Surefire 9P LED upgrade

[eocoolj]

Hello all. This is my first post here, though I am a frequent poster over at The Gun Thing, which perhaps a few of you visit as well. Great group of guys, and about as knowledgeable about guns as you guys are about lights.

Anyways, on to my question. About a year ago, I purchased a Surefire 9P as my first serious light. It has proven to be a great light, and I've gotten a fair amount of use out of it. The only downside to it is the relatively short battery life. A few months ago, i bought one of the Maglite 3D LEDs, and have been using that now anytime where size isnt an issue, because of its phenominal battery life.

I have perused the various lists on here with different lamps that will fit the 6P/9P series of lights, but have to admit I'm a bit bewildered by all the choices. I really like the specs on surefire's P60L, which claims to have close to 12 hours of runtime and 80 lumens of output, but $40 seems a bit steep. Can anyone recommend a lamp that offers this level of performance at a lower cost?

Basically what I think I'd like is a lamp with maximum runtime, modest light output (I'd say minimum 50 lumens), and excellent reliability. What do you guys think are the best options?

 

[Gunner12]

Look at this P60 style drop-in thread. Many of the drop-ins there will accept 9v from 3 CR123 batteries.

You should be able to get 200 lumen out the front for over 2 hours.

The P60L will run for around 3 hours at 80 lumen output with 2 CR123s before it drops down to a lower output.

How much are you willing to spend?

The Malkoffdevices M60LL should be good for your task. It should run for around 10 hours at 80 lumen with 3 CR123s before dimming and around 7.5 hours with 2 CR123s. But it cost more then the P60L.

:welcome:

 

[eocoolj]

I've looked at the list, but again, there are just so many options I was hoping maybe you could narrow it down a bit. I realize that surefire's output will drop after a time, but Im not using this for "tactical" purposes or anything like that, so its not a huge deal. As to what Im looking to spend, ideally less than the $40 Surefire is charging for their upgrade (significantly less, if possible). As I mentioned, output is secondary to runtime.

 

[Gunner12]

As for the power priced drop-ins, I don't think there are any real runtime oriented ones.

How much runtime do you think you'll need?

 

[eocoolj]

Its not so much that I need x hours of runtime, its just i'd like to stretch the batteries as long as possible for general use. I'd retain the 105 and 200 lumen lamps for any serious work.

 

[Norm]

If your going to be using a LED drop in why not start using rechargeable batteries? that will really cut your running costs.
Norm

 

[harddrive]

I agree. If you like the current Surefire lamp and are only going for an LED to save on batteries I would spend the money on 2 x 17500 rechargeable batteries and a charger. AW offers some of the best value:

http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=177100


Hope that helps.

 

[half-watt]

As to what Im looking to spend, ideally less than the $40 Surefire is charging for their upgrade (significantly less, if possible).

here's a start:

http://www.lighthound.com/index.asp?PageAction=PRODSEARCH&txtSearch=drop-in&btnSearch=GO&Page=1


use the code 'CPF' (w/o the single-quotes) for a small discount (2%???).

 

[SimpleIsGood229]

If reliability is important, get the SureFire upgrade. Yeah, it's $40 (probably cheaper at CPF Marketplace), but it has built-in thermal regulation, which is important, in my opinion.

 

[roymail]

+1 for 2 x 17500's... recommend AW 17500's and UltraFire WF-139 or better charger.

Or, M60LL drop-in for 8-10 hrs. :thumbsup:

 

[txgp17]

I vote for the Malkoff M60L. You should get almost 7 hours of runtime in a 9P.

Also, look for primary cells online in bulk. You can find quality brands for about $1 a cell.

 

[bigfoot]

+1 for Surefire P60L for $39. Keeps your light stock, under warranty, and is simple with no modifications or adjustments needed.

 

[Omega Man]

I use AW 17670s in my C3, would those not fit a 9P?

 

[Tekno_Cowboy]

I use AW 17670s in my C3, would those not fit a 9P?

17670's are too long to fit 2. You would need 2x17500's. AW is highly recommended. I use the Ultrafire/Trustfire li-ions some too. They're ok, but nothing special.

I have a 9P running a Q5 drop-in, and while I'm not sure how much runtime it gets me, I would guess around 3-4 hours on 2x17500, more if used in short bursts with time to recover.

If you're looking for a cheap drop-in, with decent runtime, I'd go for this Cree R2 from DX or Cree Q5

They aren't the quality of most of the higher priced upgrades, but they aren't too bad for the price. Keep in mind that if you don't live in China, you could have a shipping time of over 7 days, mostly due to customs from what I understand.

 

[Brigadier]

It is a bit more $$ than the cheaper DX drop ins, but I put this Wolf Eyes Q5 in my 9P. It is an older, first Gen 9P an this fit just fine[some others won't fit the older lights]:

http://www.pts-flashlights.com/products/product.aspx?pid=1-139-114-125-6437



Cree Q5 LED *260 Lumen* 3.7V-13V D26 Bulb Fits: 6A, D2, 6H and 9A. This bulb also fits Pila flashlights and SureFire™ flashlights that use a P60 or P90 bulb. Running on two CR123 batteries this bulb far exceeds the brightness of all production incandescent in its class.

Specifications:

Cree Q5 HO 3.7V-13V D26/ D36 lamp assembly

• <LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; COLOR: black; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in">Output: 260 lumens <LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; COLOR: black; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in">Voltage: 3.7V-13V
• Runtime (3-CR123A batteries): 180 minutes with regulated output, and 14 hours with unregulated output.

 

[HKJ]

Chekcout the Fenix TK10.
In low mode it has 60 lumen for 10 hours.
Your can also switch it to a high mode with 225 lumen for 1.5 hours.
It uses the same batteries as 6P and is also a very robust flashlight.

 

[generic808]

For price vs output/runtime, it's really hard to beat the DX 6090 at $10. Best "cheap" upgrade to bring life back to your SF.

 

[Brigadier]

For price vs output/runtime, it's really hard to beat the DX 6090 at $10. Best "cheap" upgrade to bring life back to your SF.

Less than stellar reviewS, tho.:thumbsdow

Spend the $$ and get the WE. "Buy quality and you only cry once"

 

[DCP117]

I also have the SF 9P. I just recently bought the Cree R2 Drop-In 1-Mode LED Module (3.7V~18V / 26.5mm x 29mm) from Dealextreme. $13.74 you can't go wrong. My next buy is going to be a pair or two of 17500 rechargeables.

 

[Dead_Nuts]

The OP has stated that runtime is important to him. Surefire claims "useful light levels" for up to 12 hours using 3 CR123's. Malkoff claims 8 hours "at full output" (80lm) on 2 CR123's. That should work out to somewhere close to 12 hours with 3 batteries -- at full brightness.

Has anyone done a head to head comparison of these two modules?