What was the absolute first Surefire LED light?

I'm curious. Did they start with Luxeons?

I don't know for sure, but I think it was the A2

Not an SF historian by any means but I'm fairly sure they were Xenon and I've seen some of the first talked about here and pictured. Maybe a search with the right words will find it. A Surefire 6 was the first I believe. I think they had Surefire Laserproducts inscribed on them back then so maybe search on that.

So no they didn't start with LED's - so this may or may not have been what you were looking for - but I did verify now that the SF 6 was the first Surefire. However the first LED SF I don't know about - just guessing by the numbering that maybe the L1 was the first?

What about the KL2?

By March of 2001 the M500 WeaponLights were available with navigation LEDs.

Neither the L1, the A2 nor the KL1/KL2/KL3 had been introduced at that point, so I'm pretty sure the M500 was their first LED light.

SureFire's first white LED light was the KL2 bezel for the M3.
Shelby Chan photography:



I remember getting a proto-type way back in the mysts of thyme
19 LEDs... I seem to recall no flashlight manufacturer had done anything like that before.

Edit: I'm not aware of the M500 with navigational LEDs being available before the KL2.

SureFire's first LED light for their 3DL IR illuminator - replaced by the M1.

Al

Very nice pictures...

Size15's said:

SureFire's first white LED light was the KL2 bezel for the M3.

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Does the KL2 fit the M3? I thought it only fit standard size products like the M2. (Edit: Nevermind, I was confused with the KL3).

Size15's said:

Edit: I'm not aware of the M500 with navigational LEDs being available before the KL2.

Click to expand...

Navigation lights for the M500 were mentioned on pages 5 and 7 of the 2001 SureFire WeaponLight price list. I don't think the KL* heads came out until 2002.

Size15's said:

SureFire's first LED light for their 3DL IR illuminator - replaced by the M1.

Click to expand...

You know what? I think *this* is the winner. I don't know exactly when the 3DL shipped, but they were in use as early as 1998.

I never knew they started out with cluster LED's. Very interesting!

I can't fathom what the next 10 years will bring.

So did I win a prize???

The KL2 fits on the M3 body.

Al I still have one of those 18 clusters going strong Nice smooth wide beam.

Al I am drawing a blank, what was the rechargeable one with a single 5mm led as the "low" setting. I think that was the first production run with an LED wasn't it?

Zoofa88 said:

Very nice pictures...

Click to expand...

Yep. That's Shelby Chan.

Zoofa88 said:

Navigation lights for the M500 were mentioned on pages 5 and 7 of the 2001 SureFire WeaponLight price list. I don't think the KL* heads came out until 2002.

Click to expand...

But when did the change occur for the M500?
I'm pretty certain that I had a KL2 bezel before it did. Whether it was a proto-type or production KL2 I can not recall.

Brock said:

Al I still have one of those 18 clusters going strong Nice smooth wide beam.

Al I am drawing a blank, what was the rechargeable one with a single 5mm led as the "low" setting. I think that was the first production run with an LED wasn't it?

Click to expand...

The KL2 has nineteen (19) LEDs mate
Get one of your children to count them - they'll have better eyes that yours no doubt. :nana:

I have a N90 proto-type with low output LED for the 9N/9AN. It never made production. Pretty nice though.

Size15's said:

SureFire's first white LED light was the KL2 bezel for the M3.
Shelby Chan photography:

Al

Click to expand...

That's what I like about Surefire, not that flashlight "A" is better than flashlight "B", but that they're in the game and producing interesting, well built, products.

Size15's said:

SureFire's first white LED light was the KL2 bezel for the M3.

Click to expand...

Thanks. What about single-high-intensity-emitter lights?

Fallingwater said:

Thanks. What about single-high-intensity-emitter lights?

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Original KL1 I believe.
Closely followed by original KL3
(See Shelby's top photo)

Were some of the prototype beasts with LED clusters done before the KL2?

Size15's said:

SureFire's first white LED light was the KL2 bezel for the M3.
Shelby Chan photography:

I remember getting a proto-type way back in the mysts of thyme
19 LEDs... I seem to recall no flashlight manufacturer had done anything like that before.

Edit: I'm not aware of the M500 with navigational LEDs being available before the KL2.

SureFire's first LED light for their 3DL IR illuminator - replaced by the M1.

Al

Click to expand...

Wow, I remember REALLY wanting one of those for my M3! Thanks for the pics. Edit: I do remember how excited I was to get the new KL1 when it first came out.

Size15's said:

Original KL1 I believe.
Closely followed by original KL3
(See Shelby's top photo)

Click to expand...

Luxeon?

Fallingwater said:

Luxeon?

Click to expand...

Yep.

McGizmo said:

Were some of the prototype beasts with LED clusters done before the KL2?

Click to expand...

I don't recall.

Very interesting thread Always great to look back through a bit of SureFire history.

Regards,
Tempest

was waiting for size15s to say something....

hmm, i cant see the pictures though....

Crenshaw