SureFire Torches and Flashlights

Finally, a Gift Dad Loves!

On a recent trip to visit my dad, who is a retired Air Force pilot and loves neat stuff, he saw my SureFire light and thought it was great. So I gave him my light with all the accessories. I now have no light but I made my dad real happy with a gift that he really enjoys. A gift that my dad likes and uses is a rare thing. I will replace my light soon.

I have carried a SureFire for about ten years. I was real happy with the light because I could use a lithium battery or the rechargeable feature. I like having the choice.

Scott H., Carrollton , TX, United States

What I Want for Christmas

I did not know that there was such a thing as a SureFire flashlight until last night when my buddy said that he had something to show me. It seems his boss had purchased the 6P and liked it so much that he upgraded to the 9P. So my buddy buys the 6P. He hands me a mag light and tells me to shine it at a tree. I did, then he shined his 6P. There was no comparison! The other light didn’t illuminate 1/10th of what the SureFire did! These lights were equal in size! I couldn't believe what I was seeing. So now, I plan on buying my father and my father-in-law a 6P apiece for Christmas. And I will be telling others as well. After I buy the 6Ps, I will hint that I want a D2. Ask my wife, I will show it off!

Mike C., Wylie, TX, United States

Middle of the Australian bush

Having purchased nearly 2 dozen SureFire flashlights over the years, including executive, 6P, rechargeables, weapons lights, etc. and having used SureFire products for many years I can verify what other users have likewise stated: that the full range of products are very high quality, very bright white light, and well focused smooth beam without rings or black spots. The products are machined out of quality aluminum, have top quality lamps, and are designed against shock, water, etc. They also look great! I have given away many SureFire flashlights as gifts and they are always popular - both as gifts to co-workers and family. The executive lights make great gifts and are small enough to comfortably fit in your pocket or a purse, requiring only 1 battery. For the home and car, the rechargeable lights are great -- with extra batteries next to my charger, I always have a fresh battery charged and ready to go, and they have remained bright through many recharges, saving money on batteries for lights which are used daily. The 2 and 3 lithium battery models are very bright, and have a long 10 year shelf life, so I keep them around the home and in the car for backup, along with lots of batteries, just in case I don't have the rechargeable light which I use for day to day use around the house.

We recently moved to the middle of the Australian bush on 27 acres where it is very dark at night, and SureFire lights reach out and illuminate nearby roads and even the distant trees. If the dogs are barking at something in the distant bush, there would be no way without the SureFire lights to tell if it is a kangaroo, a stray hiker, or burglar as flood lights around the house are not as focused to reach out into the distance. From our balcony, I can scan the entire surrounding forest if there are any strange noises in the distance. I have also used the lights to find lost dogs, lost items, during power outages, during car break-downs, and to navigate home when caught out hiking or cycling past dark. It is much safer to walk or cycle at night with a light, both to avoid obstacles, and so oncoming cars can see you well in advance. Other lights I have used long ago before discovering SureFire are either too big or too weak to be practical -- so they end up left in a drawer in the house.

Fortunately, I have never had to use my SureFire lights in self defense, but am confident they would give me an advantage, even without a gun or other weapon. When living in the USA I used weapons mounted lights which are extremely well built, and gun training institutes strongly recommend them. In Australia, with tight gun control, my only weapon would be my SureFire if I was attacked. Not only does it temporarily blind any attacker when pointed towards their face, but the strong metal when held in your fist makes any strikes with your hand far more effective as you can strike with the metal bezel if attacked as it extends beyond your hand for 2 battery or bigger models. The light is non threatening and does not have the same legal problems as a knife, gun, mace, etc. to carry with you. In addition to temporarily blinding someone who is threatening, you can use the light to find an escape path at night, to signal for help, etc. and avoid the attack in the first place. With the rear push button you have total control of the use of the light. Many criminals are intimidated by drawing attention to them, which is what a powerful light can do. If you have ever been pulled over by the police for a traffic violation, or seen the police pulling over vehicles, you may have noticed their strong police lights make it nearly impossible to see where the police officer is or what he is doing. Police have long used powerful lights for their safety when having to approach a car that might have someone hostile. In general it is a great tool and self defense aid for both men and women. These lights are so bright and focused that they impress friends who have never seen them before, especially on dark nights when you illuminate tree tops or signs very far in the distance. Even if you never use your SureFire in self defense, and never encounter an earthquake or other severe emergency, owning a SureFire is very rewarding.

