New - Considering Custom Surefire G2

Similar to some other newbies here,

I'm not too educated about lighting; however, I am looking for a standard everyday bright flashlight (preferably LED for their longevity)--mainly for walking the dogs in the pitch darkness (it's pretty darn dark) and other misc. duties.

It does not have to be standard batteries because I'm pretty familiar with lithium (mainly rechargeable) batteries from the days when I use to modify micro/mini RCs

One light that I came across that I'm considering is a custom Surefire G2 LED with XP-G emitter upgrade. Not sure what the market price generally is or if there are better choices out there, so I figured I'd look for advice since I can't search the forums yet lol.

It looks like the price ranged from $55 - $85 before shipping. Price varied due to lumen rating (325 to 380), included batteries w/charger, Strobe/SOS function, Strike Bezel, etc.

Thanks again.

Because the G2 is made of plastic it doesn't dissipate heat effectively and when used with high output dropins, for any extended lenght of time, there is a good chance you can overheat and damage the LED.

Don't get me wrong, G2's and G3's are good flashlights and make good hosts but aren't suitable for high output LED dropins even with a metal bezel.

Perhaps a similar setup with the 6P instead or maybe even give the brand Solarforce a go.

I'd suggest getting a 6P used from CPF MarketPlace, you'll be able to find one for $50 lightly used, maybe even $40 if you're lucky. Then go to dealextreme and get a drop in like the SKU 11836 which is an R2 and gives maybe 150 OTF lumens(plenty for every day use) for $11.

Moving this to the LED Flashlights forum.

Bill

Give serious consideration to anything by Malkoff - MD2 with Hi/Low ring and an M61. or an Elzetta maybe second hand from the marketplace. One with a D suffix. If you get a Malkoff product you will eliminate most, if not all, of what can be a complex learning curve: You will have got it right first time!

Good Luck and Welcome to CPF.:welcome:

I've been thinking along a similar vein lately. I have two G2's, and they're good for low to mid powered LED dropins, but they can't be bored to accept the larger capacity li-ion 18650 rechargeable, and can't run the high powered drop in as they won't dissipate heat as well. If starting from scratch I'd go with a bored Surefire C2 Hard Anadized (HA) from overready.com, and then maybe a 3 Mode XM-L from Nailbender in the CPF customs forum. Then you can use standard 123 primaries, or a high capacity rechargeable, not be limited on future dropins, and have a multiple light levels. If you wanted to later on upgrade to a mcclicky switch, ucl lens for better light transmission, fm34 diffuser to flood the beam out when you wanted, etc ... to make it a even more versatile tool.

Very insightful information everyone, I greatly appreciate the detail responses!

For some reason, I never considered the weakness of the G2 plastic body. I'll look into the 6P and possibly Malkoff line. Thanks again!

I just put my new Malkoff M61W into a Surefire 6P that i got NEW in Box on ebay for 40 bucks. Some even went for 35. Theres a ton of them on there. Just get an original 6P incandescent and get a malkoff dropin. It'll be about 100 bucks and you will have one heck of a light. I suggest getting the W/Neutral version. Looks much nicer outside and cuts through fog/rain better too. It will also last forever! Good luck whatever you do. I just took a peek on ebay and a bunch of auctions are ending tonight. Go place some bids!

jtblue said:

Because the G2 is made of plastic it doesn't dissipate heat effectively and when used with high output dropins, for any extended lenght of time, there is a good chance you can overheat and damage the LED.

Don't get me wrong, G2's and G3's are good flashlights and make good hosts but aren't suitable for high output LED dropins even with a metal bezel.

Perhaps a similar setup with the 6P instead or maybe even give the brand Solarforce a go.

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Gene Malkoff seems to believe that all his M6x series drop-ins run just fine in a G2 with metal bezel. I believe him, he's a smart guy.

The G2L host is really comfortable to tote around, and is very sturdy. It absorbs bumps and drops quite well, and with a Malkoff dropin and Z49 clickie switch it's one of my all-time favorite single mode light. I like the two-level output of the MD2, but it's got all the pros/cons of a heavier metal bodied light.

It's actually cheaper just to get an MD2 with hi-lo bezel switch than to buy a new G2L, Malkoff drop-in, and Z49 clickie switch, but if you like the plastic body, it's a great combo. I've run the M61 drop-in a G2L with no problems whatsoever. Hardly notice any heat.

YMMV.

Cheers!

Operating the unit for more than 15 continuous minutes in plastic lights may cause damage to the drop-in module. This is not an issue in metal lights.

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I don't know if I'm allowed to do this but I copied the above information from the malkoff devices sight. It's a warning for the M61/W and not for the L and LL's, it's just a precaution but have you run your module for longer then 15 continuous minutes? If so then I guess the metal bezel does more then I had originally thought.

P.S. I have a M61WLL in a Surefire G3 and it makes a great beater light, though I'm not too confident in it running a full powered M61.

My M61s in G2L hosts are used as weapon lights, so they don't get run continuously. The handheld G2L I use have L and LL dropins, and I have run them for extended durations (past 15 minutes) with no problems. I assume that if a host is not safe for a full powered dropin, you'd feel it getting noticeably hot, and I've just never seen that with my G2/Malkoff lights.

dss_777 said:

My M61s in G2L hosts are used as weapon lights, so they don't get run continuously. The handheld G2L I use have L and LL dropins, and I have run them for extended durations (past 15 minutes) with no problems. I assume that if a host is not safe for a full powered dropin, you'd feel it getting noticeably hot, and I've just never seen that with my G2/Malkoff lights.

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Plastic isn't a good conductor of heat, hence plastic handles on cooking equipment, so if your dropin was overheating you probably wouldn't be able to tell by temperature. Using the Metal Z44 as a gauge of how hot the module is is also difficult as the only way the dropin can transfer heat away from itself is through the front crown where it contacts with the bezel, as this is the only part that has any direct contact with metal apart from the thin metal tube which completes the negative circuit as the Z44 is screwed onto plastic.

I once left my M61W on by accident for over 20 minutes and when I finally noticed and picked it up, it was nearly too hot to touch. That was in a Surefire C2 which makes me cringe at the thought of having all that heat simply staying in the module with nowhere to go except for a metal bezel as would be the case in a G2