Help with upgrading an old 6P original.

As the title says, I have a 6P that I'd like to upgrade and turn into a good working light for the farm. I have an LED Streamlight stinger that does ok, but still leaves a little to be desired, given my intended use. How can I go about getting the most out of my 6P both in brightness and battery life? I have looked into AWs 18650 cells and Malkoff lamps, but upon reading up on them, I now have more questions.

First, I see that 1860s have a higher ma rating, thus longer battery life between charges, right? Second, with the lower output of the 18650, how does that affect the Malkoff lamps, given that a few such as the M61SHO and M91 have input voltages of 5.5-12? And the standard M61 drops out of reg at 3.4. With an 18650, will the M61 drop out of reg early and have a ridiculously long taper, or what?

Basically, what are my options for one of Gene's lamps + AWs 18650s? Thanks in advance!

The 18650's won't fit a original 6p.

jorn said:

The 18650's won't fit a original 6p.

Click to expand...

That's correct. But 17670 does.

If its a stock 6P, an 18650 will not fit. I use an AW17670 in my 6P; its 1600mAh.

For an M61 check out my run time graphs here. An M61SHO requires two batteries such as AW16340 (or 18500 or 18650) or CR123A; see run time graphs here.

Other modules to consider are Nailbender and EDC+. Check out my run time graphs here and here.

Thanks Robert M!! So am I correct in assuming that based on your graphs, that Malkoffs modules love the higher voltage output of the 123s? I see on the Malkoffs, you are getting runtimes upwards of 1.5hrs on 123s, and 2.5 hrs with the AW18650. That'd be awesome. But What is "Two Battery Station"? Forgive my ignorance, I've always ran a stock light on Surefire primaries, and I'm just now getting into modding lights and all of this is new to me.

I also see that the EDC+ is getting ~500 lumens for 45 minutes on a 17670. AM I right in saying that I won't have to drill out my body to accommodate the 17670? Do you have a graph on the EDC+ with an 18650? I have a good friend with a lathe, so trimming the body to fit an 18650 isn't a big deal unless there's issues with wall thickness of the stock 6P body. Is this doable, and if so, what will this do for me as far as going back to 123s? I always keep a Surefire lamp and some 123 spares in a spares carrier in case I get in a bind with either.

"Battery Station" is an online re seller who sell their own branded batteries. In fact, their batteries are actually identical to Surefire batteries in all but the plastic wrap. They come from the same Panasonic facility in Georgia. They are appreciably cheaper than Surefire cells which is why many around here use them. When he says two "Battery Station" primaries, he just means two CR123a primary cells like the Surefire cells you're used to using.

The Malkoff M61 does maintain a flatter discharge curve with the primaries because of the higher voltage but in practical use, you get more light out of an 18650 because of that very long taper. The other modules you mentioned (M91, SHO) require higher voltage and will not work on a single 18650. The SHO will run on two primaries but only for around 35 - 40 minutes. You can duplicate this scenario by using two rechargeable 16340s which give you about the same runtime but are of course rechargeable.

You will not need to bore your light to use a 17670. It should be a perfect fit. If on the other hand, you decide to have your light bored, you will not have a problem with wall thickness. The Surefire 6P starts out with very thick walls and boring them is a very common practice around here. A good strategy is to order the cells you want to use and be present when your friend is boring the body. Have him do a conservative pass and see if all your batteries fit. If not, do another pass etc. In this way you can take off as little material as possible while still ensuring your cells fit.

In addition to run time and output, the other variable to consider is beam profile. In the same size reflector, you're going to have a tighter beam with an XP-G based drop in than an XM-L. The XM-L may produce more overall lumens, but the intensity of the hot spot will be roughly comparable. In my experience, the Nailbender drop ins are generally throwier than the Malkoffs which tend to be floodier. The Malkoffs are built like tanks however and it's hard to argue with their fit and finish.

Good luck!

-G

NateHodge said:

Do you have a graph on the EDC+ with an 18650?

Click to expand...

I don't, however the run time will be about twice as long if you use a 3100mAh 18650 versus a 1600mAh 17670 (just calculate the ratio of the capacities).