Pelican M6, SF price increase, and other ramblings

Well, I had the opportunity to handle a Pelican M6, preproduction finalized version, today. It's Peli's 123-cell powered light, and it's a fantastic piece. Heavy Al. body, very tight beam which is focusable, rear tailcap which operates like a SF lock-out tail cap. From my very brief looksy, this light will out perform every other 2-cell 123 light currently available. With a street price of $40.00 (including batteries and a nicely constructed cordura pouch) or so, it will put a serious dent in SF's and Scorpion's market share, if Pelican can suitably market it.

It might be old news, but SF is going to do another price increase, i.e. a 10X will now list for $500.00. I was told the incrrease will be about 15% across the range of products, which in my opinion, will hurt the company in the long run. There are starting to be many competing products for much less of a price point.

--dan

yep, you're right, sf is doing everything to run itself into the ground.

i'm very happy that other companies are competing with sf's offerings. the pelican sounds interesting. i can't wait for strategos lights to get going. i'm hoping to do all my business with ken and drop sf. i hope.

where can i get an M6?

...It's not out, yet. Pelican said it would be released in the beginning of the new year, but...

I'm curious how Pelican is working around some possible patent issues with the light (i.e. textured reflector, tail cap design, etc). Maybe that's holding it up...

I pre-ordered a couple from : http://eppescorner.safeshopper.com/1/cat1.htm?578

--dan

Since the 10th of January, I have received 2 phone calls and 4 e-mail messages asking if I had completed my preliminary evaluation of the Pelican Lithium M6.

Uhmmm,... completed it?! I have not even touched a "mock-up," let alone an actual working model.

There are four organizations that are ready to buy a group of this product as soon as I give the "

. " Eppescorner certainly has a VERY attractive price that has gotten a great deal of attention.

Someone that usually does research for me of technical aspects of a flashlight products has informed me that the Pelican M6 bulb is made with "...higher pressurization of the gases to allow greater output."

DO NOT even try to ask ANY questions of me about this manufacturing process. It is OUTSIDE of my knowledge base!

If the claim about output is true, the quality is good, the price remains, and it functions each and every time I activate it, I will readily recommend it.

The light has serious potential. SOme of the potential drawbacks may be the sharpness of the beam (a.k.a. Pelican's "laser spot") and the focusability of the unit. Under warehouse lighting, the spot was very tight and clean. We'll see...

--dan

Waterproofness?

That was what I requested at SS2002. Pelicans which aren't waterproof are not really Pelicans in my book.

At $40, I'm likely to get one just to see. Shame it isn't in orange though...

Al

"Waterproofness?"
In this model? What for? There are the other Pelican models to choose from. The M6 is in the Blacknight Series; targeted at the LE market not the diving sector. Besides, waterproofing this one would be mixing apples and oranges and drive the price up.

Those four organizations are "chomping at the bit" to buy backup lithium lights for their personnel. I've already told them to buy Surefire 6Ps but they have not due to the current already high prices that are purportedly going to increase. Besides, I don't recommend any flashlight until I have thoroughly evaluated it through continuous use over 3 months.

Orange?! Not this one. The silver color already stretches the envelope of conservatism of these types of organizations.

I think a black one looks great. Esp if it doesn't have the shine. All matted black. Suitable for "stealth" operations.

i got this info from the peli europe headquarters in spain :

* the M6 will be available in Europe from March 2003.
* AMPS= 1.30 VOLTS= 6.00 WATTS=7,8
* LAMP LIFE 200 Hours (constant burn test with batteries)

* BATTERY BURN TIME Primary: 1.25 Hours @ 10C / 50F

LUMENS
108 (unbased lamp measurement)

wow, that is great!

i hope there is a least a degree of water-proofness, i don't currently own any pelicans because of their lack of "metal" bodies.

plus this thing looks darn nice.

PELICAN M6 SPECS (From Eppes Corner as of tonight)

At 5.8oz it's quite heavy, and no length is given. Some of the specs are remarkable, if accurate. 1.25hrs at 100+ Lumens, 220hr lamp life definitely breaks the mold.

