What should I get? P3D Q5 or 6P with Q5 Drop In

Help! Christmas is coming and I want a light!

I was between the Fenix P3D Q5 (special edition) or ... (and I don't know much about this) getting a Surefire 6P with a Q5 Drop in module.

Which do you think puts out more light and would be a better overall light?

Or should I just get a L1

Personally, I would pick the Surefire.
Pros - User interchangeable parts. A new led comes out, just get a new dropin. Don't like the the shape / size of the tail cap? There are many to chose from to switch it out with.

Cons - It will be more expensive than the Fenix.

The Fenix is a great light (have a L2D on my belt as I type) but I like the ability to upgrade the Surefire in a simple manner as new tech comes out a bit more. But like I said thats my personal view.

Or just buy them all :devil:

I have a G2 with the Bugoutgear Q5 drop in. It is very white, very bright, has a tight spot and I'm very happy with it. ( The same drop in Goes into the 6P).

The P3D will have a larger spot with less throw but it also puts out a lot of light. It depends on what you want to do with your light. I personally don't think you can go wrong in either direction, although If I had to choose just one, the 6P with Q5 drop in is probably more rugged. Again my opinion.

Faced with the same scenario, I went the 6PD w/ Dereelight Q5 way.

I just got my P2D Rebel version today, I would have gone for the Q5 but I didn't see it till after I placed my order. The P2D is one BRIGHT light! On turbo mode it puts out more light and has equal throw compared to my G2. (IMHO) I can not say anything about the Q5 dropin, but I can say that the P2D is amazing, and the P3D will be even brighter. (Like you can't figure that out on your own lol.) Plus I love the multiple levels of the Fenix; you don't always need or want full brightness, so it is like having multiple lights in one package! Some people say they don't like the UI of the Fenix, but it seems very intuitive to me. YMMV

Well I kind of like the incan in the P6, it's nice to have a solid incandescent light around.

The P3D will be smaller (slimmer), I think the P6 is too big for an EDC, but I don't like to use holsters. I really love the P3D with the PEU T2 Body, but that puts the price up quite a bit.

As other have said though P6 with drop-in will be quite flexible and either way you're likely to be happy.

I have both. My Surefire P6 is very old, and I have a couple of drop-ins for it. It has type II anodizing, which is to say it looks pretty worn. I don't recall precisely how old it is, but it predates the Web...

For drop-ins I have a Ultrafire or some such 4 mode drop-in, and one of the new Bugout Q5 preminum drop-ins. Except that one is back at the shop since it didn't fit my old light quite right.

Brightness wise they are pretty similar (the Ultrafire is not as bright, but the Bugoutgear Q5 is similar to the P3Dq5. Patterns I can't compare yet since the Bugoutgear didn't work much when I had it (due to the mechanical issues). The Fenix pattern has a nice gradient. It has good throw, but not a sharply defined hotspot, so it is useful for close in use as well. I find the pattern more useful than the tighter more defined and throwy hotspot of the Olight T15q5.

The user interface is very different. The Surefire is a momentary non-clicky, twist to lock on. This is good for some things, but not good for a multimode drop-in. The Ultrafire is multimode and it has memory, so each time it is turned on it advances to the next mode. Not great.

The Fenix has a much more sophisticated user interface. It has two "cycles". One cycle is turbo / strobe. The other cycle is low / medium / high / SOS. It uses a reverse clicky and has no memory (beyond a couple of seconds), so each time you turn it on it comes on in the first mode of the cycle. The cycle is selected by tightening or loosening the head slightly. Tight is turbo / strobe. Loose is low / medium / high / SOS. So you can select turbo or low before turning on the light by adjusting the head. To advance modes within the cycle you bump the clicky when it is on. To turn off or on push the clicky till it clicks. Harder to explain than to do, but it allows you to select things in a fairly efficient way.

The Fenix is type III anodize, very durable and hard to scratch. I'm not sure what the new Surefire P6 has for finish. Mine is very soft and worn.

The Fenix comes with a holster and spare parts. My Surefire did not. I'm not sure what they come with these days. A premium drop-in for the Surefire can cost about as much as the entire Fenix P3dq5 does.

The Surefire will give you an incandescent drop-in option, as it is generally not hard to switch drop-ins.

The Fenix is a lot smaller, and is cylindrical. The Surefire has a larger head. The two lights are quite different in their feel. I like both of them, but the Fenix is easier to every day carry.

I'm not familiar with the L1 but aftermarket drop-ins are usually far brighter than Surefire LEDs, and the L1 is a one cell light, so it is not quite comparable to the P6 or P3Dq5.

-- Alan

It depends,

What will you use the light for?