do i really need a Surefire Kroma MS or maybe a M6?

Hi All,

now that i have sold 2 lights i have saved enough to get a Kroma MS. but i was wondering is it really worth the $250.00? or should i just save my money? i know all of you are going to say to just go for it but it has taken me a llloooonngg time to get this much. so whould i get one while they are still avialble? or should i get somthing else?

thanks!

Re: do i really need a Surefire Kroma MS?

Well, I'll be the angel sitting on your shoulder saying "don't do it!"
Save your money for the next wave of even better products.
Just thought I'd say something contrarian to spice things up :laughing:

Re: do i really need a Surefire Kroma MS?

well i just added it up and i think i may be able to get me a Surefire M6. so should i get an M6? or a kroma? i am not really a fan of leds. i have wnet through 5 surefire leds, even one was a cree, and none seem to really amaze me.

i dont know what to do so PLEASE help!:hairpull: i am just so freaking happy right now

Re: do i really need a Surefire Kroma MS?

benchmade_boy said:

...i am not really a fan of leds. i have wnet through 5 surefire leds, even one was a cree, and none seem to really amaze me...

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Well, it looks to me like you answered your own question. I would bet you would be more satisfied with an incandescent.

The M6 really is not likely to be all that useful all things considered. Monster use of batteries, big, huge amounts of light etc. Very very cool. Lots of shock and awe factor but how useful is it really outside of specialist situations.

The Kroma would be my pick or.................here it comes............you know I have to go here..............
...
...
Ready for it. GET AN A2 AVIATOR. Great incan. beam with a super durable bulb along with a perfect amount of soft flood from the LEDs for navigation, reading, general use. It is smaller then the KROMA, cheaper and has both Incan and LED. I still say the A2 is the star of the Surefire lineup. The great switching setup allows for use of the LEDs for most tasks with short bursts on tap for the INCAN. When used this way the batteries last for damn ever.

Not much shock and awe, not as tacticool as the Kroma, but damn well may be the best illumination tool out there.

My two cents.

cslinger said:

The M6 really is not likely to be all that useful all things considered. Monster use of batteries, big, huge amounts of light etc. Very very cool. Lots of shock and awe factor but how useful is it really outside of specialist situations.

The Kroma would be my pick or.................here it comes............you know I have to go here..............
...
...
Ready for it. GET AN A2 AVIATOR. Great incan. beam with a super durable bulb along with a perfect amount of soft flood from the LEDs for navigation, reading, general use. It is smaller then the KROMA, cheaper and has both Incan and LED. I still say the A2 is the star of the Surefire lineup.

My two cents.

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so are you saying that i should not buy anything as i already have a a2? i think the only thing that i really like on the MS is that it has Y/G leds and IR leds. yes i guess i could trade somone my leds.

i dont know what to do guys.

Re: do i really need a Surefire Kroma MS?

I haven't played with a Kroma-Milspec yet (The passaround has me up in lonely Alaska as dead last), but I have played with the "civilian" version of the Kroma. I thought it was pretty seriously neat, and that can easily justify its price. It is a pretty seriously cool piece of technology.

On the other hand, it's designed for a pretty specific use, I feel, and that is hunting. Up here in Alaska, where almost everyone's a fishman or hunter, I'd say it's a tremendous value - you have blue for tracking blood, red for night-vision and two levels of white for your own general-use around the camp. Other than the "wow" factor of the Kroma, I admit to having a hard time justifying picking one up for general-use purposes (Then again, I use all my lights hard, and pick the feature-sets appropriately for that).

The "Milspec" version of the Kroma does not appeal to me as a light, although I still am looking forward to the passaround. The blue has heavy artifacting and the red is not as bright as the civvie Kroma; moreover it's few and far between folks that have a civvy use for the infrared.

As for the Guardian, the one I've played with has a certain "Wow" to it - especially on fresh batteries - but you run into the "not terribly practical" aspect of it as a general-use light; 20 minutes isn't that much runtime (It's rated at 500lm and on fresh batts is much higher; but my Mini-Mini HID does that for almost 45m on AW's new Li-Ion R123s and it's smaller).

The utility of the Kroma is very good, if you do things that leave you with a need for multi-spectrum light. The Guardian is probatly extremely useful in more "tactical" situations, where you need a retina-searing blast of incan at a second's notice - however, in my estimation (Being a person that generally only needs two levels of white light), I would say that neither is a great general-use kind of thing.

