Surefire 10x dominator rebuilds

[strideredc]

Time is something that I don't have much of but I have been rebuilding some old 10x lights to a much higher spec 2700mAh battery spec...
these cells are a direct replacement for the old nicad cells that were around 1900mAh

The results have been brilliant.

The cells are A size high drain high quality
This is not like the AA Eneloop conversions that don't fit the light properly and don't give the momentary function... run time seems to be well over 35 min with the 120 and 500 lm lamps in

I am going to add pics to this thread amd build on it when I have the time so bare with me!



don't forget these lights were a very high spec $400++ light when they came out and the dual beams are something rare in the flashlight world

Results are also fantastic with the new lumens factory led dropins they have started selling for a first turnkey led option.


I have also been rebuilding the recharging cradles with deltaV 6s nimh battery chargers 5v usb. I even managed to use the original surefire old school cables with the push fit connectors!.

as I said I will be updating this thread to show what's gone in to this. hope a few will be interested in what is a really well built cutting edge light (of its day)

What your left with it a daily user that can be left on charge (cuts off so no overcharge) and ready to bring back into service
If I have time I might be offering a few for sale but not sure as of yet
I also have original boxes and accessories that are still in original surefire unopened packaging

 

[strideredc]

All of the original lights had leaked, some bad and some not so bad, luckily no damage to the head or the bodies as them being nilotron. all have been ultrasonic cleaned and any trace of cadmium (yuck) removed

The only thing I can't get to work I'd the original surefire charging leds on the cradle as the new chargers bypass this and go direct onto the the metal prongs. you use the leds on the usb charger to identify when charging and fully charged. you could use the original surefire chargers un modified BUT I think they can over charge if left on beyond the cells capacity...correct me if I am wrong... my one I didn't want to take that chance so bypassed all the surefire electronics.....

 

[knucklegary]

Curious to what solution was used in the ultrasonic cleaner?
They came out nice and clean!

 

[strideredc]

Hi, just a liquid detergent as it was very slightly "greasy" and "crystalline" got in to the larger area with a old soft toothbrush... then some warm cleans...
The battery contact ends were the worst and some have lost a bit of chrome plate so have had a progold treatment.....

They were the only damaged part the rest is as good as new... if these were aluminium they would have been in a right state!

 

[knucklegary]

Toothbrushes are a detailers best friend

 

[dotCPF]

Gunsmithing too!

 

[dragginbreth]

I would be interested in buying your (b20) battery rebuild if you have one to sell. My battery has been on the wane for about a year and now doesn't take enough charge to power the big bulb. I had it apart about 12 years ago to repair circuit corrosion and has worked beautifully til now.

I would be willing to monitor charging using my own stock charger.

I would dearly like to keep my 10X Dominator alive. It was a gift from my late father in law.

 

[strideredc]

Hi, I only have two batteries now so don't want to sell them. I do have enough cells to make another 2'ish batteries.... Also I wouldn't use you old charger on a new NiMH pack, what I did was to re engineer the charger to work off a usb or plug in 8 cell pack charger.



If you wanted me to re build it, I could but you would have to send me your battery and charger. It won't be cheap.... I would actively encourage anyone to have a go yourself, it's not that hard. But you but get the right cells, correct size heat shrink... Glue gun... Whatever 8 cell NiMH charger you want to integrate in to the old charger....

 

[strideredc]

I don't mean it won't be cheap as I am charging loads but the parts shipping (two ways ect ect) I am in the UK

 

[Monocrom]

About 2 decades ago, had an opportunity to buy an SF 10x Dom.
Even got to hold it in hand on two occasions. So comfortable.... But I passed on it. Same reason I passed on all of the rechargeable SureFires at the time. Technology was advancing faster than I could blink. Knew each and every single R. SureFire would soon be outdated with replacement battery sticks impossible to find after only a few years.

If I knew this topic was going to exist in the future, would have bought a couple of 10x Doms. back in the day.

