$2,283 in flashlights for 07 and NO SUREFIRES!

First of all, let me just say that I love Surefire flashlights. I love how they look, I love how they feel, I think they are the highest quality and most reliable flashlights you can buy.

So I added up all my light purchases for 2007 and the grand total was $2,283. Even though I am a certifiable flashaholic, Surefire didn't get one penny of what I believe is a substantial amount light purchases.

Why? Because as much as I enjoy spending money on lights, I absolutely loathe spending cash on disposable batteries that after a very short time, end up in a landfill.

I think Surefire is missing out on a large and growing segment of the flashlight market: lights that run on two 123's or one 18650.

Until I see some Surefires designed from the factory to run on rechargeables, my dollars will continue to flow elsewhere.

P.S. As an example; the M6, maybe the greatest light of all time, runs only 20 minutes on 6 disposables with the high output bulb! A one hour walk requires 18 batteries and 2 stops to swap them! Surefire, please make a rechargeable light, with the output and form factor of the M6 only rechargeable - maybe multiple leds or HID.

The G2L and 6PL run on rechargeables. :shrug:

divine said:

The G2L and 6PL run on rechargeables. :shrug:

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And you can also get drop-ins that work wonders with 17670s... like Dereelights...

Or RCR123s like BOG Q5s or Malkoff M60s... :shrug:

G2, 6P on 2xRCR123 with a P90 or P91.

L4 or U2 on Pila 168 or whatever other designator you use.

TW4 on RCR123

You have to remember what Surefire's primary market is - Tactical, Military, Law Enforcement. All areas where rechargeable batteries are not the best way to go. You want fresh, ready to go batteries all the time.

With me its the other way around. I really dont understand your post, because you can run SF's on rechargeables and on aftermarket bulbs. Its personal preference, and you seem not to have enough knowledge on SF flashlights, hence your post is inaccurate.

Steve

cchurchi said:

Until I see some Surefires designed from the factory to run on rechargeables, my dollars will continue to flow elsewhere.

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SureFire already have a range of rechargeable lights (8NX, 8AX, 9AN, L7, 10X).

P.S. As an example; the M6, maybe the greatest light of all time, runs only 20 minutes on 6 disposables with the high output bulb! A one hour walk requires 18 batteries and 2 stops to swap them! Surefire, please make a rechargeable light, with the output and form factor of the M6 only rechargeable - maybe multiple leds or HID.

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I wouldn't say this demonstrates a shortcoming in the M6. The M6 is a highly unsuitable light for the activity you described, or any task where long constant-on is required (using an entire set of batteries in one go would also likely result in thermal shutdown of the M6). The M6 is designed for short burst of light, not long usage.

There are plenty of far more suitable lights out there for taking on walks

Regards,
Tempest

I like SureFire flashlights too. I have got the U2 and P6, I modified the P6 with led which give out 200 lumens. I think leds used less then ican,that is why I changed it, also the P6 original ican is 60 lumens.

If I need powerful flashlights and good run time, I used WiseLED Tactical 1500 lumens. In my personal experience this flashlight is excellent flashlight.

cchurchi said:

I think Surefire is missing out on a large and growing segment of the flashlight market: lights that run on two 123's or one 18650.

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Surefire does have rechargeable models, as has been mentioned. Lithium-ion cells have barely made it into lights made for the main markets that SF serve, i.e. law enforcement or military. Lights like the Pelican 7060 or Streamlight Strion come to mind, but otherwise, I would consider 18650/17670 or any of the other lithium-ion cells that CPFers typically use to still be mainly for hobbyist use, not for universal bet-your-life-on use--yet. Pila cells might be an exception, but we're still talking cutting edge stuff here when it comes to the worlds of LE or military.

You can use a LumensFactory lamp for the M6 and run it with rechargeables.

So....uh....what DID you get for $2283 bucks?...

Wicho said:

G2, 6P on 2xRCR123 with a P90 or P91.

L4 or U2 on Pila 168 or whatever other designator you use.

TW4 on RCR123

You have to remember what Surefire's primary market is - Tactical, Military, Law Enforcement. All areas where rechargeable batteries are not the best way to go. You want fresh, ready to go batteries all the time.

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The P91 draws too much current for RCR123s, I'm not sure about the P90.

Geez.

Every flashlight company does not have to be the same or offer the same type of operating systems. I generally prefer simple lights that run on one type of battery, keeps the clutter down in my teeny tiny house, but I don't wish that other companies would discontinue their operating systems for simplicity's sake. That's what the aftermarket is for, giving the user more options without exposing the main company to unnecessary R&D budgets or cluttered product lines.

Different is good.

Hello Cchurchi,

I will echo what Tempest posted.

The 10X Dominator competes head to head with the M6, runs on rechargeable batteries, and has a 3 hour run time when using the low lamp.

Moving on to the 9AN, it offers 2 hours of runtime on the low lamp.

Both of these lights have the high output lamp available should you need it while out walking around.

Now, look at the L7. The stock battery pack gives you around 2.5 hours of runtime, but if you move up to a custom battery pack you can double that.

Finally, the 8NX and 8AX will give you around 50 minutes with the stock battery pack. They come with two packs, so you would have to carry a spare with you for an hour walk. However, using a custom battery pack, the runtime stretches out to around 100 minutes.

It would be nice if SureFire could find an American manufacturer for Sub C NiMh cells and offer some higher capacity packs, but if you keep your NiCd packs in shape, they actually work quite well.

I don't believe you will see SureFire lights designed around 18650 or other Li-Ion cells until those cells become readily available at your local store.

I might add that all of these lights were designed from the ground up with rechargeable batteries in mind.

Tom

nerdgineer said:

So....uh....what DID you get for $2283 bucks?...

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+1
So SF is not for you then, keep resisting if you can.

WOW!

Thats one heck of a budget to spend on this addiction! My wallet could not handle that kind of spending. Which one is your favorite?

SF Beast is rechargeable...


What did you spend your money on...would be interesting to know.


:naughty:

Ill bet he bought a whole lot of fenix, a tiablo, maybe a micro fire HD...

Crenshaw

Let's see what kind of Surefire collection $2283 would buy.

E2L Cree $129
L2 $175
L4 $165
L5 $189
L6 $265
U2 $279
E2D $110
6P $59
6PD $74
9P $79
Z2 $93
M3 $252
M4 $330

Well, that's only a $2199 dent in one's wallet, all lifetime warranteed and made by a fellow American being paid a living wage. With prudent internet shopping in reality the total would be closer to $1800, allowing almost $500 for buying primary cells.:nana:

Paladin

cchurchi said:

......So I added up all my light purchases for 2007 and the grand total was $2,283.........

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I got you beat by more than double.................sort of.

I did a quick summary in MSMoney and got $5008 for the Flashlight spending category. The only thing saving me from a complete heart attack was knowing that I had sold a lot also. Sold items was a total of $3488. So net spending of $1520 I can tolerate. That works out to only about $125/month for my main leisure activity. Not too bad for the enjoyment and neat items that I get out of it.

I would certainly love to see the list of lights purchased.