Making a Surefire 6P useful again :)

[gcbryan]

In general I like a 3 mode light with a very bright high, a medium that I will actually use most of the time and a real low mode that will extend the runtime when necessary...no strobes.

I've had a 6P laying around that was a gift. I keep it with my pistol in my nightstand. I never use it. It isn't bright and can't use the 18650 batteries that I have for most of my other lights.

I like to have each of my lights be different in some functional way. The 6P was an incandescent so that's different but not in any way that I need or can appreciate.

I decided to order at XM-L single mode from Thrunite (hasn't arrived yet). I'm still not going to use the light that much but I figured it would be nice to have a bright light that is either on or off...no shifting through modes. It doesn't matter that it doesn't throw all that well (I assume) since it's for use close up. It doesn't need modes to extend the runtime since I'm not using it often. It doesn't take any rechargeable batteries that I have anyway so it's not the light for me to use on a regular basis.

If I should need my pistol and my light at the same time...it seems like a good match for that.

We'll see how it works out but I figured it was a good excuse for me to add a XM-L to my flashlight stash :)

It's always felt weird to have my least favorite light to be my only Surefire! Maybe that will now change!

 

[fishx65]

My 6P sat in the desk for years until I bored it for 18650's and dropped in a R2. I like that the 6P is a little more compact then any of my Solarforces.

 

[gcbryan]

Just got my XM-L today from SBflashlights. I ordered the single mode but the 3 mode arrived. Not worth sending back however and would be a better choice in a clicky light but is a bit of a hassle with the Surefire momentary set up.

The light output including beam is very nice. It's doing its job of replacing the 85 lumen incand with 400 something lumen of nice even white light. The incand even had rings around part of the output?

The dropin doesn't seem to have memory (no problem) but it does have that annoying next mode characteristic...you last used it in high mode so next time you turn it on it is in medium mode. I'll just have to remember to use it in low mode just before I turn it off so it will come on in high mode.

Of course if your hand comes off the momentary button for a second then the advance through all the modes begins. That's why I ordered the single mode.

It did come quickly and 1st class shipping was free. I ordered it Sunday night and got it today (Thursday).

 

[fishx65]

That dropin would drive me crazy in a 6P!! I would send them an e-mail telling them you want the one you ordered.

 

[gcbryan]

Yeah, it's bugging me a bit now that I play with it a bit more. I've got an email in to them.

I'm hoping they will send me the correct item along with a prepaid return padded envelope so I can just drop the incorrect product into the envelope and take it to any mailbox.

If I have to go into the post office, fill out labels, get packing, and then stand in line it's no better than dealing with DX considering that it's twice the price.

Shipping was fast so I'm hoping they will just send another one (including a return envelope) and let me send it back that way.

That's the way Amazon handles mistakes that they make on CD's. If you don't show great customer service (especially when they made the mistake) there is little reason to deal with U.S. companies rather than China.

 

[gcbryan]

In case anyone is reading :) I thought I'd mention that SBFlashlights did respond and sent out the correct (hopefully) 1 mode dropin yesterday along with a bubble wrap mailer for me to return the 3 mode version they sent by mistake.

Assuming that the one just mailed really is a 1 mode dropin this would make me feel very comfortable ordering from them again.

Their current 1st class shipping is free and fast and now I can see that their customer service is excellent as well.

 

[criminalhate]

Glad to hear that I've purchased a few items from them but never ran into any problems. It's good to know they have good customer support also.

 

[gcbryan]

I got the single mode XM-L today along with a prepaid label so all I had to do to return the wrong item was paste the new label over the old one and put it in the mailbox!

The Surefire is useful again IMO as well. A momentary switch with 500 lumen output in that small body. I didn't set it up to be a general purpose light but rather a "what's going on over there" light :) I might need to wear sunglasses to bed however in order to use this!

 

[leknows]

I am looking forward to working on my 6p as my first light to tinker with!

 

[Monocrom]

A SureFire 6P is a Classic. But with all classics, regardless of what the item may be, you're going to run into limitations since by their very definition a "classic" is just that. Time-proven, far from latest & greatest. My 6P has a Malkoff M60W MC-E Warm in it. Not exactly budget, but comapred to a custom Milky Room Sweeper it sure is.

Nothing wrong with breathing new life into a classic. Let us know how the drop-in works out for you.

 

[gcbryan]

It's perfect. I didn't get it to use it a lot but wanted something that was a little different from all of my other lights so since the 6p was a single mode mometary switch type of (incand) light I figured it would be a good candidate for a single mode XM-L.

Since I didn't have a XM-L that made it even better! Since it only oupput 65-85 lumens in the incand version this things is great. It also annoyed me in the past because in addition to not being bright it had half-ring like artifacts.

All that was solved with this drop in. One touch of the momentary switch and my bedroom and into the living room is illuminated! No dark corners!

Other than a bright bed side light of last resort it will be there for whatever tasks require a bright light now!

Otherwise I have a Proton Pro infinitely adjustable AA for going to the bathroom or whatever.

I have to say it's just fun to have a light that small (6P) that is that bright with no modes/strobes/etc.

 

[Kestrel]

Four posts have been deleted - this thread (and subforum) isn't the place to discuss handgun storage, training, and appropriate uses.