Surefire 6p question

[mr_dove]

I recently got a Surefire 6p from my wife. I went through 3 sets of batteries without a hitch and then it sat on a shelf for a few months waiting for me to pick up a fresh box of batteries. I purchased a 12 pack of surefire brand 123a cells today. I put in new batteries but the light still didn't work.

Does this indicate that the bulb needs to be replaced or could there be something else wrong? Is it unusual to need to replace the bulb after only 3 sets of batteries?

 

[outerlimit]

Yes, the bulb life of the P60 lamp assembly in your Sure-Fire 6P should be 20-30 hours as per official specifications. Some end up having a shorter lifespan and some end up lasting much longer. Depends upon alot of factors such as which batteries used, how the light was used, and of course luck of the draw.

I have used Sure-Fire flashlights since the 90's and have yet to burn out a single bulb.

 

[jsebens]

Respectfully suggest you try a LED bulb insert. I got mine (3W Cree) at www.bugoutgearusa.com - there may be other sources. Battery life and bulb intensity are increased.

 

[Jason_G]

Respectfully suggest you try a LED bulb insert. I got mine (3W Cree) at www.bugoutgearusa.com - there may be other sources. Battery life and bulb intensity are increased.

What about throw? Does the beam extend out to the same range? Usually LED's put out good light up close, but tend to suck when it comes to putting a beam out there a ways. Is that setup different?

Jason

 

[mr_dove]

It must just be bad luck. My bulb couldn't have more than 3 or 4 hours on it.

 

[ZeSpectre]

Typically with Surefire lights you will get 20-30+ hours. Sometimes there will be one that just pops in an hour or two. I've had this happen twice. I've also had one pop the first time I fired it up.

In every case when I've had a "short time" bulb pop, I wrote a letter to Surefire with a copy of my purchase reciept (showing that I'd only had the bulb a very short time) and they sent me a replacement.

 

[woolfam]

I bought a G2 and the bulb burned out relatively quickly. I called Surefire about it and they replace the lamp assembly at no cost. You might try giving them a call.

BTW - the LED option mentioned by jsebens is a very nice upgrade!

 

[outerlimit]

Really not a fan of LED's myself, you can't see as well with them as regular incan bulbs and most don't have good throw. So far I really have no reason to use LED's until they come out with full spectrum ones, instead of the current ones that project ghost rings.

They do have their uses. I have a Photon light on my keychain and I use a small 2AAA LED light to navigate around the house at night, but for serious uses, like tactical situations or outdoors, even the latest SSC and Cree LED's are completely inferior.

Led's are great for applications where you need alot of runtime and can only carry a limited amount of batteries and are willing to put up with the pukey/ghostly output