Swimming with surefire

[Solscud007]

Has anyone swam with their surefire?

I wanted to test the water resistance of my G2. Didnt want to ruin any of my nicer lights.

It works well under water however after a while, water obviously seeped in. The tailcap seems to be faulty and even after I let the parts dry out.

I have to screw down the tailcap real tight to get the light to activate. Sometimes it goes into a real dim output. Im using a P60L.

Also there seems to be a black residue on the inside of the body, right where the tailcap engages. I will need to post pics when i go back to my hotel.

anyone experience problems with submerged surefires?

 

[roberttheiii]

Funny you should mention this topic, I was reading older posts on the topic earlier today.

First, I think the G2 is a notorious leaker.

Now I'll say this, I carry an E1B virtually every day and it has been submerged multiple times, dropped in salt water and recovered, swimming pools, etc. It is NOT a drive light. I would not bring it any deeper than I can free dive to without fins, say 10 to 20 feet. To date, I've had no problems and I've had the light since 2008. I do keep the threads and o-rings well greased. I've never disassembled the head, so whatever grease or glue is in there from the factory has been doing the job (it is actually my second head, you can find a post of mine for more on that, both have been waterproof).

Also, I've brought the two M3s in my family into water a few times with no leakage. This is to be expected due to the double tail cap gaskets.

Days after buying my E2E, my first Surefire, in the summer of 2004 I was swimming in the rain at a beach. The Surefire was on the beach in a Solo cup as I'd only read that it was "water resistant" the cup filled up and the light worked fine on my way back to the condo. Good thing too, as we'd lost power while out swimming in the rain. The power outage made for a memorable night.

This part is from my memory: At some point shortly thereafter (2004 or 2005) Surefire updated their literature to say that all of their lights were waterproof to one atmosphere, roughly 33 feet, but sometime later they stopped making those statements.

For me the bottom line is this: None of my lights are shelf queens. The only thing I carry with me on a daily basis that can't take what I can (Hot, wet, cold, etc) is my Nexus One. My keys, my wallet, my flashlights, etc, should all be able to withstand what I can in terms of abuse. If they're going to fail me I'd rather find out now then baby them and have them fail me in the future. Test your Surefires, grease them heavily first. If they fail, send them in and sell the replacement you receive until you find a model that can handle your daily rigors.

+1 for the E1B in this department. It has been great at handling my regular use.

Somewhat off topic, I bought my mom a Seraph P7 M she'll receive as a gift this weekend. We'll see how it stands up on her M3 in terms of water exposure. There is another thread that mentions the topic. I disassembled the head an greased it throughout so it should be alright.

 

[Solscud007]

thanks. I was worried about my kromas under water, specifically the rotating collar. I should try my E1B in the pool next.

 

[the.Mtn.Man]

If the manufacturer does not specifically state that a light is submersible then you submerse it at your own risk.

 

[gallonoffuel]

I swam for about 30 minutes with my E1L in a 8foot deep pool diving and surfacing multiple times, and I wound up with water behind the TIR optic. It has since dried out but there are some spots on the inside of the lens that wont go away. Doesn't effect the beam at all though. I'm VERY surprised the thing still works at all, and I still carry it every day and not so much as a flicker. 100% reliable.

 

[angelofwar]

thanks. I was worried about my kromas under water, specifically the rotating collar. I should try my E1B in the pool next.

I won't be the one to test this Soclud, but my understanding of the ring on the Kroma and U2 is that they are seperaed completely from the body...the nitrolon ring has a magnetic rod inside it that triggers a sensor inside the battery compartment/body, and there is no opening involved/electical connections between the body and ring that can get ruined.

The original U2 (DEFCON -3???) was for all intents and purposes designed to be the replacement for the standard issue military flashlight, and was therefore designed to at least withstand fjording operations (river corssings). Check out some of PK's patents, I think the drawings can show it better than I can explain, but I have used both my Kroma and U2 in the shower (There's two types of flashaholics in the world...those who have used there lights in the shower and those that lie about it) with no ill effects, and would submerge them with confidence if the need arose.

 

[jamesmtl514]

I have swam with my E2D, E2DL, E1B and taken those mentioned + others in an area where warm water will indirectly hit it.

Never has water adversely affected any of my Surefires.

 

[NotRegulated]

Swimming with flashlights is what aLOKSAK bags are made for.

Put light in aLOKSAK bag. Seal. Swim. Certified waterproof to 60 meters / 200 feet. Need light? Open bag.

No water behind the optic. No residue inside the light. Also works good for cell phones, car key electronic fabs, wrist watch, wallet, etc.

 

[Sailboat]

I get up early to play with my lights in the pre-sunrise fog. Today, it was raining ridiculously hard, but it was still fun.

