True Stories

We were heading home from a friend's bash in the countryside, when there was a heavy downpour that caused our tire to get stuck in a puddle of mud. Knowing the countryside was kalabaw (water buffalo) territory, my wife and I joked about what we'd do if we were attacked. Just then, a huge kalabaw charged toward us, ramming against the car. I intuitively turned on the headlights, but it only made the big bull more irate. As he rushed around to the driver's side, I remembered that I had my G3™ Nitrolon® in my pocket. I flashed the animal, stopping him dead in his tracks. We couldn't believe how powerful the G3's beam was. Clearly dazed, he withdrew and began to walk away - much to our relief.

Help came early the morning. Turns out the puddle of mud we were stuck in was the giant kalabaw's favorite relaxation spot. Thanks, SureFire, for keeping us out of harm's way. Because of this incident, my wife decided to treat herself to a SureFire M3. More power to you guys!

Juan S.
Manila, Philippines

I had been conditioning for several weeks in a very steep mountainous environment at night. It was rough country, but provided a great environment in which to increase my endurance. One night while training, my friend and I started our descent in the pitch black with zero moon. All the way down I felt somewhat uncomfortable but couldn't explain why. I kept turning around and activating my 6P® Original but didn't see anything. After doing this repeatedly, and still only halfway down the mountain, I finally saw two shining eyes of a mountain lion—only about 100 feet away!

Immediately I started thinking about how much runtime my flashlight had left on its batteries and how a mountain lion can see six times better than a human in the dark. The whole rest of the way down, I kept turning and blinding that mountain lion, which followed us all the way down to the highway. Thankfully, my trusty 6P had enough battery power to get us down safely.

Sam B.
Woodcrest, CA

I live on a 30 acre property here in Pennsylvania, and I feed corn to the deer all fall and winter. Last November I didn't get up the mountain to feed them before dark, so I decided to take my Grizzly ATV up the mountain with my bucket of corn and apples. I got to my feeder around 7:00 pm, and I started to dump the corn and apples when, suddenly, I heard something big coming straight at me--fast! It was pitch black, and whatever was charging me was only 30 feet away.

I kept my cool and grabbed my SureFire E2D Defender® from my back pocket and put the beam right on a huge black bear--a bear known by the locals as "the record bear" because it's about 600 pounds, avoids all hunters, but it's not afraid of people or dogs. We were about 10 feet apart, and I thought I was done for, when I hit the charging bear right between the eyes with the blinding beam of my E2D Defender®. He stopped dead in his tracks and did an about face real quick--thanks to my Defender! Now I never go outside at night without it.

Scott N.
Lehighton, PA

I'm an amateur photographer in Hong Kong, and I often go to different places all over my city to seek different scenes to feed my memory card. One night I was on the hillside waiting for sunset. As always, my SureFire G3 Nitrolon® snugly in my pocket.

After sunset, I was carried away by an obsession for another few shots of the "magic hour." After a few minutes it was dark, and to make matters worse, my way back down the hill was being blocked by a group of aggressive monkeys (they are very common in the country parks of Hong Kong). I reached into my pocket for my G3 and fired it up, scattering the monkeys that had been eying me into nearby trees. As I retreated down the pathway, I could see their illuminated eyes watch me as I walked away.

If it wasn't for my G3's devastating beam, I might have been stuck on the hillside overnight, fending off aggressive monkeys. This encounter proved to me that bringing my G3 along with me everywhere is always a wise choice.

Andrew P.
Shatin, Hong Kong

As a patrol officer, you respond to numerous alarms and deal with a wide variety of animals while working the beat. Recently, I responded to a home alarm around 2:30 a.m. I entered the fenced backyard to check all the windows and the back door. As I rounded the back corner of the house, without warning, a white pit bull came out of nowhere.

Luckily, I had my SureFire U2 Ultra™, one of my most trusted pieces of equipment, in my hand, because, by the time I noticed the pit bull, it was almost on top of me. The only thing I could do was shine the U2 in the attacking dog's eyes. The intense light stopped the dog in its tracks! This gave me time to transition to my duty weapon, which, thankfully (for me and the dog), I never had to use.

My U2 was my first line of defense, and it performed flawlessly. Another great product from SureFire.

