Surefire M3

so i own an m3 from ~2004-ish and I think you guys have got me persuaded to get my m3 bored out to 18mm. should I go for it?

i'm actually disappointed with the output and how it compares to my other lights nowadays, so i guess i have no choice but to get it bored to 18?

then what? can it continue to drive the stock bulb with, say two IMR 18500s? do i have other battery config options? i want some decent-ish runtime, though.

i guess the best bulb to use would be the "Lumens Factory IMR-M3 500 Lumens Lamp Assembly for SureFire M3 with IMR Batteries ONLY"?

or should I just go for LED drop-in?
 
That bulb is only going to give you five more minutes and ~80 OTF lumens than 2x17500 and an EO-M3. Not a big difference.

I could never let my M3 get molested by a lathe, especially now that they've canceled them. For instance, I can buy a solarforce L2 and an extender for the same price it would cost to bore my 9P. I would rather leave the now-discontinued 9P alone and let the solarforce get all dinged up.
 
Last edited:
tobrien said:
so i own an m3 from ~2004-ish and I think you guys have got me persuaded to get my m3 bored out to 18mm. should I go for it?

i'm actually disappointed with the output and how it compares to my other lights nowadays, so i guess i have no choice but to get it bored to 18?

then what? can it continue to drive the stock bulb with, say two IMR 18500s? do i have other battery config options? i want some decent-ish runtime, though.

i guess the best bulb to use would be the "Lumens Factory IMR-M3 500 Lumens Lamp Assembly for SureFire M3 with IMR Batteries ONLY"?

or should I just go for LED drop-in?
Click to expand...

Leave it stock, and get one of the new Malkoff towers for it...or have Nail bender build you one.
 
tobrien said:
so i own an m3 from ~2004-ish and I think you guys have got me persuaded to get my m3 bored out to 18mm. should I go for it?

i'm actually disappointed with the output and how it compares to my other lights nowadays, so i guess i have no choice but to get it bored to 18?

then what? can it continue to drive the stock bulb with, say two IMR 18500s? do i have other battery config options? i want some decent-ish runtime, though.

i guess the best bulb to use would be the "Lumens Factory IMR-M3 500 Lumens Lamp Assembly for SureFire M3 with IMR Batteries ONLY"?

or should I just go for LED drop-in?
Click to expand...

Please leave it stock. You can always get an aftermarket 18mm body if you really want one. Bore the original body out and you run the risk of ruining it, and primaries will rattle around when you use them. I know a lot of people say they only use rechargeables, but it's nice to use primaries when you need more runtime than a set of rechargeables can provide and for emergencies.
 
Wow AOW, I just found it on the Malkoff website. 260 Malkoff lumens. Crap this is going to put me in the hole for a while...
 
I traded away my M3 head when I upgraded it with a LF P7 head. Now that there are so many other crazy bright LEDs out there I'm going to try to set it up again as an Incan original. This thread has me even more motivated!
 
I just ordered my first M3, reading this thread has me really excited. I think I am just going to use it as a stock incan with primaries for a while. I will have two high output and two standard output lamps. It sounds like stock is a great setup. Although I just got my first Malkoff dropins last month so the Malkoff tower is tempting. I am new to the forums so I am just learning about nail bender stuff too. Hopefully my light will arrive soon.
 
8 Malkoff's were in stock earlier today, now it is 6. Hopefully someone will be able to post a review.
 
I bought #6.

I hope today is not a holiday for the shipping carrier. When I get it I will give you my thoughts on the LED forum.

kelmo
 
Re: SF M3 combatlight

You could put the Malkoff MD10 in the M3 with 2 X 17500 rechargeable batteries. Buy the AW brand.
 
I just received my first M3 yesterday. I decided to run the MN11 lamp assembly for a while. So far I have only played with it for one night, but I really like it.
 
I almost want to get a second M3 just to run a MN11. I could always change the bulb, but its an excuse to have two!

Theres just something about that incan goodness.

S1LVA
 
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