surefire's!

hi,i was just wondering the total number of surefire flashlights people have!over the past 15 years i have owned 7 surefire's,i really love the brand because its so well built and made to last,and its also one of a handful that are USA.made! i like other brands made over sea's also like fenix/klarus,but surefire is what i started with,it was my vary 1st flashlight and would be my first pick,so please tell me the number of surefires you own! what modals you have,and why you like the brand,thank you for looking.

Had as many as 16 of the 6P, but if memory serves...7 now as I gave away some.

At least 5 G2X pro...I say at least because I had 7 but if memory serves I gave away 2.

And 2 G2 lights...no wait 3...

Now that they've discontinued anything incandecant that'll probably be all for my collection unless I stumble onto a gun metal 6P or a 3P in good condition at a reasonable price.

I also had as many as 15-20 Surefire lights but also sold some. Still trying to sell some. They are great lights especially the older models.

I have:
-1 E1B backup (sold 2)
-1 LX2 Lumamax
-1 Z2 Combat light
-1 E2D Incandescent model
-1 G2
-1 6P LED defender
-1 G2X Tactical
-2 X300

I also have a black C2 Centurion and G2ZX Tactical that I am trying to sell, so if anyone is interested let me know.

Never count my "small" Surefire Collection. When I count my Z2's correctly I have 20 Surefire Z2's, 4 U2's (2 with Lux LED two with SSC P3), ... far too much Surefires to Name each light!

Surefire makes some very nice designs. I have always wanted the Fury's. BUT they only take CR123's and the value factor is through the floor. Granted SF now makes a cheaper line of 320 lumen plastic lights which Im sure are good but they are still low on value. One day I will buy a Fury just to finally have one. As for being US made that is a bunch of bunk. The bodies are machined in California then they are stuffed with Chinese parts especially LED's. Sure all these foreign electronics are put together by American employees but calling Surefires "made in the usa" is a flat lie. Surefires are meant mainly for one thing and that is fat US government contracts. There must be millions of Surefires across the US services hence Surefire has the largest warranty repair department in the world when it comes to fixing busted lights.

As much as I love the design of the Fury's I am well aware that Im getting a sweet looking light that likely has more Chinese parts in it than most Chinese lights. Even the old incandescent Surefires were almost as bad. Sure the bulbs were US sourced, the bodies milled in California but the rest of the electronics still came from "overseas". Surefires own webpage where they proudly state that only lights made in America of American parts can be called Made in the USA. Pretty funny when on the same page they admit to using electronics from "overseas".

Does anybody even know what LED emitters SF uses? They dont say anywhere on the site. Sure many Surefires have good drop distances and the LED's usually do not pop. Chalk it up to thicker heads and possibly an extra bit of soldering. For a $250 600 lumen light I should hope the solder points dont break at a 6 ft drop.

Most Surefires look good Ill give them that. I was once in a local LEO shop and there was an older 500 lumen Fury in the case that had been opened it was a return how much did they want? $160. Forget it. Surefire needs to lose their fat government contracts so their prices will come back down to reality. Then and only then will I buy a couple of Fury's and a crate of CR123's for them.

God forbid Fenix exits China and becomes American owned and opens a factory is say South Carolina. Surefire would come close to going out of business. Should Fenix go American they would be a stones throw from Cree's Durham plant thus using US made emitters. Fenix could just as easily bring over their CNC machines from China then make their light bodies of US aluminum not to mention all other electronics for their lights could be easily and cheaply US sourced.

Funny, in the end good old Maglite is the closest to being 100% US made I believe the only Chinese part in the new 3rd Gen LED D cells are the emitters. So to sum up yes SF has some classic designs Id love to have. Would never be able to bring myself to pay for the older designs as the "made in the USA" price gouging is a shame. Rant over....

owned (and own): many,
personnaly used much: 6R --> 8X --> 9N,
which were the only good Surefire lights to use ... in the days they were above the crowd.

so ... for the last 10-15 years ... what everyone else makes: use the lights as the best hosts for aftermarktet led engines

after the 9N I have never ever felt the "need" to get any silly Surefire model to use in original state, as they were and are way below what makes sense,
exept for that the 18650 bored 6P still is the best 18650 host light on the market

Geez this went down hill fast.

bykfixer said:

Geez this went down hill fast.

Click to expand...

Yep, sorry to the OP. Could have been a nice thread with lots of old memories and sharing, but no sir.

Over time, over 100. Current estimate: 30's counting legoed stuff. Lots of E's & C's. Few odds and ends. I have seen some members with "heewuge" collections.

I see some of those "heewuge" collections at the FB page Flashlight Fanatics.

I own one now, an incandescent 6P, bone-stock. And since you asked why I like the brand (not dis-like), I'll answer: Made/Built in USA, Lifetime Warranty, and a very positive customer service experience years ago.

