Did I purchase the wrong lamp assemblies?

[bridaw]

I recently purchased some lamp assemblies from the Lumens Factory to convert several surefires to rechargeable and make my shotgun forend brighter.

I purchased a HO-6 to replace the P60 in my 618FA shotgun forend. Did I end up getting essentially the same lamp? I recently read a thread about how various manufacturers rate their LAs and a tip about comparing run times instead of lumens when comparing different brand LAs. I originally thought the HO-6 would be about as bright as the P61 with longer run time. Am I going to be disappointed with the HO-6 and should I have purchased the EO-6 instead?

I also have one G2Z-BK-NR, one G2-YL and one C2-HA. I purchased some of AW's Protected R123A (750 mAH) batteries to drive Lumens Factory SR-9 LAs in these three lights. I know I could have gone with HO-9 but decided to play it safe and also get longer run times. The SR-9 on Protected R123A batteries should be brighter than the stock P60/123A setup right? A lot brighter? Will it be brighter than P61/123A or should I have gone with the HO-9?

Feels like I just typed another language... fancy lego light options making my head spin. I'm almost afraid to ask if I should have considered a different battery? It is a shame I can't just use the 18650 batteries I use with my RPL-300 to keep it simple.

 

[bagman]

I cant answer all your questions but I had some LF lamps arrive yesterday.

To my eyes (very subjective I know) the HO-9 is certainly a lot brighter than a P60 (but so it should be on 9/7.2v) a bit brighter than a P90 but not as bright as a P91.

Even allowing for losses I believe their lumen ratings are on the high side when compared to SureFire's (or perhaps SF downgrade their ratings a lot???)

 

[Paul_in_Maryland]

I purchased a HO-6 to replace the P60 in my 618FA shotgun forend. Did I end up getting essentially the same lamp?

Yes; I'm afraid you did, if your goal is to use rechargeables, what you needed was a 3.7V lamp (4-series) with one long cell (17670, Wolf Eyes 169B, or Pila 300S) or a 9V lamp (9-series) with two RCR123A cells. On one cell, a 6V lamp will deliver a dull, yellow beam. On two cells, its filament will self-destruct in a quick flash.

I recently read a thread about how various manufacturers rate their LAs and a tip about comparing run times instead of lumens when comparing different brand LAs. I originally thought the HO-6 would be about as bright as the P61 with longer run time. Am I going to be disappointed with the HO-6 and should I have purchased the EO-6 instead?

I don't have the Lumens Factory specs before me, but you are correct that you must multiply by 0.65 to approximate a Surefire rating. Some say that Surefire is even more conservative: that the company takes its readings when its primary cells are 50 percent depleted!

I also have one G2Z-BK-NR, one G2-YL and one C2-HA. I purchased some of AW's Protected R123A (750 mAH) batteries to drive Lumens Factory SR-9 LAs in these three lights. I know I could have gone with HO-9 but decided to play it safe and also get longer run times. The SR-9 on Protected R123A batteries should be brighter than the stock P60/123A setup right? A lot brighter? Will it be brighter than P61/123A or should I have gone with the HO-9?

When I read the SR-9's specs, I thought, "Why bother?" I think that the competition (Surefire, Wolf Eyes, Pila, and G&P) has this territory well-covered. Yeah, it will be brighter than a P60 on 123A cells, especially if you're looking for throw. But since you're using this lamp for just seconds at a time, treat yourself to the extra brightness of the HO-9. You will see a difference. Have you seen my beamshots, posted in someone else's Lumens Factory beamshots thread in this forum? I think the HO-9 is darn close to the EO-9. Even on the smaller 123A-size cells, I think you'd appreciate a difference from the SR-9.[/QUOTE]

Feels like I just typed another language... fancy lego light options making my head spin. I'm almost afraid to ask if I should have considered a different battery?

You mean 3.7V and a 4V lamp? No: An HO-9 on two rechargeable 123A cells will shame even the EO-4 on one 18670 cell.

It is a shame I can't just use the 18650 batteries I use with my RPL-300 to keep it simple.

My intent has been to standardize on 168A cells. Trust me, it's easier said than done!

 

[mdocod]

I disagree with the 0.65 conversion to get Surefire Lumens.... It's more Like 0.55 but varies depending which lamps you are converting... Surefire rates their lamps BELOW torch lumens, so he conversion is tricky, Overall, LF lamps are more efficiant (they are driven harder and whiter) so if you pick a LF lamp that uses the same amount of power, you can expect slightly more light, (like 10-20%)


I'll take a crack at it too.. between Paul and myself, You'll have about the most valuable collective knowledge on these setups available....(with various opinions to consider)

I purchased a HO-6 to replace the P60 in my 618FA shotgun forend. Did I end up getting essentially the same lamp? I recently read a thread about how various manufacturers rate their LAs and a tip about comparing run times instead of lumens when comparing different brand LAs. I originally thought the HO-6 would be about as bright as the P61 with longer run time. Am I going to be disappointed with the HO-6 and should I have purchased the EO-6 instead?

P60 is about a 5.75W lamp that makes about 110-130 bulb lumens
HO-6 is about a 6.75W lamp that makes about 150-170 bulb lumens.

The HO-6 will be slightly whiter and brighter, and will have slightly less runtime. It a nice little step up from the stock lamp without sacrificing too much runtime. You can not use any rechargable cells with this lamp, stick with primary CR123s here like Paul said...

I also have one G2Z-BK-NR, one G2-YL and one C2-HA. I purchased some of AW's Protected R123A (750 mAH) batteries to drive Lumens Factory SR-9 LAs in these three lights. I know I could have gone with HO-9 but decided to play it safe and also get longer run times. The SR-9 on Protected R123A batteries should be brighter than the stock P60/123A setup right? A lot brighter? Will it be brighter than P61/123A or should I have gone with the HO-9?

You chose very wisely IMO. The AW protected cells will work beautifully with that lamp.
P61 is about 11W and makes about 230-260 bulb lumens and lasts only about 20 minutes on the primary cells.
SR-9 is about 9W and makes about 210-230 bulb lumens and lasts about 30+ minutes on a pair of AWs protected RCR123s.

The SR-9 will be noticeably brighter than the stock P60, and will have a lot better throw than a P61 ever would (P61 is a flood light, LF lamps are geared for throw)

The HO-9 is a nice step up from that, and you might consider picking one up sometime and give it a shot in this configuration, IMO it's fantastic, but the short runtime (20 minutes) makes me grab for a 18650>HO-4 more frequently to conserve the powerful one for when it's really needed, but that HO-9 sure puts a grin on my face!

I'm almost afraid to ask if I should have considered a different battery? It is a shame I can't just use the 18650 batteries I use with my RPL-300 to keep it simple.

Like Paul said, standardizing on the 18650 would be ideal, but is very hard to do and get what you really want... Small and bright, lol...