New guy saying hello

[JimmyT]

Stumbled upon this forum when doing research on a surefire 6p that was given to me. I am a total newbie at this and this site is overwhelming. All I can say is I have seen the light LOL. This surefire light is the most impressive thing I have seen. I can not believe the flame this thing throws. Im in shock. Thats all for now, Im not going ot ask any questions till I comb through this site.

That light is amazing! Did I say that already. The light is so small. My wife is blind, the kids are blind, This is the best light I have ever owned!

 

[Gunner12]

:welcome:

Now look at LED Drop-ins that will fit the 6P(I would suggest this one or this one to start), that will make the light even brighter and run longer. You could also run most of those drop-ins with rechargeable batteries.

It's bit too late to run away now before this hobby consumes you since you already have the 6P.

 

[bondr006]

:wave: Welcome to the Hotel California. He's starting off with a Surefire. You're in real trouble dude.... Just make sure you give the wife all the credit cards, debit cards, checks, and sole access to all the accounts. We wouldn't want the kids to go without food and clothing. :laughing:

 

[Manzerick]

Welcome fellow "Masshole" :lolsign:


You've come to the right place!!! Just... trust me... Hold on to your wallet!!!!!

 

[Numbers]

You're a smart man, you started with the best. Since you dont have to "graduate" to SF you will save the money you would have spent on lesser lights--to spend on more SF's

 

[TKC]

Welcome to CPF!! Congrats on starting with a SF!! You might as well open up your wallet, and say buh-bye to your money!!

 

[flashy bazook]

welcome to the flashlight forums! Where no good question (or even bad question) about flashlights goes unanswered. In fact, it is often answered multiple times, but not always consistently!

congrats on snagging an SF 6P. In its time, it was very advanced. But by now it is outclassed by LED-based flashlights in terms of the main flashlight characteristics: lumen output vs. runtime. Plus the LED is orders of magnitude more reliable than the incan bulb you have and lasting tens of thousands of hours in many cases.

You could consider selling it and getting a more modern and advanced LED based flashlight with far superior runtimes for equal lumen output (assuming you use the upgraded P61 lamp to double the lumen output of your 6P).

Basically for anyone new to flashlights, something like the SF 6P seems like a miracle. If you continue to learn about flashlights, you will soon find out that it is only so because you are comparing it to REALLY REALLY obsolete flashlights. The modern LEDs are advancing by leaps and bounds, almost in a way similar to how computers have become faster and faster, except they do it in terms of lumen output and runtimes.

Anyway, that's my opinion, which no doubt will not be universally shared. But keep in mind that the more you delay selling the SF 6P the less $$$ you'll get for it!

 

[bondr006]

He can always put an LED drop-in in it Flashy. In fact, the 6P is a great host for many great drop-ins.....Incan and LED. You can get a good Lumens Factory 9V 380 Lumen incan or the brand spanking new CREE Q5 230 Lumen drop-in from Bug Out Gear. Wolf Eyes has a great 2 level LED drop-in for it, and there is always the great P60 style LED drop-in from Gene Malkov. And, if you decide you like incan....Lumens Factory has a 9V 220 Lumen drop-in that gets 60 minutes runtime, and a 9V 150 Lumen one that gets 80 minutes. There is really no reason to get rid of the 6P when it is really one of the easiest lights to upgrade that there is out there. Heck...you can even put a clickie switch on it if you don't like the twistie. I say keep it. You will be glad you did.

Rob Bond

 

[Hitthespot]

I have the SF G2 which is the platic version of your 6P. I just put a LED upgrade in it and now it is at least 3 times brighter. You are really going to be amazed when you see these.

Welcome to CPF. I been around now for around a month and enjoy reading all the information here. I didn't know there were people with the same obsession I had!!!

:welcome:

 

[BSCOTT1504]

:welcome: So you started out with a Surefire huh?

Way to go!! That's a great way to get into flashlights.

The 6P is a classic and you should not even think about selling it!

Don't worry about these guys that will tell you it's old technology.

Keep it, use it, and love it. Then buy a LED light....L1, L2, L4 ???

 

[jumpstat]

Welcome to CPF - good start with SF. You won't regret your decision.

 

[JimmyT]

I asked my wife for Executive Elite e2e, but now after reading this thread Im looking at the L4 lumamax. So I assume that is brighter than my P6? and its LED? it says 100 lumens? Are you guys serious?

 

[Gunner12]

I'd say get a LED drop-in for you 6P first, then think about other lights. The drop-ins start at $10 and go up to $55. For everyday use, I think this drop-in would work fine. Output should be close to the L4.

Do you want lots of throw? Because the Dereelight DBS should project 200 meter and also costs less the the L4 and is brighter too, which is a pretty floody light.

The L4 should be a bit more then 100 lumens, Surefire rates minimum out the front lumens so their ratings are usually lower then actual lumens.

The 6P actually project much more then the L4(500 Lux vs 4000 Lux), this is due to then narrower beam pattern of the 6P. But the L4 has more overall output then the 6P.