Mike K.
Indianapolis, IN

I canoe remote Alaskan rivers each fall, fly fishing for various species. This past September we floated the Goodnews River in Southwest Alaska. On the last night of a 13-day float, I was awakened at 3 a.m. by a sound that was just a little louder than the pitter patter of the rain on our tent. I crawled out of my sleeping bag and reached for was my SureFire M6® Guardian®. I opened the tent door, stuck my head out, and saw every camper's worst nightmare—a 600-pound grizzly, which had crossed the stream protecting our campsite, standing only 20 feet away.

I instinctively shined the light's 500 lumens into the beast's face. He stopped dead in his tracks, raising his right front paw into the air to block the light. He then stared into the light for several seconds before deciding to turn around and bolt. Even after he was out of sight, I heard him running for another 100 yards. He'd obviously been just as scared as I was. I slept with that M6 in my hand the rest of the night.

Your light helped me to avoid what could have been my last trip to this great land. This is an amazing product, and it may very well have saved my life. Thanks, SureFire.

Dan H.
Rockingham, NC

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

My scout troop and I were on a trip in Canada, when a friend of mine and I—both of us afraid of the dark—were walking down an overgrown path with my E2D Defender®. Suddenly, we came upon a wolf. I immediately shined the light in its eyes. It stood there, staring back for several seconds, until it realized that 65 lumens to the retina hurts.

Without my E2D, I'm not sure what would have happened next.

Andy S.
Danville, PA

I used to live in the Arizona desert. A fuse blew one night, and I had to go out and reset it. It was dark, and I was just turning to go back into the house when I heard that terrifying sound of a rattlesnake's rattle. I froze and searched my surroundings with my SureFire. I found it coiled and ready to strike, so I shined the light into its eyes, and it slithered away. I know I would've been nailed good if it hadn't been for my Surefire--and the nearest hospital was an hour away!

Jodi S.
Klamath Falls, AZ

Just the other night, my wife and I were on our nightly walk with our Springer spaniel, when, suddenly, a huge bull moose popped out onto the trail and made straight for my dog. Luckily, I had my Surefire U2 Ultra™ on me and had it dialed in to its "stun" setting. I yelled at the moose and hit it in the eyes with 100 lumens of light. It stopped in its tracks, and my wife grabbed the dog and slowly backed away, our hearts pounding. The whole while, I kept the light trained on the moose. He stayed put, blinded by my bright U2.

I don't know what would have happened if I hadn't had my U2 on me, but I was darn glad to have it. The situation could have turned out much worse without it.

Mark M.
Anchorage, AK

I was out boar hunting during the rainy season. It had just gotten dark, when it started to rain, hard, with zero visibility.

While walking back, I slipped in a mud hole and fell, dropping my rifle somewhere next to me. To my left I heard growling and movement in the bushes. I reached into my pocket for my E2L Outdoorsman, only to discover that it had fallen out. After panicking and digging around in the mud, I finally found it. I immediately lit up the area where the sound was coming from, revealing a huge wild boar (a very dangerous animal) about 20 feet from me. I quickly used my light to find my rifle, grabbed it, and squeezed off a shot just in time.

Thanks to my SureFire, I was able to make it home alive.

Joseph H.
North Port, FL

One evening my buddies and I thought it would be a good idea to go for a hike, in search of a new camping spot. Thankfully, before I left, I had the foresight to strap my G2™ Nitrolon®, in its nylon holster, to my belt. I didn’t figure I would need it, since I had a one-million-candlepower rechargeable spotlight with me, as well.

The four of us set out in the truck and drove to the bottom of the hill where we usually camp, and from there we set out on foot. We walked about four miles until we finally found a suitable camping spot. Satisfied with our discovery, we turned to go home, when the big, rechargeable, $60 spotlight went belly up. Standing there in the darkness, I heard something rustle to my left. I grabbed for my G2 and illuminated the patch of ground where I’d heard the sound. To my surprise, there was a four-foot copperhead, poised and ready to strike, no more than two feet from my leg.

My G2, paired with my .410 shotgun that I always take hiking, quickly "dispatched" the snake and easily lit up the trail for the four-mile walk back to the truck. I can safely say that, if not for my Surefire and its reliable performance, my night would have been a whole heck of a lot worse.

