My SureFire M6's MN21 bulb exploded - why?

I went to fire up my surefire M6 and the bulb exploded inside the head.......has any one had that happen to them.....and if so why?

What type of batteries were you using?

That's been known to happen with high pressure flashlight bulbs, probably from inconsistencies that are inherent to mass production.. That's why they recommend (highly) that you have the lens installed before you fire up the bulb.

If it's a new lamp assembly, you might want to give Surefire a call. Some people have posted that Surefire has replaced such modules without charge.

bigmark408 said:

I went to fire up my surefire M6 and the bulb exploded inside the head.......has any one had that happen to them.....and if so why?

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You might also change the thread title to "Surefire M6 Bulb Explosion." I thought it was the entire flashlight; catastrophic failure of the batteries or some such thing.

:buddies:

You didn't handle the glass lamp with your fingers before it blew, did you? (Doing so would be a bad idea.) Did the popped bulb trash the reflective coating inside the head? Got pics?

This happened to my M6 before I bought it. Surefire said they'd replace the head, so we'll see about that.

Also happened in my Magcharger while I was using it.

Sorry to hear about your M6 problem. As long as it was a stock lamp assembly in there, I am sure that Surefire will fix or replace the head and lamp for you. I have heard of this happening to others, but very rarely.

Well ... I'm glad I'm not the only one who was thinking "Here we go again ..."

Diesel_Bomber said:

You might also change the thread title to "Surefire M6 Bulb Explosion." I thought it was the entire flashlight; catastrophic failure of the batteries or some such thing.

:buddies:

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Sorry about your problem. Pics would be nice. Was this an MN20 lamp or an MN21 ? that would also help all of us. I suspect JS or Al will jump into this thread soon with more insight. For starters, I recommend you go here

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/1869731&postcount=70

JS just today took a long time to write up this very educational post regarding bulb explosion. Also, if you call surefire and tell them what happened they will most likely replace your turbohead.

nobody said:

You didn't handle the glass lamp with your fingers before it blew, did you? (Doing so would be a bad idea.)

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I learned this the hard way, with ym 1st expereince with expensive WA1185 potted bulbs...what a way to waste money...ok lets see here, put the bulb in...now screw the head back on...push button, There goes $8.50 in a 1 second bright light!

But live an learn right...Thats why its important to read and use the search function here at CPF before trying anythgin flashlight related, lol...

By the way sorry to hear about your bulb blowing thats about as sad as it gets for us flashaholics, that and dropping our expensive lights on concrete by accident...

I'm also interested to know whether it was an MN20 or MN21. And if it was the MN20, was it an old one or a new one? The old MN20s did seem to be troublesome, with a few reports of explosions, and Surefire stopped releasing them for quite a while. As far as I can tell, the new MN20s have a black base, whereas the old ones were coloured, so that might be a way to tell if it was old or new.

My 3 "old style" MN20s also have black bases. Surefire stopped doing coloured bases quite a while ago.

kakster said:

My 3 "old style" MN20s also have black bases. Surefire stopped doing coloured bases quite a while ago.

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Damn. I wonder if there is a definite way to tell them apart, then?

js has counted a couple more turns in the filament of the newer ones, but I would guess that's not much use once the bulb has exploded!

The lamp assembly did "explode" on me once because of me handling the assembly with my bare fingers and failing to wipe it clean. Other than that, it still works fine, only that the reflector is all hemmajang and the beam has a character all its own.

Enjoy!

please edit your misleading title!

surefire M6 bulb explosion ?

sorry if the title is missleading to some ,,,im new to this and to those who's hearts stopped because of the tittle:laughing:

the batts were surefire and the bulb was the M21 and was never touched, the light had less than 4 hours total.

i sent it back to surefire so we will see what happens , but i was just wondering if this was a common failure.

the bulb did have a colored base i cant remember but i think purple or blue.

thanks for all your comments guys, and no offense intended to those with the weak hearts.

Don't even trip off of the title, let us know when Surefire responds.

Everyone makes a noob mistake.

OutdoorIdiot said:

Damn. I wonder if there is a definite way to tell them apart, then?

js has counted a couple more turns in the filament of the newer ones, but I would guess that's not much use once the bulb has exploded!

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Here is my own post with macro pictures showing the old MN20 and the new MN20: link

Will

About a year ago, the 250 lumen bulb (new) on my SF M6 "blew up." I called SF Customer Service and got a "RMA" number, shipped the light (minus batteries) to them. Surefire replaced the head, and had it sent back to me in about a week. I was very impressed with SF's quality of customer service.

nobody said:

You didn't handle the glass lamp with your fingers before it blew, did you? (Doing so would be a bad idea.) Did the popped bulb trash the reflective coating inside the head? Got pics?

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I once "fingered" an overhead bulb during installation...
sounded like a shotgun in that enclosed metal space

I think this`applies for all bulbs, not just the M6 in the Surefire line

good thing you werent hurt, I agree with a couple here that the title is a bit misleading.

did you do any significant jarring where the bulbs glass may have collided with something?
doesnt sound right having a lamp in a neutral state detonate immediately after being turned on...when the internal gases has not been heated to its boiling point.