Of course you can drop it from waist height (I don't think that's the question you meant to ask /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif ) The M3T is not designed to prevent you from dropping it since the manual doesn't state that the supplied Lanyard should be used at all times.
Should the M3T be able to survive a drop from waist height?
In my opinion this all depends on the situation - especially what it's dropped onto, but in my experience, dropping the M3T (with Pyrex lens) does not cause it break.
But it can happen - the glass lenses can crack and the filament bulbs can suffer deformed beams or break. In general I don't read that this is normal or common.
I understand that when SureFire say "If it breaks, we will fix it."...
"
Guarantee
Lamps will burn out, batteries will be used up, and tape switches for WeaponLights™ will eventually need to be replaced. Everything else is covered by our lifetime no-hassle guarantee: If it breaks, we fix it!"
copied from
www.SureFire.com
... It means that if the Pyrex lens breaks then SureFire will fix it. I'm not saying that it shouldn't have broken in the first place since I wasn't there and don't know all the details.
Do you have to be more careful with you M3 [read any glass lens flashlight]?
Your M3 is a tool and as such should be treated with respect. I would not suggest that you take more care of your M3 at the expense of getting the job done. If in getting the job done your M3 fails or fails as a result of having an accident then I guess its up to you whether you expected it to be able to handle whatever caused it to fail.
If the performance was found to be lacking then you can either try again with the M3 once it has been fixed or try a different flashlight.
The high £££ value of a tool should not get in the way of being able to use it to do the task demanded of it in my opinion, otherwise you may have to question whether you have the tool for the right reasons. Like is the tool more important then the job it's used for? In that case taking steps to protect the tool, or using a different tool may be the answer.
I've broken SureFires during field-testing and evaluation. It's given me a health respect for what SureFires can handle when abused and subjected to 'accidents'.
The Shock Isolation System used by SureFire is for protecting the lamp assembly from the recoil forces of life on a firearm. It helps protect the lamp when the SureFire is dropped but offers little transverse protection. Most drops involve at least some longitudinal shock so I do find it useful for non-WeaponLight applications.
Al