Is There An LED Light That Can Compete W/The Surefire M6 HOLA?

There has never been a light that I have used that made me feel the way that the M6 w/the HOLA did. Lighting that thing up turns the night into day and I was wondering if any of the newer LED based lights w/the P7 or the MCE can do what the M6 did.

The M6 would throw an enormous amount of light a long way away.

Let me know what you know:wave:

Would a SOLARFORCE L1200 be able to face the M6 I am wondering :thinking: ?

Is this the one? I don't have any of those yet but heard a lot of good things about them.

TDKKP said:

Is this the one? I don't have any of those yet but heard a lot of good things about them.

Click to expand...

Could be. That one looks real nice to me. I would like to see someone with an M6 compare the 2. I have been keeping an eye on it.

this is a 500 lumen rated lamp if I read it correctly. There are many P7 based flashlights that are in the 700 plus lumens range real output with whiter light that will make this look dim. There are new several MC-E version flashlights that will also make this look dim. A $90 Solarforce L900M P7 based flashlight running on 2X18650 batteries will be a brighter longer running light than the M6 on 6 CR123's.

MrGman said:

this is a 500 lumen rated lamp if I read it correctly. There are many P7 based flashlights that are in the 700 plus lumens range real output with whiter light that will make this look dim. There are new several MC-E version flashlights that will also make this look dim. A $90 Solarforce L900M P7 based flashlight running on 2X18650 batteries will be a brighter longer running light than the M6 on 6 CR123's.

Click to expand...

Surefire rates the MN21 at 500 Lumens, just like Surefire rated the E2DL at 120L. All I know is that the MN21 aint 500 Lumens and is approaching HID level brightness. I have a MC-E Deerelight, CL1H V4, and from ceiling bounce tests, the MN21 is still brighter. How about some non-scientific qualitative comparisons. Granted each one has a different beam profile, but you still get the feeling that the MN21 puts out lot more light than 500L. Distance to the tree is about 60':

SF M6-R(JS Regulated Battery Pack)/MN21


E2DL/2xRCR123


MTE P7/1x18650; Direct Drive P7


Microfire Warrior II, 25W HID

The 3x18650 solarforce L900 probably could give it a run for the money.

I think the M6 HOLA is going to be hard to beat....at least in initial output. I have only had one P7 light, and while it was bright...it was not M6 bright...

Maybe in the near future, take a look at this thread
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/224817

SF M6-R(JS Regulated Battery Pack)/MN21

Click to expand...

WOW. I played with a M6 one time and was very impressed. Just when did the tree catch on fire.

The hardest thing for an MC-E or P7 based light would be competing in the throw department with the M6. I have no doubt that a multi-die emitter driven hard could match the M6 in overall output. But outhrowing that beautiful MN21 while still putting out a large hotspot will be tough for any LED set-up.

From Seattlite "Surefire rates the MN21 at 500 Lumens, just like Surefire rated the E2DL at 120L. All I know is that the MN21 aint 500 Lumens and is approaching HID level brightness. I have a MC-E Deerelight, CL1H V4, and from ceiling bounce tests, the MN21 is still brighter. How about some non-scientific qualitative comparisons. Granted each one has a different beam profile, but you still get the feeling that the MN21 puts out lot more light than 500L. Distance to the tree is about 60':"

Well since I already lost one bet, I am not going to test my luck again on Surefire "rated" lumens. You just might be right, that in this case its actually higher than 500 lumens because they are grossly underrating the real output. But I am sure its drawing the power to match that output. Still think the Solarforce L900M and similar type LED lights would give it a run for the money in total brightness.

Anyway this seems like a good thread to put my comparison data in just to add to the knowledge base of incandescents versus LEDs.

I have the Solarforce L900M (P7) that runs off of 2X18650. Its listed as 900 lumens at the source but I am sure its in the mid 700 lumen output range, compared to my Malkoff Triple Drop and other threads I have read. It draws 1.9 amps off of those 2 batteries on high. Assuming the voltage under load is about 7.4 to 7.8V on fresh batteries. thats 14 to 14.8 watts.

I have a Lumens Factory Extreme Output 9V 380 lumen rated lamp that I run with 2X18650's. It measured a real 270 lumens output through AR coated glass and draws 2 amps. Assuming the same 7.4 t0 7.8V under load thats. 14.8 to 15.6 watts of power. Just slightly higher power consumption for roughly about 2.8 times less output from the incan. Or about 2.8 times more output from the LED for about 1 watt less power draw (roughly) than the incan.