M6 Lithium #2320

A CNC machined aluminum flashlight powered by two CR123 lithium cells. The
M6 features a focusable high-pressure xenon lamp, actuated by a tail-cap
switch that provided constant-on or momentary action. Lithium cells provide
excellent cold weather performance and have a shelf life of ten years.

MATERIALS

Body & Head: CNC machined aluminum, anodized finish, laser-etched logos

Lamp: 1.30 amp Xenon Lamp

Reflector: Vacuum Metallized CNC machined aluminum

Lens : Polycarbonate Resin

Contacts: Stainless Steel

O-Rings: 226,EP 70 Shore/24,EP 70 Shore, Ethylene-Propylene

COLOR

Black or Silver

BATTERIES

2 "CR123" Lithium batteries loaded from rear of flashlight

BATTERY BURN TIME

Minimum: 1.25 Hours @ 10° C / 50° F

AMPS VOLTS WATTS

1.30 6.00 7.8

LAMP LIFE

220 Hours (constant burn test with batteries)

LUMENS

108 (un-based lamp measurement)

WEIGHT W/BATTERIES

5.8 oz. (0.16kg.)

Originally posted by dano:
[QB
I pre-ordered a couple from : http://eppescorner.safeshopper.com/1/cat1.htm?578

--dan[/QB]

Click to expand...

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">usps priority is $11.20 according to their site i think i'll wait for other vendors to get them in and see what shakes out.

i don't have a use for this light, but it would be nice to check out. wait, who am i kidding since when do i need a reason? where'd that thought come from!?

ok, feeling better now, cause the time it took me to type that i came up with two reasons to buy the light. 1, back up for the truck. 2, for the wifey since she lost her G2.

dano, do you still have access to it? if so, i suppose you wouldn't be able to post a picture of it next to some other arc favorites> (e2e, arc aaa, arc ls...)

Nope...Just played with it. They weren't allowed to sell it as it was a pre-production sample...

--dan

ok, i didn't know if you were testing it or something.

btw, how does someone get a cool job like that??? new that's what i want to do with my life!

I'm in the process of picking up the Pelican line of products. I'll keep everyone posted!

Dan.

Over an hour runtime at 7-8 watts? Why they've broken the laws of physics!

Looks like a nice light, esp. for that price. I will definatly pick one of those up. More than one if they are reasonably water resistant.

I have to admit while I do really like my surefire's I think they are hurting themselves with the recent problems (E2e water resistance, B90 batteries, 10x lamps, 9AN springs, etc.), lack of getting products to market, price increases, not to mention their own new definition of time . I mean they had what 2 price increases in 2002 (maybe it was only one), didn't bring most of their new products to market, and are doing a third increase in the first 2 months of 2003. To me that is really just asking some other companies to take shots at them. Their record of product quality and production was far from perfect in 2002.

I've always thought it was bad for surefires not to be reasonably water resistant (there's no such thing as water proof). With rechargeables I can see it being a problem due to the possible gases released in discharge. Bottom line, for what surefire charges the lights should be able to sit in a sink and not leak, period. One should not have to put jurry rigged parts in a E2e to get it to not leak in a sink, it's a bandaid at best and I'd expect more from surefire. Being sent a nylon washer or sleve body part is the kind fix I'd expect from $20 flashlight company, not a company that prides itself on quality and product and sells $500 flashlights.

I certainly understand surefire charging extra for dive qualified 100m water resistant lights for those professionals that need that extra level of water resistnace. However even non dive lights in their price range should easily handle being dunked in a sink. I just can't believe it's that hard when you charge $150 for a flashlight to make sure it won't leak in 3' of water.

That said I think it's great that some companies take shots at surefire, if for no other reason it might make surefire raise their product and quality bar instead of just their prices. Competition is always good for the consumer.

"Minimum: 1.25 Hours @ 10° C / 50° F
AMPS VOLTS WATTS

1.30 6.00 7.8"

If you put 1.3A on two 123's it will drop the 6V to 4.5-4.8V. So the lamp is good for 5.8-6.2W but not for 1+hour.