Hi,

 I am curious about what's the longest
that surefire lamps can hold on without the
filament burning.

I have 6P for GP light and M962SU and
due to what it says on the manual,
('be careful, the bulb gets hot!')

I have not held it on longer than 10 sec.
(for both)

anyone got clue?

thanks in advance

I guess I don't quite understand what you are asking.  I have the oversized "turbo" head on mine and I usually leave it with the base twisted down to "the almost on setting" and it has gotten in a bind and turned on more than once and run the batteries dead.  I didn't notice any problem except having to replace the expensive "123" batteries [:(].  

I think I understand what you're asking...

SureFires are designed and intended for momentary use - short flashes and bursts or intense blinding white light.
Most SureFires have a constant-on feature which means the light stays on until the batteries get used up or you switch it off.

The heat produced by constant-on use can damage the lens (if it's Lexan polycarbonate) or items of clothing/material if the light comes on in a pocket/pouch/bag etc.

The heat should not damage the light. Some SureFires have enough metal mass and/or cooling fins to help manage the heat.

My concern about constant-on use is
1) Running the light until the batteries are dead shortens the bulb life (usually unofficially rated at about 25 hours)
2) The beams of SureFires that have almost exhusted the batteries are dimmer and yellow lacking the blinding intensity SureFires are designed to produce.
3) Extended 20-40 minutes constant-on use will not allow the batteries the chance to recover therefore increasing the rate of decline in output quality.

Some points:
SF123As each have an internal thermal fuse. The N62 Lamp for the 12PM/12ZM overdrives the batteries so hard that they over-heat and shutdown after about 3 minutes constant-on use. It is highly unlikely that any other SureFire lamp/flashlight will produce enough heat to shut down the batteries.

With the small "E Series" E2e, some people think that the heat differential between the battery closest to the bulb and the one at the back can cause damage to the battery closest to the bulb. In normal use you are never likely to experience any such issues.

SureFire has replacement Lexan lens kits for some of the older Lexan lens models such as the Z32 Shock Isolated Bezel found on Classic WeaponLights. The kit is the Z19.

In general, I have no problem or concerns with using SureFires constant-on for about 10 minutes or so at a time. They will get hot.

It is useful to disable (LockOut) your SureFire (if possible) for transportation and storage.

Al

I have an old (early model) 9P, and while I never really planned on it, I used it at 4am one morning for 45+ minutes when accident occurred in front of me. FWIW, at 4am on loop 610 West, (just N. of Galleria) that damned little 9P allowed me to direct traffic w. oncoming cars doing 60-70 mph. I was very impressed and the first HPD officer to show, came immediately up to me in the middle lanes of 610 to find out what I'd blinded him with, as he's never seen a small lite that powerful.

So longest on for me is [b]45 minutes[/b], constant. FWIW the next time I used it the batts needed replacing, but the bulb is there and works as always.

Mike

Thing is both my P60 lamp and P61 lamp died.:(

Need to get a new bulb

i've had both the Surefire 6p and a Stinger on my duty belt at one time or another. once with the stinger it switched on while i was searching a car.  i was all upside down in this car and checking all the nooks and crannies when i felt a pain on my side.

the stinger had burnt a little hole in my shirt and was close to burning through my t-shirt.  i wasn't up in flames or anything, but it made a cigarette type burn.  I figured i might have had the light on for about 5 minutes, tops.  But the shirt touches the head of the light, so i could see how it would burn through so quick.

so the Stinger was holstered bulb up?  if so i would buy some duty gear that will allow you to carry it bulb down.  that way if it does come on it will illuminate inside it's holster.  if you are crouched down, taking fire and the light is on it's illuminating your position.  that's a bad thing in a gun fight.  

I have a 9P Surefire.  A while back I put it in my pack and something pressed against it to turn it on.

Well, when I finally got it out the bulb had burned out and the reflector was melted.  The heat was not able to disipate because it was inside my pack and up against other stuff.

308wood,

the stinger does go on my belt bulb up.  i've only had the light turn on unintentionally twice.  Once in the car search another goofing off at briefing.  it only happens when the light is put away with the button facing out and then it hits something.  i work graveyard and would usually notice it.

as far as the light coming on while taking cover that is a valid concern.  since i work graveyard, i usually have my light in my hand when i'm out of the car and if i'm taking cover that is the only light i have and believe me it'll be out next 2 my gun.

we're currently battling the admin / bean counters / policy nazis about getting weapon mounted lights for duty pistols.  They really don't care if we have the lights, but there is an old policy about level 1 holsters.  currently, there are no level 1 weapon light holsters on the market that will hold an M3 or other dedicated pistol light.

anyway, thats municiple gov't for you..lot of yelling and snivelling.

squeaky wheel does get the grease, though.

what about getting the LED bulb kit?  how does that fare for getting hot?

LED lights get hotter than bulb lights.
The light output of the LED is cold but the electronics run very hot.

SureFire's 5W Luxeon Bezels (not yet released) have enough output and true white light to be amazing WeaponLights. The KL5 for "Classic" and the KL6 for "Millennium" replacement bezels will show that LEDs can be used as you would the two and three SF123A driven incandescent bulbs.

Al

Any info on the release date of the LED kits for the Surefires? I bought an Inova 5 to get the long life of the LED light with high ouput, but I miss the blinding light of the 6P. I'll spend the extra cash for Surefire quality with LED technology.

I guess you are referring to SureFire's 5W Luxeon Bezels
KL4 (E2e)
KL5 (two or three SF123A "standard" body models)
KL6 (M3 "Millennium Bezels")
KL7 (9AN)

These were shown as proto-types at the SHOT Show 2003 and since then at various shows.

SureFire does not give out expected release dates for new products. Nor do we know the prices of these.

We expect the KL4 for the E2e will be released first.

We do not know any specifications at this stage.
______

If you are wanting 1W Luxeons then SureFire has several products already on the market -

The KL1 (available in white, red, green output) for the E1e or E2e.

The L1 (also in various colours) is a dedicated 1W Luxeon flashlight.

The KL3 for the two or three SF123A "standard" body models has great runtime but I think it's too big for it's output. I'd get a KL1 and then a KL5 when it's released.

Al

When I went to pick up my new born daughter I used my light to ensure that the child seat was fastened correctly.  In all of the excitement I left the light on sitting upright with the bulb down on the seat.  Needless to say... I now have a nice cigarette burn (even though we don't smoke) and the polycarbonate lens has several small cracks in it.  Bulb still works though.
Chris

Depending on the type of bezel SureFire have lens replacement kits or may just replace the whole bezel for you.

Al