This is a review of the Surefire P60L with SSC LED.
First of all, I’m sorry for the late review. I said I would write this three weeks ago.
The review can also be found in Swedish at a Swedish discussion board.
Surefire P60L
Short facts
According to Charles Koomruian, Jr. General Manager, Advanced R&D Surefire, LLC the P60L is planned to be available in November later this year and retail price will be $36.00. See link for more info: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showpost.php?p=2107903&postcount=4 I think it’s a good price for such product. I got my module as a part from a G2L, purchased from BatteryJunction.
Beam and output
The spec says the max output is 80 lumens. When compared to a P60 on fresh CR123 I can’t tell which of them is the most powerful. The P60L have a higher intensity in the spill but less intensity in the hotspot (less throw) relative to the P60. My Surefire U2 is slight more powerful so the spec seems pretty accurate at 80 lumens. The reflector is shallower than other D26 Cree/SSC-based drop-in modules which make the beam wider, almost 90 degrees (2D). My unit has a high colour temperature and a tint that is very purple-blueish which I don’t like at all. Up close (20 cm/8 inches or less) there is a so called doughnut hole but at a further distance it’s not noticeable. Some Luxeon V-based flashlights from Surefire did suffer from this.
Design
The quality and size of the P60L is about the same as with the P60. The “collar” (where the label is) under the reflector is slight wider and longer and it fits a bit tighter in a SC1. Most aftermarket Cree drop-ins don’t fit in the SC1 and neither do the D26-series from Lumensfactory. The reflector has a micro-texture like most Surefire flashlights have
Surefire P60L, Surefire P60 and Wolf-Eyes Drop-in
Compatibility with different batteries
According to Surefire the P60L is compatible with all flashlights that use P60, P61, P90 and P91 (6P/6PD/9P/G2/G2Z/G3/C2/C3/M2/Z2). I’ve tried it with one CR123 and it does light up but it’s much weaker than with other batteries. It’s alright with one or two 3.7 volt Li-Ions and the output is about the same, I can’t tell the difference. Since I haven’t done any runtime charts for it with one Li-Ion I don’t know how it will perform in the longer run.
Performance
If I compare the output of the P60L to the efficiency chart of the SSC P4-LED (Forward Current vs. Normalized Relative Luminous Flux) I’d estimate the current to the LED to be around 0.30-0.35 ampere which then should have an output of about 100 lumens for a U-bin SSC P4. The Vf of 3.25volts gives a total power consumption of about 1.1-1.2 watts. As stated by member Size15 in another thread the module use some sort of thermal protection circuit so the output might not keep steady relative to the runtime. If only used for short period of times I would estimate the runtime to 50%, if the output is somewhat constant, to around 7 hours on a pair of CR123. But that is only an estimated guess. This assuming it is the same LED described in the datasheet: http://www.dotlight.de/datasheets/SeoulP4.pdf
Other opinions
A lot of the flashlights utilising Cree EZ1000-based LEDs have a higher output than P60L. So why did Surefire choose to drive it to such a relative low output?
1) The LED is more efficient at a low current. Besides, 80 lumens are enough for most tasks and together with a long runtime it performs very well.
2) In order to use the P60L in a G2 or G3 it can’t have a much higher output because nitrolon can not conduct heat fast enough. LEDs and high temperatures is not a god combination.
3) To function as a direct replacement for the P60 it’s not possible to have a heatsink big enough for a lot higher current. Some manufactures don’t pay much attention to the thermal transfer necessary which might lead to deteriorated performance of the LED or even a non-functioning LED. Then it won’t matter what the output was, how many modes it had or how cheap it was. There is a reason why the Lumapower MRV has a big lump of heatsinking material, brass (?), between the head and the body. And there is a reason why some of the recent flashlights from Fenix are not recommended to be used for prolonged period of times in the highest mode. I believe Surefire want to sell a flashlight that will operate for a long time and in harsh conditions. If they would have driven the LED to an output of 200 lumens Surefire could not have guaranteed the reliability their flashlights are know for.
If there will be a P61L (with significant higher output) I’m going to be surprised if it does not have a recommended maximum time for constant on or not at all recommended for use in a G2, G2Z or G3. When or if the L5 and U2 are presented with new LEDs they are not as limited in design as the P60L thus making them easier to build for more efficient heat conduction.
In a flashlight like the G2 or G3 it’s very suitable for backup, emergency or everyday use. For those in need of a tactical flashlight I think there are better options. As a replacement for the P60 it will make most people satisfied.
Beamshots!
Thumbnails, click on them to enlarge.
Lumensfactory EO-9, 275 lumens
Surefire P60L, 80 lumen
Surefire, P60, 80 lumens
Surefire U2, 100 lumens
Wolf-Eyes Cree drop-in, 130 lumens
And a .gif showing all of them:
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a197/softfeel_one/Bp60lcomp.gif
As some of might have noticed English is not my native language so there will be a lot of faults in the review because of this.
Please respond in the thread if you have questions, comments or other opinions to discuss.
