surefire 9P beam

[LumensMaximus]

Picked up my first 9P, got it used, great lamp and all. My beam hotspot is somewhat oblong, everything else I own is round. Is it just mine or anyone else have the same:thinking: I'm sure it's already been covered somewhere in here but what's the most power I can put in and still use regular cr123's.

 

[Tekno_Cowboy]

You may have an issue with the bulb if you have an oblong hotspot, or it may just be luck of the draw. If you want the max output out of a 9P, drop in a LF EO-9 bulb. You'd get better results off of a pair of 18500 cells, but that would require making the battery tube wider.

 

[Paul520]

My beam hotspot is somewhat oblong

This old review talkes about a badly askewed beam on a 6P, so maybe it's common.

 

[flashfan]

Don't quote me, as my memory is very bad, but I do believe that oval beams are not unusual in some SF lights. In fact, they may have been characteristic of certain models/lamps. The beam of my G3 is somewhat oval/oblong, but it's not a problem for me...now if there were dark spots/rings, that would be another thing altogether.

 

[NotRegulated]

Picked up my first 9P, got it used, great lamp and all. My beam hotspot is somewhat oblong, everything else I own is round. Is it just mine or anyone else have the same:thinking: I'm sure it's already been covered somewhere in here but what's the most power I can put in and still use regular cr123's.

Power options:
three 123's or two 17500 li-on protected rechargeables. I run an incan P90 bulb on two AW 17500's and it works flawlessly day after day. You have other bulb choices too. You will also be able to get a D26 sized LED dropin bulb for it for more lumens and a longer runtime. Just make sure the LED you buy will handle an input voltage up to 9.0 volts, such as the Malkoff M60 which handles 3.8 - 9 volts.

 

[mdocod]

It's very common. Most SF incan lamps I have seen in person have an oblong beam, and there have been countless threads on the topic of oval beams over the years (I'd say it pops up on average about once every 2-3 months somewhere on the forum). The roundest one I have seen is the MN21. But I haven't seen them all.

-----------------------

Here's just the first few hits that pop up if you type "surefire oval" into the google search box above.

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=136209
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=34248
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=148514
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=116
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=155676

Only reason I point out all the threads is just to make it clear that it is not a defect or anything. It is the norm.

The funny thing is, most of the after-market lamp options for surefire flashlights have rounder beams than the lamps they replace. The LF and G&P (and all those G&P re-badged chinese alternatives) pretty much all have decent round beams.

Some people prefer the oval beam. If you line up the lamp with the flats on a flashlight body, it's easier to know which way the oval will be oriented when the light is turned on. This can be used as an advantage. I personally prefer round beams.

Eric

 

[LumensMaximus]

Ok, thanks for the info, just ordered a LF E09

 

[brighterisbetter]

Most SF incan lamps I have seen in person have an oblong beam, the roundest one I have seen is the MN21. But I haven't seen them all.

Nor have I, but having seen the MN21 in person on fresh cells, I'd agree with Eric on this. Also, IMO the stock P60 that comes standard with many incan SF's is pretty darn round too. It's a shame that so many of us out there instantly replace this LA with an LED module of sorts, when it's a perfectly good bulb as it is, just that it eats cells for breakfast though .

 

[SureAddicted]

Here's my theory, target acquisition. You can light up a perp from head to toe with a oval beam. Older weaponlights were basically a 6P in a rail mount. By rotating the body of the flashlight, you can adjust the beam so the widest pont goes from head to toe or side to side, personal preference? I've seen this phenomenon on a low light shooting video where the instructor was talking mostly about SF lights.

The video is called :Night Master- Low Light Shooting & Flashlight Techniques.
It's a must see if you carry a firearm. The vid is about 10 yrs old, so no LED's.

 

[sween1911]

I have a few P90 lamp assemblies, and they give the same oval beam. It's function of filament shape or something.

The oval beam does have an advantage is some sitations...
Several years ago, we went to a parade in town. Me, my wife, daughter, and another mom and her kids. We had to park down a dark road (this was at night) in a pitch black area and walk 100 yards or so down a road with no shoulder. Fortunately, I had a Surefire Z3 with me. I dropped back about 50 feet and cast a nice wide swath of light across the moms and kids so they could see and be seen. The oval hotspot was the perfect size for the path we were on.

 

[kramer5150]

FWIW I have two different P60 lamps and they are football shaped. I also have a 9V DX Xenon that I use with RCR123 cells, it has a larger hotspot, but still is oblong in shape.

The Top Stryker Xenon module I own is round
The P61 lamp that came with my M2 is round.

 

[Chrontius]

One of my P60s is badly footballed, and the other (now the dead one) is nice and round. I've only ever had one perfect Surefire circle, with an X80 - that was breathtaking, however. I've found my E2 is a little oblong, striped, and squarish - you can see individual turns of the filament's contribution to the beam when white-wall hunting.

Incans are a little ugly up close, but it's never slowed me down in real use.

 

[LumensMaximus]

Well, I received the LF E09, nice and bright and quite a thower, still retains some of the oval shape, nature of the beast I guess, no problem.:thumbsup:

 

[cfromc]

In your first post you asked how you can get the most power on CR123s. In my experience, the P91 is brighter than the EO-9. The throw might be similar but the P91 kills the EO-9 in spill/flood.