newb with a question

hello all, brand new member here

been cruising the forum for a few days now and decided to join.

well i'll get down to it, i have a question.

i have been eyeing the surefire line for a while now, whereas before i didnt know too much about flashlights beyond my mag and a nice "little" dual side LED light for inside the car. my job already carried surefire but only the g2 on display, and i soon got to do some research and see that there is a whole line. i have my sights set on the m6 guardian, and i was looking for some insight on how it performs, handles, fullfills expectations, etc. as i said, my job carries the line, so i can get the light at a manageable price, and i am really thinking about buying it. some of the employees there, however, state an overrated status enjoyed by surefire. i personally dont think this way, but never having seen one in person, i dont want to be the guy that buys "that light" just because the packaging says some malarkey about it being a good light.

...anyway, any insight is well appreciated!

rmz, I wanted to welcome you to CPF... You will get a lot more people with lot more experience than me to answer your questions... I just wanted to say hi, and welcome!!! I am a newbie also... I have been doing a lot of reading since I found this place a few weeks ago... Wow!!!

:welcome:

thanks... lol i just saw the "unenlightened" status... thats hilarious

:welcome:
Surefires are great lights but what do you intend to use the light for? There are a lot of other lights that you may find interesting if you are willing to start in the higher price ranges of lights.

Well, I've never owned an M6, but from what I understand, two things are true: 1) they're insanely bright and 2) they can run through batteries in a hurry. As you probably noticed on SureFire's site, there is a high output lamp assembly (HOLA) and a low.

Personally, I would go for a more pocketable light like the A2, L1 Cree, or the L4 as a next step in your "flashaholism".

well, i dont know why but the m6 really appeals to me. it would most likely be emergencies-only. i know when i was in NOLA doing disaster relief, i wish i would've had something brighter than my 4d mag. the 4d mag has done its duty, but there have been situations where i needed brighter (a lot brighter), like once got caught out hunting in central texas lost, camping and cave exploring, and the relief work like i said earlier. basically i have heard that it is very bright, reliable, efficient, durable, and overall a very exceptional light. since i can get a good price on it, i would really like to buy it since i can afford it now, since i have needed something like this, and have had the dissappointment of not having it.

Buy it, You can always sell it here for what you paid and risk nothing

My bet is you'll keep it!

:twothumbs

rmz said:

well, i dont know why but the m6 really appeals to me. it would most likely be emergencies-only. i know when i was in NOLA doing disaster relief, i wish i would've had something brighter than my 4d mag. the 4d mag has done its duty, but there have been situations where i needed brighter (a lot brighter), like once got caught out hunting in central texas lost, camping and cave exploring, and the relief work like i said earlier. basically i have heard that it is very bright, reliable, efficient, durable, and overall a very exceptional light. since i can get a good price on it, i would really like to buy it since i can afford it now, since i have needed something like this, and have had the dissappointment of not having it.

Click to expand...

I would think in the situations you describe you would need runtime over brightness. Carrying spare cells is always good but with the M6 you would be carrying a lot of spares not to mention the size factor. I'm not trying to discourage you. If you like the light try it out. Heavens knows I have more lights and lumens than I need. I'm just saying there may be more practical lights for what you want to use it for and for the money you want to spend on one M6 you could buy an A2 Aviator, an L1 LunaMax and a G2LED.:twothumbs Good luck and have fun!

You don't always have to run the high output lamp in it, with the low output lamp you still get decent brightness and good runtime.

rmz, yes we are unelightened for now... it depends on how many posts you have... I have been on the phone for a while... I need to read and may edit this post further.

Well... I see that I am now enlightened!!! so I guess the first switch is made at 20 posts.

I agree that you should go ahead and buy it... if it turns out to be not what you wanted, or expected, you can always sell it to another flashaholic on here... you will have no trouble selling it here at the price you pay for it!!

well the flashaholic is hitting me. i've determined that i must choose between the L5, U2, or the L7, or all three

i would probably be happy with the L5 and U2, i dont think i need the rechargeable...

For a replacement for the 4D, I would recommend the Dereelight DBS. Smaller and has more throw. For something close range, probably something AA powered like the Fenix L2D-CE Q5(8% off coupon at Fenix Store is "CPF8").

You can get M6 performance from your 4D at a lower price, look at the ROP thread and some of the other hotwire mods. It will be bigger then the M6 though.

The current generation LEDs have double or more the efficiency of the last generation LEDs. For the same power, the newer LEDs will have at least double the output of the previous generation LED.

Common current generation LEDs: Cree XR-E P4-R2 bin, Seoul P4 U-bin, Luxeon Rebel 80 and Rebel 100.

Common last generation LEDs: Luxeon I, III, V and K2.

What will you use the light for?
Also, what about price range and size?
LED or Incan or HID?

:welcome:

yeah its hitting me

well i started a new thread on just the L5 and U2, dont think i need the L7

lights will be used for all purposes, hunting, camping, fishing, power outages, out on the country road, etc....