I hope you enjoyed it.
First of all, I’m sorry for the late review. I said I would write this three weeks ago.
The review can also be found in Swedish at a Swedish discussion board.
Surefire P60L
Short facts
According to Charles Koomruian, Jr. General Manager, Advanced R&D Surefire, LLC the P60L is planned to be available in November later this year and retail price will be $36.00. See link for more info: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showpost.php?p=2107903&postcount=4 I think it’s a good price for such product. I got my module as a part from a G2L, purchased from BatteryJunction.
Beam and output
The spec says the max output is 80 lumens. When compared to a P60 on fresh CR123 I can’t tell which of them is the most powerful. The P60L have a higher intensity in the spill but less intensity in the hotspot (less throw) relative to the P60. My Surefire U2 is slight more powerful so the spec seems pretty accurate at 80 lumens. The reflector is shallower than other D26 Cree/SSC-based drop-in modules which make the beam wider, almost 90 degrees (2D). My unit has a high colour temperature and a tint that is very purple-blueish which I don’t like at all. Up close (20 cm/8 inches or less) there is a so called doughnut hole but at a further distance it’s not noticeable. Some Luxeon V-based flashlights from Surefire did suffer from this.
Design
The quality and size of the P60L is about the same as with the P60. The “collar” (where the label is) under the reflector is slight wider and longer and it fits a bit tighter in a SC1. Most aftermarket Cree drop-ins don’t fit in the SC1 and neither do the D26-series from Lumensfactory. The reflector has a micro-texture like most Surefire flashlights have
Surefire P60L, Surefire P60 and Wolf-Eyes Drop-in
Compatibility with different batteries
According to Surefire the P60L is compatible with all flashlights that use P60, P61, P90 and P91 (6P/6PD/9P/G2/G2Z/G3/C2/C3/M2/Z2). I’ve tried it with one CR123 and it does light up but it’s much weaker than with other batteries. It’s alright with one or two 3.7 volt Li-Ions and the output is about the same, I can’t tell the difference. Since I haven’t done any runtime charts for it with one Li-Ion I don’t know how it will perform in the longer run.
Performance
If I compare the output of the P60L to the efficiency chart of the SSC P4-LED (Forward Current vs. Normalized Relative Luminous Flux) I’d estimate the current to the LED to be around 0.30-0.35 ampere which then should have an output of about 100 lumens for a U-bin SSC P4. The Vf of 3.25volts gives a total power consumption of about 1.1-1.2 watts. As stated by member Size15 in another thread the module use some sort of thermal protection circuit so the output might not keep steady relative to the runtime. If only used for short period of times I would estimate the runtime to 50%, if the output is somewhat constant, to around 7 hours on a pair of CR123. But that is only an estimated guess. This assuming it is the same LED described in the datasheet: http://www.dotlight.de/datasheets/SeoulP4.pdf
Other opinions
A lot of the flashlights utilising Cree EZ1000-based LEDs have a higher output than P60L. So why did Surefire choose to drive it to such a relative low output?
1) The LED is more efficient at a low current. Besides, 80 lumens are enough for most tasks and together with a long runtime it performs very well.
2) In order to use the P60L in a G2 or G3 it can’t have a much higher output because nitrolon can not conduct heat fast enough. LEDs and high temperatures is not a god combination.
3) To function as a direct replacement for the P60 it’s not possible to have a heatsink big enough for a lot higher current. Some manufactures don’t pay much attention to the thermal transfer necessary which might lead to deteriorated performance of the LED or even a non-functioning LED. Then it won’t matter what the output was, how many modes it had or how cheap it was. There is a reason why the Lumapower MRV has a big lump of heatsinking material, brass (?), between the head and the body. And there is a reason why some of the recent flashlights from Fenix are not recommended to be used for prolonged period of times in the highest mode. I believe Surefire want to sell a flashlight that will operate for a long time and in harsh conditions. If they would have driven the LED to an output of 200 lumens Surefire could not have guaranteed the reliability their flashlights are know for.
If there will be a P61L (with significant higher output) I’m going to be surprised if it does not have a recommended maximum time for constant on or not at all recommended for use in a G2, G2Z or G3. When or if the L5 and U2 are presented with new LEDs they are not as limited in design as the P60L thus making them easier to build for more efficient heat conduction.
In a flashlight like the G2 or G3 it’s very suitable for backup, emergency or everyday use. For those in need of a tactical flashlight I think there are better options. As a replacement for the P60 it will make most people satisfied.
Beamshots!
Thumbnails, click on them to enlarge.
Lumensfactory EO-9, 275 lumens
Surefire P60L, 80 lumen
Surefire, P60, 80 lumens
Surefire U2, 100 lumens
Wolf-Eyes Cree drop-in, 130 lumens
And a .gif showing all of them:
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a197/softfeel_one/Bp60lcomp.gif
As some of might have noticed English is not my native language so there will be a lot of faults in the review because of this.
Please respond in the thread if you have questions, comments or other opinions to discuss.
I hope you enjoyed it.
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