mounted on the pump. This lights any room in the house up and serves it's intended(by me) purpose well, but I need something with more oomph for the streets and bike trails. Your suggestions and comparisons to the lights I already own would be very much appreciated!

welcome!

i would recommend the Novatac 120P.

here is some info on them here:

http://www.lighthound.com/index.asp?PageAction=Custom&ID=30

basically it is a single cr123 light with a fully programmable interface which also includes disorienting strobe mode.

up to 120 lumens, down to less than 1 lumen.

How much toughness do you need?
Throw or Flood?
Batteries?

You could buy a LED drop-in for the 6P and run it on rechargeable batteries(17670 rechargeable Li-ion or 2 RCR123 battery, depends on the drop-in). Some are brighter then the P61 incan.

Brightest and bang for the buck? If you don't mind average quality, the Kaidomain 3 Seoul P4(the next batch is coming, I don't know when) or the MX power 3 Cree might be what you want.

The Dereelight CL1H might also be a good choice(also easy to upgrade and the modules will fit the 6P, just be careful of the voltage range).

:welcome:

I had the same problem...so I got the P-61 Lamp Module (From Surefire $27). It works with the 6P, but your basically switching out the 65-Lumen P-60 Lamp that comes with the light, with the 120-Lumen P-61...this is the cheapest and easiest solution that doesn't require modification, and still keep your warranty. I have a 6P and three G2's...as well as a 918FA (Surefire dedicated fore-end with a 120/225 lumen M-3 Combat Light) mounted on my 870 Marine Magnum...18" Barrel of course. I got the Streamlight Magazine mount as well and attached one of my G-2's with a red filter for a navigation light as well.

Thanks guys, so is the P-61 worth the money. The guy that sold me the light 6P a year ago said he bought it and returned it due to the fact that he could not tell the difference between the original 65 lm and the P-61. I suppose since my 6P bulb is dead I'll have to pay close to that for a replacement anyway. I bet Cabela's has their own brand of upgrade for less money.

No problem! But, actually, Cabela's probably doesn't...and if they did, it wouldn't be nearly the same quality as a Surefire P-61... since this is for "self-defense", I'd get the $27 SF P-61...

The BOG Q5 drop-in(and the Dereelight Q5 drop-in, scroll down, above the second picture in blue letters

"spare 1SM(1-stage multipower, 1x18650,2xCR123A,2xRCR123, constant output 3.8~8.4V) XR-E Q5 module with SMO or OP: USD26.5, free shipping by HK Post."

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would actually be brighter then the P61, proved more runtime and negate the need to buy more Incan modules because LEDs don't usually burn out(unless you leave the light on in and oven).

The BOG Q5 should be at least 150 lumen out the front(230 lumen * 65% light transmittance of normal reflector and uncoated window, surefire would have much better light transmittance numbers, The Dereelight Drop-in would be similar)

You could also run these drop-ins on rechargeable(which will either have too low or too high voltage to power the P61) to save on battery.

bobthewelder said:

Thanks guys, so is the P-61 worth the money. The guy that sold me the light 6P a year ago said he bought it and returned it due to the fact that he could not tell the difference between the original 65 lm and the P-61. I suppose since my 6P bulb is dead I'll have to pay close to that for a replacement anyway. I bet Cabela's has their own brand of upgrade for less money.

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the output difference between the p60 to p61 bulb is double the output.
that said, doubling the output is not visually a significant difference.

i've seen the difference a while back and it was a slight noticeable difference.
i was marginally impressed with the difference while my friend (it was his Surefire G2 with the p60 and p61) was not impressed and regrets purchasing the 120lumen bulb.
my friend is not a flashlight enthusiast though.

people that are heavily into flashlights and lumen outputs will see the difference as significant while your average non-enthusiast will only see a slight difference.
it's all relative.

that p61 bulb has only a 20 min runtime on 2 cr123 batteries.

you say you want a light for disorienting an attacker.
i would recommend any light that has disorienting strobe mode.

check out the Novatac 120 models.

Thanks, I did check out the Novatac, I have not seen a high end LED light, and the low end ones I have owned leave a ton to be desired. I have one with 21 LED's and it is a pale blue glow, it sucks. If the power went out, it would be OK for that. The throw is nill on this light. I do keep an open mind as I see lot's about LED's on the forums. I just picked up the P61 minutes ago and for gosh sakes, my P60 started working. I did turn one of the springs as both on the light end contact a wire. That may have been the problem. I did a closet comparison and there is a difference, although subtle. But I think that my 12v XPG Cabela's special still blows both out of the water. I also ran the Streamlight Stinger XT next to the P61, both light the closet up, but the Streamlight is a sad yello, not a bright blinding white. Are there any small HID lights that are affordable that would have way more blinding light then these I have? Boy, I'm looking at flashlights that cost as much as a new handgun. It's getting hard to balance, but for me they go hand in hand since it is dark when I leave for work and dark when I get home, I have to do my outdoors excersize in the dark.

i would suggest the fenix p3d q5. extremely bright strobe mode would work for your needs. it is easily carried in the pocket. has a rear reverse clickie but is not a true tactical light. it is my favorite light and is very versatile and easy to go through modes.-lance

bobthewelder said:

Hi, I am new to your forum from the good old Midwest USA.......

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Welcome to CPF. You've come to the right place. Try to avoid the impulse buys and sit on a choice for a while before you drop the big bucks.

bobthewelder said:

..........I love my 6P and the Cabela's 12v, I have the 12v on my house gun, Remington 870 express 18" tactical shotgun, it is mounted under the magazine tube on a momentary touch switch which is mounted on the pump.......

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Have you taken that 870 out and fired a few rounds with the light lit? I'd be courious to hear how it holds up to the recoil.

bobthewelder said:

...... I want blinding dis-orienting light small enough to always have with me..........I need something with more oomph for the streets and bike trails. Your suggestions and comparisons to the lights I already own would be very much appreciated!

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What is small enough to always be with you? I'm thinking a single 18650 Li-ion powered light. Maybe with a 30mm minimum dia. reflector for throw.

LED's are approaching what you're looking for in brightness. The drop-ins mentioned might be suitable. Not sure how bright that 12V is, anything that bright might not be in a EDC catagory.

Here's my suggestion, a Lumapower M1-Tactical with Cree Q5 WC, Black HAIII, 205 Lumens. I have an older M1 with a Seoul LED and like the form and performance.

Have fun making a decision!