SureFire
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2007) |
| SureFire Logo | |
| Company type | Limited Liability Company |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1969 [1] |
| Founder | Dr. John Mathews [1] |
| Headquarters | , |
| Products | flashlights, weapon-mounted lights, edged weapons, laser sights, sound suppressors and Picatinny Rail |
| Website | surefire.com |
SureFire is a Southern California-based company that produces precision tactical flashlights commonly used in the law enforcement and military fields. SureFire flashlights are also popular in the civilian market for personal, occupational, and self-defense purposes. The lights are often seen in TV shows and movies, such as the television show CSI.
SureFire produces flashlights of widely varying sizes and power outputs. These range from the tiny Titan to the hand-held M6 Guardian. Surefire also produces military weapon lights such as the Hellfire weapon-mounted searchlight for the M2HB machine gun or Mk 44 Minigun. One of SureFire's most popular products is the 6P Original. It is roughly the length of a an AA Maglite Mini-Mag, but produces roughly twice the output of a typical three D-cell incandescent flashlight. The Z2 tactical light, which has similar performance, is standard issue to the FBI and U.S. Marshals Service.
SureFire models range from single-cell xenon lights to a large 20-cell HID model (also available with a rechargeable solution). Models employing an incandescent bulb offer the option of a brighter bulb (albeit at the cost of reduced battery life). They also produce a line of LED flashlights which include features such as electronically-controlled power regulation (allowing them to run in both 6 volt and 9 volt bodies and with less battery power than necessary to light an incandescent bulb) and multiple levels of brightness. The company has moved from the Lumileds Luxeon LEDs to the more efficient Cree XR-E LEDs in some of the 2007 models. SureFire LED flashlights often have improved run time versus their incandescent lights of similar output
Most of their flashlights are powered by lithium CR123A batteries that allow for compact size and low weight while offering high power output. SureFire produce their own brand of CR123As. Some of the flashlights are available with rechargeable battery packs.
SureFire flashlights are primarily made of aluminum, usually mil-spec type II or III hard anodized finish in various colors. Some less expensive models are made from Nitrolon, a proprietary impact-resistant, non-conductive, glass-reinforced polymer.
SureFire flashlights are waterproof and have various accessories, including red (night), blue (blood trail) and infrared (night vision compatible) filters, beam diffusers, beam covers, lanyards, pouches/holsters and spare battery/bulb carriers.
Weapon attachments
In addition to flashlights, the company produces dedicated Weaponlights employing either a shock-protected tungsten filament bulb assembly or LEDs to address recoil issues. The Weaponlights are available for shotguns (Remington 870, Benelli Super 90, Mossberg 500 / 590 in full-size and 14" barrel versions), Heckler & Koch MP-5 and MP-5K submachine guns, carbines / assault rifles (AR-15/M-16, M-4, Ruger AC-556, AK-47/AK-74/AKM, and Steyr AUG), and handguns (with integral Picatinny rails; for those pistols not having an integral rail, SureFire produces a series of rail mounts designed by famed Weaponsmith Timothy F. Lafrance).
SureFire also produces sound suppressors for firearms in the 5.56 mm, 6.8mm and 7.62 mm calibers, tactical communication earpieces, visible and infrared laser modules, and what it calls "Combat/Utility" knives intended to eliminate the necessity of carrying both a folding knife and a Leatherman / Gerber multi-tool.
History
SureFire began as a laser weapon-sight company, Laser Products, Inc. Presently based out of Fountain Valley, California, SureFire remains an innovator in the flashlight industry and continues to be the biggest supplier of flashlights to the U.S. Armed Forces. The flashlights seen mounted on the fore ends of M-4 carbines and M-16 rifles carried by U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq are almost all SureFire products. SureFire products are also extensively used by Federal, State and Local law-enforcement agencies. Most SWAT team employing shotguns and the popular Heckler & Koch MP-5 submachine gun use SureFire lights, and the company continues to make a variety of dedicated tactical lights built into replacement firearms available for various popular riot shotguns. SureFire products are also employed by British special operations forces (i.e., SAS and SBS).
The SureFire began to received heightened media attention in connection with Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales, who uses a SureFire M6 Guardian. The New York Times reported on October 13, 2006 that Wales "keeps his M6 on his bedside table not as a weapon but in case he, you know, needs a flashlight." Wales was quoted as saying that "It’s really, really, really, really bright... Anyone who tries to one-up me with their fancy car or whatever, I’ve got ’em. I say, ‘Well, I have a brighter flashlight.’"[2] In a later article profiling Wales, the Times listed the M6 as Wales's "prized possession," quoting him as saying:
The SureFire M6, a super-powerful flashlight. I wanted a brighter flashlight and discovered a subcommunity of flashlight people online, and found that this is the ultimate. It is aesthetically pleasing because it is carved out of aluminum and is very small. It costs 400 bucks.