Lee M.
Chavies, KY

I was recently on vacation in Cancun, and while my wife soaked up the resort, I caught a ride to Chichen Itza. One of the buildings that fascinated me most was the "Nunnery," but there was no lighting inside and it was very dark. You could only see the daylight from the door on the other side of the building.

As I stepped into the second room, there was a mom getting frustrated with her two young teenage daughters who were begging her to let them go into a dark side tunnel passage that was nothing more than a dark hole. But the mother was adamant that she didn’t want them to go. The oldest daughter had her hand out, ready to grab a barely visible ledge, and was poised to step down into the passageway, when I spoke up and told them that I had flashlight. I dug into my pack and pulled out my SureFire L2 Lumamax™, and the girls were thrilled. I turned it on and pointed it down the passageway, and there on the ledge, where the oldest girl had her hand poised and ready to grab, was the biggest, blackest scorpion I've ever seen. As it ran up the wall and into a crack, the girls squealed about how it was “Soooo cool.” Mom just looked like she was going to pass out.

After the excitement died down, I took the girls down a couple of the passageways and looked into other rooms. The L2 gave the girls something to remember and cool stories to tell their friends. Mom was just happy they got to see the building without any medical emergencies. Just one more reason why my L2 gets carried regularly.

Luke T
Manor, Texas

I was on location, directing a documentary in the dangerous "shanty towns" near Johannesburg, South Africa. After filming for three weeks in this dangerous part of the world (35 to 50 people are killed every day), our team was given some much needed R&R on a private ranch near Kruger National Park.

Around midnight, two very fast animals darted through our campsite, on the prowl for fresh meat. One local had a weak flashlight that could barely illuminate the two shapes in the dark. I pulled out my SureFire C2 Centurion® and instantly revealed two Hyenas flashing their razor-sharp teeth. The C2 lit up Hyenas' fire-red eyes, and these dazed, unpredictable intruders slowly backed away from our camp.

After that, the local guides all wanted to hold my "torch" and asked where they could buy such a tool. In the "dicey" parts of Africa visitors are warned to always carry "The Three Cs": cash, communication, and a concealed weapon. I didn't have a knife or a gun, but on that night my SureFire counted as the third C. I never leave home without a SureFire.

Lawrence R.
Thousand Oaks, CA

I am currently a cadet in the Police Academy. As you can imagine running is now a big part of my life. While practicing my uphill workout in the hills that surround my academy, it got dark on me. I always carry my SureFire U2 on me while running in the evening. I was on a dirt service road, coming down fast, when I heard what sounded like a rattle. I tried to come to a stop, but my momentum carried me further than I would have liked. I finally stopped and swept the area for the source of the noise. My light caught a coiled rattlesnake no more than four feet from my foot. My SureFire lit it up and blinded it, rendering it still. Because of the intensity of the light, I was able to backup and safely move around the coiled snake.

My SureFire U2 saved my hide on that night. Thanks for making the brightest and most reliable lights around. I will take my SureFire with me into my police career.

Edward R.
Westminster, CA

I've been using SureFire flashlights for several years now and have several. I recently upgraded my everyday carry light to your E1B Backup, and this is the flashlight I've been waiting for! Ultra powerful and ultra compact—the best of both worlds.

As a firefighter, I rely on a powerful flashlight in pretty much any rescue situation. Recently, my E1B Backup saved the day on the scene of a call. Our engine was out, doing training in one of the local neighborhoods, when we were approached by two animal control officers who asked for our assistance. A dog was barking from the storm drain of the sewer. We helped them pry the lid off the manhole cover, and the animal control officers tried to light the area with their off-brand, standard-issue flashlights, which only lit up a tiny area inside the vault of the sewer. We tried one of our big, bulky flashlights that we carry on the engine, but its size made it too awkward to hold and look down the manhole at the same time.

So I pulled out my Backup. The whole vault area instantly lit up from the 80 lumens coming out of the tiny light in my hand. It even out-performed our big, bulky, box-style flashlight. Once we could see the area, we noticed a pipe in the back corner of the vault that led to another vault about 150 feet away. We pulled the cover off the other manhole, and when I shined my light down there, I discovered a very frightened Labrador puppy cowering in the darkness. While I lit the way with my E1B, one of the animal control officers climbed down and coaxed the dog into her arms. We pulled the officer and the puppy up to safety and returned the dog to its grateful owner.