I was really cold afterwards, so I got in the hot tub, with my 6P. That was a lot of fun, and I learned a lot about the beam shape by playing with it in a hot tub with the jets on.

I also happened to not go to work afterwards. It's been a good day.

Quite honestly, after I tried showering with my 6P, I haven't stopped. It's such a beautiful beam color, and the drops all refract the light and I get showered with green, red, and blue drops!

It's way brighter and more pleasing than the stupid CFL in my bathroom light fixture. Where are my incan bulbs stashed????

 

[grumbler]

thanks. I was worried about my kromas under water, specifically the rotating collar.

My understanding of the Kroma's collar is that it's just a metal ring around a sealed body that operates magnetically. The collar shouldn't affect water resistance at all.

 

[roberttheiii]

Swimming with flashlights is what aLOKSAK bags are made for.

Put light in aLOKSAK bag. Seal. Swim. Certified waterproof to 60 meters / 200 feet. Need light? Open bag.

No water behind the optic. No residue inside the light. Also works good for cell phones, car key electronic fabs, wrist watch, wallet, etc.

aLOKSAKs are very waterproof, but I destroyed the one I bought for my Nexus One in one summer. I'd rather my light be up to the challenge.

 

[Solscud007]

Hmm interesting Angel of War. I may try playing with my Kroma Milspec in the water now. hehe

I have not showered with my lights. but i figure swimming with them is as bad as it is going to get.

 

[Sailboat]

Hmm interesting Angel of War. I may try playing with my Kroma Milspec in the water now. hehe

I have not showered with my lights. but i figure swimming with them is as bad as it is going to get.

Society would have you think otherwise..

 

[Solscud007]

Society would have you think otherwise..

I meant, in terms of simulating a submerged environment/scenario.

 

[ElectronGuru]

I wanted to test the water resistance of my G2. Didnt want to ruin any of my nicer lights.

It works well under water however after a while, water obviously seeped in. The tailcap seems to be faulty and even after I let the parts dry out.

I have to screw down the tailcap real tight to get the light to activate. Sometimes it goes into a real dim output.

G's don't easily dry out on their own, particularly once water gets between the body and metal sleeve. Consider taking it apart and sticking the body and tailcap in the oven at 200 for 20 minutes.

 

[GPB]

Just because I could probably bang a nail in with a surefire ( or a maglite, or a rock ) doesn't mean it's a good idea. Surefire likes to brag about their lights, if they were designed and intended for submersion, Surefire would say so. THEY AREN'T !!! I've never understood the propensity of people to take really expensive lights swimming, when there are so many cheap dive lights available. If you've got a surefire or other big money light, you obviously aren't averse to spending some money on a useable light, or having multiple lights...so why not go buy a $25 princeton tec or UK and save your nice lights. It's not worth risking a decent light.

 

[kramer5150]

Just because I could probably bang a nail in with a surefire ( or a maglite, or a rock ) doesn't mean it's a good idea. Surefire likes to brag about their lights, if they were designed and intended for submersion, Surefire would say so. THEY AREN'T !!! I've never understood the propensity of people to take really expensive lights swimming, when there are so many cheap dive lights available. If you've got a surefire or other big money light, you obviously aren't averse to spending some money on a useable light, or having multiple lights...so why not go buy a $25 princeton tec or UK and save your nice lights. It's not worth risking a decent light.

Its not the end of the world if a 6P or 9P takes in water. They are completely re-buildable. P60 modules can be DIY built for as low as $10.

Princeton, UK, and most other dive lights in the $25 ballpark are not very bright.

I too am not in favor of using a SF as a water submersible... but regardless, there are some benefits over a $25 dive rated light.

FWIW... I submerged my 6P a couple times in less than 3.5 feet. My kids were using it as a pool-toy. No problems in my case, although I told them not to cycle the tailcap off/on. They have also used my Fenix L1T-V2 in the pool.

 

[roberttheiii]

I have older dive lights. They're great for diving, but I want my EDC light to be able to handle a swim if I decide to (or accidently take one...), fortunately for me it has been fine. I also don't turn the tail cap while submerged.

I also still carry and Arc AAA which is very waterproof. I think someone took one down to 300 feet.

 

[jamesmtl514]

I never set out to swim with any of my Surefires.
I have however needed a light while on a boat and dropped something in the water. I carry Surefires because I know they will keep on shining no matter what I put them through.

 

[kramer5150]

Just the other day I was at a friends house with the kids. It was late and dark, after sun down. His kid needed help seeing pool toys scattered around the bottom of the pool. I dunked my E2L about an arms length depth and lit up the pool bottom for a few minutes while he cleared all the toys. No problem at all.... SF makes great lights!!