— Jimmy Wales, The Encyclopedist's Lair
Index of flashlights
| Name | Performance (lm) |
Runtime | # of CR123A Lithium Batteries | Length | Weight | Bezel Diameter | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery-Powered Xenon Flashlights | |||||||
| E1E Executive Elite | 15 | 1.5 Hours | One | 3.4" | 2.2 oz | 1" | |
| E2E Executive Elite | 60 | 1.25 Hours | Two | 4.8" | 3.1 oz | 1" | |
| E2D Executive Defender | 60 | 1.25 Hours | Two | 4.9" | 3.2 oz | 1" | |
| G2 Nitrolon | 65 | 1 Hour | Two | 5.1" | 4.1 oz | 1.25 | |
| C2 Centurion | 65 | 1 Hour | Two | 5.1" | 5.3 oz | 1.25" | |
| G2Z CombatLight | 65 | 1 Hour | Two | 5.2" | 4.1 oz | 1.25" | |
| 6P Original | 65 | 1 Hour | Two | 5.2" | 5.3 oz | 1.25" | |
| Z2 Combatlight | 65 | 1 Hour | Two | 5.2" | 4.8 oz | 1.25" | |
| A2 Aviator (xenon) | 50 | 1 Hour | Two | 5.5" | 4.1 oz | 1.13" | |
| 6P Defender | 65 | 1 Hour | Two | 5.5" | 5.3 oz | 1.25" | |
| M2 Centurion | 65 | 1 Hour | Two | 5.6" | 5.8 oz | 1.47" | |
| C3 Centurion | 105 | 1 Hour | Three | 6.5" | 6.7 oz | 1.25" | |
| 9P Original | 105 | 1 Hour | Three | 6.5" | 6.5 oz | 1.25" | |
| M3 CombatLight | 125/225 | 1 Hour/20 Min | Three | 7.3" | 7.0 oz | 1.62" | |
| M6 Guardian | 250/500 | 1 Hour/20 Min | Six | 7.9" | 15.9 oz | 2.5" | |
| M3 Turbo Combatlight | 125/225 | 1 Hour/20 Min | Three | 7.9" | 9.8 oz | 2.5" | |
| M4 Devastator | 225/350 | 1 Hour/20 Min | Four | 9.15" | 11.6 oz | 2.5" | |
| Battery-Powered LED Flashlights | |||||||
| Titan | 0-65 (variable) | 2-50 Hours | One CR2 lithium | 3.15" | 1.9 oz | 0.75" | |
| E1L Outdoorsman | 30 | 10 Hours | One | 3.75" | 3.5 oz | 1" | |
| E1B Backup | 5/80 | 1.3/37 Hours | One | 4.00" | 2.80 oz | 1" | |
| L1 LumaMax | 10/65 | 1.5/16 Hours | One | 4.6" | 2.9 oz | 1" | |
| L4 Lumamax | 100 | 2.5 Hours | Two | 5.05" | 3.4 oz | 1" | |
| E2L Outdoorsman | 3/60 | 11/100 Hours | Two | 5.25" | 3.5 oz | 1" | |
| G2L (G2 LED) | 80 | 12 Hours | Two | 5.15" | 4.1 oz | 1.25" | |
| 6PL (6P LED) | 80 | 11 Hours | Two | 5.0" | 5.2 oz | 1.25" | |
| KROMA | White:50/Blue:3.4/Red:6.3 | 1.5/80/8 Hours | Two | 5.5" | 4.9 oz | 1.47" | |
| A2 Aviator (LED) | 3 | 20 Hours | Two | 5.6" | 4.1 oz | 1.13" | |
| L2 LumaMax | 15/100 | 18/1 Hours | Two | 6.06" | 4.2 oz | 1" | |
| U2 Ultra | 2 to 100 | 40+ Hours | Two | 6.13" | 5.7 oz | 1.47" | |
| L5 LumaMax | 100 | 3 Hours | Two | 6.10" | 7.2 oz | 1.47" | |
| L6 LumaMax | 100 | 4 Hours | Three | 7.74" | 8.4 oz | 1.62" | |
| Rechargeable Xenon Flashlights | |||||||
| 8AX Commander | 110 | 50 Min | 6.9" | 9.7 oz | 1.47" | ||
| 8NX Commander | 110 | 50 Min | 7.0" | 8.0 oz | 1.47" | ||
| 9AN Commander | 20/140 | 2 Hours/40 Min | 7.9" | 12.8 oz | 1.62" | ||
| 10X Dominator | 60/500 | 3 Hours/20 Min | 9.5" | 20.0 oz | 2.5" | ||
| Rechargeable LED Flashlights | |||||||
| L7 LumaMax Kit | 100 | 2.5 Hours | 7.9" | 11.3 oz | 1.47" | ||
| Limited Edition Flashlights | |||||||
| The Beast II | HID:2000/LED:12 | 1.5 Hours/20 Hours | Twenty | 15.5" | 72.0 oz | 4" | |
See also
Notes
- ^ a b https://www.surefire.com/surefire/press_center/pdf/Fact-Sheet.pdf SureFire fact sheet
- ^ Colman, David, Industrial Art Illuminates Life, New York Times, October 13, 2006
External links
- SureFire
- SureFire lumens/gram — 'SureFire/Maglite comparison chart showing lumen output per gram'