# Trusty Surefire 9NT



## lute (Aug 7, 2010)

Been using my 9NT for must be 15 years or so; pretty much on a nightly basis to check the horses that are turned out in pastures on the farm.
Need to replace the battery sticks I made up a few years ago. Back then I used GP 3300's. What would be a good replacement brand and capacity for the SC's? 

And what would be a good backup for my 9NT; something equivalent in size but maybe a little better at sweeping across a five or ten acre pasture.
Thanks.


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## Brigadier (Aug 9, 2010)

lute said:


> Been using my 9NT for must be 15 years or so; pretty much on a nightly basis to check the horses that are turned out in pastures on the farm.
> Need to replace the battery sticks I made up a few years ago. Back then I used GP 3300's. What would be a good replacement brand and capacity for the SC's?
> 
> And what would be a good backup for my 9NT; something equivalent in size but maybe a little better at sweeping across a five or ten acre pasture.
> Thanks.


 
I use these in my 9AN commanders:

http://www.batteryspace.com/flashlightbattery36v3300mahnimhsticksurefire9b8axandl7lights.aspx








As for a backup - do you want rechargeable?


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## lute (Aug 9, 2010)

Thanks for the reply and the link.
I was not aware of the scope of my ignorance until I spent some hours going through the archives. Back when I got the 9NT it was the hot setup and now seems to be something of a fossil. 
I like it because it's incan, a good size, rechargeable, and has a low beam and a high beam. So it would be nice to have those features in an upgraded package. And sourcing parts and assembling it could of course prove addictive.


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## PCC (Aug 10, 2010)

My cousin gave me his old Surefire 9N some time ago. One of the B90 battery packs was DOA and the second died a few months later. I ended up having an M to 9N adapter made for it and have installed an LED turbo head on it. It's powered by two 18650 Li-Ion batteries. I get a super tight beam, low, medium, and a high of about 270 lumens and run times measured in hours in medium or low. High is good for a little bit over an hour. I'm looking to upgrade the light engine on this one so that number should go up, which is one of the great things about LEDs: easy upgrades. I still have all the parts to convert this one back to original condition, but, why would I?


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## Chrontius (Aug 10, 2010)

The 9NT is a fossil only that LEDs have finally caught up with it and are getting all the marketing money. If the 9NT still does the job, keep it. 

If it doesn't do the job, send it to me and I'll put it to work. 

Seriously, a good-sized incan rechargeable with a low beam? It's down to the Surefire 9 series and the 10X Dominator; what passes for a low beam there is still pretty high, (either 65 or 120 lumens) and although the high beam is monstrous (500 Surefire lumens, or 900 torch lumens hot off the charger, I think) it only runs for 20 minutes.

Your 9NT is timeless - there is nothing else on the market that does what it can, other than the 9ANT, and that doesn't throw a beam as far.




PCC said:


> My cousin gave me his old Surefire 9N some time ago. One of the B90 battery packs was DOA and the second died a few months later. I ended up having an M to 9N adapter made for it and have installed an LED turbo head on it. It's powered by two 18650 Li-Ion batteries. I get a super tight beam, low, medium, and a high of about 270 lumens and run times measured in hours in medium or low. High is good for a little bit over an hour. I'm looking to upgrade the light engine on this one so that number should go up, which is one of the great things about LEDs: easy upgrades. I still have all the parts to convert this one back to original condition, but, why would I?



Because someone made a single lithium ion cell that fits in place of the old B90? Triple the runtime and a better discharge curve?


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## Kestrel (Aug 10, 2010)

lute said:


> [...] And sourcing parts and assembling it could of course prove addictive.


LOL, *isn't this the truth*, from the lowly SF G2 all the way to the M6... 

Edit: BTW, check out PCC's thread on his 9N if you have a chance. Good stuff.


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## ebow86 (Aug 10, 2010)

Chrontius said:


> The 9NT is a fossil only that LEDs have finally caught up with it and are getting all the marketing money. If the 9NT still does the job, keep it.
> 
> If it doesn't do the job, send it to me and I'll put it to work.
> 
> ...


 

Lol, I have a 10X dominator and although the 500 lumens rating is pretty conservative, I think claiming 900 torch lumens is pushing it a bit far. And as far as surefire's 20 minute rating, the 10X dosen't run near that, more along the lines of 13 to 15 minutes. That's how long mine has consistently run, new, and also after it returned from surefire with a brand new battery pack after repair. Still a fantastic light though, most likely the greatest rechargable incan (from the factory) ever made. I know guys, way off topic, sorry.


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## PCC (Aug 10, 2010)

Chrontius said:


> Because someone made a single lithium ion cell that fits in place of the old B90? Triple the runtime and a better discharge curve?


Really? I need to do a search for this. I don't hate incandescent lights (if I did I wouldn't even bother surfing this section). I hate the short run times I get from them.



Kestrel said:


> BTW, check out PCC's thread on his 9N if you have a chance. Good stuff.