I'll throw my pennies worth in. Ive got one!
Ubr invictus. I don't think I'll buy any more due to the cost of them compared to other brands. But I'm quite happy with it and it comes out every now and then

I like cop lights.
Not because I'm a police man. But because they carry professional grade flashlights. The 6P was my first professional grade flashlight.
My parents had big Mags when I was coming up. But the 6P gave the big Mag output in a pint sized format. It flat out changed everything.

In it's day the SureFire name evoked thoughts of well made products that could make the difference between life or death. I say in it's day simply because at one point the field was uncrowded.

Today the field is packed tightly with manufacturers trying to 1-up each other while making the lights cheaper and following the latest fad....many of which are junk compared to the SureFire products...which by the way still make a difference between life and death in many situations.

They were pricey then. They are pricey now. I like Mag Lite and how they've stayed with tried n true designs and kept their prices down. But holding a new Mag vs and old one....you can feel the cost cutting measures. Good on Mag!
But my 015 6P is just as burely as my 09 one and if I had a round '6' model...probably at least as burely as that late 80's light was.

The stories of how SureFire and Streamlight began are interesting. Reasons behind their inception was for helping ensure those who kept us safe had another advantage. Malkoff has a similar story.
I find it easy to support folks like that.

Many of SureFire products of 015/16 are aimed at a different crowd than they used to be. Good on them.
As for me, I don't feel betrayed or any of that nonsense. Knowing 'the cop light' of 015/16 has changed I go in a different direction from SureFire..basically pursuing cop lights designed by the same guy who played a large part in the development of the 6P.

Now on the other hand if SureFire goes the way of Streamlight, Pelican, Nebo and a couple of other companies who build lights for fire fighters, rescue workers, mechanics and other occupations I'd turn my sights back to SureFire.

I only have a few even though they are my favorite by far. I have as many pistols as surefires haha maybe 15-17? Not collectors just users.

I don't know exactly how many Surefire lights i own; but I'm around 99% sure it's over 250. I am still taking HD pics and short info sheet for each one. I got bored after 187 because I have far to go. It was the SureFire D2 Defender that started my mad obsession with lights.

My favourite is the Surefire 6P HAIII by Oveready. It has been bored for 18650 and SF Z59 tailcap. I am currently using a Sportac XP-L HI P60 drop-in module. Excellent all round beam.

I would hate to think of how much money I have spent, because i live in rip off Britain :')

^^^ Awesome. I hope you can post some pics sometime. That would be a pleasure to view!

BLUE LED said:

I don't know exactly how many Surefire lights i own; but I'm around 99% sure it'sover 250. I am still taking HD pics and short info sheet for each one. I got bored after 187 because I have far to go. It was the SureFire D2 Defender that started my mad obsession with lights.

My favourite is the Surefire 6P HAIII by Oveready. It has been bored for 18650 and SF Z59 tailcap. I am currently using a Sportac XP-L HI P60 drop-in module. Excellent all round beam.



I would hate to think of how much money I have spent, because i live in rip off Britain :')

Click to expand...

250 wow man, you may need to see if there is a FA branch(flashlights anonymous) in Britain

We've got 3 X300U-B, 6 X300, an LM-318 forend, a C2L(upgraded w Malkoff M61L), a couple of Z2(upgraded with M61L), a couple of G2, 3 6P, a 6PX, 3 or 4 G2X, a P2X Fury, a Titan, and a Titan Plus. We've also given a few away to family members: a C2L, a Backup (can't remember which model), and at least a couple of G2. Just sold off an X200b and a pair of X200a.

I really like Surefire's weaponlights, and the older handheld lights that can be upgraded/customized. Not as impressed with the G2X/6PX. Am interested in the Intellibeam technology and may spring for one or more of those at some point if I see enough good feedback.

BLUE LED said:

I don't know exactly how many Surefire lights i own; but I'm around 99% sure it's over 250. I am still taking HD pics and short info sheet for each one. I got bored after 187 because I have far to go. It was the SureFire D2 Defender that started my mad obsession with lights.

My favourite is the Surefire 6P HAIII by Oveready. It has been bored for 18650 and SF Z59 tailcap. I am currently using a Sportac XP-L HI P60 drop-in module. Excellent all round beam.


I would hate to think of how much money I have spent, because i live in rip off Britain :')

Click to expand...

Are you Size15's brother by any chance?

I started off with 3 Surefires, but haven't updated them and have since switched to other brands...mostly because they didn't make anything like what I was wanting that didn't cost more than I think they were worth. The three that I originally purchased were incandescent. They were okay, but replacing the proprietary bulbs got expensive, and they sucked down batteries quickly. When the time came to upgrade there were just too many others to choose from that were reliable at a fraction of the cost and little advertising hype that contributed to the high prices.