Surefire M3

[sween1911]

Thanks for the feedback on the XPL unit.

I was just playing around with mine last night, swapped on the millenium turbohead and older LF tower (XPG2). The unit I have in the stock head is a Nailbender, which has a great beam and tint. I think I should have gone for the low voltage unit to allow using a 17670 and spacer, but something bugs me about requiring a spacer such that without it I can't use the light. I need to get my hands on a few more 17500's.

 

[BlazerNL]

My almost perfect M3.

Drilled for 18 cells with RPM bezzel and SW01 switch.

Kind regards JP

 

[ven]

That is a beauty JP

 

[sween1911]

I cracked and ordered the Lumens Factory XPL tower for the M3T. Went with neutral tint cuz I want throw more than color rendition. Will report when it cones it. I want to try it side by side with my Malkoff Hound Dog XML2. I have a feeling the Malkoff will blow it out of the water with output, but dang it's heavy! I just love me some Surefire combatlight body. I really want to see what kind of performance I can wring from the Millenium Turbohead, as outdated as it may be in some applications.

 

[ShineOnYouCrazyDiamond]

I just ordered a Tad's Customs bi-pin socket for my M3. Not a ton of light but no more worrying about expensive bulbs and Tad has done a great job with these bi-pins - excellent focus on the A2 and E series ones.

 

[WarriorOfLight]

I just ordered a Tad's Customs bi-pin socket for my M3. Not a ton of light but no more worrying about expensive bulbs and Tad has done a great job with these bi-pins - excellent focus on the A2 and E series ones.

I'm sure you will like the bi pin socket. I ordered myself the xenon socket for my M3 and also M3T/M4/M6 and I like both. I also ordered a 10 pack of bulbs for each socket. The beam of both sockets+bulb is really great. For me it was worth the money.

I like it to use incandescent bulbs in my M3/M4/M6 since the dropins are getting difficuilt to find and also are really expensive. The MN21 is at all hard to find.

 

[sween1911]

Very cool. I have a treasured MN11 that was in my M3 when I got it, and is now currently in a hallowed, well-padded place.

 

[ShineOnYouCrazyDiamond]

Couple of MN11s up on Ebay for ~$20 at the moment.

 

[Genna]

A KL2 head is missed on this pic

 

[K-T]

A KL2 head is missed on this pic

You need another M3 body then. :green:

 

[sween1911]

Lumens factory M3T XP-L tower module arrived yesterday.

Got the neutral tint single-mode. Compared to other "neutral tint" lights in my stable, it's greenish. To the naked eye, the output of this barely exceeds the output of the Lumens Factory XPG2 M3T model. Nothing I have can still touch my Malkoff Hound Dog for throw and it's just sad to run any light next to it, especially outside at night. It seems I have yet to find an LED tower module that recaptures the magic of an incan lamp in the KT4 turbohead. I immediately put my regular head with the Nailbender unit back on the M3.

To me the M3 will always be the big fish in the small pond of handheld close-range (0-50 yards) tactical lights where it is the best. Trying to soup it up feels, at least for me, like trying to make it something it's not.

 

[ampdude]

A KL2 head is missed on this pic

That is a lot of SW02's. What is the head on the light second from the left?

 

[WarriorOfLight]

What is the head on the light second from the left?

Lumensfactory Seraph M Series Turbo Head:
http://www.lumensfactory.com/online_shop_product.php?id=227&cid=11&sid=9&page=1

 

[ShineOnYouCrazyDiamond]

My thoughts on the LED modules for the M3 and M6. Mehhhh.... These lights were designed for incandescent bulbs and that's where they shine (no pun intended). The reflector is designed for a point source that radiates 360* in all directions. If you stick a LED in there with a 110-120* radiation pattern you are only getting ~1/3 the benefit of the original design.

I'll be sticking 100% with incand bulbs in my incandescent flashlights. Plenty of better purpose designed LED flashlights out there.

 

[vicv]

I completely agree. Now with p60 drop ins that have their own reflector it's different. Although the design of the light is to insulate the heat away from the light instead of conducting it away. You can wrap the drop in in foil or something but it's not as good as a light designed for led. That being said I have a couple led p60 drop ins but I prefer my Incan ones
And the seraph m head which is shown isn't an led tower in a z46. It's a dedicated led head so I presume lumens factory designed the reflector for the led

 

[Greenbean]

Hmm,

The best LED I've ran in the past was the MD10 from Gene. Circumstances LED to it being out of my posession but I feel between the M3 and M3T/M4/M6 KT4 heads the M3 was not bad when it had an LED in it.

So much that I keep telling myself I need one of Tanas units for an extra M3 head I have!

But in all honesty I haven't yet broken one open and tried any of the offerings from Customlites.com either but want to. The dedicated reflectors smooth/OP with up to date LEDs are great, AND with UV and IR LEDs even better.

 

[mcm308]

Hmm,

The best LED I've ran in the past was the MD10 from Gene. Circumstances LED to it being out of my posession but I feel between the M3 and M3T/M4/M6 KT4 heads the M3 was not bad when it had an LED in it.

So much that I keep telling myself I need one of Tanas units for an extra M3 head I have!

But in all honesty I haven't yet broken one open and tried any of the offerings from Customlites.com either but want to. The dedicated reflectors smooth/OP with up to date LEDs are great, AND with UV and IR LEDs even better.

I dont like LEDs at all.. but I do like the unit in my M3. Wish I knew exactly what it is but I don't. It's a 3 mode with memory. And fits like a CustomLites, Replaces the reflector. It performs extremely well!

 

[Greenbean]

When you can throw up a pic or two. I'll bet someone here could identify it.

 

[mcm308]

 

[Greenbean]

Hmm,

I haven't a clue. Lol...

Do you have a bezel tool for the M3?