If you do own a gun, it is also essential to have a light (ideally a weapons mounted light as well), as many gun accidents occur at night or indoors in dimly lit spaces, under the fear of an intruder. You can't easily shoot what you can't see, the light is a good blinding tool, and most importantly you want to identify the threat first to be sure the intruder has a weapon and is threatening to avoid shooting by mistake. I can't state strongly enough that local police, security guards, and anyone at home with weapons should have a strong, bright, reliable light (ideally several) with their weapons. As SureFire products are used by military special forces, swat teams, are seen in movies on weapons, and are the premium product there is no other product to consider when your personal safety, your family's safety, or the safety of the community is at stake. While they are more expensive than "cheap" alternative lights, it is simply not a good savings to use an inferior light in any situation involving personal safety, since there is a huge difference in the quality and intensity of the light, as well as reliability. To get an idea of the difference, the Super Xenon bulbs and lamps used in the SureFire product are by themselves more expensive to make than many entire flashlights that use stamped metal and plastic and ultra cheap bulbs from China with no thought towards focusing, brightness, shock resistance, durability, etc. The SureFire products are built with the military and law enforcement in mind, not as toys. Even for day to day use it is very satisfying to use a SureFire product, as they are so bright they are fun to use, and would recommend them even for people who have no self defense concerns or special applications likes shooting, hunting, camping, etc. If you buy one of these lights, there is a good chance you will be giving them to friends and family next Christmas -- they are that impressive.

It is unfortunate that more retailers don't carry the SureFire product line, especially overseas, but the SureFire.com website certainly helps if you don't have a retailer near you. You really need to see the light in action at night and you will be convinced, especially if you can try out a 2 or 3 lithium light or a rechargeable light as they are brighter than the single battery executive light. The single battery lights are very bright for their size and have longer runtime as well, they so are practical to always have in your pocket or a purse, but are not as blinding as some of the bigger lights so are not as good for self defense. I recommend the bulk battery packs from SureFire, as buying individual batteries from a camera store is expensive. If you end up using your light every day, then when you have the money you should invest in one of the rechargeable lights with a rapid charger and a couple extra rechargeable batteries. While they are expensive up front investment, they give you many recharges and save money on batteries in the long run for heavy light users. As a long time user of SureFire products who has many different models, I wanted to share my opinions on the products and recommendations with other users -- especially those who haven't tried the product yet. While my "story" is that of a regular user of the product, there are many other people who have saved lives including their own with the products. Having more of these products on the street, both for police and normal citizens will help to improve the safety of the community on a day to day basis and during emergencies. I hope other users can help to spread the news with word of mouth, or giving away SureFire products for Christmas, as there are many people in the world who can benefit from these products who simply haven't yet discovered them.

I would request that the contest prize be given to someone else as I already have lots of SureFire products myself, and simply want to share my experience with other users who may not have tried the product, or be familiar with the very wide product line that is available from SureFire. Having visited the factory, met the engineers, seen the manufacturing equipment and the research and development being done, I can state a high degree of faith in the company and your products -- something that many, many other users have also expressed from all over the world. I have even used the first laser sights from Laser Products, and have seen the company developing products since 1979 -- and SureFire is a brand that really has a strong foundation. If you don't believe me, talk to anyone in your local SWAT team as they are almost surely using the products for day to day use in very life threatening situations. That kind of endorsement says a lot about the company and the products - and that even in an environment of tight law enforcement budgets the equipment is essential and well worth the cost.

Thanks much for your products and your ongoing development of great lights.

David M., Sunshine Coast, Australia