I remember debates about whether Mini-Maglites were too bright. I have one I bought at the PX, one of the camouflage ones, the paint job is worn off.
Good times.
I remember debates about whether Mini-Maglites were too bright. I have one I bought at the PX, one of the camouflage ones, the paint job is worn off.
Good times.
Recovering Gun Store Commando. My Blog: The Clue Meter
“It doesn’t matter what the problem is, the solution is always for us to give the government more money and power, while we eat less meat.”
Glenn Reynolds
Looks like what I remembered as a 6Z is actually a Z2 (as evidenced by the text I didn't bother reading on the barrel). The main difference being the anti-roll flat spots on the bezel. That would also explain why, in my mind, the 6Z came after the 3P since the Z2 came out in 2001 and I obviously bought it after the 3P.
I’ve been carrying my original recipe 6P with a Malkoff warm every day as well. It’s like a super cool restomod: vintage vibe with near-modern performance.
As I’ve been surfing P-F, it seems to be coming back to me that the very first of the laser product hand helds was indeed called the 6D, because they were marketing it as having the output of the familiar 6d maglight in your hand. The "P” upgrade came out almost instantly thereafter.
Don’t quote me on that, though, I’m running on 3-decade+ old memory, and I’ve slept since then.
”But in the end all of these ideas just manufacture new criminals when the problem isn't a lack of criminals.” -JRB
In the early 90s, having a 65 lumen light in a duty belt pouch was a great backup to the SL20. I bought a 6R or 9R as the 123 batteries were expensive and hard to find back then. I found the rechargeable battery a pain as it had to be mostly discharged and then recharged for a certain amount of time, outside the light. I eventually converted it to a 6P and carried it off duty in a horizontal carrier from the Lethal Force Institute.
I believe that would be the 6P Classic, then the 9P
http://flashlightguide.com/2013/05/f...re-6p-classic/
Edit: I type too slow (got distracted by a tornado warning), BobM already mentioned the 6R.
There was also a 6R that used a longer, rechargeable battery...it had a removable body section that would also allow it to be used with 123's as a 6P.
I bought an 8X circa 1994 for a couple hundred $$...at the time it was like wielding the torch of God. Nowadays you get more light from a $25 LED they have displayed next to the checkout at Lowe's.
Last edited by kwb377; 01-11-2020 at 02:22 PM.
Ok, I found what I was looking for, with a little digging.
Let’s clear up the history once and for all:
"In 1988, the SureFire brand broke the mold of large handheld flashlights when it released its model 6C flashlight. This compact (4.6" long) incandescent flashlight, powered by two lithium 123A batteries, produced 60 lumens of light output, that’s three times the light output of the widely used D-cell flashlights of the time. The SureFire light was waterproof, shock-resistant, and came housed in a space-age aircraft-grade aluminum body. A model with a pushbutton tailcap, called the 6P, was released a few months later. This is considered the first ever tactical flashlight and it quantified “tactical output.” The age of the illumination tool was born and flashlights would never be the same."
Source: surefire 30th anniversary press release
https://www.surefire.com/surefire/co...nniversary.pdf
”But in the end all of these ideas just manufacture new criminals when the problem isn't a lack of criminals.” -JRB
I carried a 6P Polymer version in FDE on my belt when I deployed. Probably one of my most used and practical accessories. Still have it.