Surefire 6P LED vs Fenix TK11

Alright! I'm looking for a good small flashlight to replace my too much big mag-lite for my job. (I'm a police officer)

I tried the Pelican 7060 and Streamlight Stinger DS LED from other co-workers and find them too big.

So I found Surefire 6P LED and Fenix TK11. No idea what I shoud buy.

Fenix TK11 comes with everything I need (batteries, holster) and I can put a 18650 battery in it it but I hate that grip ring.

Surefire 6P LED, no holster.

What do you think? Any other suggestions?

jeffjeff666 said:

Alright! I'm looking for a good small flashlight to replace my too much big mag-lite for my job. (I'm a police officer)

I tried the Pelican 7060 and Streamlight Stinger DS LED from other co-workers and find them too big.

So I found Surefire 6P LED and Fenix TK11. No idea what I shoud buy.

Fenix TK11 comes with everything I need (batteries, holster) and I can put a 18650 battery in it it but I hate that grip ring.

Surefire 6P LED, no holster.

What do you think? Any other suggestions?

Click to expand...

I'm waiting for my TK11 which shipped today (also a police officer, new from last week!). The grip ring can be removed (just buy a TK11 Spacer Ring, which is $4.00). I heard that the holster provided is not that good, not firm enough. We'll see. I'm still waiting on 2x18650 batteries + charger to power my new toy.

I can't comment on the Surefire 6P, but people will probably recommend getting the 6P and getting a Malkoff M60/M61 LED dropin. I don't like the 6P interface (must turn the bezel to get constant light).

Other flashlights worth looking is the Jetbeam Jet-III M (which seems to have a bit less flood), but is programmable. I'll get this light when they release a R5 version. Another popular one is the Malkoff MD2 with M60/M61 dropin, with high/low ring (the low will always be around 10-20 lumens), which is a light I'll have to get soon enough. There's also the Egaletac T20C2 Mark II, but it's a pretty new company, so we don't know about reliability in the long term.

I'm not a LEO, so my opinion might differ from your needs.

I find that a pocket-clip is just perfect to carry a small flashlight around(depends what kind of pockets you have, but I find it works in my jeans fairly well). Though it would depend on how much space you have in your pockets, your light might be easily accessible, but everything else might get stuck. Quicker access than a holster too if that's important.

I personally use a 6P body that's bored to accept 18650 cells for rechargability and longer runtimes. I also wanted unpractically high output(200+ lumens) by putting in a different LED.

I'm thinking an E2DL with the V91 nylon holster running on 2xRCR123s(the ability to recharge is important if you use it regularly) would be a good choice. 5 lumens on low is typically enough to see in low light conditions, with high mode putting out 200 lumens(high first seems like a nice "tactical" choice). The strike bezel makes for a nice secondary weapon. The TIR lens gives you a focused hotspot with useful spill.

Of course, this really depends on your budget(the E2DL will cost you nearly $200 including batteries). It would also help to know what kind of beam you're looking for(a wide flood or a throw with focused hotspot).

Hi there.

I own both lights and I'll do a little coparo then give you my little opinion.

Surefire 6p is a great light. Tough but not super bright. Bright enough I think for police work though. It can easliy be upgraded. Big plus is that there are alot of holster options for the 6p.

Fenix Tk11. I love this light. Super tough. Brighter than the 6p. Two mode. Can take two types of battery. Not upgradeable though. The grip ring thing is removable. Holster options,ehh not so much as far as a bezel down tactical one.

For me,Fenix wins because of it's super toughness. Hope this helps.

I too have handled both of these lights. I would recommend the Fenix TK11. The multi mode is very practical and easy to use. I also don't like the twist on function of the surefire.

I recently bought and sold a 6PL. Certainly a decent and well built light, but I was underwhelmed by the output, and prefer a clickie switch. The Fenix TK11 would make a much better choice in my opinion.

I just picked up a Streamlight Polytac, which turned out to be even better than expected. Quite small, really bright, simple switch, and inexpensive. Would make a great backup light.

my personal preference is to go with a SureFire 6P (the incan), then get a good regulated drop-in. Besides Malkoff, there are other good drop-in from LumensFactory, NailBender, Thrunite, Moddoo to choose from. In its stock form, SureFire 6P can take 17670 Li-Ion rechargeable battery.

I'm not an LEO but my step-son will be when he graduates academy. He enters in June10

:twothumbs

Of the many graduation gifts he'll be getting, he'll be getting a set of lights; a JetBeam RRT-3, a RRT-2 and a RRT-0.

http://blackforce.stores.yahoo.net/index.html

My opinion:

The RRT-3 is a thrower for search and rescue and for lighting up the inside of a car.

(The RRT-3 hasn't come up for sale yet but should be available in the next couple of weeks. My pre-order is already in.)

:naughty:

The RRT-2 is a tactical gun light and a nice hand carry light for snooping around backyards and under cars and they also make for pretty nice gifts.

The RRT-0 is an amazingly powerful and adjustable pocket light for ticket writing.

The three were made for each other. All the above will blind a person's night vision and have a strobe function.

Hope the above helps as YMMV .

:thumbsup:

I recently bought a 6PL, and have had a TK11 for 6ish months. The TK11 will be brighter, but personally I am liking the Surefire better. The TK11, when used with cr123s has that 'battery bounce' inside the tube that gets a bit annoying (yes, I realize it is bored for 18650s). The surefire 6PL just has that bulletproof feel to it. It will be my everyday work light when I go back to my internship this summer at a powerplant.

