Able to tell if a Surefire is waterproof or not?

Sw1tch

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I recently purchased a used Surefire A2 off eBay, and absolutely love it. It's one of the older 4 sided models, and I know SF confirmed their lights waterproof after a certain point but I cannot figure out if this one is or not.

Is there a way to tell if the one I purchased is waterproof based off features or the serial number?
 

Carpenter

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[SureFire never confirmed any A2 to be waterproof. Only 1 model of 6P I believe that is only "certified" until you have to replace the batteries.

BTW - :welcome:
 

matt0

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As far as I know, SureFire have never rated their lights as waterproof (with the exception of a select few models such as 6PN and perhaps some others).

It is likely water-resistant in that it will function properly in rain and should survive a brief dunk underwater but they are not made nor intended for use underwater.
 

Sw1tch

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Thanks for the quick replies (and the welcome) I find myself around lakes/rivers a lot and wanted to be sure I could at least be sure I won't be left in the dark if it falls in or gets wet from the rain. Now I know.
 

Armed_Forces

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I would suggest using the search feature to get up to speed on what qualifies as "waterproof" in regards to Surefire and all other flashlights. This is a frequent topic that comes up and much has been written.
 

D-Dog

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I know what the OP is referring to... most likely this statement on flashlightreviews.com:

Note that Surefire has affirmed that all current Surefire lights should be waterproof to about 33 feet/10 meters. Some reviews were posted before Surefire made the affirmation that their lights were watertight to 1 atmosphere depth. Any new Surefire lights you purchase now should be considered waterproof to 33 feet/10 meters.

However, it appears this was not an official statement and thus should be taken with a grain of salt :-(
 

Sgt. LED

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Most likley your A2 will be able to handle being in a good shower but I do not reccomend immersion. New O-rings and lube will certainly help!

The A2 electronics will survive if water gets into the light but the reflector and lens will not be what it once was, if that happens Surefire will swap out your old head for a new one.
 

Kiessling

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The change in definition of "waterproof" and "water resistant" and those terms is rather recent IMHO, or the flashlightworld discovered it recently, meaning a few years back.

I remember the confusion, and confusion there still is. Looknig up the exact terms is important if this feature is critical for you, and checking with current manufacturer data or asking them directly can be of help too, since you never know which definition was used in an old document.

bernie
 

cfromc

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Thanks for the quick replies (and the welcome) I find myself around lakes/rivers a lot and wanted to be sure I could at least be sure I won't be left in the dark if it falls in or gets wet from the rain. Now I know.

I put two G2s in a cup of water where the tip of the light was actually out of the water. One leaked (internally) what I consider a lot within a short period of time and the other pretty much stayed dry after several minutes. Personally, if I wanted to have a good level of assurance that a particular light would not allow water into it, I would take the light in question and put it underwater for a while to see what happens. The ones I tested had the batteries and lamp modules removed to avoid the chance of a short. I would say most SureFire lights would survive rain or even a very quick drop into a puddle, but for more than a couple seconds under water I could not make that blanket statement.
 

flashfan

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No personal experience with SF lights being waterproof, but I would guess that many/most probably survive dunkings.

However, if waterproof is crucial, you might want to take a look at dive lights from Underwater Kinetics, Princeton Tec and/or Pelican.
 

Size15's

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I would not be so quick to judge the diverse range of SureFire products based on just G2's. I would consider these perhaps the least able to hold back the water.
The 6P and other standard sized SureFires are a whole different matter. I would not hesitate to submerge my 6P whereas I would prefer not to need to submerge a G2.
Then there's the E-Series and associated models such as the L1 and A2 that have the PocketClip attachment point requiring a widget under the PocketClip to prevent the 0-ring seal from bulging out.
There's also the issue of sufficiently sealing the two-stage pressure switch threads due to the amount of use the 'twist' design has [compared to a Clickie switch]
Waterproofing is not simple at all.
 

Size15's

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I have never had a problem with my A2 and water. I suggest you will not either.
Whilst I believe the various bezel seals are capable under good conditions, my A2's TailCap o-ring receives significant wear and accumulation of dust and general crud as a result of it being rotated lots and lots and being carried in pockets etc. I am not that confident it can withstand any obvious depth of water, or prolonged duration submerged. I guess I could change out the o-ring far more often if seal integrity submerged was a vital functional requirement in my usage.
 

Armed_Forces

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I would be far more worried about the ingress of water past the tailcap switch cover than via the O-ring but I keep mine in good condition. i.e. cleaned & lubricated. As a matter of fact I just run water over the entire light to clean it when it really gets dirty/gunked up. I've done this thousands of times throughout the years and haven't had one "failure". :grin2:

..the real compromise of the Surefire tailcaps, whether twisty or clicky, is their use while submerged. Being a non-dive rated light, this shouldn't be a "problem" but anyone foolish enough to go twisting and clicking while doing their Jacques Cousteau impersonation deserves what they get. :poof:
 

Kiessling

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You could also clean your pockets more often, bro. :D


EDIT: should start with "Al ..."
 
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cfromc

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I would not be so quick to judge the diverse range of SureFire products based on just G2's. I would consider these perhaps the least able to hold back the water.

I agree. I'm just saying, any light that is expected to be used in or around water should be checked instead of assuming it will work.
 

Size15's

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I agree. I'm just saying, any light that is expected to be used in or around water should be checked instead of assuming it will work.
That's exactly right - even rated waterproof devices should be carefully cared for and checked & tested in a non-critical 'dry run' (sic) before being relied on for real. Same goes for all kit and people IMHO. If you can't depend on it in realistic training you can't really depend on it for real.
 
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