Want to try Surefire but runtimes suck

So after hearing how tough the Surefire brand is Ive decided to break down and try one. I was looking at the 6P but if its going to be of any use to me Im going to need to upgrade the bulb to something with a longer run time. I probably use my flashlight for at least 60 minutes a night so the P60 lamp wont work. I would prefer to go with an LED drop in, the longer the run time the better. I dont really need anything more than 40 or 60 lumens. I was looking at the cree drop in from lighthound.com but after hearing it wasnt any good and only had a run time of about 2 hours, I have decided agaist that one. What drop in would you recommend?

Why not try this with a rechargable 17650 from AW. If your using the light for an hour a day I would deffinatly go rechargable. Much MUCH cheaper in the long run.

Just adding here is a review of it. Perfectly flat regulation for over 3 hours.

clipse

ghostguy6 said:

I probably use my flashlight for at least 60 minutes a night so the P60 lamp wont work.

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You're going to find that just about any of the high intensity 2 x CR123 lights are going to have about the same runtime. It's not just Surefire.

ghostguy6 said:

I would prefer to go with an LED drop in, the longer the run time the better. I dont really need anything more than 40 or 60 lumens. I was looking at the cree drop in from lighthound.com but after hearing it wasnt any good and only had a run time of about 2 hours, I have decided agaist that one. What drop in would you recommend?

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Perhaps a Surefire isn't the best selection for your application. There is a broad variety of lights in the luminance range that you need, some run on CR123s, others run on primary alkaline or rechargeable NiCD packs. I'd suggest broadening your arena of consideration rather than be bound by a brand name.

He could also run a LF LA and RCR123's.

look into the streamlight Stinger. rechargeable, good quality.

or the strion for a smaller size. still rechargeable.

www.streamlight.com

this reminds me of the very similar sounding posts at my local bike forum concerning Lupine lights and especially the Edison HID (price), same goes here:
MAN, there are quite other lights from this maker!
If You want to really use a light often, then no chance anything other than rechargeable suits!
Check out the 9N, which is the best of these of SFs lights overall.

Or get one of the other lights mentionned here.
If I were You, I would notice that 95 out of 100 treads are about some "Fenix L2D-CE" or "Fenix L1D-CE" and would buy one of them.
(but I already have a L1D)


PS:
You want a BRIGHT light --> short runtime
You want RUNTIME --> dim light

Brighteyez said:

You're going to find that just about any of the high intensity 2 x CR123 lights are going to have about the same runtime. It's not just Surefire.

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Im using a pelican M6 2330 right now which has a rated run time of 40 hours, I have about 15 hours on it right now and it is still fairly bright.
The only reason I want to go with surefire is because I want to see what all the fuss is about. I dont need this light, its more of a trial and to be used as a back up unless I find I really like it. Right now a light with a run time of 1 hour just wont serve me any purpose so Ill need to upgrade to an LED to get the longer run time.
I have something close to 250 cr123's I got cheap when Radio Shack closed down so i wont be needing anything with reachargables for quite some time.
As for the streamlights, Im not a fan of them, the run times are too short.

ghostguy6--

If you want to get a SureFire now, and want long runtime on cr123s, get one of the LED lights. I suggest you get a L2 Lumamax, which is a great light. It will run 18 hours on low and 1 hour on high. Another good choice would be the L6, which will run for 4 hours (1.5 hour high output, then 2.5 hours useful output ). Both of these lights are much brighter than your Pelican. At a lower price point is the E2L, which will run for 6 hours (3 hours high output, then 3 hours useful output) and is about as bright as your Pelican.

Please dont get me wrong, I do NOT want to be offensive...
You re probably not long enough in lights to compare ...

That Pelican does not give the output You think it does and it does not run that long. It is a so called "direct drive" light, meaning that there is pretty no circuit between batteries and Led. Concerning the output that means that it will start very bright but this output gets lower very quick, as the voltage from the battery gets down.
Maybe read here, You might get some info: http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/pelican_m6led.htm

Higher priced led-lights, while usually offering better machining and finish, most often have a circuit inside, that keeps the output stable. Means higher power light for shorter time.

