Retiring an old friend (Surefire 6P)

It's hard to say goodbye to an old and trusted friend, but with the advances in technology it simply doesn't make any sense to keep my old Surefire 6P as a weapon-light anymore. Sure the optional P61 lamp has kept the brightness in the adequate (120 lumen) territory but sucking down a set of CR123 batteries in 20 minutes just doesn't cut it in the modern world.

So now my AR light mount is bare and I'm going to have to decide who lives there next.

I suppose I could just get a KX4 head for the 6P and that would keep me at about 120 lumens but boost my runtime up to about 2 hours but I'm pretty sure I can find something even more impressive for the same money.

So I'm open to suggestions.

Why not just invest in a $15 LED drop-in unit?

Stop the retirement! Get a malkoff drop-in for the surefire 6p! www.malkoffdevices.com

Example:

M61L
The output is approximately 175 measured out the front lumens. The current draw is only 300ma at 6 volts. The full output runtime is approximately 5 hours on two CR123 primary batteries with a nice long taper as voltage drops.

^^^^
what these guys said.

the 6p is still one of the best light out there

Cerealand said:

Stop the retirement! Get a malkoff drop-in for the surefire 6p! www.malkoffdevices.com

Example:

M61L
The output is approximately 175 measured out the front lumens. The current draw is only 300ma at 6 volts. The full output runtime is approximately 5 hours on two CR123 primary batteries with a nice long taper as voltage drops.

Click to expand...

+1

With advances in LED technology, it doesn't make sense to retire the 6P!
Malkoff has a bunch of modules; anything with 1 or zero "L"'s will be brighter than the P61, and all of them will give significantly more than 20 minutes tactical runtime.
I have a bunch of other lights, but like the 6P so much I just bought another last night.

You're being given solid advice here. Either a Malkoff M61 or M61L would be a dependable, long running (compared to incan) choice.

I've weapon mounted both a 6P and 9P, with Malkoffs, and will probably keep them in service forever.

Grizz

Malkoff = :twothumbs

Lots of options, and as newer emitters are released ... new models of Malkoffs appear :devil:

I have a 6P/M60 on my scattergun. This light setup will never see retirement as long as it burns. Absolutely no need to retire the 6P. The other guys have given the best advice already.

RETIREMENT HALTED!!!!
I didn't even know about the Malkoff mods! (See, that's why I asked!)

Over 1,600 posts and NEVER heard of Malkoff?!?!

Somethings in life I will just never understand.....

zespectre said:

RETIREMENT HALTED!!!!
I didn't even know about the Malkoff mods! (See, that's why I asked!)

Click to expand...

That is a good one. Jokes aside.
Malkoff = +1

zespectre said:

RETIREMENT HALTED!!!!
I didn't even know about the Malkoff mods! (See, that's why I asked!)

Click to expand...

Would CPF steer you wrong?

Once you upgrade to a Malkoff, the only question will be why you didn't do it sooner.

zespectre said:

RETIREMENT HALTED!!!!
I didn't even know about the Malkoff mods! (See, that's why I asked!)

Click to expand...

BTW, if you want something closest to your Incan P61, please go with a M61W (W as in warm-tinted emitter). A lot of things like good colour rendition and other beam characteristics that you take for granted with your P61 you may miss if you go with the standard M61! A lot of people are wowed by a cool-bluish tinted LED at first, but many find that after a while (sometimes only after a few years of usage), the neutral or warmer tinted ones are more soothing and pleasing to the eyes and they start to appreciate those more. Of course some still prefer the cooler tinted ones.

Welcome to the world of tint snobbery!

@ Flea Bag - From looking at the site I was already leaning toward the "warm" tints. I've never done well with overly blue stuff, it bothers my eyes.

@ 1pt21 - What can I say, I've been out of the loop for a few years.

If you want to stay with CR123 primaries, a Malkoff M61W might be your best bet - you will probably observe a slight increase in overall output compared to the P61 but your increase in runtime will be substantial.

If you could live with comparable runtime to the (thirsty) P61 lamp assembly, you could go with a Malkoff M91W of considerably greater output but you would need to transition to lithium ion rechargeables in your light (more particularly, two AW IMR123 cells).

