Law Enforcement Equipment

5 Responses to “Surefire 6P LED Defender 80 Lumens LED Flashlight Crenullated Strike Bezel”

1. Schnack
   February 22nd, 2010 - 3:40 am

   I bought this flashlight for my mom as a gift and she loves it. She wanted a flashlight that she could “see far out into the pasture with”. I have the non-LED type Surefire Defender and love it. I opted for the LED type Defender for my mom so she would not have to change the bulb and batteries as often. One thing I did notice is the comparable LED type Defender is bigger than the non-LED type. This is the real deal.
   Rating: 4 / 5

2. Waldo Martin
   February 22nd, 2010 - 5:45 am

   This is a great LED light. The only thing I miss is the pen clip of it’s smaller cousin.
   Rating: 4 / 5

3. Jeff A. Spain
   February 22nd, 2010 - 6:12 am

   This was my first LED flashlight and now I am hooked on them. They can run for hours while putting on an extremely bright light. After using this for a week, a threw out my giant Maglite. The maglite weighed 6 times as much and put out a tiny fraction of the light that this does. Living in Minnesota, I love the lithium batteries that keep working even when it is zero degrees.

   Buy the light from Amazon where it is much cheaper than buying direct from Surefire. The other great feature is that Surefires are modular and you can swap out options on them: emitter light, tailcap, etc. Very nice. Once you have a LED light, you will never go back to your old flashlights.
   Rating: 4 / 5

4. Scott A. Conway
   February 22nd, 2010 - 7:26 am

   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 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.
   
   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.
   
   Also, you must not use the common CR123A batteries labeled “photo” that you will find in your average Wal-Mart, as they, too, can damage this light.
   
   There are a select few non-photo CR123A batteries out there that are acceptable for this flashlight, but it is simply safer to use the Surefire brand batteries that assure no damage and best performance.
   
   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.
   Rating: 5 / 5

5. R. Cong-leton
   February 22nd, 2010 - 7:52 am

   Have used Surefire flashlights since 1990, and have never been disappointed. They are, at once, well made, rugged, and bright. This is the first LED Surefire I have owned, but will not be the last. This is my offduty light that is carried on my belt opposite my weapon, always available when needed but never in the way. More specifically, this light is machined from barstock aluminium, and uses a pyrex(glass) window. It has an on/off tailcap that can also be used as a momentary swith by using lighter finger pressure. The front of the light has a scalloped edge ( strike bezel) for CQB, if necessary. The biggest feature, however, is the light output – a true 80 lumens at full battery power.
   Rating: 5 / 5

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