Surefire 6P Customization??

stuartgmilton

Newly Enlightened
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Nov 6, 2008
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Hey guys,

I own a standard black surefire 6p, but am considering using it as part of a bicycle lighting setup. The bulb which you get with it is not bright enough for my purposes, so I was wondering what people suggest I could do.

Thanks in advance,

Stuart Milton
 
There is an incan option, but presumably for a bikelight you need some good runtime.

I would therefore suggest this or this.

:)
 
Malkoff M60 is probably one of the best options for you. There are tons of experts on CPF, i am sure option for 6p will poor in. One of the reasons why 6p is so popular it is because it is highly customizable.
 
I can also recommend the SureFire P60L LED module. In addition you might want a click on tail-cap.

I have installed both and I'm very happy with mine. :thumbsup:
 
Wow, the Malkoff stuff looks good. Is it as easy as unscrewing the front of the torch and popping in the new LED?

What rechargable battery (cell) would you suggest? Its a CR123A in this torch.
 
Wow, the Malkoff stuff looks good. Is it as easy as unscrewing the front of the torch and popping in the new LED?
What rechargable battery (cell) would you suggest? Its a CR123A in this torch.

:welcome:stuartgmilton. The Malkoff M60 series (or any P60 type) drop-ins are a simple upgrade, just unscrew the bezel, take out the stock incan drop-in, replace with new drop-in, screw back the bezel and bob's your uncle.

As for battery type, you're correct, it normally takes 2xR/CR123 but, with the M60, you'll get about an hour or so (I get 41 min off my old AW RCR123's) of regulated runtime, then the light will shut off.

The SF 6P body may also accept one of AW's 17670 rechargeable Li-Ion's which will give you substantially more runtime (about 3+ hours of usable light for my old AW 17670) - note that I think there have been comments that there are cases where it's a tight fit or some cells may work but not others. YMMV. However, the output drops off during that time and is not fully regulated. You can also pick up a Leef body for the 6P from Lighthound that will fit an 18650 that will give even more runtime, again with the disadvantage of not fully regulated output. I personally use the SF 6PD + Leef Body + M60 and an AW 18650 since I prefer to have more runtime than output.
 
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If you are set on running li-ion cells, I think you will be better off doing one of the following:

1. get a 1 cell extender for the 6P and run 2x17500 size 3.7V protected li-ion cells (AW brand!), use an LED module like the M60F or other similar "buck" regulating LED module, (the M60F will probably be better than any other options because on a bike, you don't want a tight throwy beam like most LED modules are, the flood beam is much more practical)...

2. Get a 1x18650 C-C leefbody or Solarforce L2 body (either available from lighthound, the leef is of higher quality, the Solarforce is cheaper price wise). Run 1x18650 size li-ion cell, (again, 3.7V, protected AW brand!).... See if you can get Malkoff to put together an M30F for you, (it's the low input voltage version of his modules, boost regulated rather than buck regulated), or use another 3.7V only D26 compatible LED drop-in if you don't think you'll mind a tighter beam pattern.

3. Get a 2x18500 or 2x18650 body (from FiveMega or Leef), run the M60F on either 2x18500 or 2x18650 cells. The 2x18500 option will run longer than the 2x17500 option listed in "1" above, and still be backwards compatible with running 3 CR123s as backup, still 9P size flashlight...The 2x18650 will give you the longest runtime, but the size of the flashlight will be like a "12P".... The 2x18650 option will not be compatible with 4xCR123s as backup because the voltage would be too high for the MalkOff M60F.

4. Another possibility, with less runtime than the options listed above but still viable: A single 3.7V 17670 li-ion cells in your stock 6P with a M30F (if you can get one). This requires the least modification and is probably the least expensive option.

The 2x17500 and 1x18650 option will both have about the same runtime. The 1x18650 option will be the most compact, but is NOT backwards compatible with 2xCR123s as the voltage would be too high for the 3.7V M30 module that you would want to run here.

The 17500 size and larger li-ion cells are all pretty decent in capacity for their size, I don't generally recommend any setup that runs on 2xRCR123 size li-ion cells if you can avoid it, as they have pretty poor true capacity. A single 17500 has about double the capacity while only being 1.5X the size of an RCR123.

Eric
 
Just toss a malkoff in it.It's all you will need.And put a twisty lockout tail cap on it if you want the best in reliability.
 
Easy. Get an M60L (or M60LF). You'll need the runtime, and brightness is plenty on the L series.

My own old-school round-body 6P was upgraded with a Z59, an M60L and a 6PD head. Quite a versatile light now, running AW's.
 
Cheers guys,

All very informative. I just need the fiance to pay me back some money now, and I can do some buying!!

Stuart
 
My fav is a 2x18500 body, either from FiveMega or Leef. Both are currently available.

It's the same size as 9P. The runtime is pretty good, you can stick 3x123 primaries or use 2x18500.

With 2x18650 you do get better runtime but, (1) it's harder to EDC, (2) cannot use 4x123 cells, so must use 3x123 cells and a dummy cell.

I think 2x18650 is a great body but suited for modules other than Malkoff IMO.
 
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