Surefire L5 & L6 Pros, Cons

I really like the look of these lights, but I am not too fond of SF stock beam. Can anyone chime in on either one of these lights, I could not get the search function to work.


Tim

I like both....A Lot!
I modded my KL6 head with a Cree. It is now WAY brighter and the hotspot is very tight.
I've been messing with my L5 more lately and just wish it was brighter and had a low also. I also like the great looks of these heads!

DaFABRICATA said:

I like both....A Lot!
I modded my KL6 head with a Cree. It is now WAY brighter and the hotspot is very tight.
I've been messing with my L5 more lately and just wish it was brighter and had a low also. I also like the great looks of these heads!

Click to expand...

What is the difference between the L5 and L6, they no longer have the info on their website since it has been discontinued.

Tim

The L6 is a three cell light and the L5 is a two cell. The L6 also has a deeper reflector for a little more throw...

+1 on the L5. I love mine. I love it a LOT.

Here's night shots. KL5 on top, Malkoff M60 on the bottom. Same 6P body and AW's 123's.

I had a couple L5's in the past and can tell you they are very well built, and look nice even when switched off I had great tint on mine and I loved the beam. The only downfall is the VERY short runtime compared with Cree's and Seoul's that offer the same output. (depending on battery set-up, my L5 heads ranged from 100-150 lumens out the front).

The L5 is about the same size as the incandescent M5. I converted my older-model M2 to LED with an aftermarket drop-in module running a Cree LED.

The L6 had a nice floody throw with the original LuxV LED. I modded mine with a SCC P4 LED and bumped-up the drive current. The result is a brighter hotspot with more throw.

The L6 is a bit large to be carried daily. I place it in my briefcase. The L5 is smaller but not that much easier to EDC.

I need to locate an L6, sounds like it has potential....

the light on the far right..., modified with a Q5, and i think its pushing 1A or 1.5A...? not sure, it belongs to funder (CPF member). Its absolutely huge. Its also doesnt feel very balanced in the hand cos its so big. This picture was from a meet up in Singapore. It out threw everything except the ROP LO, it was also the brightest light there except for the ROP LO.funder added another spacer behind the combat grip.

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/45179&page=13

You'd be lucky to find one though, they are no longer in production.

Crenshaw

I have the L5 and L6. The L6 is setup with a P4 Cree (pre-Q5 days) and with bounce and lightmeter puts out about 120 lumens. I switched to Cree because a mode to the L6 using a Lux V at 1 amp to LED proved too hot and the runtime curve with steep. CM modded the L6 and told me that the L6 is not handling heat well, a poor heat sink arrangement. This even though the head is massive, so I went to the Cree P4 which maintains a flat runtime. I will, soon, go with an R2, or something like that.

The KL5 is another story, it is awesome, heat sinked well and has that great flood but with nice spot for throw. I am leaving it alone. I have the KL5 head on a TranquillityBase 18650 body and get 110 minutes flat runtime with an 18650. The L5 (KL5) is a keeper.

Bill

Double post. CPF was stalled when I initially tried to post this, and now it double posts, oh well.

Bill

I like everything about my L5 except the tint. I lost the Luxo lotto. It's definitely got a green tint to it - like lot's of these things from what I understand.

I've owned both, the L6 was my first "high end" flashlight, I loved It.
Great throw (Back then), nice beam, and no doughnut.
The L5 is the one I disliked, I got a crappy one. It had a horrible clickie, purple tint, and a biiiig doughnut.

Saying that, I just finished placing an order for a L6.

Bullzeyebill, I have seen runtime graphs of the L6 and It looks to me like it's very well regulated.


Leef's

My L6 was not well regulated at 1.1amps to the LED. This with WWOH Lux V.

Bill

Should've read the post more carefully, My mistake.

While not as bright as the Fenix T1, the L5 just has a great vault like feel without being front heavy like the T1. Lux 5 not withstanding, I think it is a great light. The one I played with had a very nice tint...but I have heard stories of bad tints. I think you will be playing the lux lottery if you buy one by mail order, so if you have the opportunity to actually look at one before buying I would.

Again, the L5 is a great light.

My L5 has a pretty nice tint and a fairly small donut. Still, I am very much looking forward to modding this with a brighter LED and if possible, a higher drive current. Mine fits a 17670 so hopefully runtimes won't suffer much either.

The look, the square body, the balance between head and body, is all just great. I'd love to pick up another of these. I got mine through the Sportsman's Warehouse sale - thought I wouldn't like it, but I LOVED it! It's my favorite body actually - trumped only by the U2 but only due to its multi-level output.

Does anybody use a Pila 600S battery in a stock L5? Mine has a great tint and smooth beam, but I hate feeding it so often.



Dave

CallMeDave said:

Does anybody use a Pila 600S battery in a stock L5? Mine has a great tint and smooth beam, but I hate feeding it so often.



Dave

Click to expand...

The L5 tube is large enough to handle a Pila 600S. It is the smaller E series lights that may have problems with protected LiIon's.

Bill

The L6 is effectively the L7 without rechargeables. I own an L7, and am very happy with it. The KL6 head, stock, is a great little light for throw. It's hotspot is way too bright for close-up work, but is great for long distance illumination.

-Max