Does the SF M6 last 20 mins on a set?

I was wondering if the advertised 20 min @ 500 lumens is real.
How long does the initial brightness last?
Does it really put out that much for that long?
Or does it poop out sooner?

It's pretty close; give or take a few minutes for the condition of the batteries... Although it still hurts to see 6 123s down the drain in 20 minutes...

It easily surpasses 15 minutes and probably comes very close to 20 minutes. I've never run-time tested this though. The series-parallel combination of SF123's gives the M6 the staying power needed to keep the M6 running at 500 lumens.

Even if it does I would not run them that long. I want my lamps burning hot to maximize their life and maintain their brightness.

Cheers.

Agreed. High Output Lamp Assemblies are not intended to be used constant-on and the batteries will provide a good 20 minutes of momentary use (but it's very hard to judge this I know).
Running lamps on depleted/almost dead batteries is not good for them. Also the light output isn't as brilliant as with fresh SF123As so being the white light junkie I am I usually change out to new SF123As sooner rather than later.

Al

dont know yet. (just received my SF M6 few days ago)
i used the 500 lumens, kept the 250 in the box,
i turn it on only for momentary use.

if im not wrong, i already turn it on 5 minutes in total.
its still bright.

PS: im using panasonic CR123 (kept the SF123 in the box)

I'd like my lights to stay bright, so I've taken heed of the notes in several threads of changing batteries before they're drained, but...I'm not sure when that is /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Is it so obvious that it's time to change that I won't need to ask, or is it more of a time-based calculation?.....as in, 'Wow, my light is looking dim' OR 'I've been using these batteries for 15min, so it must be time for a change.'

Asking not just for the M6, but a general guideline of any of the lesser /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/twak.gif(er...less bright) SFs as well.

Thanks /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Hmm, it's hard to measure brightness without a meter, but you might be able to tell the color shift by pointing the M6 at something and then pointing a white LED light at the same target. The color difference between the M6 and the LED will be smaller when the batteries are fresh.

There's another thread saying that letting the batteries drain won't really affect bulb life in a practical way, so I'd just change the batteries when I noticed the light getting dim.

I can notice a lack of intensity or brillance when I turn on a flashlight because I remember what the beams look like on fresh batteries. The Surge and Rage often always look drained (but this is nature of Alks I've found) and me being used to Lithiums that have better staying power.

I think you should be able to tell when the M6 needs new batteries.

Al