 February 16 2004
This is a light with a LuxeonV-Portable. The KL6 head can be attached to
a 9V type M3 and M6. My first impression was, 'Kinda long isn't it?', and
next 'Huge head!'. I also felt the design and color of the head and body
did not really go well together. This is probably because the head is rather
bland with few juts or recessions, but maybe because I have gotten used
to it, it doesn’t feel peculiar any more. Personally I like the style and
silhouette of the M3, so I may have anticipated too much of the L6 which
was said to be based on it.
The front outer most edge of the head has a wavy shape. When placed head down, it will keep you from forgetting to turn it off because you will see light seeping out from the crack. If you place an ordinary light head down it will become sealed and will trap the heat, especially for high powered lights. The wavy design of the L6 will help prevent that from happening. I noticed another thing when I did the run time tests. Owing to the large head, heat emission is efficient and this probably has a positive effect regarding bulb life.
The switch is the same click-on type as a L4, but a little softer. You have to press really hard on the L4 which is too stiff and I got a sore finger after repeatedly clicking it. The L6 does not have that problem and is easier to use. Of course, twisting the tail cap and locking it out will prevent the light from turning on when carrying.
The emitted light is flawless and very nice. A well focused beam from the deep reflector (though only slightly, it seems better focused than the L5 which was released at the same time) has a sufficient throw, and can replace powerful filament type lights such as the Scorpion, M2 or E2e. The runtime is extraordinary. It's wonderful that the initial brightness is kept for about 1.5 hours, but the way it dims by 'dwindling away' is especially nice. This 'dwindling away'(I measured 10lux after 15 hours) has a persistent feel compared to other Luxeon lights. Under some circumstances, a light like this may come in handy.
Though I think the L6 is an excellent light, the best or second best among the Surefire product line with it's balance of brightness and runtime, it can be said that the running cost of using 3 CR123As is expensive and uneconomic from a general view. Unless for applications where full power brightness is constantly necessary, in many cases a dimmer light may be enough. The light's potentials may have been reached if it had a mechanism to lower the brightness and increase the runtime (like the 2 level L1, or about a 3 level brightness changing function).
Overall, build quality and texture is what you expect from Surefire and good, but it is rather long and heavy, and from the price tag too, it is not a light you can recommend to everybody. Considering factors of brightness and runtime, at the moment it is the best commercially available light among the 5W type Luxeon lights. If you are insistent on performance, this light may be very attractive.
This review has been written by evaluating my own L6 and the LED built into it. Please read this upon understanding that LED colors and brightness vary with each unit.
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