are surefire flashlights viable?
 

surefire flashlights are awesome. I have a small hand held tactical surefire BUT ever since I bought it I can't help but wonder if it's worth while in a survival situation. The main reason being...Mine requires proprietary batteries. Can you depend on a flashlight that runs out of juice and then you cant get a refill with some standard batteries???

Re: are surefire flashlights viable?
 

They're CR123s, right? Not proprietary, but definitely harder to obtain that AAs.

It is something to keep in mind. I have both CR123 lights and AA lights. And a couple of wind-ups, too.

Re: are surefire flashlights viable?
 

Get yourself a 3 cell SureFire like a 9P, C3 or G3. Then go buy a Malkoff Devices M60LL, it's an LED drop in that is stronger, has a longer runtime and is probably brighter than what you have right now. It will run off 2x AA's, 3x CR123's or two 17500 Li-Ion rechargeables.

Re: are surefire flashlights viable?
 

CR123's are mostly used as camera batteres, and are expensive. I have two Surefires, and found it cheapest to buy their Surefire bulk batteries.

Re: are surefire flashlights viable?
 

You can buy CR123 lithium batteries for Surefire lights for about HALF the cost of AA Lithium batteries, if you buy them online in bulk.

I find the whole "CR123 are proprietery" and "won't be easy to find in an emergency" argument to be somewhat stupid... the truth of the matter is that ALL batteries won't be easy to find in an emergency situation.

Stock up NOW, on whatever batteries the light you select uses.

Re: are surefire flashlights viable?
 

flashlites are a really neat invention...but really they are a luxury, convenience item...and yeah i have plenty of them and of various designs...but they have only been around for a short hundred years or so...

mankind survived just fine without flashlites for many thousands of years...

Re: are surefire flashlights viable?
 

Yes but flashlights are so much more convenient than the alternatives. The more you have to do for yourself the more important a flashlight becomes and that is not even taking into account a SHTF scenario. If you work on machinery of any kind even in broad daylight a flashlight is a very useful tool. The problem of providing energy to the flashlight is too easily overcome to go back to candles, lanterns and flaming torches.

Re: are surefire flashlights viable?
 

We have several of the original 6p lights that have been great. Surefire has LED versions available now that offer much longer battery life. I picked up one of the G3 models in April. 80 lumens with 9.4 hour burn time. 5.8 hour tactical level brightness.
Check out the Battery Station for bulk battery purchases. If anyone knows about another good source, please post it.

Re: are surefire flashlights viable?
 

As we age our night vision gets worse. A 55 year old can't see near as well in the dark as a 20 year old. This was not a problem thousands of years ago as people seldom lived past their early forties anyway. In a survival situation, we will be competing for survival with other humans who may have artificial light.

I'm in the market for a good flashlight. I have a bunch of them but it seems I buy them and when I get them home I decide I don't like the switch. If someone is shooting at me I want an easy to find switch that turns off the light without fumble in one easy motion. Most don't. Keep that in mind before you plunk down your FRN's.

Re: are surefire flashlights viable?
 

previous thread

http://goldismoney.info/forums/showthread.php?t=389218

Re: are surefire flashlights viable?
 

I posted a long review of my Surefire clones but will write here also.

You can have a lite that takes either 123 cells or AA cells or Li-Ion rechargeable cells. It's the ultimate TSHTF lite, you should always be able to find something for it.
Plus the output level will vary based on what you put in it. As developers say, it's not a bug, it's a feature.
Brightest on 123 and Li-Ion, less bright on AA Lithium and much less so on Alkalines. Very dim on NiMH and Carbon Zinc "Heavy Duty".

The lite I am talking about is Surefire 9P, with a custom 2x18500 body, and Malkoff M60LL LED module. (Not much Surefire in this lite)

Runs on 3x123, 2x18500, 2xAA.

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x..._18650_one.jpg

Re: are surefire flashlights viable?
 

Good point. Arguably, AA will disappear first and 123 last. Plus do you really want to buy 123 at retail prices, one pack at a time?

