***- First Impressions: Surefire 6P Defender w M60 Malkoff -***

i tried posting in this in the review forums but apparently i don't have enough "user privileges" or something. (huh?)



Anyway I thought I would share some of my impressions of my latest purchase.



The 6PD:

This only my second Surefire, and the first thing that struck me about the 6PD is how amazing it feels in my hand. It has a really nice healthy heft to it. My E2e feels anaemic in comparison. It exudes quality and feels like a real solid tool, and you find yourself handling it all the time and not wanting to put it down. The walls of the light are thick, much thicker than my McGizmo Aleph bodies. The threads are also beautifully smooth. I was slightly surprised to find that it came with a clicky tail cap, it is the first Surefire clicky I have handled and I must say I do prefer it to the old "push for momentary, twist for constant" tail caps. The tactile feedback is solid. The tail cap button has a nice long travel, so momentary is easy to activate without inadvertently clicking it on. I like the form of the 6PD a lot. Its smooth body without and clips or grip rings lend well to the ease of removal from pockets. In my opinion this is definitely a plus as I am certainly not ever going to use it with a gun.



The strike bezel

I bought this light partly because I was interested in the much hyped defensive capabilities it possesses. Surefire do know how to market their products. After examining the bezel, I do believe it can be a very effective defensive tool. The bezel is sharp, but I am glad that it isn't as sharp as I expected. I expected them to be sharp so that they would tear through pockets and the like, but thankfully it isn't.

I think if one was out walking late at night, it can be slightly reassuring having this light in your jacket pocket. I never bought the "bright enough to blind your opponent" marketing. Images of a big scary guy cowering under a bright beam never seemed realistic or plausible to me. However I am certain that in close quarters an instant blast of 200+ lumens will be enough to cause an assailant to blink or flinch. In that split second a well aimed strike with the bezel might be enough to turn things well in your favour. I understand that a lot of our members carry guns or knives for self defence purposes. I think the 6PD makes a good defensive tool because 1) guns for the most part aren't allowed where I currently stay (not Singapore). 2) Knives seem much more of a liability to me. The 6PD is nice and fat, keeping a grip on it is easy and you are unlikely to drop it. In contrast knives are skinnier, and require you to open the blade first. Therefore I think knives would take considerable more skill to use effectively. The chances of you cutting yourself is likely, a flashlight is safer. I also think that knives can get you into much more trouble with the law than a flashlight can, strike bezel or not.

Oh and let's leave the "any-weapon-without-proper-training is useless" comments for elsewhere



The Malkoff M60
Beautifully constructed. Nice and smooth machining. The M60 itself feels really solid, and it shouldn't have problems with heat. It is my first optic light and I am impressed. In my opinion the beam is perfect for utility. It throws well but has good side-spill as well. I wished some of the protagonists in the Saw movie series had the M60, would have been handy and they might have fared better haha. White-wall hunters will notice that the beam is not completely smooth and has some rings, but it makes no difference to utility. The Malkoff is held in very high regard here in CPF, I am proud to be an owner, but I am curious what its competitors are like. The dropin has "M60" roughly scratched on it, almost like a kid's handwriting. Found that quite funny.



Additional thoughts:

After owning a few multilevel brightness lights, I appreciate the simplicity of a single level clicky light. Makes my Fenix L0D and Aleph lights finicky.



Pictures! I apologize for the substandard photography. I don't have my DSLR where I am living at the moment, and my skills are lousy anyway

















I will post some outdoor and indoor beamshots sometime later this week. I have too many assignments and I have wasted enough time on this thread as it is!

I have a similar set up, but a SF G2 with a solar force SS strike bezel, and the M60 Q5. I'd like to go with a 6P Defender and a M60 some day as well.

go for it! you wont regret it

Ever had to write on a round surface with an engraveing tool...not easy...Gene has to mark them to keep track of his mass histeria.

Little kid's handwriting? I think Gene does pretty well! I engrave motor frames and rotors all the time, and let me tell you, it's not easy to write straight with an engraver even when the surface is flat. Curves as tight as on the M60 module are downright annoying, and I do it all the time.

As long as we're talking about nitpicky details, I'll admit to not being a big fan of the hand-done engraving on the Malkoffs, however hard it is to do. It's not up to the same high standards as the drop-ins themselves (though it *is* kind of charming). I'd much prefer a stamp, decal, or some other type of mark that was more uniform.

jbviau said:

As long as we're talking about nitpicky details, I'll admit to not being a big fan of the hand-done engraving on the Malkoffs, however hard it is to do. It's not up to the same high standards as the drop-ins themselves (though it *is* kind of charming). I'd much prefer a stamp, decal, or some other type of mark that was more uniform.

Click to expand...

I like the personal touch. My older M6Q2 was hand engraved too. One of these days he will go automated, and I am sure you will see picture perfect engraving.

Bill

jbviau said:

As long as we're talking about nitpicky details, I'll admit to not being a big fan of the hand-done engraving on the Malkoffs, however hard it is to do. It's not up to the same high standards as the drop-ins themselves (though it *is* kind of charming). I'd much prefer a stamp, decal, or some other type of mark that was more uniform.

Click to expand...

yep i was being nitpicky because i WAS trying to do review. doesnt bother me at all

in fact, like you say i find it rather charming/cute.

Personally, I like the hand engraving...gives it that "personal" touch.

I think with the volumes gene has been doing it might be worth his time to use a mask with chemical etch. They cost a little bit of money but ones that just say "Malkoff M60/L/LL Q5/whatever shouldn't be that expensive. Maybe even save some money if it can streamline the marking process.