Surefire Z21 tailcap?

[kramer5150]

Taking this discussion back a decade or so...
Does anyone have a SF Z21?
Does it work with an 18650 modded 6P host (bored for ~17.8mm)?
Are there any www retailers who still sell these?

thanks in advance:o

 

[Size15's]

I have a Z21 Closed-end TailCap with Lanyard attachment ring.

Note that you'll need the switch contact assembly from a non-LOTC as the Z21 does not come with one.

I've no idea whether it works with a modified 6P body and aftermarket battery though.

 

[tsmccull]

I've had a stock 9P for over 10 years that I modified by substituting a FiveMega 2x18650 C head C tail body and putting a Lumens Factory D26 3-mode Led lamp into the head. Didn't change the Z21 tailcap at all, but just screwed it on the FiveMega body and it's working fine. Don't know how it would fit other bodies, but it seems to fit the FiveMega just fine.

 

[Tempest UK]

I haven't seen a Z21 for sale through a dealer in recent memory.

They don't even crop up very often in the second-hand market, at least here on CPF, so it could be tough to get hold of one. As Al said, you'll also need the guts from a non-LOTC as well, so it could be quite hard to piece together. Having said that, it's possible that a Z21 being sold second-hand would come with the innards already installed for use.

I can only assume that the Z21 wasn't produced in relatively large numbers.

Regards,
Tempest

 

[Size15's]

I can only assume that the Z21 wasn't produced in relatively large numbers.

That's likely so. I think the whole point of SureFires was the TailCap switch they pioneered.

The version for the E-Series is extremely rare. I have never seen one other than for the yachtsman it was created for.

 

[Tempest UK]

The version for the E-Series is extremely rare. I have never seen one other than for the yachtsman it was created for.

And I had never even heard of it :)

I don't know if or how a Z21 would work on a modified body, but one thing you might want to keep in mind is that (on a standard 6P body) it doesn't screw down nearly as much as a Z41 or Z14. As there's no external button to press it's twist-only, but even when fully screwed down and with the light activated there is a significant gap.

I've never tested it, so I don't know for sure, but I would imagine that using the Z21 would compromise waterproofing.

EDIT - I've been doing some fiddling about with the Z21. I took the rubber switch boot out of the Z21 and it appears that I had been using one of the older, smooth boots. I swapped it out for a textured switch boot and the Z21 now screws down to give good coverage of the o-ring.

Regards,
Tempest