Surefire 6P LED Defender Single Output LED Flashlight
by SureFire
 |
List Price: Our Price: $110.00 You Save: $2.00 (2%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Category: Tools See more product details |
Product Details
Manufacturer: SureFireModel: 6PDL-BK
Color: Black
Product features:
- Virtually indestructible, electronically regulated light emitting diode (LED) has no filament to burn out or break; lasts for thousands of hours
- Crenellated Strike Bezel provides enhanced self-defense capability Two 123A Lithium Batteries
- Maximum Output 80 Lumens
- Rugged aerospace-grade aluminum body with Type II anodizing in glossy black
- Tailcap switch: press for momentary-on, click for constant-on
Tools and Hardware Reviews of Surefire 6P LED Defender Single Output LED Flashlight
Customer Review: Pound for pound, the best flashlight out there, plus it doubles as a self defense tool
Summary: 5 Stars
I have used this flashlight's nearly identical predecessor, the 6PLED, for over two years now, and I have nothing but praise for its performance, durability, and incredible brightness.
For those of you who don't know about lithium battery powered LED lights, there are several inherent advantages to lights of this type:
1) These flashlights are unique in being fully functional over an incredibly wide temperature range, from the sub zero degree (Fahrenheit) range to well up beyond the 150 degree range. This is most definitely a light that could be used in the Antarctic in the dead of winter, then in the Sahara in midsummer. Try doing that with a conventional alkaline battery powered incandescent light.
2) LED lights are incredibly bright, to the point that this very light can actually disorient an attacker to allow either escape or possible defensive action. More on the defensive action later. Trust me when I say that this light is downright painful to shine in your eyes, especially if your eyes are accustomed to a dimly lit environment, as would be the case for nearly any furtive assailant.
3) LED lights have far longer run time than equivalent brightness incandescents, and the CR123A lithium batteries that are used in this flashlight extend that advantage.
4) LED light elements are considerably more rugged than incandescent bulbs, often described by experienced users as nearly indestructible.
5) You can pack far more illumination into a smaller package than an equivalent incandescent.
6) The two CR123A batteries used in this flashlight that together produce six volts weigh half as much as the four AA alkaline batteries that would be required to produce the same voltage.
There are only two differences between this, the Defender model, and the plain 6PLED: the bezel and the tailcap.
This flashlight is an improvement over the plain 6PLED, because it comes stock with the tailcap that has both momentary on and click to stay on, unlike the plain 6PLED, which requires the tailcap be screwed in all the way for constant on, needing both hands to operate.
That click-on tailcap can be purchased and installed on the 6PLED, and here is the link: Sure-Fire Z59 Click-On Lock-Out Tailcap for C2 / C3 / D2 / D3 / G3 / M2 / M3 / M3T / M4 Flashlights
It is a surprisingly expensive add-on, though, and having it already installed on the Defender - for far less than the cost of the plain 6P LED plus the tailcap - gives the nod to the Defender.
The real standout feature of this flashlight is the integrated "Strike Bezel" at the business end, which looks like the top of a castle parapet.
The reason for that unique shape is that it turns this into a powerful self defense tool for close quarters, meaning you can deliver a very painful blow with it if your back is really against the wall.
Imagine a bouncer getting confronted in a dimly lit bar by a violent and intoxicated man.
Now, imagine said bouncer momentarily blinding the aggressor with this light, then striking with it into an area of the aggressor's body that would produce pain.
Trust me, that would be more than enough to take the fight out of just about anyone.
Hopefully, you will never need to use this in that way, but the distinctive bezel could also be used to save a life by shattering a car window to rescue a trapped occupant.
It could even save your own life if your car were to crash into a body of water, the bezel's unique shape again being properly shaped for the surprisingly difficult task of breaking out the driver side window from within, allowing your escape.
About the light's construction, you can fully expect it to last a lifetime, as Surefire warranties it for exactly that.
The stout knurled aircraft aluminum construction hard anodized black inspires confidence, plus it is also waterproof and has a hexagonal shape at the rear of the reflector head to prevent it from rolling off of a table, and you will have an added sense of confidence carrying it daily, as I do on the job.
I also very much like that Surefire uses tempered glass for the reflector cover, nicely recessed by the front bezel to prevent breakage.
I enormously prefer the tempered glass over plastic, since it is far more scratch resistant, rigid, chemical and liquid resistant, and easier to keep clean.
The light beam itself is a widely dispersed wide beam with no annoying ringing or areas of varying brightness, with a smaller and more intensely illuminated area in the center, making for what I consider the best compromise for a fixed beam flashlight.
Speaking for myself, I don't care for flashlights with an adjustable beam, as those adjustable beam heads add another moving part that can fail, plus the beam easily gets twisted out of kilter, requiring adjustment each time.
For anyone who intends to make this flashlight a daily carry implement, I would highly recommend this excellent belt holster: Surefire V70 Speed Holster Black
This holster makes this flashlight so comfortable to carry that you almost forget you have it, until you quickly pop it out and start using it.
One very important note about the batteries is that you must not use rechargeable CR123A batteries, since they will damage the LED, as it did with my plain 6PLED, when I used them without reading the instructions more carefully.
To Surefire's credit, they made good on the warranty, even though it was my fault, by installing a brand new LED and returning it to me within one week, complete with a fresh set of batteries, which cost about as much as the package and shipping for me to return it.
Excellent service right there, and it was nice to in effect not have to pay for returning it for repair.
You are probably best off using the Surefire brand batteries, however you may use Panasonic, Eveready/Energizer, and Duracell standard CR-123A batteries without violating your warranty.
You can easily order those from several vendors right here on Amazon, or you can simply walk into Lowe's and buy them.
Yes, CR123A batteries are more expensive than AA or AAA alkaline batteries, but keep in mind that you use only two of them in this flashlight instead of the four alkalines you would need to produce the same amount of power; plus the two CR123A batteries last over twice as long as the four alkalines would, so the CR123A batteries actually wind up costing LESS in the end.
Technology has revolutionized just about everything, and it has even caught up to the ordinary flashlight, especially this professional grade Surefire.
This is not your average flashlight, and its expense reflects that, but this is the one flashlight that can serve any purpose, and it will do that for the rest of your life.
Description of Surefire 6P LED Defender Single Output LED Flashlight
Compact (pocket sized), high-intensity LED flashlight for tactical, outdoor, self-defense, and general use. Its virtually unbreakable light emitting diode (there's no filament to burn out or break) generates a smooth, brilliant beam with four times the light of a larger D-cell flashlight?bright enough to temporarily blind an aggressor. And if 80 lumens of blinding light is not enough to make your point with an aggressor, then the 6P LED Defender features a crenellated Strike Bezel as another line of defense.Flashlights Tools
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