If you do get a TK11, I recommend getting one of those thread savers off of 4sevens so you can get rid of the grip ring. It's a lot more comfortable to carry in my opinion.

I have had the 6p (both led and incan) and the Fenix. (I use the tk12 now) The 6p led often comes with a ugly blue tint (both my experience and others here) and is not bright. It does not like 18650 batteries and does not have as hard of a coating as the Fenix TK 11.

The TK 11 is brighter (by far) or dimmer with a twist of the head. Likes rechargable batteries. Is as least as tough as the 6p and will out throw it by 100%.

The 6p only turns into a good light when you put another companies parts into it.

I had the opportunity to use the TK11 just a few days ago and was very impressed.... to say the least. Excellent build, nice focused tight beam with very good output and feels very comfortable in the hand.

I purchased a Surefire 6P LED a couple of weeks ago and was very disappointed with it [as a thread I posted back then]. I know many claim with the Malkoff drop-in it's a whole new light [I'm sure it is], but why should I have to spend another $30-40 after it cost me $80 and some change just to be content...? Also, Malkoff drop-ins are like dinosaur droppings.... so to speak.

IMO, the Fenix TK11 is a [far] superior light to the 6P in every facet. Hell, my PD30 blows the 6P out of the water!

I could have [should have] purchased a TK11 for around $20 cheaper and been content.

Live and learn.....

The 6p only turns into a good light when you put another companies parts into it.

Yes, the LEGO concept.

I changed out the front bezel for the shock absorbing front because the incandescent bulbs kept breaking due to my service related usage; knocking the darn thing around. The tailend? I changed that out and installed their constant on/off, clicky back as opposed to that stupid twisty on thing. Now it doesn't fit their holster because the tail-end is too fat. After several trial and error, drop-in starts and stops, I settled on a ThruNight XP-G R5 drop-in. Lastly, I now have on order, a WF-502b flashlight so I can swap out the 6P body so this 6P Frankenlight will now be able to take 18650's. Ya gotta love Surefire for their customer friendly attitude.

Let's see:

$_62.00 for the initial 6P purchase.
__40.00 shock proof front bezel.
__41.00 tail-cap clicky thing.
_156.00 trial/error drop-in trials.
__25.00 WF-502b body for 18650's
-----------------------------------------
$324.00 to get a light worth a Tinker's Damn that will throw a light further than just halfway across a small attic space.



The above, of course, is not counting shipping and CA's sales tax.

:thinking:

Aren't I the fiscal genius.



:wave:

I am not a LEO, but I did watch a cop show on TV last night! (Only kiddding.) However, I do have a military background, and own both lights.

In my opinion, for anything you need a flashlight for outdoors, the TK11 will beat the 6P every time, hands down. However, for indoor work, the 6P (or better yet, the 9P) with one of Malkoff's flood inserts is incomparable.

There is a military truism that applies to items of essential equipment: "two is one; one is none". I suspect it applies equally in the LEO world. Hence my recommendation: Get both (and put a M60F in the 6P).


:welcome:

There is a military truism that applies to items of essential equipment: "two is one; one is none". I suspect it applies equally in the LEO world. Hence my recommendation: Get both (and put a M60F in the 6P).

:wave:

X-Navy Storekeeper here. My service truck has two of everything that's mission critical. Something else I got from my military experience; no excuses allowed.

:thumbsup:

BeeMan458 said:

There is a military truism that applies to items of essential equipment: "two is one; one is none". I suspect it applies equally in the LEO world. Hence my recommendation: Get both (and put a M60F in the 6P).

:wave:

X-Navy Storekeeper here. My service truck has two of everything that's mission critical. Something else I got from my military experience; no excuses allowed.

:thumbsup:

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The real question is, do you have 2 trucks?

The 6PL as stock is a fine flashlight. Just because there are options, doesn't mean that how it comes is "wrong". We as flashaholics can add a Malkoff, a 18650 tube and various others goodies, but that doesn't mean they're needed in order to turn it into a viable flashlight, they're upgrade options.

Any police officer who buys a 6PL today, along with a box of Surefire primaries, is not going to be on shift tonight wondering why he can't see anything in the dark.

I just mention that because anyone new and looking for purchase advice might think that they need to add the Malkoff etc. Not at all. We want to, we like to, and we will continue to, but the stock 6PL does the job it was intended for very well.

The real question is, do you have 2 trucks?

:mecry:

BeeMan458 said:

$_62.00 for the initial 6P purchase.

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The 6P LED version? Where from?

BeeMan458 said:

__41.00 tail-cap clicky thing.

Click to expand...

You got screwed here brother....

I purchased THIS and it works like a charm.

BeeMan458 said:

_156.00 trial/error drop-in trials.

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Should of stuck with a Malkoff.... woulda' pocketed more than a $100

BeeMan458 said:

$324.00 to get a light worth a Tinker's Damn that will throw a light further than just halfway across a small attic space.

Click to expand...

That's just absurd.... DANG!

But well put.

Grubrunner said:

The 6P LED version? Where from?
I purchased THIS and it works like a charm.

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I don't think someone who wants a reliable light would put on a 3 dollar made in China tailcap.