True Stories

After years of using a bulky MagLite, I finally purchased a SureFire 9P® Original with a high-output lamp. Being a pilot, I enjoy the high output of the light for preflight inspections.

After taking off at 10:00 p.m. on a dark Saturday night with no moon, I had a complete electrical system failure. My panel went black and all of my aircraft lights went out. I quickly grabbed my 9P from my pilot bag and wedged it on the dash so it pointed out the Cessna's window. After I landed, one of the control tower personnel said my light was the brightest aircraft light he'd seen in a while. When I pulled out my 9P and told him that was what he'd seen, he was in total disbelief.

Now I own a SureFire 9P, M6, E1L, and L1. Thanks for making such solid equipment, SureFire.

Charles S.
Villa Park, CA

One night I responded to a burglary in progress on the roof of a closed pharmacy. The drug addict/burglar had pried open a roof vent and entered the attic of the building. I had no choice but to go in the attic after him.

Inside the attic, I was suddenly confronted by a pry-bar-wielding, drug-crazed felon. He began moving toward me, swinging the pry bar, but I stood firm and hit him square in the eyes with my SureFire 9P® Original outfitted with a P91 ultra high-output lamp. Its 200 lumens made the burglar reach up to block his eyes, causing him to misstep from the ceiling joist he was standing on. He fell through a flimsy fiberboard ceiling panel onto a display rack 16 feet below. The felon suffered a broken leg, a shattered kneecap, and a dislocated shoulder, which quickly drained the fight out of him, and he was taken into custody without incident.

I'm sold on the combination of the 9P and the P91 lamp assembly. I own six different SureFires and find each one unique and highly dependable. SureFire is in a class all its own. Thanks for not compromising the quality in your terrific products.

Spencer L.
Walnut, CA

I'm an animal control officer, and recently I responded to a call at 2:00 am for an aggressive pit bull. I apprehended the dog with the help of m 9P® Original flashlight, which I always carry with me.

Placing the light on the back of my tailgate so I had a hand free to put the dog in my truck, I forgot to grab my light before backing out. I heard a crunch and saw something black in the driveway. When I saw it was my SureFire, I instantly thought of my wife strangling me, because she'd said I was crazy for spending so much on a flashlight. I picked up the flashlight and pressed the button, and, to my amazement, it lit up! It has a few scratches, but let me tell you, I have never seen anything as durable and built with as much quality as these SureFires. Not to mention how bright the lights are.

Thanks, SureFire, for keeping me out of the doghouse for a few nights.

Wes S.
Albemarle, NC

I am a T7 paraplegic who's been confined to a wheelchair for the past 16 years. One winter evening, while out with some friends, the weather outside turned from rain to ice. My van was parked at the far end of the lot, and I told everyone I'd be fine getting into my van, so they left. But when I got there, my door locks were frozen solid and I couldn't get a key in them. Plus, I'd been in such a rush to get out of the house that I'd forgotten my cell phone.

Luckily, I hadn't forgotten my SureFire 9P® Original with its high-output P91 lamp. I removed the light from my backpack, held it over the lock for a couple of minutes, and behold—the heat from the 9P's lamp melted the ice in the lock. Now I never leave the house without it.

Thanks for making the best light made. It saved me that night!

Jay J.
South Bend, IN

I headed out to our barn to fill the water trough for our horses, a typical nightly chore. As I approached the water trough, I raised my SureFire 9P®. Its beam revealed a large mountain lion crouched 10 feet ahead of me!

Two more medium-sized cats flanked the larger one. I give lectures on animal attacks and have heard of juvenile males traveling in pairs, but I hadn't heard of three cats traveling together. I kept my 9P trained on the leader and slowly backed towards my house. I shouted for help, but no one heard me. I knew that running from a mountain lion was a bad idea, but I must say that it was nearly impossible not to turn and flee.

The lead cat crept toward me, but I kept the beam focused on his eyes. It was obviously very uncomfortable for the cat, because he kept shaking his head and turning away. I was sweating and shaking the whole way, but I eventually made it back to my house in one piece. I think I would've been a goner without my 9P. I'm so thankful I had it with me; it probably saved my life.

Roger M.
Bailey, CO

I was hunting big game in Africa, back in the 1990's, and we were after a leopard but having no luck, so we enlisted the help of a local landowner, who assured us he could put us on to some big cats. At the beginning of the hunt, I'd given my guide a SureFire 9P® Original, two spare bulbs, and a dozen SureFire batteries as a gift. Good gear and extras are the best gifts, especially in this part of the world where such things are needed and very hard to find.

After staking out a leopard's den in the middle of the night for several hours, with no luck, we decided to call it a night and head back to our land rover. The landowner wanted to show us his brand-new flashlight, an aluminum-bodied, five-D-cell brand that starts with an "M," ends with a "G," and has a vowel in the middle. He'd bought it in South Africa and had paid a lot for it, as the import duties are very high there. Proudly, he turned it on to show us how bright it was and how far the beam shined. My guide, equally proud of his new SureFire, which was a fraction of the size of the landowner's torch, turned on the 9P. His SureFire was so much brighter and had such a solid beam that the landowner turned his off in disgust. Then, to add insult to injury, my guide said, "The best gifts come in small packages—even when it comes to flashlights." Words can't describe the disgusted, embarrassed look on the landowner's face. I thought he was going to throw that light into the bush right then and there.

Joel S.
Sacramento, CA