Read here and You will learn ... but watch Your wallet

PS: forget SureFire for some time, get a Fenix L2D-CE and use it on Ni-Mhs. It will smoke most any other "usual" light and is about one of the most versatile and bright and long running with its multilevels by now.

yellow said:

this reminds me of the very similar sounding posts at my local bike forum concerning Lupine lights and especially the Edison HID (price), same goes here:
MAN, there are quite other lights from this maker!
If You want to really use a light often, then no chance anything other than rechargeable suits!
Check out the 9N, which is the best of these of SFs lights overall.

Or get one of the other lights mentionned here.
If I were You, I would notice that 95 out of 100 treads are about some "Fenix L2D-CE" or "Fenix L1D-CE" and would buy one of them.
(but I already have a L1D)

Click to expand...

+1 on that. There are plenty of Surefires multistages also, so you can have longer runtime when you need it. You wont find any light that STAYS BRIGHT.
And if you must have a Surefire cause it's a Surefire, just buy it. But IMHO there are plenty of better options out there for less money, but you seem to just want to test how the Surefires fares, so just buy one.

ghostguy6 said:

Im using a pelican M6 2330 right now which has a rated run time of 40 hours, I have about 15 hours on it right now and it is still fairly bright.

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Take a look at http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/pelican_m6led.htm for some interesting commentary about this light, especially about the runtime claim. Also, this light is not regulated -- the SureFires are.

Runtime sucks? I find that an hour is usually more than enough for my uses. In fact, using it only when "necessary", I found myself changing the batteries about monthly, which seems to me as reasonable.

OTOH runtime tends not to really be one of Surefire's concerns... and might be one of your priorities. Wait for the new Cree-based E1L/E2L or L1; those will have excellent runtime and output.

Even if you find the runtime short, let's ASSume you'll use it for one hour per night. That's about one set of CR123s per night, or about $2.50 in battery. For that $2.50 you get a compact (ie. lightweight) light with high output. If you don't want to carry a lot of gear, that $2.50 might be worth it to you.

Personally, I find that CR123s purchased in bulk are so inexpensive and so reliable (with extreeeemely long shelf life) that I don't plan on purchasing a light unless it runs on CR123s for the forseeable future.

L2 2stage is useful. L5 or L6 more power with single stage or L7 1.5 hours with rechargeables, cheaper in the long run. Longest running would be E2L @ 30lumens...which is the KL1 head. You won't regret buying a surefire that for sure!

Sorry I wasn't clear, and I probably misunderstood your needs. When I was referring to "high intensity" I meant the incandescents, like the M6 2320 or PM6 3320. They all run about one hour. It sounds like you're looking for an LED light and don't really need a high intensity light.

ghostguy6 said:

Im using a pelican M6 2330 right now which has a rated run time of 40 hours, I have about 15 hours on it right now and it is still fairly bright.
The only reason I want to go with surefire is because I want to see what all the fuss is about. I dont need this light, its more of a trial and to be used as a back up unless I find I really like it. Right now a light with a run time of 1 hour just wont serve me any purpose so Ill need to upgrade to an LED to get the longer run time.
I have something close to 250 cr123's I got cheap when Radio Shack closed down so i wont be needing anything with reachargables for quite some time.
As for the streamlights, Im not a fan of them, the run times are too short.

Click to expand...

Big changes are on the way in the flashlight market. With the introduction of Cree XR-E / Seoul P4 LEDs and the inevitable comeback by Lumileds, I would not buy a Surefire at this time. These new LEDs are changing the brightness vs. runtime equation. Even Surefire has new LED lights on the way.

More on what is available/coming in this thread:
http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=147393

I wholeheartedly agree with the "Surefire runtimes suck" perspective, and I really don't understand the responses along the lines of "One hour of runtime is good enough." Maybe for you....

