Surefire L4 v 9P

Hello!

I've currently got a Surefire 6P which I find excellent for the work I do (I'm a Police Officer)

I'm thinking of upgrading, and wondered what your views are with regards to the Surefire L4 v Surefire P6

Obviously there is a cost difference, but what really matters to me is performance

Look forward to hearing your views

John
www.marsupialelvis.com

The L4 is a close up, all flood kinda light. In your case, given your needs, I would recommend the Surefire L5. It's a little larger than the L4, and has a more balanced beam with both throw and flood. Actually, it's my current favorite light. Cost is just a bit more than the L4, but it's well worth it, IMO.

They are worlds appart really like Danbo said, the L4 is all about flood and has no throw.

You should stick with the 6P, its got great output, tough as nails and its an incandecant so it's got better colour rendition in the dark than the L4.

marsupial,

Welcome to CPF

You will find a *plethora* of information about the L4 as well as the 9P in here. I know it's kinda hard to find the right information with such amounts of data, but please try the search function.

The L4 and 9P are like oranges and apples. They are *very* different in beam character as well as color temperature, not to mention looks and feel.

That said I would definitely recommend the L5 as Danbo also did, but it really depends on your lighting needs. The L5 (and L4) is what most would call "a ram of light" or "wall of light". Big hotspot with *alot* of sidespill. Extremely good for lighting up a large area or hiking trail, but it doesn't throw as far as the 9P, although it does throw better than the L4 and doesn't run as hot.

Jan

Cheers for the advice

The L5 does seem interesting (although I guess I would need new belt kit for it)

One of the factors I'm interested in is the 'temporarily blinding an opponent' ...as obviously this can be very useful in my job.

I guess both the L4 and L5 have better throw than my beloved 6P ?

If you are looking for throw, I would recommend you select the 9P or the upcoming G3. If you are just looking for a lot of light in a compact package, the L4 will work well with its wide floody "wall of light." As I stated in your other thread, the L5 will be receiving a LED upgrade this year and may be worth a look. It will probably be closer to the 6P in beam distribution (tight hotspot and mild spill) but keep in mind this is pure speculation.

The L4 has terrible throw, but puts out a lot of light in the immediate area. The L5 has improved throw over the L4, but given that a new model with an upgraded LED and new optics is going to be released soon, we can only speculate. If throw is your main priority, the 6P/9P lights will suit you better.

You may also wish to consider getting the Bug Out Gear 3 watt LED upgrade for your 6P for about $35. Then you can run a pair of rcr123A rechargeables (about $5 each + $13 for the charger) in your 6P and still get a very good combo of flood and throw. The amount of $ you would save on 123A batteries would eventually pay for the upgrade and rechargeables. You could also keep the P60 bulb and 6 batteries immediately handy in one of SF's carrying cases.

Just a thought.

Consider also a 9P with an A19 extender (making it a 12P) with a P91 lamp, feeding on a pair of Pila or similar rechargeable batteries. Very bright, floody and throwy.

You need both John

I carry a L4 in my stabbie pocket for close range floody search work and a Z2 running a P90 via 2 of AW protected R123A's (so essentially a 9P in all but size and weight) on my belt in a V70 holster.

I've got a F34(IIRC) beamshaper on the Z2 which gives a good flood with the lid on, if I cant be bothered to get the L4 out

What you realy also need is a M3T with the 225 lumen HOLA in it (with this and spare batteries, protected 17500's) I dont ever bother putting a Dragon light in the car as this throws about 70% of the dragon at a fraction of the weight. If you accidently shine this towards someones face then it is very effective at attention getting.

Fliipin expensive business this police work

Get an A19 extender for your 6P and a P90/P91 LA. Voila, 9P. Before you buy join OpticsHQ and check out the membership prices. With the membership price and the CPF5 coupon, I got a 9P for $64 and change. See GreenLED's link for details.

If your interested in the L4 you might want to consider the L2. Same output but 2 levels. It is about an inch longer though. The longer length makes it easier to hold IMHO.

I had an L4 once but gave it to my brother. Its a great light but not my cup of tea. I prefer my 9P. I also have a 6P and L2. My grab and go light is my 9P. Now if you really want a good thrower get a KT2 turbohead! You can run all kinds of lamps with this piece of equipment.

kelmo