Now lets talk LED,

The newer LEDs, Cree XR-E P4-R2 bin, Seoul P4 U and the upcoming V bin, and the REbel 100 LED, all have at least double the efficicney of the Luxeon I(AKA 1 watt), III(3 watt), V(5 watt) and K2(varies from 4.8 to 7 something) seen in most store. So for the same power, the newer LEDs will produce twice or more output(Luxeon I, III, K2) or have half the Vf(Luxeon V, the newer LED will probably still have more output). The L4 uses the Luxeon V. It's a great light but it does get very hot within 15 minutes of on time.

Also look at the Welcome Mat.

What would you like in your next light and at what price range?

You are at the point of no return, have fun with this new hobby!

Now over here, 100 lumens actually is not a huge figure, we have light smaller then a AA cell that produce that much light, Cue the Draco. I think Modamag said 160 lumens. There are also cheaper lights that will easily hit that figure, like the WF-400.

Like everyone said, the 6P is a great starting point.

 

[BSCOTT1504]

Us guys are serious!! The L4 is another Surefire classic. The famed "wall of light". The L4 has tremendous spill but it is not a thrower. Your 6P will light up objects farther away than the L4, but the L4 will light up a good-sized room like no other!

Once again there will be those that tell you not to get an L4 because it has a Lux V emitter. Just bear in mind that not every light has to have a Q5, P4, or Rebel in it. Some of my favorite lights are "old school" Lux lights, and the L4 and U2 are at the top of the heap.

Decide whether you want a good light for throw or a more "floody" light and make your decision from there. Do some reading and then buy the light that you think will best fill your needs.....:thumbsup:

 

[JimmyT]

Wow great info here! In terms of throw vs flood? Im assuming you have to give up one to get the other?

It seems to me I like a massive throw. More for walking the dog at night, Walking in the woods (hunting), Fishing at night to navigate the islands and barely submerged rocks in somewhat familiar waters.

The p6 is awesome, I got it for nothing!....but it is a "Classic" so what is equivelant in size that throws a flame as bright if not brighter and more efficient? Am I asking for too much?

 

[Gunner12]

Well, you could have both a powerful throw and a good spill so you can use the spill for close range and the throw for far range. Or a diffuser for close range too.

Now, what you are asking for is entirely possible, even with your current 6P. Look at this thread, this LED Drop-in(open up the front of you light, take out the P60 Incan module, place in the new LED module, screw everything back together and you are done, same with all p60 drop-ins) is brighter. This one is similar but more flexible voltage range and cheaper(Sorry that I'm say this so many times).

For the most throw at a similar size, the Dereelight CL1H seems to be good choice, I'm guessing 160+ lumen out the front on high(with a Q5 module).

As you can see form the pictures in the CL1H thread, the Dereelight DBS(review, as you can tell from the beamshots, the spill is quite useful) bigger but you do get a lot more throw. Similar output to the CL1H.

If you want to stay low priced, the WF-400 will be similar sized and also throw further. But when you compare the quality with the Surefire, you will understand the difference in price. Not to say the light is crap, it will function just fine for most uses and feel great to the average flashlight user but it is nowhere near Surefire's quality. Dereelight seems to be very close-slightly surpassing surefire quality according to the reviews.

Now, you could also make/buy Incan lights that will literally light stuff on fire. Those are usually in the 2000+ Lumens range.

 

[Lightguy27]

Wow great info here! In terms of throw vs flood? Im assuming you have to give up one to get the other?

It seems to me I like a massive throw. More for walking the dog at night, Walking in the woods (hunting), Fishing at night to navigate the islands and barely submerged rocks in somewhat familiar waters.

The p6 is awesome, I got it for nothing!....but it is a "Classic" so what is equivelant in size that throws a flame as bright if not brighter and more efficient? Am I asking for too much?

Well first of all, :welcome:
Now, surefire makes a light called the L1, it's like the little, little brother of the "L" family,(L1,L2,L4,L5 and they used to make an L6). It's the smallest of the bunch because it only takes on battery. It also has two power settings, 10 Lumens, and the same as your 6p, 65 lumens. The new L1, (we will get to the 1st gen in a moment) has a TIR optic, which stands for total Internal Reflection, that gathers up all the light the LED produces and makes it into a pretty tightly focused beam. Now unlike it's 1st gen predecessor, it is not a complete thrower. In basic terms, the old one was all throw, no spill. The new one sacrifices a little throw, and gains a decent spillbeam. So basically the L1 is the smaller, more efficient, and a little better throw version of your 6p, any questions??:thinking: And nice to see someone start with a surefire, the L1 was my first real light .

 

[Dantor]

Welcome Jimmy! Run now while you've got a chance and don't know all the evils out there/in here, their not kidding!

 

[JimmyT]

Welcome Jimmy! Run now while you've got a chance and don't know all the evils out there/in here, their not kidding!

LOL! Believe me i know about expensive hobbies. Im into fishing, so spending upwards of $600 for a freshwater fising reel is not insane.

My wife is going to ask for a divorce real soon!:laughing:

 

[bondr006]

Here are some beam shots at 20 ft. showing the differences between some of the incandescent bulbs and a few of the different LED's. The incan pictures are labeled as such....otherwise it is LED.

BTW....Take a look at the link in my signature to see my full collection and see just what this hobby can really do to you. This is one hobby that makes going broke fun though. Don't worry...My son is fed well and has plenty of clothes....:twothumbs

Rob