M6 or M6LT?

Hey Guys,

The Surefire M6 is about the only light that keeps "haunting" me. I've never held one yet every time I see one in a TV show or movie I get the urge to buy one, I guess there is something about the looks of it. :shrug: I think about three years of wanting one is enough so I've decided that after the holidays my first line of business is to get one.
Here's where I need some help, which one should I get? Do I get the M6LT for it's output and warranty and leave it at that? Do I get an M6 Incan before they go extinct so I have the ability to swap out lamps/modules for different moods or uses?

Any input is greatly appreciated,

Jamie

I vote for the M6. It was my first "real flashlight" acquired about 10 years ago. I loved the light but hated going through batteries with the MN21. So it was shelved for a while
and about a year ago I stumbled onto CPF. My wife would say that was the beginning of the end. I inquired with Surefire about using rechargeables and/or the availability of the LT head.
Their reply was no way. A little digging later I found W Quiles PHD-M6 regulated battery packs and that solved the rechargable issue and opened to door to a variety of bulbs including those from Lumens Factory
and Welch Allen. then the Odd Mods adapters, a bi pin adapter and eventually Five Megas FM1909 and his killer FM3X SMO "turbo head". Looking in the LED side I discovered the Malkoff MD60 and Lumen Factory Seraph SST 90M series turbo head.

So I say go for the M6 with W Quiles PHD-M6 battery pack and let the fun begin.

The M6 is the only Surefire that's been haunting me too over the years. Like you, I too have never even held one. I still feel like someday I need to own one.

I had an M6 for years. I replaced it with the M6LT and never looked back. The new one is much nicer and has an incredible output. I don't miss the M6 at all. I also bought the adapter to run 2 18650 rechargeables and love it.

Very similar sentiments here. Always aspired, but never acquired.

I did get the Invictus and while the M6LT is pretty much redundant, the body of the M6 is a real beauty. I'm pretty sure I'll cave sometime in the new year.

My vote goes for the M6LT with it's massive throw optic.
From the Goinggear video's the beam is amazing, one big giant hotspot with little to no spill.

After all this is a distance light and no wasted light from side spill that would backwash your view.

M6 for me.

Plenty of aftermarket and custom-made accessories for it.

I've got a nice rechargeable set-up for mine running off of 3x17670 cells from custom battery-carriages made by our own mdocod, and running Lumens Factory M6R lamps.

After many year dreaming of owning a m6 i finally bought the a second hand surefire m6 for $500 from a local surefire collector,a pristine condition one ,together with 16 unit of mn21 and mn20 .the only regret is i should make the purchase long time ,not to waste money on some blueish ,greenish,purpleish mega lumens led flashlight.usually those mega lumens led i using it for camping trip can't beat the m6 in the mist or fog penetration usage .in future any high cri led module 300 lumens 400lumens or even higher output will find it way into the m6 ,i believe.so this classic surefire wont be obsolete too soon. i m planning to buy another m6 even those i have a cut on my cigarette allowance, holiday trips or any else that fancy me.m6lt beam seem too blueish and every thing look flat with comparison with the lower output better cri m6 ligbeam

I'd go with the M6. I have both and the M6LT needs wide open spaces to take full advantage of its awesome beam. The M6 can also use the MN15 LA and the Malkoff MD60. Plus you can run it with an M3 head. Get the M6 1st!

My vote is for the M6, a vintage classic .... and it has so many options, once you add in all the goodies from wquiles, fivemega, Gene43, AW, RPM, LED Zeppelin, Lumens Factory, etc, etc - :twothumbs

Oh yeah, and it's incandescent ! :devil:

archimedes said:

My vote is for the M6, a vintage classic .... and it has so many options, once you add in all the goodies from wquiles, fivemega, Gene43, AW, RPM, LED Zeppelin, Lumens Factory, etc, etc - :twothumbs

Oh yeah, and it's incandescent ! :devil:

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A big part of me is leaning towards this for most of the reasons you listed and I think I like the looks of it better than the LT but the raw power and warranty still have me second guessing that decision. The M6LT (and Magnumlight) just don't look as nice as the Guardian with that Cren bezel ring.

