marinemaster
Flashlight Enthusiast
Hi,
Does anyone has this light?
Looking for opinons.
Thansk in advanced.
Does anyone has this light?
Looking for opinons.
Thansk in advanced.
Microfire F6L need opinion...please
- Thread starter marinemaster
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Sgtbjs
Newly Enlightened
I'm also interested in this light. has anyone puchased/used it since the original post?
vortechs
Enlightened
I just got a MicroFire F6L. I'll post my opinion later. Let me know if you have any specific questions.
Fusion_m8
Flashlight Enthusiast
Any pics?
:lolsign:
:lolsign:
vortechs said:
Longbow
Enlightened
Vortechs, FL6 opinion?
vortechs
Enlightened
Sorry, I've been fairly busy and have been putting off writing a detailed post. I also don't have a lot of experience with Lux III's so I just have to compare it with the ones I do have. Please keep in mind that I just joined CPF in Feburary, so I'm still getting used to the terminology.
Here are some quick notes. The construction is good. The reflector is 'bumpy' (I'm not sure if stippled or orange peel is the correct term), which gives the beam a smoother transition from the hotspot to the spillbeam with no artifacts. The spillbeam is brighter and wider than most I've seen so it is nice for indoor work. I'm not good at identifying Luxeon tints yet, but it seems white with perhaps a tinge of green (definitely not purple or blue). I have only tried it with 2 x CR123 primaries so far, since I don't have any RCR123 LiIon's yet, but the tube looks plenty wide enough (the CR123's have at least 1mm of extra room). It isn't as bright as a '7w Golston' (AXShop "3.6V x 2" version, running on primaries) or a JIL CR2 Intelli (overdriven with an RCR2) but those aren't really fair comparisons since those are overdriven 3w LED's. The F6L seems to be a bit brighter than the cheap AXShop 3W 2xAA lights I have.
Hope that helps for now.
Here are some quick notes. The construction is good. The reflector is 'bumpy' (I'm not sure if stippled or orange peel is the correct term), which gives the beam a smoother transition from the hotspot to the spillbeam with no artifacts. The spillbeam is brighter and wider than most I've seen so it is nice for indoor work. I'm not good at identifying Luxeon tints yet, but it seems white with perhaps a tinge of green (definitely not purple or blue). I have only tried it with 2 x CR123 primaries so far, since I don't have any RCR123 LiIon's yet, but the tube looks plenty wide enough (the CR123's have at least 1mm of extra room). It isn't as bright as a '7w Golston' (AXShop "3.6V x 2" version, running on primaries) or a JIL CR2 Intelli (overdriven with an RCR2) but those aren't really fair comparisons since those are overdriven 3w LED's. The F6L seems to be a bit brighter than the cheap AXShop 3W 2xAA lights I have.
Hope that helps for now.
Longbow
Enlightened
Thanks Vortex, good info.
vortechs
Enlightened
I took the MicroFire F6L (3w) and M2L (5w) on a walk to the mailbox tonight. It isn't really fair to compare the two lights because the F6L is a compact light with a Lux-III and M2L has a larger reflector with a Lux-V. Outdoors, it is apparent that the F6L isn't a throw monster. It has a fairly wide hotspot and lots of very useable spill. Within 60 feet (20m) or so it was very useable, but out at 200 feet (65m) the hotspot was wide and weak. One nice thing about the F6L compared to the M2L is that the F6L is much more compact than the M2L and fits easily in a pocket.
Back at home I got out some lights to compare. The F6L isn't as bright as my SureFire 6P, but it is much brighter than my SureFire 3P. The F6L is just about the same size as the 6P. It has a normal 'clicky' tailcap that lights temporarily with a touch or can be 'clicked' on (it is not a reverse clicky). The F6L tailcap would not fit my SureFire 6P.
I took the LED lamp assembley out of the F6L and put it it in my SureFire 6P (remembering to reverse the batteries so the positive side was towards the tail). It fits perfectly and seems to perform the same in the SureFire body as it did in the MicroFire body. I also tried the LED lamp assembley in the 3P but it wouldn't light up on only 3V.
I also happen to have a surefire-type light that I got from Sportsman's Guide several years ago (long before I joined CPF). This light doesn't have any indication of manufacturer other than a silkscreened "Guide Gear" logo and appears to probably be made in the far east. It is designed with 3 body tube segments, one for 2 CR123 cells, and two tube extensions for 1 cell each. The head contains a "G&P G12 12V" lamp. If anyone can tell me what this light is, I'd appreciate it, but the important thing is that I could assemble this light for 3 CR123 cells and drop the MicroFire F6L lamp assembly in it, in place of the G&P G12 (once again remembering to reverse all the batteries so the positive end is towards the tail). It works fine on 9V and seems to be about the same brightness (it might be a bit brighter, but I couldn't compare it side by side to one running on 6V.
Finally, I reassembled all my lights back into their original configurations (remembering to flip the batteries yet again... sigh, maybe I should just leave them all pointing positive towards the tail).
I hope that's enough to satisfy folks for a while.
Back at home I got out some lights to compare. The F6L isn't as bright as my SureFire 6P, but it is much brighter than my SureFire 3P. The F6L is just about the same size as the 6P. It has a normal 'clicky' tailcap that lights temporarily with a touch or can be 'clicked' on (it is not a reverse clicky). The F6L tailcap would not fit my SureFire 6P.
I took the LED lamp assembley out of the F6L and put it it in my SureFire 6P (remembering to reverse the batteries so the positive side was towards the tail). It fits perfectly and seems to perform the same in the SureFire body as it did in the MicroFire body. I also tried the LED lamp assembley in the 3P but it wouldn't light up on only 3V.
