True Stories

I received a G2® Nitrolon® from my father before deploying to Iraq. He is a narcotics officer and swears by his. I mounted it on my M16 and carried it all over the Babil and Karbala provinces, using it every day.

Toward the end of my tour, while on a convoy, I was manning an M249 SAW on a gun truck. We were struck by an IED (improvised explosive device) and the vehicle flipped two and a half times, landing on its turret. The force of the blast and the rollover blew my M249 SAW from the turret, along with my M16, SureFire attached, as always.

I escaped with a few cuts and bruises. I quickly found my weapons (the SAW was toast) and proceeded to cordon off and search the area. I thought my G2 would be in the same shape as the SAW, but when I turned it on, it shined as bright as ever. I will never own another brand of flashlight. Thanks, SureFire.

Sean O.
Ft. Hood, TX

P.S. I also work as a volunteer firefighter for my city. That same G2 is now mounted on my helmet.

My wife and I decided to have our third baby at home, with the help of some wonderful midwives we found in a nearby town. At about 2:30 a.m., when our little girl decided she was ready, the midwives and I gathered around my wife to assist her. It was then that we realized our bedroom ceiling light was just not providing enough illumination. So I reached for the nearest SureFire, which was a G2® Nitrolon®, and lit up the area. The midwives carry flashlights for such situations, but they'd never seen anything like my little G2.

Long story short, I sent each of the midwives home with a G2 Nitrolon. And, since then, I've given them each a couple of boxes of batteries and set them up with Surefire spares carriers full of batteries and spare bulbs. Now our fourth child is due, and just like the last one, I'm sure that the first thing the kid will see is the bright light of a SureFire at the end of the tunnel!

Thanks for making such excellent products!

Matthew H.
Colorado City, TX

I am a U.S. Marine explosive ordnance disposal technician. Early on in my deployment in Iraq, our explosives robot had no lighting device, so we taped my SureFire G2® Nitrolon® onto the camera's mast. One day, while investigating an IED, our robot died right next to it. The IED detonated, and the robot was completely destroyed. When my team went to recover our robot's remains, they discovered the only piece that survived was my SureFire G2 — and it still worked as good as the day I took it out of its package.

Great gear, SureFire! We use your flashlights religiously.

SSgt Travis B., USMC
Vista, CA

It was three in the morning, and I had just come from a downtown bar in Toronto, when suddenly, out of the alleyway, appeared two large, intoxicated men. One of them pulled out a knife and said, "Your wallet or your life."

I went cautiously into my pocket, but, instead of pulling out my cash, I took out my Surefire G2 Nitrolon®. I shined it directly into the goon's face and, when he was dazed, kicked him back onto his buddy. The two fell down, and I ran away to safety, thank the Lord.

That SureFire saved my life...and my wallet!

Harry C.
Markham, Ontario

For Christmas last year, I got my cousin a Surefire G2 Nitrolon® because he was going to Alaska to work on a fishing boat as the cook. When he got back, he told us all how his SureFire flashlight saved his life.

One night, while out at sea, it was foggy, and my cousin saw what he said "looked like little lily pads" in the distance. He didn't know how to work the big spotlight onboard, so he grabbed his G2 and pointed it at the "lily pads," discovering that they were icebergs. They stopped and turned around, thanks to the G2.

If it hadn't been for that G2, he and some other men might not be here anymore. Thank you, SureFire, for your amazing products and the effort you put into them.

Jared W.
Knoxville, TN

I am truly impressed with the durability of SureFire flashlights. The other day I was running a 262B CAT loader and ran over my G2® Nitrolon® with a KL3 LED head on it. I picked the light out of the cat's tracks, knocked the dirt off, and hit the switch. It worked perfectly.

Thanks for making such durable, bright flashlights.

Mike T.
Woodleaf, NC

One can never own enough SureFire flashlights. I have owned the practical SureFire 6P™ Original (my first light), the blinding SureFire 9P™ Original (for airsoft), a SureFire G2 Nitrolon® (to keep in the car), a SureFire E1e Executive Elite® (last ditch), and an SureFire E2d Defender® (general purpose). I bought the SureFire A2 Aviator® because the light was designed for aviators. While somewhat costly compared to the other lights, I knew I had to add it to my SureFire family. This light truly served its purpose at the beginning of the year.

At that time, I reported to the airfield to meet with my flight instructor. We needed to prepare my Cessna 182 for take-off at 1900 hours. This was my first night flight evaluation. My instructor used his Mini Maglite® to inspect the aircraft; I used the SureFire A2 Aviator. One can guess who made a better pre-flight inspection. The Mini Maglite could barely illuminate the inside of the engine when we lifted the cowling, while the SureFire A2 Aviator detailed every nut and bolt. But light from the A2 was easily manageable, and did not interfere with our slowly developing night vision.

Take off, climb, and cruise went without a hitch. When we turned back towards the field, the in-cabin red light flickered and then burned out. My instructor handed me his Mini Mag-Lite to continue my navigation. I pulled the A2 from my pocket and as I started to twist the tail cap, he shielded his eyes from the blinding blast of light he expected to receive. However, when he moved his hands, he was treated to the gentle glow of red LEDs from the same flashlight that I had used to perform my preflight check. The look on his face was priceless. It was one of admiration, jealousy, and surprise that I don’t think I'll ever be able to get again. He reached into the bulb/fuse box at the back of the aircraft and changed out the bad bulb in the cabin. The remainder of the flight went without a hitch.