Thanks for all the input so far guys.

kelmo said:

I'd go with the M6. I have both and the M6LT needs wide open spaces to take full advantage of its awesome beam. The M6 can also use the MN15 LA and the Malkoff MD60. Plus you can run it with an M3 head. Get the M6 1st!

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Yeah, I watched the GG vids and the M6LT is a thrower for sure. I have a couple of M3 heads but I just can't make myself like that look on the M6 body. If I do get the incan I will be getting the MD60 to go with it for sure as well as the 2x18650 battery mag.

think2x said:

....I have a couple of M3 heads but I just can't make myself like that look on the M6 body....

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Ah, not a fan of what's been called the "Sea Cucumber" ... ? :laughing:

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...7-Favorite-lamp-assembly-for-the-Sea-Cucumber

M6.

Fantastic incandescent, I highly recommend wquiles' PhD-M6 to get the unbeatable combination of an incandescent beam, rechargeable batteries, and digital regulation.

You can also use tower modules to turn it into a nice long-life LED thrower as well. To my mind, that's better than a light with a proprietary head.

jellydonut said:

M6.

Fantastic incandescent, I highly recommend wquiles' PhD-M6 to get the unbeatable combination of an incandescent beam, rechargeable batteries, and digital regulation.

You can also use tower modules to turn it into a nice long-life LED thrower as well. To my mind, that's better than a light with a proprietary head.

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Couldn't have said it better myself. I'd also like to add, that the M6LT will be produced by Surefire for several years to come, whereas the M6 may grow scarce at some point given it has been discontinued. At some point down the road you could always get a M6LT, but get the M6 and PhD-M6 now.

The versatility of the M6 is the big thing that blows the M6LT out of the water. An individual can leave their M6 stock, convert it into a rechargeable light, a "smart" rechargeable light (though I prefer mine dumb ), an LED light, or even a long runtime incandescent by either replacing the bulb or the head (M3).

The M6LT can't even come close to competing with that.

I'd say go for the M6 classic! You can always take your time to upgrade it to an LED version if you don't end up likeing any of the wide range of lamps available for it. As others have stated, there are so many options!

The M6LT is a significantly higher-risk purchase firstly because there's a chance you may not like the tint of the LED and I've not heard of anyone successfully doing an emitter swap on it yet. Secondly, it's been confirmed that the XM-L in the M6LT will be succeeded by an upcoming XM-L2 which could be anywhere from 10 to 20% brighter or more efficient. Prices on the current M6LT will likely drop as a result so more money lost there. Finally, you may not actually like the beam characteristics of the LT.

If someone finds a safe and secure way to mod out the LED in the M6LT, then I'd be more interested in trying one. At the moment though, I'd rather have the classic.

You have to see the beam of the M6LT to really appreciate it.

My old M6 was yellow and weak even with the 500 lumen bulb....and the bulbs burned out fairly quickly. Also the runtime with the 500 lumen bulb was only 20 minutes.

The optic on the M6LT focuses the beam for a wonderful white light that really penetrates the dark. Every time I turn it on I smile.....900 focused lumens worth of smile. It's the first optic I've owned.

Just a guess, but Mettee's SMO M6 reflector will probably greatly improve the throw of an M6 incan. The availability of M6 options such as Malkoff MD60 LED tower module, Lumens Factory high output incan lamps, PhD-M6 incan regulator, and Mettee smooth reflector seems very attractive. If you can find a Fivemega bi-pin MN adapter, you will have even more high output bulbs available to you. And perhaps LED Zeppelin still has some of his LED kits available.

I can vouch for the Mettee SMO reflector in the M6 // it improves throw quite a bit with incan bulbs but I haven't been able to find the right focus spot with the MD60 yet. anybody have a good experience with the SMO and the MD60 that they can share