Here is a comment by Quickbeam (proprietor of FLR), who is regarded by many CPF aficionados to be the primo torch reviewer, in his review of the Fenix LxD-CE lights:

Conclusions: Fantastic output and versatility. It's really hard to go wrong with these. The two cell version [Fenix L2D] is likely going to replace my [Surefire] A2 as my high output / variable output choice for travel and utility.

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The days of the dominance of incandescent 2xCR123-based lights are not over, but the brightness advantage of these smaller incandescent lights no longer exists.

For example, compare this light:
http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/lumapower_m1.htm

with these:
http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/surefire_c2_m2.htm

Eu

sf KL1 has great runtime and appears much brighter and throwier than it`s 30 lumens would siggest.gc.

yellow said:

this reminds me of the very similar sounding posts at my local bike forum concerning Lupine lights and especially the Edison HID (price), same goes here:
MAN, there are quite other lights from this maker!
If You want to really use a light often, then no chance anything other than rechargeable suits!
Check out the 9N, which is the best of these of SFs lights overall.

Or get one of the other lights mentionned here.
If I were You, I would notice that 95 out of 100 treads are about some "Fenix L2D-CE" or "Fenix L1D-CE" and would buy one of them.
(but I already have a L1D)

Click to expand...

Another +1 on that. There's a reason there are so many Fenix threads - high output and long runtimes with standard batteries for some models. CR123 models have good runtimes as well.

If you can't wait, get a Fenix now, and then wait until June or July when the new models come out. If you don't think you need more than 40-60 lumens another route is an L0D CE for EDC to quench your thirst for now and also be an excellent backup pocket light for when you get the Surefire later (~50 lumens for 1 hr off of an AAA battery). Energizer also makes AAA Lithium batteries.

Probably be the same cost or less than getting the Surefire now, and modding it later. Get the output now with the Fenix, and maintain your Surefire warranty a few months later.

At this point I would wait on buying a Surefire. In a couple of months or so, they are going to release a new lineup based on the Cree, and their focus is to maintin the same brightness level that the lights currently have, but more than double the runtime. I think it would be frustrating to drop so much money on a light with runtime too short for your taste, only to have Surefire come out with exactly what you want a month or two later for the same price.

Usually lights that will give you great runtime are going to be 18650 based lights with two-level switches. The 18650 rechargeabel just has more energy content than the 2xCR123 batteries, and it's rechargeabe, so I would recommend something in that form factor. One that I particularly like due to its long runtine is my Lumapower M1 -- 4 hours on high (though brightness does dip somewhat), 27hrs low. 2xCR123 gives brighter light, and sharp regulation for less overall time. There are certainly others out there though, but that's what I would look into (Cree or Seoul based light that takes 18650)

Hi,

Some options for Surefire 6P....

G&P 1 Watt Luxeon LED Drop-In for SureFire 6P / 9P / D2 / D3 / C2 / C3 - Won't work with the G2. 1 Watt Luxeon LEDs produce 42 or more Lumens of light for an extended period - run time is extended from 60 minutes with the incandescent bulb to over 6 Hours. The brightness diminishes over the life of the batteries, but there is plenty of light to see in the dark even after 6 hours. $26.99

G&P 3 Watt Luxeon LED drop-in for SureFire 6P / 9P / D2 / D3 / C2 / C3 / G2. 3 Watt Luxeon LEDs produce about 50 lumens (manufacturer claims 70 lumens, but experience does not bear this out) of light for an extended period - run time is extended from 60 minutes with the incandescent bulb to over 4 Hours. The brightness diminishes over the life of the batteries, but there is plenty of light to see in the dark even after 10 hours. $39.99

- according to www.lighthound.com

Lumens Factory D26 Series ES-6 = 80 Lumen (50 torch lumen) ~ 80 min. $12.99

And if you need a flooding beam (close-up work), I would strongly recommend the Surefire F24 Beamshaper!

PA


edit: I forgot SureFires KL3 LED Head in black - 19 Lumen ~ 4.25hrs High and 4.75hrs Low $65.00.

edit: and I recon you can run all of this LED's on AW's 17670 - 3.7V protected rechargeable battery...