For "wow" factor, the M6 has that in bucketloads due to its relatively insane brightness [non-flashaholics will be impressed, I promise], and the Kroma has it in just how high-tech it feels. Neither are hugely pocketable (the Kroma in a jacket, maybe - the head seems too big for comfortable jeans pocket).

My absolute favourite light that I have consistently remained impressed by is my Milkyspit-modified "old-style" Surefire L1, with a good old UWAJ Luxeon-III. I just got a PD, too, and am enjoying that immensely.

For 250 bucks, I'd say there's a lot better options out there for a "user" light. For a "collector's item," the Kroma-Milspec is probably harder to get your hands on consistently.

Just my .02 Alaskan Dollars.

Depends on your needs. If you are simply looking for a toy, I vote for the Kroma as I think this is a very cool light and wouldn't mind one myself.

If you are looking to bolster your tools I say get another A2. If I had my way I would have an A2 in every car and several in the house as I find them to be great grab and go utility lights. As it stands I currently have 2. One black and one natural. I have been toying around with picking another up or giving the Kroma a try.

The smart thing to do is save your money since very few folks NEED a $200-$300 flashlight.

A legitimate suggestion is, if you only have the lights listed in your sig, then you need a good EDC light. Wait for the Novatac EDC 120 or pick up a Surefire E1L, Orb Raw, CR2 Ion, P1D-CE etc.

I can't comment on the Kroma, but I'd only get an M6 if you got a great deal on one. Unless you need the small size and combat durability, there are much cheaper ways to get a brighter flashlight. I prefer my Magcharger60 for daily use.

I agree with Cydonia. Save that $$ and wait for the new stuff from Surefire to hit stores.

FireFighter05 said:

I agree with Cydonia. Save that $$ and wait for the new stuff from Surefire to hit stores.

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but the only thing to really hit is crees. as i siad earler i had a Milky L1 with a Cree P4 in it. it was "cool" but it just didnt do it for me. now that i think about it i really dont need any of the two, i would not really use it that much. i wish i could find a light that was as great as my A2, but i dont think anything will replace it.

maybe i will just get me a E1E.

Couple questions... first, what exactly about LEDs is it that 'don't do it' for you? Not enough brightness? The color rendition issues? Are you wanting a light to fill a particular need or use, or just a 'gee wiz' factor?

And what is the difference between the Milspec and the non-Milspec Kroma? I played with one at Gander Mtn. I think it was $250 or $280. It was kinda neat, but nothing I have an actual use for.

well i will be using it for fishing, hiking, wildlife spoting. is there really any advantage of a kroma over my A2?

i have no clue what i want guys

I'l would say "don't do it!" and wait for the next generation flashlights !!
and buy a good chinese Cree /P4 light from DealExtreme.
And $250.00 is a lot of money for some light, and a bad investment, unless you have a lot $$$$$$$$$$$

If it was me. . .

If I was so tight on cash that a Kroma was a major saving endeavor, I would not do it.

I would buy something of very high quality, but I would take a very close look at what my needs and/or desires are.

It could be that the Kroma MS really is what you want. In that case you should do it, because you probably will just spend more money if you miss the mark the first time around and then redo the purchase later.

I usually regret purchases that were made essentially because the money was burning a hole in my pocket. I usually wish I had done something else with it later.

Scott

It really sounds like you want the M6 deep down inside. I just got mine last month and all I can say is wow! I'm not torn between LED's and incandescents....I have a use for both but my new M6 is my favorite light even though I only use it to check out my back yard sometimes and impress friends.

benchmade_boy said:

well i will be using it for fishing, hiking, wildlife spoting.

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I think incandescents are better for spotting than LEDs. If you want SureFire, maybe a G3 or 9P would be a good choice. These are a lot cheaper than an M6 and are still great lights.

i think i have decide that i am just going to buy an E1E. i will still have money left over for when i really need/want somthing bad. i was wanting the M6 but man that is a whole lot of money, not including what it cost to feed it. and i dont think i would ever actualy need it, it is just somthing that is freaking awsome. i feel like a E1E would be better as i am going to use it for manly fishing and i defenitly coudnt do that with an M6.

now what accesories should i get for my E1E?

I don't own a Kroma but it seems fragile as compared to most SureFires. I think the Kroma is overpriced for what it is.
I do own a M6 and think it is definately worth the money.

You might consider a M3 or M3T. They are also great lights and have a lot of rechargeable options.