I don't expect to buy batteries for a long time. I have plenty in common sizes like D, C, AA, 123. Use the Alkalines first as they don't last as long as Lithiums.


http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x...l_CR123A_1.jpg

Re: are surefire flashlights viable?
 

You can get quality 18650 Li-Ion cells, the same thing that a typical laptop uses (So in a crisis, you can tear apart a Dell notebook and get about 9 of these cells)

Recharge the thing 1,000 times to get free lite. Keep 123 for emergencies away from your charger.

Re: are surefire flashlights viable?
 

+1

In a worst case scenario all batteries will probably be hard to come by. Another way to look at it is if you stock up on CR123's they have longer shelf lives than alkalines. As reliable as Surefire's are I think from the mid-level manufacturers the competition has gotten pretty fierce and you'll find many wonderful flashlights that are more than capable of doing a wide array of jobs.

Re: are surefire flashlights viable?
 

http://www.batteryjunction.com/tpen-tcr123a-.html
Just looked up and found this. Hope the link works....
Even with shipping to the PNW, each cell @ 20ct is $1.45 ($9.44 shipping)
Deal Extreme doesn't touch it, even with free 5 week shipping.

I buy a dozen or so batts every quarter. My normal op cells are rechargeable 123's and I intend the primaries for extended use if the power dies. Still, I have the capability of charging from a solar cell charger. I like being covered that way. The point is to stagger the 10ish year shelf life of the 123's.

On the AA-AAA front I go with Eneloop packs from Costco. Really like the Loops.

Is it just me, or has anybody else noticed the shelf life of alkalines has improved much with the greater acceptance od NiMH batteries? I just got a mondo pack of batts from Costco with shelf life to 2014. Didn't used to be that good did it?

Re: are surefire flashlights viable?
 

Good idea on the solar charger. I think it's good to have all your bases covered, to even have candles in stock too. I'm sure in a bug out scenario all of us would be very wise in conserving what batteries we had in stock.

Re: are surefire flashlights viable?
 

If you had to have one Surfire, would you suggest the 9P? How about the 6P? I'm looking at getting my first Surefire.

Re: are surefire flashlights viable?
 

I won an auction on FeeBay for close to 1,000 Alkaline AA batteries. Paid 1 cent each.

When the box got here, come to find out, they are not Alkaline but Carbon Zinc, the old Eveready "Heavy Duty" junk cells, with about 1/3 the capacity. And they are 5 years out of date. Checked the listing, I misread it. It said right there they are 'heavy duty'.

Still, at 1 cent a piece, not bad. They run "OK" in very low powered devices like remote controls and power 1xAA lites like Gerber Infinity and my MiniMag modded with a low powered LED module.

I also use Maha Powerex 2700 mAh NiNH cells. Had them for 2-3 years and they finally went bad. Hold very little charge and don't power many devices, but run fine in low drain devices.

Eneloops are better, as they can take more recharge cycles. Also had them for 2 years, they seem to keep going.

Anyway, I am guessing you can store Alk cells way past their expiration date. Even if the capacity is reduced, still should work. Just don't keep them in the car. I kept a 3D MagLite in the car year round and the D cells in it leaked badly, damaging it past the point of return. Not sure what did, the summer or the winter or both.

A Surefire or clone loaded with Lithiums is the thing to keep in the car.

Re: are surefire flashlights viable?
 

It depends. Question, do you plan to use primary CR123A cells (the type you buy, use once and throw away) or a rechargeable solution?

I do the latter, use Li-Ion 18650 cell.

For the 2nd, you need:

1. 9P / 6P Bezel, $20
2. Aftermarket 1x18650 body, FiveMega makes a great one for about $40 FRNs.
3. Tailcap, I like Z41 At $20
4. Drop in LED module, I like Malkoff M60 ($50)

Total: $130 but it's a kick-butt combination and I never pay for batteries.

