Updating some Surefire torches

[tombear]

After having a big sort out of torches ( putting 4 ancient Petzl Zooms into deep storage amongst other things) we are updating some of the stock rather than buying new stuff. Herself has ordered a Niteize LED and tail button kit for a Mini Maglite 2 X AA she wants gor a emergency kit ( going to get lithium batteries if the instructions say thats OK ) and ive just received a drop in XM-L2 LED unit for my old Surefire P6 ( or 6P, it dates from before they covered the barrel with writing ).

Eventually I'll get Malkoff Device for the Centurion C3 i got dirt cheap as the box had been damaged in a flood, but they aint cheap so that will have to wait a bit. I don't need any more lumens from that one and want to max it out for battery life. Eventually I'll go over to rechargeables but at the moment I have a box of CR123As I will, use up first.

The third Surefire I want to alter is a old 3P. All I want to do to that is add a one inch combat ring / tactical ring / rubber mushroom to make it easier to grip and operate. I'm no combat wombat wannabee but I do have big fat hands and increasingly poor grip and the one CR133A battery 3P gets lost in my hand. Surefire used to make a ring but came in a set of three and is out of production anyway, there are some other versions but they tend to be more elaborate and bulky. I've found something similar on Aliexpres, looks like a big deformed nut with a sub one inch hole through the middle, made of black silicone but it doesn't look quite as big as I'd like.

So I have two questions for you flashlight addicts, what Malkoff Device would give me 200 to 250 lumens off of 3 x CR123As with the longest run time ( most of the on line discussions go right over my Luddite head ) and can anyone point me towards a reasonably priced rubber ring thing to go on a 3P?

Cheers!

Tom

 

[Nice65]

Where to start?

Watch your voltages. 2xCR123A is 2x3.7 volts.

2x rechargeable the same size = 2x 4.2 volts.

18650 is the same length and width as 2x CR123A, but also runs at 4.2v. So you need to match your led drop ins to the voltages you want to run at. Personally I’d ignore the glut of CR123AS you have and build around a 18650. Malkoff is probably the best drop in on the market, so all you need to find out is your tint preference. 4000-5000k is midrange, lower is warmer yellow, higher is whiter.

I have a Solarforce cigar grip ring spare if it’s any good to you. It fits the 6P but I’m not familiar with the 3P. I’d imagine it’s the same.

 

[tombear]

Wibble

Just got back from a knackering day on the Fylde Coast so ill reply properly after some kip, but cheers! You're a star.

Atb

Tom

 

[tombear]

Thats better! 3+ hrs sunbathing when I should have been gardening while herself and the youngest were doing the weekly shop was very restorative!

Yeah it seams to be a immensely complicated subject and the vast majority goes right over ( or possibly straight through ) my head.

Here's the things

The 3P takes one CR123A while the other two take 3 of them so are about 9V with non rechargeables. The barrel on the 3P is the same external diameter as on the 9P, I tried swapping the end caps and they fit perfectly.

I looked up what a 18650 is and they don't seam that dear, unless theres good 18650 and bad 18650 and you pay for the difference? I also discovered that there dummy CR123As and that some are expensive and some are a couple of quid and that you can make your own inserts. About this point my brain started melting.

The things on the shiny ends are a couple of defusers I got at the same time as the C3 for a couple of quid a pop and a red filter on the 3P for one I don't want to draw as much attention to my self and in the probably misplaced belief that it doesn't wreck your night vision as much.

Absolutely yes please on the cigar ring. It should fit fine. Cheers!

Tom

 

[Nice65]

Surefire is like grown up Lego, much of it interchangeable.

Use Fogstar for your batteries, they’re very safety conscious as you’ll see if you look on their site. Each batch of batteries is tested, there are a lot of dangerous fakes around at the moment as raw materials have been affected by C-19.

Fogstar Batteries | The UK’s #1 18650 Battery Retailer

18650 Battery Retailer | Batch Tested & Authenticated | Wide range of chargers & accessories | UK Based | 5* Reviews | Fast & Free Shipping - Same Day Despatch

www.fogstar.co.uk

Also, for your torch needs, it might be best to consider a protected cell. Protected cells have a small circuit board that cuts the power at 2.8v. If you don’t watch it, you can get left suddenly in the dark, but it’s a handy thing to preserve the batteries, they don’t like to be fully discharged.

Many modern torches have this circuitry built in, but Surefire are the Harley Davidsons of the torch world and are built simple.

Rubber cigar grip will be to you sometime this week.

 

[Nice65]

Oh, and just so you know, you’ve a few hundred quids worth of torches there. The Centurion C3s fetch around $200-$300 on eBay. I’ve seen a 3P at around the same, even more in fact. Whether they sold or not I don’t know, but old Surefire ‘flashlights’ are being priced high.

A vintage 6P, I’ve no idea, but potentially it’s worth a very good chunk of cash. It was always the favourite Surefire, has lots of fans.

All in you’ve got some decent cash there if you wanted to upgrade. Malkoff is a great 6P option though, highly recommended.

 

[tombear]

Cheers for that, it's a great help and thanks for the cigar grip!

Good lord, they are really that collectable. If I had any sense I would sell them on and buy something modern that does all I want straight out of the box but I've a sentimental attachment to them especially the Ps, I've always loved the build quality of them and looked after them.

All the best

Tom