 

[ebuchner]

I was lucky enough to get three NIB 10X Dominators on the cheap back in 2018 after wanting one since 2003. I had to rebuild the handles myself, but I had batteryspace build the packs for me. Here's the link to the part (they stock custom builds as standard parts) I specified, in case anyone wants to give their pack a new lease on life: https://www.batteryspace.com/custom-nimh-battery-7-2v-2700mah-sanyo-2xi3-a.aspx

 

[ebuchner]

Results are also fantastic with the new lumens factory led dropins they have started selling for a first turnkey led option.

I was curious about these! Would you mind posting some beamshots at a few known distances and both brightness modes? I know "low" and "high" are 700 and 800 lumens respectively (1500 total), according to Mark's specs, but I'm curious if low mode produces produces a smooth flood and high mode produces a flood+spot on account of the differing reflector sizes.

 

[ampdude]

Eh.. I remember there was a guy on ebay clearing like a dozen of these out sealed in the box several years ago for like $80 each. I really like the light and wish I had bought a few at the time. Even the secondary has decent output. Only Nicad/NIMH light I have anymore is a Magcharger halogen I think. And that's not working anymore. I only use lithium ions in my 9N's now. The battery and charger both crapped out on the Magcharger. NIMH batteries just do not last very long. If I got another 10X I'd have to consider the lithium ion route.

 

[ebuchner]

Amusingly that ebay listing is exactly where I got mine. Impressively those same packs I had made for them are still going strong after five or six years

 

[strideredc]

Out of the 3 packs i made one died but that was because someone let it really run down! (wife) both the other two get used every night, my favourite being the incan original... these lights are super high quality and can be picked up really cheap!

If you decide you cant be bothered to repair the battery pack, just send it back to Surefire and they will send you a $300+ light of your choice back!

 

[9baller]

Out of the 3 packs i made one died but that was because someone let it really run down! (wife) both the other two get used every night, my favourite being the incan original... these lights are super high quality and can be picked up really cheap!

If you decide you cant be bothered to repair the battery pack, just send it back to Surefire and they will send you a $300+ light of your choice back!

Surefire will not warranty the battery, as stated in the warranty details. I just received an email from them today saying this. I guess I can try to replace the battery myself.

 

[Monocrom]

Surefire will not warranty the battery, as stated in the warranty details. I just received an email from them today saying this. I guess I can try to replace the battery myself.

Somehow missed this latest comment months back.
Very unfortunate to hear that, but sadly not surprising.

 

[ebuchner]

I guess I can try to replace the battery myself.

Lemme know if you want some guidance about it. I didn't take any pictures when I did it and it's *mostly* self-explanatory, but if you're unsure about something, then I'll chime in as well as I can.

 

[ABTOMAT]

I just stripped and cleaned out three of these packs, too. Will post some photos if anyone needs them. I have to say, the 10X has quickly become my least-favorite flashlight. Everything about this thing is weird and difficult to use/maintain. I'd be mad at myself if I'd spent $450 on one in 2004. At least the other abandoned models like the 9AN are very easy to work with.

Somehow missed this latest comment months back.
Very unfortunate to hear that, but sadly not surprising.

SureFire's attitude about all their '90s-2000s rechargeable lights seems to be "lol i dunno." If you'd bought into one of their systems you're SOL now without modding. Meanwhile Streamlight is making LED upgrades and NiMH batteries for 1993 Stingers.

 

[Monocrom]

I just stripped and cleaned out three of these packs, too. Will post some photos if anyone needs them. I have to say, the 10X has quickly become my least-favorite flashlight. Everything about this thing is weird and difficult to use/maintain. I'd be mad at myself if I'd spent $450 on one in 2004.


SureFire's attitude about all their '90s-2000s rechargeable lights seems to be "lol i dunno." If you'd bought into one of their systems you're SOL now without modding. Meanwhile Streamlight is making LED upgrades and NiMH batteries for 1993 Stingers.

Yeah, I just had a bad feeling back in the day. Something just always seemed off to me. SureFire back then had pretty much zero interest in rechargeable technology. A tiny fraction of their models were rechargeable. And the brand intentionally made the rest of their lights with a tight fit so you couldn't use rechargeable 18650s or 18500s in them, without boring them out yourself or having someone do that for you. All that told me was they were only making a handful of rechargeables to capture a share of the rechargeable market. Nothing more.