Re: Review - OVEREADY Bored Custom HA Fire Red 6P
The first item we'll talk about is the Bored Custom HA Fire Red 6P, just one member of the HA "family" of lights announced in
this thread.
These lights are available from OVEREADY as either hosts (no LED module included) or as a complete "turn-key" flashlight using one of their Torchlab triple drop-ins. In either form, the 6P can be customized with several different combinations of switches, lenses, and bezel rings available. The sample I received is bored to accept 18mm batteries and outfitted with the ZeroRez Mounty tail switch, black TiAlN coated Stainless Steel bezel ring, and UCL lens.
Obviously the first thing that stands out about the 6P is the custom red hard-anodized finish. Really more of a burgundy color the finish is perfectly matched across the entire light - head, body, and tailcap. Although the body may appear lighter (or brighter) in some of the photos, that's just because of the way the knurling reflects the light. I'm still trying to get this photography thing figured out :shrug:
The nice finish extends to the "hidden" areas of the light as well, including the head and tail threads along with the inside of the tailcap and bezel.
The bore is super smooth and fits my AW 3100mAh with ease. The body is not bored completely through, leaving a retention lip at the head end of the battery compartment to keep the battery in place when the head is removed. As a result, 18mm cells can only be loaded from the tail. Check out the double O-rings installed at the tail, another feature of OVEREADY bored hosts.
The finish is superb and I have a much better appreciation of how much work is involved in turning a plain old SureFire 6P into this custom HA version.
As part of the process, the bored hosts must be completely disassembled, including removing the bezel, lens, and switch internals. Care has to be taken not to damage the original parts as some of them may be needed at reassembly. Then the parts are wiped down, ultrasonically cleaned and inspected before they are packed up and shipped off to the anodize shop.
At the shop, the parts are acid cleaned and then stripped of the factory Type II anodized finish. After that, the lights are hard-anodized, colorized and inspected again before being returned to OVEREADY.
Upon their return, the parts receive another ultrasonic bath and inspection for quality before being partially reassembled, taking care to match the parts based on texture and color. They are now ready to be sold with final assembly tailored according to the customer's order. One more inspection and cleaning (including alcohol wipe) and they are finally ready to ship! I have never received a cleaner light in my life!
The optional parts included with my review sample include the titanium aluminum nitride (TiAlN) coated stainless steel bezel ring. I had to Google TiAlN to see what it actually is and learned that it's the same stuff that's used to coat drill bits. I suspect it should be even more effective on bezel rings! The black semi-gloss finish of the ring contrasts nicely with the HA red finish of the bezel.
At the tailcap, switching duty is handled by the ZeroRez Mounty. Basically a solid chunk of brass machined to replace the entire Z41 switch assembly, the ZeroRez replaces the typical switch spring with a solid tower of brass. No matter what kind of drop-in you're running, the ZeroRez will carry all of the current your batteries can provide.
Installation of the ZeroRez Mounty does away with momentary operation, basically turning the 6P into a "Twisty" only light. As a result, there is no boot resulting in a perfectly flat tailcap and enabling the light to tail stand. Other options include the original ZeroRez, McClicky, or stock Z41 switches.
Another neat feature of the ZeroRez Mounty is the 1/4" tripod socket that is machined into the tail which allows the light to be attached to a tripod or any of the many camera accessories designed with 1/4" threads to be attached to the light. My favorite so far is the LumaLabs PodMount & Strap ring which provides a handy place to attach a lanyard or secure the light to your gear. More to come later about the ZeroRez Mounty.
There have been no real surprises with using the light as it's still a SureFire 6P under the custom HA finish. All parts thread together easily and the tailcap rotates smoothly.
I tried the host with a variety of drop-ins from Malkoff, Nailbender, and other manufacturers with no issues. However, I was surprised to find out my Mac's Customs Triple would not work. After looking into the issue I discovered that the Mac's drop-in is noticeably shorter than the others and also has a much shorter (almost non-existent) contact spring. As a result the spring is not long enough to keep the battery pressed against the brass tower in the tailcap. The Mac's Triple was the only drop-in that had this problem.
Conclusions
This has been my first experience with one of the OVEREADY custom HA products and my initial impressions are all very positive. The actual color of the custom hard-anodized finish has been a pleasant surprise as I had thought these were a brighter red, or even almost orange in color. The darker red looks really good on the light and reminds me somewhat of the Winelight SureFires from several years ago. I suppose it's inevitable there will be some variation from sample to sample but what I have seen so far is very nice and definitely stands out more than a plain old 6P.
The included options are also very nice, as would be expected. I have bought a few OVEREADY bezel rings in the past but never gave the black finish a second look, instead opting for a brighter finish. Now that I have actually seen the black ring, I actually like the subdued look it adds to the light. Just for the sake of variety, I will try to add a few photos with some other rings I have on hand.
The ZeroRez Mounty is really interesting to me due to the various mounting possibilities it provides. I love the idea of being able to "LEGO" with things other than conventional flashlight parts but, aside from a plain old camera tripod, I don't have much experience with accessories of this nature. However, I'm learning and have a few ideas for ways to try it out. It will get its own write-up on here one of these days!
The original review with some additional photos can be found
here. Thanks for reading! :wave: