SureFire Miscellaneous Lights
By: Frank Borelli, September 2003
So far we've looked at the Executive series and the impressive M6. This week we're going to look at four SureFires that run the gamut from low-cost decent-performance to medium-cost high-performance. The lights we're going to examine, in order, are the M3 Turbo Millenium; the Z2 and Z3 Combat lights; and the G2 Nitrolon.
Starting with the SureFire M3Turbo Millenium, or M3T for short, we find a nine volt flashlight with several familiar features. As we found with the M6, the M3T has a shock-isolated bezel and lap assembly increasing its ability to withstand the repeated recoil impact of combat caliber long arms. The flashlight body is machined from aerospace-grade aluminum and coated with the military specification Type III hard-anodized finish. The 2.5" TurboHead reflector is prefocused and designed to concentrate the beam for longer-range applications. One thing you have to be careful of, however, is that the TurboHead creates a much larger circle of ambient light - that is the light "halo" that is projected around the focused hot-spot of the beam. That ambient light circle diameter is easy to ignore in high stress situations where you're focusing on unknown risk areas, and as a result you can unintentionally back-light your partner in it.
With the standard lamp assembly, the M3T puts out 125 lumens of light for more than an hour, and with an included upgraded lamp assembly, 225 lumens for about twenty minutes. SureFire claims that 225 lumens of light is approximately fifteen times the amount of light put out by a standard 2 D-cell flashlight. I don't have the necessary tools to measure light output so that I can verify that claim, but I can tell you that this is one intensely bright light. With the high-output lamp assembly, and projected 225 lumens, the M3T is producing almost as much light as the standard lamp equipped M6 - and in a much smaller, easier to carry package. Just like the bigger M6 and the Executive flashlights we looked at previously, the M3T has its on/off switch in the tail end. Twist it all the way in (clockwise) for permanent on. Twist it back a little (counter-clockwise) for touch-on capability and back just a little farther still to disengage the touch-on button. As noted before this prevents accidental discharges of the flashlight and keeps it from heating you up if it's activated unintentionally.
In answer to the contemporary demand for LED technology based flashlights, SureFire manufactures the KL2 Premium LED Conversion Head for their M3 lights. The KL2 produces 27 lumens of light - SureFire claims that this is more than a standard 2 D-cell flashlight - out of nineteen 5mm LEDs. Recognizing that the LED head produces much less light than the standard lamp assembly, one also has to recognize that the major benefit is run time. The longer run time, even accepting the lower light output, might make the LED head more desirable for low-risk applications. I wouldn't want to give up a high output lamp for building searches or suspect encounters, but for camping? Sure. I'll put on that LED head and use the flashlight for a lot longer period of time without having to replace the batteries.
Two final things on the M3T: There is a polymer "rubber" ring around it just forward of the base / tail cap. This ring allows shooters to hold the flashlight with their middle and index fingers on either side of the light body, forward of the ring, with the tail cap pressing into the meat of their palm - their palm heal if you will. By holding the flashlight in this fashion, you can pull the light into your palm, activating it by putting pressure on the tail cap. Several experienced operators I know favor this as a shooting technique for low-light situations. I can do it but it's not my preference. Second point: SureFire makes a polymer holster for carrying this, and other similarly designed, flashlight(s) on a gunbelt or other equipment bearing system. The holster is made to hold the flashlight bezel up and is quite tight. It often takes me a bit of tugging and pulling to get my flashlight out of the holster. Since it's polymer I don't expect it to be like a leather holster, loosening up as it gets broken in. Instead, I expect it to stay just as secure - which means I'll have to practice drawing the flashlight. Not a bad idea for any operator.
Next on our list are the Z2 and Z3 Combat Lights. The operational features on these flashlights is identical with the differences being battery capacity, length and light output. The Z2, according to SureFire, is standard issue for the FBI, Air Marshals and numerous other police departments. If my agency issued a high-dollar combat light (anything over $30 is "high dollar for a lot of municipal agencies) I'd recommend the Z2 as a minimum starting point. Made of the same aerospace-grade aluminum as the M3 and M6, the Z2 is powered by two lithium 123A batteries and projects 65 lumens for one hour. As an option, you can purchase a higher output lamp that will produce 120 lumens for approximately twenty minutes. The Z2 is equipped with the same (operationally) on/off switch assembly as the M3T and sports the same polymer/rubber ring for in the palm use. SureFire manufactures a polymer holster very similar to that for the M3T that allows carrying the Z2 and Z3 bezel up OR down - operator's choice.
The Z3 uses three (go figure) lithium 123A batteries and, with its standard lamp assembly, produces 105 lumens of light for one hour. With an upgraded lamp assembly, the Z3 can put out 200 lumens for twenty minutes. That's fairly close to the M3T but in an easier to carry package because the Z3 bezel is only 1.25" in diameter - half that of the 2.5" M3T TurboHead. However, should you really need or desire the "turbo" feature, SureFire manufactures a turbohead converstion unit for the Z3. Once again, the turbohead conversion is prefocused to permit operations and threat identification at longer distances. The turbohead conversion kit includes the head itself, an adapter and the upgraded lamp assembly required.
That brings us to the G2. The SureFire G2 Nitrolon flashlight is manufactured out of a SureFire-proprietary polymer compound they named Nitrolon. It is quite light, non-conductive and allegedly corrosion proof. I only say "allegedly" because to me, "corrosion proof" means it will never corrode. Never is a long time and I've seen how law enforcement or military special operators treat their equipment. While this is usually a little better than average operators, never is still along time to believe something will hold up.
Less than five inches long, the G2 puts out the same light as the Z2: 65 lumens for an hour, or 105 lumens for twenty minutes. It should be noted that the G2 is NOT equipped with the lock-out tail cap feature of the other evaluated flashlights. It can easily be accidentally activated and it's lamp gets just as warm! You find that out if it's in your back pocket and you're driving down the road with the button pushed without your knowledge. You start to wonder why the seat of your pants is getting so hot... The G2 can be had in black, yellow or OD green shown here. That offers just a little more variety than black or anodized gray and the bright yellow is perfect for some rescue applications.
The G2 is powered by two lithium 123A batteries but can converted to a rechargeable flashlight by purchasing the KR1 conversion kit. The rechargeable conversion kit includes both AC and DC rapid charger systems, a Ni-Cad battery and a body extending adaptor. Recognize that this makes the flashlight longer, which may equate to less convenient depending on your preferred carry method, and less predictable for light output. As the battery starts to die the light may dim slowly or just drop off to nothing.
I know that my write-ups on the SureFire flashlights have seemed fairly straight forward and to the point. "This is what they are and this is what they do." What I haven't conveyed is that I'm fairly impressed with all of these flashlights. I personally own an E1, two E2s (one is my wife's pocket light), a G2, a Z2, a Z3, an M3T and an M6. I use the E1 with a blue filter for night qualifications on the range. As the instructor, I avoid damaging my shooters' night vision. My gunbelt has holsters for the Z3 and the M3T. The M3T is my primary duty light with the Z3 as my backup. The M6 is reserved for what I consider true tactical operations (there is a pocket for it on my vest), and the Z2, as well as the G2, are pretty much household flashlights for me. My E2 goes with me everyday as discussed previously.
By: Frank Borelli, September 2003
So far we've looked at the Executive series and the impressive M6. This week we're going to look at four SureFires that run the gamut from low-cost decent-performance to medium-cost high-performance. The lights we're going to examine, in order, are the M3 Turbo Millenium; the Z2 and Z3 Combat lights; and the G2 Nitrolon.
Starting with the SureFire M3Turbo Millenium, or M3T for short, we find a nine volt flashlight with several familiar features. As we found with the M6, the M3T has a shock-isolated bezel and lap assembly increasing its ability to withstand the repeated recoil impact of combat caliber long arms. The flashlight body is machined from aerospace-grade aluminum and coated with the military specification Type III hard-anodized finish. The 2.5" TurboHead reflector is prefocused and designed to concentrate the beam for longer-range applications. One thing you have to be careful of, however, is that the TurboHead creates a much larger circle of ambient light - that is the light "halo" that is projected around the focused hot-spot of the beam. That ambient light circle diameter is easy to ignore in high stress situations where you're focusing on unknown risk areas, and as a result you can unintentionally back-light your partner in it.
With the standard lamp assembly, the M3T puts out 125 lumens of light for more than an hour, and with an included upgraded lamp assembly, 225 lumens for about twenty minutes. SureFire claims that 225 lumens of light is approximately fifteen times the amount of light put out by a standard 2 D-cell flashlight. I don't have the necessary tools to measure light output so that I can verify that claim, but I can tell you that this is one intensely bright light. With the high-output lamp assembly, and projected 225 lumens, the M3T is producing almost as much light as the standard lamp equipped M6 - and in a much smaller, easier to carry package. Just like the bigger M6 and the Executive flashlights we looked at previously, the M3T has its on/off switch in the tail end. Twist it all the way in (clockwise) for permanent on. Twist it back a little (counter-clockwise) for touch-on capability and back just a little farther still to disengage the touch-on button. As noted before this prevents accidental discharges of the flashlight and keeps it from heating you up if it's activated unintentionally.
In answer to the contemporary demand for LED technology based flashlights, SureFire manufactures the KL2 Premium LED Conversion Head for their M3 lights. The KL2 produces 27 lumens of light - SureFire claims that this is more than a standard 2 D-cell flashlight - out of nineteen 5mm LEDs. Recognizing that the LED head produces much less light than the standard lamp assembly, one also has to recognize that the major benefit is run time. The longer run time, even accepting the lower light output, might make the LED head more desirable for low-risk applications. I wouldn't want to give up a high output lamp for building searches or suspect encounters, but for camping? Sure. I'll put on that LED head and use the flashlight for a lot longer period of time without having to replace the batteries.
Two final things on the M3T: There is a polymer "rubber" ring around it just forward of the base / tail cap. This ring allows shooters to hold the flashlight with their middle and index fingers on either side of the light body, forward of the ring, with the tail cap pressing into the meat of their palm - their palm heal if you will. By holding the flashlight in this fashion, you can pull the light into your palm, activating it by putting pressure on the tail cap. Several experienced operators I know favor this as a shooting technique for low-light situations. I can do it but it's not my preference. Second point: SureFire makes a polymer holster for carrying this, and other similarly designed, flashlight(s) on a gunbelt or other equipment bearing system. The holster is made to hold the flashlight bezel up and is quite tight. It often takes me a bit of tugging and pulling to get my flashlight out of the holster. Since it's polymer I don't expect it to be like a leather holster, loosening up as it gets broken in. Instead, I expect it to stay just as secure - which means I'll have to practice drawing the flashlight. Not a bad idea for any operator.
Next on our list are the Z2 and Z3 Combat Lights. The operational features on these flashlights is identical with the differences being battery capacity, length and light output. The Z2, according to SureFire, is standard issue for the FBI, Air Marshals and numerous other police departments. If my agency issued a high-dollar combat light (anything over $30 is "high dollar for a lot of municipal agencies) I'd recommend the Z2 as a minimum starting point. Made of the same aerospace-grade aluminum as the M3 and M6, the Z2 is powered by two lithium 123A batteries and projects 65 lumens for one hour. As an option, you can purchase a higher output lamp that will produce 120 lumens for approximately twenty minutes. The Z2 is equipped with the same (operationally) on/off switch assembly as the M3T and sports the same polymer/rubber ring for in the palm use. SureFire manufactures a polymer holster very similar to that for the M3T that allows carrying the Z2 and Z3 bezel up OR down - operator's choice.
The Z3 uses three (go figure) lithium 123A batteries and, with its standard lamp assembly, produces 105 lumens of light for one hour. With an upgraded lamp assembly, the Z3 can put out 200 lumens for twenty minutes. That's fairly close to the M3T but in an easier to carry package because the Z3 bezel is only 1.25" in diameter - half that of the 2.5" M3T TurboHead. However, should you really need or desire the "turbo" feature, SureFire manufactures a turbohead converstion unit for the Z3. Once again, the turbohead conversion is prefocused to permit operations and threat identification at longer distances. The turbohead conversion kit includes the head itself, an adapter and the upgraded lamp assembly required.
That brings us to the G2. The SureFire G2 Nitrolon flashlight is manufactured out of a SureFire-proprietary polymer compound they named Nitrolon. It is quite light, non-conductive and allegedly corrosion proof. I only say "allegedly" because to me, "corrosion proof" means it will never corrode. Never is a long time and I've seen how law enforcement or military special operators treat their equipment. While this is usually a little better than average operators, never is still along time to believe something will hold up.
Less than five inches long, the G2 puts out the same light as the Z2: 65 lumens for an hour, or 105 lumens for twenty minutes. It should be noted that the G2 is NOT equipped with the lock-out tail cap feature of the other evaluated flashlights. It can easily be accidentally activated and it's lamp gets just as warm! You find that out if it's in your back pocket and you're driving down the road with the button pushed without your knowledge. You start to wonder why the seat of your pants is getting so hot... The G2 can be had in black, yellow or OD green shown here. That offers just a little more variety than black or anodized gray and the bright yellow is perfect for some rescue applications.
The G2 is powered by two lithium 123A batteries but can converted to a rechargeable flashlight by purchasing the KR1 conversion kit. The rechargeable conversion kit includes both AC and DC rapid charger systems, a Ni-Cad battery and a body extending adaptor. Recognize that this makes the flashlight longer, which may equate to less convenient depending on your preferred carry method, and less predictable for light output. As the battery starts to die the light may dim slowly or just drop off to nothing.
I know that my write-ups on the SureFire flashlights have seemed fairly straight forward and to the point. "This is what they are and this is what they do." What I haven't conveyed is that I'm fairly impressed with all of these flashlights. I personally own an E1, two E2s (one is my wife's pocket light), a G2, a Z2, a Z3, an M3T and an M6. I use the E1 with a blue filter for night qualifications on the range. As the instructor, I avoid damaging my shooters' night vision. My gunbelt has holsters for the Z3 and the M3T. The M3T is my primary duty light with the Z3 as my backup. The M6 is reserved for what I consider true tactical operations (there is a pocket for it on my vest), and the Z2, as well as the G2, are pretty much household flashlights for me. My E2 goes with me everyday as discussed previously.