OTOH, if you just want 123s cells and no recharging, get a Surefire 6P (easier to EDC) or 9P (better runtime) and use 123s. I would suggest getting the LED version of either one. Your total cost should be way under 100 FRNs but you will eventually pay the difference in batteries if you use it a lot.

Understand, stock SF bodies don't take 18mm Li-Ion cells but can take 17670 Li-Ion cells, even with reduced capacity.

123s though are great. Not that expensive if you buy in bulk (100+), can keep price below 1FRN/cell
Going on a trip or mission critical, definitely use 123s instead of Li-Ion.

Re: are surefire flashlights viable?
 

You're not the only one to have alkalines leak. I've read that happening to a lot of people especially when the flashlight is not used regularly, sometimes damaged beyond repair. People suggest you use LSD rechargables in your expensive or cherished flashlights.

For me eneloops or the duraloops if you can find them are the best.

Re: are surefire flashlights viable?
 

I hear that cells that are used up are more likely to leak. Especially heavy duty type.

I keep a 2D lite in the car (one of the 2 lites in it) but store the cells separately. And take it out in the winter as Alks lose their capacity in the cold.


I remember the first time I got a Surefire, 9P it was. I scored it for 60 or so tokens off Fleabay. I was and still am stunned by the quality. Everything about it is heavy duty. The thread alone is worth the money. the bezel you cannot break the glass. I dropped mine once from 25 ft, no damage to bezel glass.

After you see that, no desire to get Fenix or Fenix clones.... Just junk lites IMO. I had a Fenix L2D fail on me *twice*. The digital stuff in it went crazy, the driver and it started flashing in random patterns.
These things cost probably a buck to make and are sold for 60 tokens here. Absurd.

Re: are surefire flashlights viable?
 

I favor the 9P or G3. It can accept a wider array of batteries than the 6P and it can be made much brighter than the 6P. With the right modifications you can make the 9P output 1,000+ lumens, though obviously not for very long.

I would also recommend skipping the official SureFire LED version of the 9P or 6P. The SureFire P60L is totally outclassed in every way by the Malkoff M60 series of drop ins. Beam quality, tint, runtime, brightness, durability, the SureFire P60L is behind the times and always will be because Malkoff Devices has a patented heat sinking technology. Instead of spending money on the P60L just get the incandescent version of the light to save some money for a Malkoff drop in. You'll be doing yourself a favor in the long run. In the meantime a P90 incan lamp in a G3 or 9P powered by two 17500 rechargeable batteries will be a pretty decent incan setup.

Re: are surefire flashlights viable?
 

I agree. I don't even want fancy flickering features(FFF, as the Mogambo Guru would say) on a tactical light. I want to know it will give me exactly the output I expect every time I use it. Wouldn't it be disappointing to have to light somebody up in a self defense situation only to realize your super spiffy flashlight was inadvertently set at 5 lumens?

Re: are surefire flashlights viable?
 

There probably is a reason LEO and military use Surefires the most. I've never heard anyone say anything negative about any of their lights. Now that's sayin' somethin'! But people seem to regard other USA made lights highly also like Inova and Novatac.

Re: are surefire flashlights viable?
 

What size are these batteries and what do they have to be recharged with? I'm off grid so any AC charger would have to be run by my dirty generator. If a charger requires pure sine wave I'm out of luck.

Re: are surefire flashlights viable?
 

If you go to home depot and get the solar powered walk way lights.. the ones with the solar charger on each light. The solar charger will charge 2 AA rechargeable, batteries in 8 hours of sun. This way each solar light can light up the house (get the clear lens) or charge batteries during the day. I got 8 lights for 39 dollars on sale.

Re: are surefire flashlights viable?
 

17500= 17mm in diameter; 50mm long (tall)

The last 0 stands for round

Re: are surefire flashlights viable?
 

Can get an aftermarket Surefire 9P body, in 18mm diameter which can take 18500 cells for increased capacity and runtime over 17500.
The same lite can take 3xCR123A cells.

It's in the pic above. I have that FiveMega 2x18500 or 3x123 body for sale/trade FWIW.