I just wanted to make sure you just didn't consider only the standard M61W's, as some folks have been disappointed with beam intensity (i.e. lux) from those units - they were designed for substantial (and very useful) spill at the expense of an intense bright hotspot. (IIRC your SF P61 LA is rather floody so it will be somewhat comparable in that regard - a good thing IMO).

FWIW the Malkoff modules are truly rated for weapon lights, unlike most of the other LED dropins out there.

Best of luck,

TMedina said:

Would CPF steer you wrong?

Once you upgrade to a Malkoff, the only question will be why you didn't do it sooner.

Click to expand...

Actually, he'll also be asking which Malkoff he'll get next... Then after a lot of wallet hurting and a while later, he'll be asking why he ever bought a Malkoff when he can't stop at one... I personally have done a very good job sticking to just two, but then I was also away from CPF for quite a while. Now that I'm back, I'll be looking for an M61SHOW.

zespectre said:

@ 1pt21 - What can I say, I've been out of the loop for a few years.

Click to expand...

Correction... You've been on a different flashaholic planet! Malkoffs are a phenomenon and have been so for quite a while! Welcome again!

Oh and if the heat output of the P61 did not bother you, you may actually like the M91AW. The M61W runs a lot cooler and you can use it in a small light body continuously for as long as you want without it getting hot. The M91AW is a different matter, but that needs two li-ions minimum and 3xCR123 for better runtime. Give it a look!

Edit: Also agree with Kestrel on the M91W but that's out of production for now. I'm looking for one myself because I don't think I can deal with the heat of the AW version.

For the specific function (mounted on an AR-15) the 6P has been exactly what I want, excepting the crap runtime. So if the M61W is pretty much identical with longer runtime then that is what I want. More powerful "search a large area" lights I have, in plenty <grin>.

Not to beat a dead horse, but get a Malkoff. Try to find a 219 version, you'll love the color rendition.

For example, I have a Nailbender drop in with a Nichia 219 LED, and it is wonderful. Very bright light and the CRI rating is 92+. It is the closest I've ever seen a LED get to that incandescent look.

zespectre said:

For the specific function (mounted on an AR-15) the 6P has been exactly what I want, excepting the crap runtime. So if the M61W is pretty much identical with longer runtime then that is what I want. More powerful "search a large area" lights I have, in plenty <grin>.

Click to expand...

Hmm... Then I would like to throw the M60W (more common XR-E version, not the MC-E version) in there as well for better throw that will beat the M61W and match more closely the intense hotspot of the P61 while having weaker spill of the P61. The M61W still has a very comparable hotspot (some say the M60W's throw isn't much better at all) while having a much brighter flood.

On this forum, you'll find many guys who still prefer the older M60W to M61W (that's me) and the opposite. Unfortunately again, the M60W is out of consistant production. Oveready.com is the only place which stock them from time to time but they told me it'll be months before they get another batch.

I don't know at what range you'll be depending on the usage of the hotspot of the AR15, but there's a thread where someone does some beamshots and Lux comparison measurements at 30 feet between M61W, M91W and so on including the M61SHO (although that's a cool tint). BTW, I agree with cland72 that the M61 219 does have great colour rendition (92 CRI) but I would disagree about it looking like an Incan. Incans driven well are around 3200k CCT and I suspect the P61 (especially run on primaries which are struggling all the time to keep up) are 3000k or below. The M61 219 is commonly 4500k though there are some in 3000k tint range.

Here's the thread: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?341330-Malkoff-M61SHO/page3 (Also look at page 2 beamshots and accompanying notes) Beyond 30 feet though, I suspect lux numbers won't be that close.

IMO the cool and neutral tinted LEDs, no matter how bright they are, are not suitable for tactical use because of their lack of definition, color rendition, glare, and inability to project a 3-D picture. Also there comes a point where brightness is a hindrance, rather than an asset with tactical lights.

The HCRI and warmer tinted LEDs are better, but still can't compare to a good xenon-halogen lamp assembly.