which surefire?

[Tiger18]

Hey everyone,

I just recently been doing some research on lights and would like your opinion on my decision. I'm planning on getting a surefire torch soon for everyday purposes as well as for self defense.

As of right now I'm thinking about the 6PL defender as my main option. However, I'm not sure if the battery life is decent or not. The E2D defender seems like another option of mine.

oh, are the filters for surefire lights worth getting? The 6p seems to have better filters than the E2D.

Could you guys give me any advice?

Thanks for all the help! =)

-T

[Tiger18]

bump

[kurni]

Go easy on the bump; less-than-2-hour bump isn't really a bump

There has been a thread about this here; I'm an SF noob as well but I'll help as much as I can because I was in your position not long time ago.

Cheers,
Kurni

[Albinoni]

I think the 6P is one of Surefires biggest sellers and I myself also have been thinking of buying one in the future. Though I was adviced here on this forum not to get the 6PL (LED Version) but just the 6P (non LED) and modify it by installing a different drop in (LED Drop in) which are avaliable for the 6P and which are Cree LED's that would give out more lumens than the standard Surefire LED module.

Also with a modded 6P might be worth investing in RCR123's which would slightly boost the performance of the LED's brightness.

Here's some You Tube clips that may help:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=cOjxkvYFhmU

http://youtube.com/watch?v=cOjxkvYFhmU

http://youtube.com/watch?v=JgsUpRdgsp8

[bullfrog]

Welcome to the forum!

I was in your position a couple of months ago...

I think some more detailed information would be very helpful to narrow down your search:

-What is your price limit?

-Is there a size requirement? 1 cell, 2 cells, palm sized, hand sized, do you want it small enough to always carry, etc.?

-Brightness vs. run time - which is more important?

-What do you specifically plan on using it for - other then self defense?

The L1 Cree was the light that came highly recommended to me as a beginner to Surefires - it is an all around great light!

Some others to consider: E1B (smaller than L1) or E2D LED (bigger than the L1) - I have the E2D LED also and its a monster of a light!!!

L1: http://www.surefire.com/maxexp/main/.../932/sesent/00

E1B: http://www.surefire.com/maxexp/main/...4511/sesent/00

E2D LED: http://www.surefire.com/maxexp/main/...4531/sesent/00

Depending on your specific needs, one of these lights will be perfect - or you could just get all three!!!

[Outdoors Fanatic]

Hey everyone,

I just recently been doing some research on lights and would like your opinion on my decision. I'm planning on getting a surefire torch soon for everyday purposes as well as for self defense.

As of right now I'm thinking about the 6PL defender as my main option. However, I'm not sure if the battery life is decent or not. The E2D defender seems like another option of mine.

oh, are the filters for surefire lights worth getting? The 6p seems to have better filters than the E2D.

Could you guys give me any advice?

Thanks for all the help! =)

-T

If you want to stick with LEDs, then the E2 Defender LED is your best bet. Go for it!

However, if you prefer incandescent lights, then the 9P or the C3 are the best starting points into the SureFire world of madness. The heck with that! go for the Combat series!!

[Sgt. LED]

Get a 6PDL and a malkoff M30 and run it off an AW 17650 cell.
The combo may be expensive sounding at first but in the long run you will save money. It ought to last you a decade.

C3 running 2 AW 17500's would be nice with a malkoff m60 or m60L.

You could skip it all and go straight to the M6!

[adamlau]

M series is the way to go for incans. Leave the P and C series to the little boys ...

[pipspeak]

Stop this madness... I have my first Surefire on the way (a lowly 6P) and already my hand is flicking over my credit card in anticipation of a nice E2D... arrrgh.

[Greg G]

I'll cast a vote for a Surefire L5 Lumamax with the KL5A head that has the Seoul P4 emitter in it. Then get some AW 123's, a good charger, and you're all set.

[Daark]

Is it possible to feed/drive the SF E2D-LED with rechargeable RCR123 ?

[Tiger18]

umm....my price range is around 100 to 150ish. This is my first light and I'm still a college student =) which equals being poor hahah

but yea, I just wanted a good portable light for everyday use and self defense. I'm not sure what the minimum lumen it takes to temporarily blind and aggressor is.

The battery life is pretty important to me as well, too bad I can't find a flashlight that is really bright and can run many hours on one battery. This is why the E2D led defender caught my eye due to the long battery life on low, but I don't know how bright that is for casual use. But 11 hours at 80 lumen is pretty good too imo. But then, I don't know anything about flashlights.

what was you guy's first surefire?

[adamlau]

617FA when I was eighteen years old. If you are indeed a poor student, then you must be on financial aid. And if you are indeed on financial aid, you are eligible and have precedence for student work on campus. That said, if you are fortunate enough to obtain a job on campus, save up for the upcoming UA2, or UB2.

[Greg G]

umm....my price range is around 100 to 150ish. This is my first light and I'm still a college student =) which equals being poor hahah

but yea, I just wanted a good portable light for everyday use and self defense. I'm not sure what the minimum lumen it takes to temporarily blind and aggressor is.

The battery life is pretty important to me as well, too bad I can't find a flashlight that is really bright and can run many hours on one battery. This is why the E2D led defender caught my eye due to the long battery life on low, but I don't know how bright that is for casual use. But 11 hours at 80 lumen is pretty good too imo. But then, I don't know anything about flashlights.

what was you guy's first surefire?

I picked up my latest L5 on e-bay for $95. Deals can be found. I like the L5 because it puts out a lot of useable light (this light is often referred to as "The Wall of Light"), needs no modding if you get a new one with the KL5A head, and has good runtimes. I get about 2 hours on 2 AW 123 cells. It's small enough to edc too.

[edc3]

My first and so far only Surefire is a 6P Original that I bought NIB on eBay for $42 shipped. I added a Wolf-Eyes Q5 dropin for about $50 shipped and have a pretty kick a$$ setup for under $100. The only bad thing I can say about the 6P is that it makes me want more Surefires. I think a 6P Original with an LED dropin (or even the 6P with the stock incan) is a great place to start - especially if your funds are limited. YMMV. Good luck with your purchase.

[Tiger18]

I'm about 80 percent leaning on the 6pl defender as of now. For 15 dollars more in comparison to the 6pl it comes with a click tailcap (which I like a lot more than the turn for constant on)

how fast do you guys run through batteries on your flashlights? I'm wondering when I get my torch if I should buy a box of 123.

[Riddick]

You can never have enough cells

[carrot]

When I first owned a Surefire it was a G2 and it ran for only 60 minutes on a pair of cells. I managed to eke out 1 month of usage off that first pair and after that I always kept a few cells around handy. You might as well get a box.

Nowadays I always have about 30 cells on hand and never drop below 6, along with the cells conveniently stored in various lights.