When we returned to the flight school, my instructor asked me to show the senior instructor my light. As I began to show him my flashlight, he pulled his A2 out of his pocket. My instructor ordered his A2 with red LEDs later that week.

Ryan S.
Fayetteville, GA

I work in an electroplating factory, where I inspect the plating units to make sure everything is working properly. One day one of the machines got stuck, so I pulled out my handy G2® Nitrolon® to take a look at its gears, and I discovered that it had a loose chain. So I set my G2 on the walkway and went in to fix the darn thing.

When I climbed out, I noticed that my G2 had disappeared from the spot where I left it. I asked the foremen if anyone had taken it as a joke, but he said no, so I pulled out my SureFire E2E Executive backup light and started searching for my G2. It didn't take me long to discover my G2 lying like a distressed submarine at the bottom of a tank of sulfuric acid. My heart sank—What could be worse than seeing a fine piece of equipment drowning in a highly corrosive chemical bath?

A few hours later, we managed to retrieve the poor thing, and after flushing it thoroughly with water to remove the acid, I grabbed my flashlight and pressed the tailcap. My G2 responded by emitting a brilliant beam of light! Everyone on the scenes was stunned at how the tiny G2 had survived for hours submerged in industrial-grade sulfuric acid. Thanks for not cutting corners, SureFire.

W.S. Poon
Shatin, Hong Kong

I restore vintage audio equipment, particularly old tube amplifiers. Because these old components need constant tending to, I'm always pulling one down off the rack or out of its working environment. My flashlight is as important to me as any other tool in my kit in doing this work. Previously I had to be uber-concerned about dropping my old metal flashlight. One slip and that light could've crashed through a tube and possibly shorted a connection running 400-600 VDC across it; scary, expensive, and possibly deadly. Plus, when my hands were busy, I could never hold that old light in my mouth for a close look at my connection terminals without chipping a tooth.

Recently I picked up one of your G2® Nitrolon® lights. This little guy has seriously changed my life. The non-conductive polymer body eliminates my fear of electrocution and toasting my transformers. And the light is lightweight enough to hold in my mouth for a decent amount of time—and no more worries about chipping my teeth. It's not often that a new tool has that kind of "wow" factor, but the G2 has it in spades.

Keith J.
Brooklyn, NY

I've always loved paddling my kayak at dusk on a quiet river, but one night the return trip upstream proved to be more than I'd bargained for. Unknown to me, a storm had gone through upriver, sending a surge of water downstream. Normally the return trip upstream is a workout, but that night it was a fight to not lose ground in the channel, as the rain-swollen river's current had picked up considerably. Add to that the newly displaced logs floating downstream, which can put a hurting on a plastic kayak if you don't see them, which I couldn't, since my original return time had long since passed.

Thanks to my SureFire G2® with its P61 ultra high-output lamp, I was able to hug the bank and dodge both the current and submerged trees sticking above the surface. My G2's 120 lumens cut into the night a good 40 yards ahead, allowing me to plan my route with as much comfort as I could muster after two hours of all-out paddling. That G2's been in my personal flotation device anytime it's even close to dark ever since. And, yes, it's survived more than one dunking.

Dan B.
Cincinnati, OH

May 2007—I'm in the Arabian Gulf, on a deployment with the destroyer USS Higgins (DDG 76). It was the darkest night I'd seen on the deployment; no moon, flat, calm seas—no ambient light whatsoever. We were setting up for a nighttime refuel at sea, a tricky evolution in good conditions, in which two ships drive parallel to each other at a distance no greater than 180 yards. The ships are then connected with fuel lines and cables, making the refuel/replenishment possible. Just before the receiving ship goes alongside, the bridge signals Morse code "R."

Long story short, our spotlight wasn't ready to go, and the XO looked to me and said, "Do you have that super flashlight of yours?" I pulled out my G2® Nitrolon®, with a red filter, said, "Yes, sir," and passed the signal to the supply ship. They sent the reply signal with their spotlight, and the refueling went off without a hitch.

I never thought I'd signal a vessel at sea with my SureFire. Awesome light. Thanks.

LTJG Robert I.
Imperial Beach, CA

One night my wife and I went out for "Date Night." As we left the house, I grabbed my trusty G2® my wife just shook her head and said, "Why are you taking that?" I replied, "Because it's my SureFire."

Anyway, after dinner we were on our way to the movie theatre, and as we drove into the turn-around of the freeway, we came upon a guy pushing his car. I jumped out and told my wife to put the car in the shopping center across the street. Well, as we were pushing the guy's car out from the underpass, traffic began to converge on us—quickly. So I pulled out my G2 and pointed it at the driver's side of the car coming at us, and the driver abruptly slammed on his brakes. If it hadn't been for my SureFire, I'm certain we could have gotten hurt, or possibly killed, because the cars were coming pretty fast around that turn-around, and there were no lights in that underpass.

After we moved the car into the parking lot, and I joined my wife, I said, "You see, it came in handy, didn't it?" All she could do was smile. Thanks for making a superior product.

Raul C.
Houston, TX