SF M3 Beam shape - is it supposed to be oblong?!

Hello Forum,

I recently decided to buy my first "medium" light - a SureFire M3. It came today, and while I'm impressed with the design and construction, I'm really disappointed with the beam shape.

Both the MN10 and MN 11 bulbs throw an oblong shaped center beam. It's visible on a wall at only 2 feet away!

Do any fellow M3 owners have any thoughts on this? Is this shape normal due to the axial filament? Do you think etching the remainder of the bulb would help this? (only the tip is etched)

Thanks for any feedback you might have - this is a great place, and I've learned a heck of a lot over the past few weeks.

Chris

Oval is more politically correct And yes, many SF beams are "OVAL"

Re: SF M3 Beam shape - is it supposed to be oval?!

Ah, good to know. Seems that all lights have a little personality to them.

I just got in from my first playtime outside in the dark. As expected, the oval beam shape isn't nearly as noticeable on trees, the garage, the neighbor's bedroom window, local raccoons, etc.

I think I'm going to like this light. The 125 lumens bulb is more than adequate for my non-tactical needs, but it's nice to have the 225... :naughty:

Thanks for confirming my obervations! (the beam does look 'oblong', but I'll remember to use 'oval' in the future!)

Chris

Re: SF M3 Beam shape - is it supposed to be oval?!

Greetings and Welcome!

Enjoy that SF.M3!

My M4 is the same way, it is just the way they are.

Yeah, the beam isn't as purdy on a white wall, but it is very useful outdoors. If you want to take the time, I usually fiddle with the lamp to line up the filament with flat part of the body design so that the oval is horizontal to the ground when I hold the light with my usual grip. But again, you hardly notice it outdoors, mostly you notice the nice white light.

I use a M3 as my bright belt light on night shifts and you dont notice the beam shape as all outside.

Best of all you can run on full power on 2 of AW's new 17500's

The filament isn't round, it's in a horizontal line between two leads running perpendicular to the body's length. The oval beam is the reflection of the filament.

If the beam is round and the filament is a 'bar' then the beam does not have all the possible light it could have. The M3 is a clear example of how to create a bulb/reflector combination that does not waste light.

Al

Rockwood,

This is normal for the M3 and seems to be more noticable on this light than others. I personally like it. I orient the "football" horizontally. I live in a flat rural area so maximum left-to-right field of view is preferable. For those who live in a large city, perhaps a vertical orientation might be more advantageous. All you have to do is loosen/retighten, loosen/retighten, the head about a quarter of a turn to spin the bulb in the head and "re-orient" the football. I have done it in 10 seconds, and I have cussed for 15 minutes trying to get it just right. Once you get it just where you want it, you have to change the batteries from the tailcap end or you will disturb the "football" when you tighten the head.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for all the replies...

Thanks everyone for sharing your thoughts and experience.

I would now change my original comment from being 'disappointed' with the beam shape - I've been looking at a lot of Luxeon beams over the last few weeks, so I had to 'recalibrate' my expectations for incan.

I spent more time playing with this in the dark, and am really happy with the output of this baby.

leukos and Flashdark: I did exactly what you've done with aligning the filament to a predictable postition relative to the body, and now I see this beam shape as an asset for this light.

Great place you have here. Thanks for the welcome.

Cheers everyone!
Chris

Welcome to CPF, rookwood!

Glad that you now like the M3 beam.

:grouphug:

Yes, I have a M3 and the shape is oval too.