Thanks! I have to admit that I'm quite happy with that light as it is right now. It's not the brightest light out there and it doesn't have the longest run time but it feels great in my hands, has a terrific balance, and throws a nice, albeit ringy, beam from the SMO reflector. It's just a bit too big to EDC, though I have tried it a few times in my back pack.


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## Chrontius (Aug 10, 2010)

ebow86 said:


> Lol, I have a 10X dominator and although the 500 lumens rating is pretty conservative, I think claiming 900 torch lumens is pushing it a bit far.



Paul Kim personally put the mighty M6 at about 900 lumens on fresh cells, in a purely unofficial capacity.




PCC said:


> Really? I need to do a search for this. I don't hate incandescent lights (if I did I wouldn't even bother surfing this section). I hate the short run times I get from them.


I invented the concept myself. Perhaps AW would be willing to stretch out his IMR 26500?




PCC said:


> Thanks! I have to admit that I'm quite happy with that light as it is right now. It's not the brightest light out there and it doesn't have the longest run time but it feels great in my hands, has a terrific balance, and throws a nice, albeit ringy, beam from the SMO reflector. It's just a bit too big to EDC, though I have tried it a few times in my back pack.


You described the 8-series spot on there. Feels great in the hand, perfect balance, and too big for a pocket. I've also been known to stuff one in a water-bottle pocket from time to time.

I'm putting my money where my mouth is, though - I just ordered myself a good old 9N - now I need to track down a cradle charger. Or preferably one working one and a fried one, the latter to be gutted and turned into a li-ion compatible cradle.


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## Chrontius (Aug 10, 2010)

130 mm long by 23 wide. Maybe that's not such a perfect fit as I'd hoped.

Internally, 24.1mm wide on two of my 8-series lights.

This may be a place to start: http://www.batteryspace.com/LiMnNi-Rechargeable-22650M-Cell-3.7V-2000-mAh-2.0A-rated-7.4Wh-0.6.aspx


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## Monocrom (Aug 11, 2010)

Chrontius said:


> Paul Kim personally put the mighty M6 at about 900 lumens on fresh cells, in a purely unofficial capacity.


 
Hate to say it, but if that's true; a certain recently-released SF model is pumping out significantly more than 900 lumens out the front on fresh cells. Compared it against my own M6 w/ MN21 and six fresh SF primaries a few weeks ago. (MN21 had literally seconds of use put through it before the test.) The difference was very noticeable. But that other light is an LED.

So instead, I'll just say that I have a 9AN. And in stock form, it is indeed a fossil. :sigh:


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## ebow86 (Aug 11, 2010)

Chrontius said:


> Paul Kim personally put the mighty M6 at about 900 lumens on fresh cells, in a purely unofficial capacity.
> 
> 
> Yeah I sure would like to see a link. If that M6 was putting out 900 lumens I don't see it being stock. I just don't see how 900 OTF is possible in stock form.
> ...


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## ebow86 (Aug 11, 2010)

Monocrom said:


> Hate to say it, but if that's true; a certain recently-released SF model is pumping out significantly more than 900 lumens out the front on fresh cells. Compared it against my own M6 w/ MN21 and six fresh SF primaries a few weeks ago. (MN21 had literally seconds of use put through it before the test.) The difference was very noticeable. But that other light is an LED.
> 
> So instead, I'll just say that I have a 9AN. And in stock form, it is indeed a fossil. :sigh:


 

What surefire LED are you talking about, the M3LT?


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## Monocrom (Aug 11, 2010)

Yup.

M3LT.


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## Brigadier (Aug 12, 2010)

Going camping at a family reunion this weekend. It is on a farm with plenty of open spaces. I will be taking both my 9AN and 9ANT[pictured above] to play with. Looking forward to being able to see how far "140" lumens with a turbohead reaches.


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## carrot (Aug 12, 2010)

I could have sworn that js (a member and moderator here) once made a battery stick for this light.


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## ebow86 (Aug 12, 2010)

Brigadier said:


> Going camping at a family reunion this weekend. It is on a farm with plenty of open spaces. I will be taking both my 9AN and 9ANT[pictured above] to play with. Looking forward to being able to see how far "140" lumens with a turbohead reaches.


 

Not sure about the 9AN turbo but I know my G3 turbo, at 125 lumens, 15 less than the 9AN, throws very far. I love love to comapir these 2 lights some day but unforuntaly I don't own a commander


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## ebow86 (Aug 12, 2010)

Sorry to bring this up again, not to keep draging it on but I would really like to see the link where this paul kim rated the M6 at 900 lumens. Granted I'm not the best searcher but I can't seem to find the post anywhere, anyone have the link? Thanks


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## Student99 (Aug 12, 2010)

carrot said:


> I could have sworn that js (a member and moderator here) once made a battery stick for this light.



Silverfox made me a couple of packs for my 9N.


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## Brigadier (Aug 15, 2010)

OK, just got home from camping. Tried out the 9ANT last night - @ about 1AM.

For 140 lumens, it lights up alot of real estate way out there.

Checked the distance from where I was standing to the treeline I was illuminating on Google Earth - 220 yards. I am very pleased with my measley '140 lumen' incan turbohead..


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