A friend came over last night and showed me his new Solarforce L600 which is a 500 lumen "rated" incan flashlight system. I looked up the specs and its a "Philips 7388 Bulb 6 volts, 20 watts, nicely overdriven in the L600 to produce well over 500 Lumens" (Quoted from Lighthound website page for this lamp. It runs on 2X18650's as well. My friend said they were freshly charged. Current draw was 3.8 amps. Could not measure the voltage drop at that current level but I am sure its sagging under load below 7.4V and would be no better than 7.4V. If we go by what Lighthound site claims of 20 watts, that means the voltage has to sag down to 5.26V. I am guessing it was higher than that still. So lets just say it was over 20 watts. The brightness of that lamp next to my LF EO9 was just slightly brighter. Mostly in the spill. I am not saying the bulb wasn't 500 lumens but coming from a deep OP reflector and glass lense with no AR coating you are going to lose at least 33%. So that puts it below 350 lumens right there.

He's got 20 maybe 30 minutes run time of non constant brightness with that thing on a lamp that may be good for 26 hours. On the same batteries at almost half the current I am definitely getting more than 700 nice white lumens. In theory I should get over an hour of run time.

Yeah the red fence looked better with the Incan light but I would much rather have the peak lumens and still better run time with the LED P7. This L900M has a very nice beam pattern as well.

What type of power draw does this M6 with the MN21 bulb run? I would guess that its over 20 watts.

I would still prefer the LED, than the HID, to this type of Incan light.

Whats the point of having a bulky 500+ lumens flashlight that only gives you 20 minutes of runtime?

P7 and MC-E lights may not be as bright/throwy as the M6 but they are way more practical. In real life use, 20 minutes is like nothing.

Surefire M6 is over 500 lumens. Surefire still underrates the M6's HOLA.

Solarforce on the other hand, overrates their lumens figures. My Solarforce L600, for example, is no where near the claimed 500+ lumens of output. Even with emitter lumens taken into account, the output out the front is less than half that number. A Solarforce L1200 might be 500 lumens out the front. Still no match for an M6.

:)> said:

There has never been a light that I have used that made me feel the way that the M6 w/the HOLA did. Lighting that thing up turns the night into day and I was wondering if any of the newer LED based lights w/the P7 or the MCE can do what the M6 did.

The M6 would throw an enormous amount of light a long way away.

Let me know what you know:wave:

Click to expand...

Look at Legion II, real 742 Lumens from the lens.

MrGman said:

this is a 500 lumen rated lamp if I read it correctly. There are many P7 based flashlights that are in the 700 plus lumens range real output with whiter light that will make this look dim. There are new several MC-E version flashlights that will also make this look dim. A $90 Solarforce L900M P7 based flashlight running on 2X18650 batteries will be a brighter longer running light than the M6 on 6 CR123's.

Click to expand...

the MN21 Is around 700 torch lumens on fresh cells.

neoseikan, it might be interesting for you to add a beam comparison between the SF M6 with HOLA and the Legion II,
if you have an M6 available.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if the Legion II competes very favourably.

As for sheer output the M6 HOLA is slaughtered by the M6 with LZMP7X3 (Led-Zep tri-P7 module)
With 6 CR123s, the runtime is fully regulated for close to an hour* and the output is well over 2000 lumens.

* based on LZ's estimate

easilyled said:

neoseikan, it might be interesting for you to add a beam comparison between the SF M6 with HOLA and the Legion II,
if you have an M6 available.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if the Legion II competes very favourably.

As for sheet output the M6 HOLA is slaughtered by the M6 with LZMP7X3 (Led-Zep tri-P7 module)
With 6 CR123s, the runtime is fully regulated for close to an hour* and the output is well over 2000 lumens.

* based on LZ's estimate

Click to expand...

Sorry. I sold my 2pcs of M6 more than a year ago. And I don't have the HOLA.
But I have samples in U.S., people can compare them if they have M6/Hola.

Outdoors Fanatic said:

the MN21 Is around 700 torch lumens on fresh cells.

Click to expand...

good to know. How much current and total power draw is it, and how long does it last? Without a regulated power source its got to drop pretty fast and fairly linearly. So that 700 lumens peak output, how long does that last? Not much good if its only like that for the first 10 minutes or less of usage cause its sucking down 24 watts of power to do it.

Not yet. M6 with HOLA is quite a performer, at runtime cost of course. I still am amazed at this full spectrum sun in your hand.

LEDs are getting pretty good though, but the M6 will never get sold from my humble collection.