Trying to decide between a Surefire M6 Guardian or Surefire 10X Dominator

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Enlightened
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Updated 2/21/07: Thank you to everyone who pitched in with their advice, suggestions, recommendations and references. I went ahead with the Surefire M6 Guardian from Steven at Spyder Tactical Supply.
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Rock on!
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Re: Trying to decide between a SF M6 or 10X

i would get the M6 as you can throw it in a pack then take it out a couple weeks later and it will work, wich the 10X wouldnt have as much runtime. and you can drop a M6 off a cliff and it would be more to survive than a 10X as the M6 is shock isolated.

BTW either one you get i would recomend getting it from www.tacticalsupply.com and using the CPF20 dicount so you will get 20% off your order.
 
Re: Trying to decide between a SF M6 or 10X

The only thing that worries me is that the 10x doesn't have regulation and it uses a Ni-CAD battery.
 
Re: Trying to decide between a SF M6 or 10X

I think the main thing to consider is that the 10X is rechargeable and the M6 is not (although I do recall someone around here selling battery packs). I bought an M6 a while ago and although I love it with the 500 lumen bulb, I can't bring myself to use it very often because I find it hard to justify the 6 batteries for 20 mins of runtime. The main factors I would consider are how much you plan on using the light and the circumstances of its use. If you plan on using it everyday then go with the 10X, If you plan on using it for emergencies/ storing it for long periods of time then the non-rechargeable M6 would be a much better alternative. Also I believe the 10X has a low beam as well if i recall correctly, whereas the M6 is all or nothing.
 
Re: Trying to decide between a SF M6 or 10X

hmmm, I can't comment on the M6 vs 10X throw because I don't have a 10X but I recently asked SF customer service which one throws better and I got this reply:

"Dear sir,
The 10X is a little bit brighter and seems to project a little further than the M6. We do not recommend running the batteries all the way down. Once the light appears yellow, this is when you want to charge the battery. The run-time of the main lamp on the battery is 20 minutes, on the low lamp 3 hours."

Like I said I have no direct experience with the 10X and their customer service have been known to be a bit innacurate in the past, just thought I should include it since this came up.
 
Re: Trying to decide between a SF M6 or 10X

I don't know much about the 10x; I read it has a 60 lumen setting that will give you 3 hours. And then it has 500 fro 20 minutes. Both are instantly available because there are two lamps installed at the same time.

The run time of the M6 at 500 lumens is 20 minutes. The run time at 250 lumens is an hour. And it is dependent on the bulb you have installed. Neither of the "standard" M6 lamps is going to give you the two hours runtime you asked for. I believe you can get another SureFire bulb at reduced output that will last longer - maybe someone here recalls what that is.

I don't know where you plan to walk; for all I know you really do need that much light. But **for me** even 250 lumes is a HUGE amount of light. I took the M6 with me on a night hike and the blowback was killing me. I like the L2 on low for the kind of walking I do - which may be very different from what you do,

W.
 
Re: Trying to decide between a SF M6 or 10X

I used to own a Surefire C3 Centurion which I took with me hiking. The problem was that it got spectacularly dim after a while and at the worse time, when I'm in unfamiliar territory and need all the light boost I can get. Hence I realized that a regulated LED was much better for night hiking than a super-tactical light. However, with my Pelican 2390, sometimes a "turbo boost" is needed when the trail gets narrow, dark, and scary and you're all alone. Which is the reason why I am considering a Surefire M6 Guardian or Surefire 10X Dominator to supplement the 2390. So far the Surefire 10X Dominator sounds better. Ahh..... if we could only have a Surefire A2 Aviator with true two-hour reg instead of 40 mintues... that would be the "SUREFIRE Ultimate." - MY INVENTION - NO SUCH THNG BUT WOULDN'T THAT BE COOL?
 
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Re: Trying to decide between a SF M6 or 10X

I can make you a 500 lumen lights that could be used during the entier 2 hour walk ina 2D package. Cheaper than a SF aswell. I have been planning the deisgn it just needs to be milled and I need to assemble the parts. I can sell it to you after I get a final cost.
 
Re: Trying to decide between a SF M6 or 10X

I wouldn't get either light, based on your initial requirements. The M6 is a wonderful light, but it eats up lithium batteries at an incredible rate -- maybe $20 to $30 an hour. I had a 10X and didn't like it. I don't like NiCads, either, as has been mentioned. It does have a nice low beam -- either 60 or 110 lumens -- and a 500-lumen-plus on high. But if you use the low beam for any period, the high beam very quickly runs out. Plus, neither of these lights is regulated, so they start to dim immediately.

If you need 2 hours of runtime, you may want a high-output LED or an HID. For night hikes, you may want the option of a much dimmer beam, so a multiple-brightness beam would be best. With $400 to spend, you have a lot of great options. Check out Custom B/S/T and read what Milkyspit is doing. That will give you some ideas.
 
Re: Trying to decide between a SF M6 or 10X

I am also debating this, if the 10X had updated battery packs I would go for the 10X, Its an old design that can use some Nimh or Li-ion technology.
 
Re: Trying to decide between a SF M6 or 10X

The M6 can also run the MN 15 lamp assembly for 2.5 hours at about 200 lumens...give or take some as discovered by JS. It's better to use incans in the outdoors as opposed to LED, but the M6 might be too overkill,..you might prefer the E1E. The E2E would work too if you use its lower output lamp assembly (2.5 hours). All of these options should work great and not produce any overheating even with the constant 2.5 hours runtime.
 
Re: Trying to decide between a SF M6 or 10X

I bought a 10x a few years ago because 123's were around $15au for one, I then bought a M6 two years ago, I prefer the 10x over the M6 as it's more practical.

I have a photo that i'll upload that has my 10X up against Yclo's M6, the M6 does throw further.

that's my 2 cent's

Geoff
 
Re: Trying to decide between a SF M6 or 10X

Yo udon't want my 2 D HId mag??? I would say the U2 is an excelent light and you probably will rarely if ever need more light than that.
 
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