Some newbie questions...

Hi all,

I have been contemplating buying a SureFire 6P flashlight (65 lumens w/ standard bulb), but wanted to know what other manufacturers there were with similar quality & service (for comparison shopping).

Also if someone could shed some light on the main differences between a Cree XR-E and a Seoul P4.

thanks

Welcome to CPF!!

As far as competitors with the 6P, you're opening up a can of worms with that question. Many will tell you that the Surefire design is the original, and nobody else is coming close in any way. I've not tried a lot of the different lights but I have found that there is a great deal of difference in a knock-off imitation of a light and even a low-end "good" light. My local Wal-Mart has the Dorcy version of the light on sale for 19.97, and I'd not worry about giving that a try..

AFAIK, the big difference between cree and seoul is the focal point - ie, one will be better at replacing a Luxeon than the other would. Both are good, but I don't remember which is best for straight-up replacement..

Welcome to CPF jjoensuu. I can't help you much with the XRE vs. SSC question, since I don't know much about LEDs. However, as far as finding a good competitor with SF, you might want to consider Wolf Eyes. While the quality is certinaly not the same as it is with the Surefire lights, the Wolf Eyes lights do seem to be extremely well built. The price is much lower than with the Surefire lights. I bought all my lights from Mike at PTS (www.pts-flashlights.com), and the service has been exceptional (unlike what some people have been reporting from SF lately). WE lights come in many different varieties--I'm sure you'll find one to meet your needs. Just my 2 cents--I'm very happy with my WE lights.

The Seoul is a better replacement for the Luxeon emitter.

Have you seen Flashlight Reviews? The LED museum?

Dealextreme and Kaidomain is a great place to find flashlights for a relatively cheap price but shipping takes a while(from 10 days to a month or more). Customer servace is not bad, if the product arrives broken, just ask for a replacement. I bought a "U2" like EastwardYJ flashlight and it's pretty good.

Fenix(there is a Coupon for 8% off but I can't remember it) sells pretty good lights, the L1 and L2D-CE are pretty good lights for the money. Lumapower, Huntlight, Amilite(T5 is the new one), and a few more companys make great lights for around the same price.

For simular quality, and service, not many companys come close to Surefire. SUrefire is also coming out with Cree lights in July if you are willing to wait. There is also a $12.50 U.S. Cree drop-in for the 6P avaliable Here if you go for the Surefire but you have to file the sides down a bit if you don't want gaps.

If you like the color of an incan, WolfEye makes pretty good lights. Brinkmann Maxfire is a cheaper version of the G2 which has the same performance as the 6P.

Welcome to CPF!!!

Enjoy your stay!

Welcome to CFA!

The 6P is an excellent choice. Despite that fact, there are several lights that can compete with it on the same playing field. Streamlight is a well-respected competitor to Surefire. I can definitely recommend their 2nd Generation TL-2 model. (There's an LED and Xenon version of it). The xenon version puts out more lumens than the 6P. It also comes with a removeable carry-clip.

I work nights, there's two lights that I rotate as my main EDC; a Surefire L4 and the LED version of Streamlight's TL-2. Can't give it a higher recommendation than that.

Still, not every Streamlight model is a winner. Just my honest opinion. But more of their models are hits, rather than misses.

One light you're likely to hear a great deal of praise about is the Night-ops Gladius. I had a chance to examine this LED light. It does have its virtues. The main problem is, I've heard owners say that the only way to carry the light on your person is to lock out the tailcap. (Otherwise the light has a tendency to turn itself on or the cap rotates to a different mode). For me, when I need to use my light, being able to reach down and instantly hit the tailcap button is a big plus. One that I'm not willing to give up. The tailcap itself is another issue. Designed from cheap-feeling plastic, it allows the light to function even if the tailcap gets damaged. But other companies take a different approach. They over-build their tailcap switch to resist damage.

I don't hate the light, but neither do I think it's the best one out there.

Inova is another company to check out. They tend to be generous when it comes to their lumens numbers, but they still make some good lights. The T4 model is a great rechargeable light that uses LEDs. Their T3 model is the non-rechargeable version that uses a tailcap clickie. If you'd prefer a momentary tailcap switch instead, there's the X03 model. (Same light but without checkering on the barrel). Those particular models toss out a narrow, concentrated beam. Other Inovas put out wider beams. Also, an Inova light is as tough as a U.S. Marine! If you want durable, check out Inova.

Hope this helped.

Hi, Welcome to CPF

Welcome!

Surefire ceased R&D on incans a couple years ago, though they're still making/selling them. The emission from the Cree requires a much deeper reflector than the Seoul for comparable beams. That translates into a longer flashlight. Also, the Seoul P4 seems to have a little better thermal interface for the Cree die than Cree's own product, at the expense of some challenges with respect to electrical isolation of the emitter's die.

Larry

tvodrd said:

Surefire ceased R&D on incans a couple years ago...

Click to expand...

Really? Are you sure?

HI there welcome to CPF! The best advice is for you to surf around and checkout what others comment on other brands apart from SF. There are many models out there with varying price levels, designs, uses etc. All the best in your search..........

hi,
welcome

Greetings and Welcome to CPF!

jjoensuu said:

I have been contemplating buying a SureFire 6P flashlight (65 lumens w/ standard bulb), but wanted to know what other manufacturers there were with similar quality & service (for comparison shopping).

Click to expand...

You may wish to try checking out Laser Devices' Operator series. It may be had here:

http://www.light-edge.com/lookandfeel.asp?manuf=Laser Devices

Hope you find what you're looking for and Enjoy!

I beleive that you havge made a fine choice. why? Well the 6P was my first "real flashlight". I still have my first 6P too. The 6P is a wonderful flashlight. The 65 lumens are real and you can have even more output by using the p61 globe assembly...at the cost of run-time. The p61 lamp assembly outputs 120 lumens...Wow it's bright. You can also add a turbo head to the 6p which gives the light major throw. You can reach out and touch someone with the turbo head. The 6P is one of the building blocks of a wonderful system which is unmatched by any other flashlight manufacture. There are plenty of aftermarket options including led "globes" as well as Surefire LED heads like the KL5 head, a 100 lumen solution for the surefire C series.
You really can't go wrong here.
Welcome to the CPF.
Be prepared to have a lot of fun!!
BTW LIGHTHOUND.com is one of my favorite vendors. He has a great selection for the budding flashohic to be.
Yaesumofo

GeorgePaul said:

Really? Are you sure?

Click to expand...

Publicly spoken by pk at the Surefire-sponsored, CPF party at the SHOT Show in Orlando last January.

Larry

Hi jjoensuu, good to see another melbourne aussie

Flashlight reviews is a valuable site for comparing many things, including who's lumens mean what

If you are looking at buying/dealing locally, prices vary alot. Important places and contacts:

www.quarterflash.com.au (Glen C: The LF and WolfEyes local 'sydney', email for catalogue, great prices, Glen is great, helpful and fast: ordered LF lamp friday, received monday!!

www.platatac.com (fair surefire prices 'for aus', great instore service, great guys)

www.sordaustralia.com (best surefire prices Iv found locally, no real shop to walk into though, only online)

www.torchworld.com.au (Amondotech Lithiums for $3aus and cheaper with quantity, good service in my experience, fenix lights at good prices)

www.wellingtonsurplus.com.au (perth dealer, average prices, lots of instore range including fenix..)

good luck
aerosimon