# Surefire 6L incandescent lamp assembly, made for Surefire 6/6C?



## ampdude (Aug 31, 2011)

I happened across a couple of these in package and I was wondering if anyone had ever heard of these before? I couldn't even find any info on them on the web. It looks like late 80's packaging or about the same vintage as my Garbage Pail Kids. I wasn't aware these existed. I'm curious as to when and how long these were produced. Where the lettering normally says P60 or R60 there is red foam around one of them and slightly wider black rubber around the other. Looks like they were probably sold as accessories with a Surefire 6/6C.


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## ebow86 (Aug 31, 2011)

Mmm, interesting, any chance of a photo? I'm sure Al will be along shortly to give up the rundown.


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## ampdude (Aug 31, 2011)




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## ebow86 (Aug 31, 2011)

That was fast, can't say I've ever seen one of these before. Are these still factory sealed? I can't tell from the photographs. Can't wait to see what Size 15's has to say.


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## ampdude (Aug 31, 2011)

The one that is not labeled is still sealed, the labeled one is not, but I'm fairly confident that it's the original packaging.


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## ampdude (Aug 31, 2011)

I should add the bulbs both look like they are from P60 lamp assemblies as well. Not 9V or the higher output 6V (P61).

The reflectors are very light orange peel, like most earlier reflectors and would likely be fairly throwy as D26 lamps go. Both bulbs appear to be centered very good.


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## ebow86 (Sep 1, 2011)

Ampdude, I found this post for you here http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...Fires-Part-1&p=2898179&viewfull=1#post2898179 Notice the packging says " Model R60 replacement for 6L and 6LF" 

When I did a search for surefire R60 I found this http://www.opticsplanet.net/surefir...embly-for-6r-ni-cd-flashlight-system-r60.html

I believe those lamps you have may have been for the Surefire 6P running the nicad battery conversion, commonly known as a 6R, though I am not certain of this, just an educated guess.


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## ampdude (Sep 1, 2011)

ebow86 said:


> Ampdude, I found this post for you here http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...Fires-Part-1&p=2898179&viewfull=1#post2898179 Notice the packging says " Model R60 replacement for 6L and 6LF"
> 
> When I did a search for surefire R60 I found this http://www.opticsplanet.net/surefir...embly-for-6r-ni-cd-flashlight-system-r60.html
> 
> I believe those lamps you have may have been for the Surefire 6P running the nicad battery conversion, commonly known as a 6R, though I am not certain of this, just an educated guess.


 
The R60 was the lamp that came with the 6R, but it is basically interchangeable with the P60. I don't know if there were any slight variations between the R60 and the P60 back in the day to compensate for the nicad batteries they had back then, but I doubt it, as I've never had a problem running an R60 on two lithium cells. So I think it was basically a marketing thing. I've never heard of the 6LF either, but I'm guessing the 6LF is a later revision of the 6L. The 6L lamp being a replacement for nicad conversion might be true however if we can establish when the nicad conversions first came out. At this point, I'm still thinking it was an early 6C lamp though. But that's just MY guess. Thanks for the info!


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## ampdude (Sep 1, 2011)

Thinking again, maybe since the black rubber one is not labeled, it is maybe even a Surefire 6LF! I did a Google image search on "Surefire 6LF" and found a few pictures of Surefire 6C's, but no real info other than a couple CPF posts about people saying they had a Surefire 6C and a 6LF lamp assembly.

So I'm seriously starting to think the foam one is a 6L and the black rubber one is a 6LF. If so, that would be pretty cool!!!!


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## Size15's (Sep 2, 2011)

I can't add anything further. Any really old records I had vanished in the early 2000s when my hard drive crashed.

I've had a look back and around and it does appear that the 6L was the Lamp Assembly for the model 6/6C.

Is there a beam difference between the 6L and 6LF by any chance?


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## ampdude (Sep 2, 2011)

Finally took one out of the bag and upon closer inspection, they both have the plastic bottom, like the early lamps. What surprised me the most is that I realized the reflector is coated plastic. It has a couple minor scratches on the reflector, and I blew the dust out of it with a can of compressed air.

I put the red foam model 6L into my Brinkmann Maxfire and located a couple sets of half dead Surefire CR123A's. I put the first set in, ran it a few seconds, and it was surprisingly dim. I'd probably say about half as bright as an E1e on fresh batteries. So I put the other half dead set in, and basically the same thing. I had an E2e running an MN03 that was still very bright on these batteries, so both sets were far from dead. Anyways I managed to snap a photo without flash of it against the wall, and then a second later it flickered out and died. I pulled the lamp assembly out and the bulb is black.

The black rubber one which is possibly the "6LF" is still sealed, and I had planned to keep it that way, so I won't be able to get a beamshot of it. But the beam of this 6L kind of reminded me of a target. A bright center spot, a small dark circle around that and a bright halo around it, with not much sidespill. Kind of like a poorly focused Mag. The beamshot picture didn't come out very good, but it's all I got. The first time I turned it on, the beam was brighter and showed the characteristics I described better.