I also happen to have a surefire-type light that I got from Sportsman's Guide several years ago (long before I joined CPF). This light doesn't have any indication of manufacturer other than a silkscreened "Guide Gear" logo and appears to probably be made in the far east. It is designed with 3 body tube segments, one for 2 CR123 cells, and two tube extensions for 1 cell each. The head contains a "G&P G12 12V" lamp. If anyone can tell me what this light is, I'd appreciate it, but the important thing is that I could assemble this light for 3 CR123 cells and drop the MicroFire F6L lamp assembly in it, in place of the G&P G12 (once again remembering to reverse all the batteries so the positive end is towards the tail). It works fine on 9V and seems to be about the same brightness (it might be a bit brighter, but I couldn't compare it side by side to one running on 6V.
Finally, I reassembled all my lights back into their original configurations (remembering to flip the batteries yet again... sigh, maybe I should just leave them all pointing positive towards the tail).
I hope that's enough to satisfy folks for a while.
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Sgtbjs
Newly Enlightened
Vortechs,
Thanks for the info on the F6L. It's been very helpful.
Brett.
Thanks for the info on the F6L. It's been very helpful.
Brett.
Longbow
Enlightened
We finally know something about the FL6, thanks to Vortechs. It does seem to be a very practical and useful light.
vortechs
Enlightened
I think the MicroFire F6L is basically a $60 regulated 3W LED bulb assembly in a $30 host body (Note: those are the public retail prices taken from the Pacific Tactical Solutions public website http://www.pts-flashlights.com, if you create an account there and contact CPF member Mike@PTS you will get a special CPF member discount rate that is typically 5-15% lower).
If you already have a SureFire-type light that you like, you might as well just get the F6L bulb assembly, since there is nothing particularly special about the F6L body (unless you want the clickie tailswitch, which is a normal clickie rather than a reverse-clickie, which I know will please some people). The F6L body construction is better than the 'Golston 7w' or the '7W Super Bright, 3.7V x2', but is not quite as nice as a SureFire. On my example, the body tube is a slightly different shade of black than the head and tail (the body is a bit more flat, while the head and tail are slightly glossier). I'm not sure if this is intentional for grip or for looks (it looks nice that way, since the head and tail match) or if it is just a coincidence due to parts being annodized in different batches.
If you are thinking about getting a MicroFire F6L, it might be worth considering getting a Wolf Eyes 6T (currently an excellent deal over at PTS if you have the CPF discount rate) and installing the F6L bulb in that host. Personally, I think this is what I'd do if I wanted to buy another one right now, since it doesn't cost that much more (with the current special price on the Wolf Eyes 6T) and gives you the LED tailcap of the 6T and a spare incandescent bulb.
The F6L bulb assembly might also make a very good backup bulb for a light that normally uses a 6-9V incandescent lamp. Since it is shock resistant and won't burn out, it should be an excellent backup.
The strong points of the F6L seem to be the normal clickie switch, the nice spillbeam, runtime (advertised at 100 minutes with extended useful light, on two primaries), 6-9V voltage input range, and the ability to use the bulb in a number of different host bodies. This means you have several options for battery configurations, based on your needs. It would be interesting to use the F6L bulb in a four cell body with two 18650's; the runtime ought to be impressive.
If you are looking for a super-bright light or lots of throw, I think you'd be disappointed by the F6L and I would recommend the M2L instead. The M2L is a two-stage Lux-V that is very bright, however it is also significantly more expensive than the F6L and is a bit too bulky to comfortably drop in a pocket.
So that's my opinion on the MicroFire F6L.
If you already have a SureFire-type light that you like, you might as well just get the F6L bulb assembly, since there is nothing particularly special about the F6L body (unless you want the clickie tailswitch, which is a normal clickie rather than a reverse-clickie, which I know will please some people). The F6L body construction is better than the 'Golston 7w' or the '7W Super Bright, 3.7V x2', but is not quite as nice as a SureFire. On my example, the body tube is a slightly different shade of black than the head and tail (the body is a bit more flat, while the head and tail are slightly glossier). I'm not sure if this is intentional for grip or for looks (it looks nice that way, since the head and tail match) or if it is just a coincidence due to parts being annodized in different batches.
If you are thinking about getting a MicroFire F6L, it might be worth considering getting a Wolf Eyes 6T (currently an excellent deal over at PTS if you have the CPF discount rate) and installing the F6L bulb in that host. Personally, I think this is what I'd do if I wanted to buy another one right now, since it doesn't cost that much more (with the current special price on the Wolf Eyes 6T) and gives you the LED tailcap of the 6T and a spare incandescent bulb.
The F6L bulb assembly might also make a very good backup bulb for a light that normally uses a 6-9V incandescent lamp. Since it is shock resistant and won't burn out, it should be an excellent backup.
The strong points of the F6L seem to be the normal clickie switch, the nice spillbeam, runtime (advertised at 100 minutes with extended useful light, on two primaries), 6-9V voltage input range, and the ability to use the bulb in a number of different host bodies. This means you have several options for battery configurations, based on your needs. It would be interesting to use the F6L bulb in a four cell body with two 18650's; the runtime ought to be impressive.
If you are looking for a super-bright light or lots of throw, I think you'd be disappointed by the F6L and I would recommend the M2L instead. The M2L is a two-stage Lux-V that is very bright, however it is also significantly more expensive than the F6L and is a bit too bulky to comfortably drop in a pocket.
So that's my opinion on the MicroFire F6L.
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