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## ebow86 (Sep 2, 2011)

What you describe sounds exactly like what is known to happen to lamps when there is a compromise in the lamp that allows the gases inside to escape. I suspect this is what happened here, I've heard other reports of it and they were a dead ringer to what you described. In any case, this is a very interesting thread, even more so since we seemed to have stumped the great surefire master himself Just teasing Al.


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## ampdude (Sep 2, 2011)

Yes, the other one which is still sealed, could indeed be very bright. But I doubt there are very many of these lamps floating around out there with the plastic base, still sealed in the package. So how bright it is and the beamshape will have to remain speculation, as will its status as a 6LF or just another variation of the 6L. Hopefully someone will come along with some additional information.


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## Size15's (Sep 3, 2011)

I wonder how much (if any?) performance has been lost due to 'old age' regardless of the lack of use?

Or perhaps this is such an old incandescent bulb that we are seeing just how far things have advanced over 2-3 decades since it's apparently this incandescent doesn't hold a candle to today's LEDs.


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## ampdude (Sep 3, 2011)

Just my guess, but from what I saw there was something wrong with the lamp from the start. The gases were probably already escaped and firing it up I got the inevitable result. I'd be willing to bet the sealed lamp assembly has performance similar to a current P60. But I could be wrong, maybe even the original plastic base allows the xenon & halogen to escape over time.. Perhaps that is why they went to ceramic bases, aside from durability and heat concerns.


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## ebow86 (Sep 3, 2011)

ampdude said:


> Just my guess, but from what I saw there was something wrong with the lamp from the start. The gases were probably already escaped and firing it up I got the inevitable result. I'd be willing to bet the sealed lamp assembly has performance similar to a current P60. But I could be wrong, maybe even the original plastic base allows the xenon & halogen to escape over time.. Perhaps that is why they went to ceramic bases, aside from durability and heat concerns.



I feel confident this is what happened, especially when you described and shown the lamp turning black like that. Even surefire's most primitive lamps would have been much brighter and whiter than your description. The blackened lamp is a dead give away IMO.


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## ampdude (Sep 28, 2011)

Does anyone know if Carley made these bulbs? Or the reflectors?


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## ampdude (Sep 28, 2011)

ebow86 said:


> I feel confident this is what happened, especially when you described and shown the lamp turning black like that. Even surefire's most primitive lamps would have been much brighter and whiter than your description. The blackened lamp is a dead give away IMO.


 
Yes early adopter people from the 80's always describe early Surefires as being incredibly bright and white. I can't imagine they could sell a $60+ light and $12 a set batteries back then (which was a hell of a lot of money in the late 80's) if it wasn't a lot brighter than a Maglite. Money was worth a lot more, you could get $.29 hamburgers at McDonalds on Wednesdays and $.39 cheeseburgers on Thursdays, people were paying 16% to 19% mortgages.


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## ampdude (Nov 28, 2012)

I did purchase a new in package R60 Laser Products and "Made in Mexico" marked R60 lamp with a green label recently. I was intrigued because I do not see many with the green label, mostly blue. But I found it appears to have the ceramic base. I am thinking this lamp is around 1998 or so vintage, while the 6L and 6PL lamps are around 1987 vintage. I did find a post here where the poster mentioned a "6PL" lamp with his Surefire 6C that looks nothing like either of mine.


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## SG688 (Dec 5, 2012)

I'm not able to visit here as much as I would like lately.

My ca. 1989 6P with original plastic base 6LF lamp, still pumping 60 lumens.

(The 6LF was rated at 60 lumens. The P60 was an upgrade to 65.)


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## SG688 (Dec 5, 2012)

R60 circa 1995 purchased from Galls, who sent this instead of a P60.

"Replaces 6L & 6LF"


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## ampdude (Dec 6, 2012)

SG688 said:


> R60 circa 1995 purchased from Galls, who sent this instead of a P60.



Does this have the Made in Mexico markings? I'm assuming not, but just to be sure. It seems all the Mexican manufactured lamps (or polished anyways) were done in the late 90's or so.

At least that's the gist I'm getting from most of the ones I've seen now. There obviously could have been other times it was done.

Here's a couple pictures of mine:


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## SG688 (Dec 6, 2012)

ampdude said:


> Does this have the Made in Mexico markings? ...



I don't think it did, but I don't have it anymore, so can't check.


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## SG688 (Dec 6, 2012)

Larger photo of my 6LF -- assuming it actually is a 6LF. It has no markings. I just looked to be sure.






In an impish mood, I asked the reps at the Surefire booth at the NRA convention if I could get a replacement for my 6LF module. 

Neither one had any idea what it was.


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## ampdude (Dec 7, 2012)

SG688 said:


> In an impish mood, I asked the reps at the Surefire booth at the NRA convention if I could get a replacement for my 6LF module.
> 
> Neither one had any idea what it was.



Haha, not surprised. Though sometimes it depends on who you talk to there. Some people know everything from nuts and bolts and the next guy probably never heard of a C2L.


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