Thanks, Surefire, for making excellent gear that aids so many firefighters and rescue workers and other public safety agencies across the country. I look forward to seeing what new and innovative products you come up with next. You definitely have a customer for life!

Davis S.
Springfield, VA

I just got back from an 18-day African safari, hunting dangerous game. Prior to my departure, I purchased another Surefire flashlight-the Backup™-which probably saved my life.

One morning, while walking into a blind, I heard a noise ahead of where my guide and I were walking. I grabbed my light and held it ready in my left hand. Suddenly, from less than 15 yards away, in total darkness, a tusk-less cow elephant charged us. I hit her with the bright light and stopped her in her tracks at about eight yards. My guide yelled, and she turned and walked away with her calf. I am convinced, as was my guide, that the Backup's intense light played a huge part in changing her mind.

Thank you for an awesome product.

Art H.
Montana

I went on a hike with a friend and three of his kids in Belle Smith State Park in Illinois, home of a natural arch. Even though this was only a hike of few hours, I brought along my E1B Backup™, which I take with me pretty much wherever I go.

The arch forms a sort of a tunnel 10 or 15 feet long, strewn with boulders and smaller rocks. As we approached it, my friend's youngest went scrambling toward the entrance. I took out my Backup and scanned the rubble in the "tunnel" (although it was broad daylight, it was still quite dark inside), when my light's beam revealed a copperhead emerging from behind a boulder. The child was less than a yard from the snake and was heading right for it. The minute my Backup's beam hit the snake, my friend called out for his son to stop, and he halted in his tracks. I kept the beam on the snake, which quickly retreated back behind the rubble. My friend then said, "That light saved my son's life."

As we resumed our hike, my friend asked me several questions about my flashlight...he's since bought one for himself.

Alan B.
Urbana, IL

After getting dropped off at my starting point, about two hours before daylight on the first day of the elk hunting season, I began the long hike to my hunting stand. As I eased up the first ridgeline, I heard a few snaps of dry twigs. I assumed the noise was only a varmint, so I continued up the ridge. But something didn't feel quite right...I had a feeling like something was nearby.

I reached for my SureFire 6P®, fired it up, and began to pan the area around me. There, in the darkness about ten yards away, were two glowing eyes—the unmistakable eyes of a cougar! The big Tom was crouched and ready to pounce. Luckily, the intensity of the light startled him, and, after shaking his head from the confusion of my SureFire's intense beam, he took off. Needless to say, I had my light on for the rest of my walk. If I hadn't shined my flashlight when I did, I might've been that cougar's breakfast. I never go anywhere without my SureFire now.

Stacy A.
Eugene, OR

While conducting line-watch operations on the U.S./Mexican border, several smugglers were observed making an illegal incursion into the United States. I was able to dig into the high brush and blend in to interdict said incursion. Little did I realize that there was a diamondback rattlesnake coiled up around the mesquite tree I was hiding behind. The snake struck me at waist level, actually biting down on my SureFire Speed Holster holding my 6P® LED.

Not only did my flashlight help me do my job and apprehend the smugglers that night, the holster took one for the team. Thanks, SureFire.

Samuel C.
McAllen, TX

I was cleaning out a storage unit, with no lighting, in a 20' x 40' foot storage container. I was in the deep end of it, crouching and crawling my way into the mountains and ridges of junk I had to clean out, when I suddenly found myself lying on a cliff of boxes. I almost fell off of when I heard a screeching noise and smelled a horrible unknown odor.

I turned to my M6® and twisted the tailcap to lock it on. I pointed the day-maker in the direction of the noise (and smell) and shockingly revealed a mass of rats looking up at me like deer caught in headlights. They were in the middle of a feeding frenzy, eating boxed dried goods they'd chomped their way into. As soon as they saw the light and felt the heat of the beam, they made a run for it. I panicked and pulled out my pocket knife, ready for any brave ones who thought about making a run for it in my direction.

Sure, I was scared, and my adrenalin was pumping, but I sure am thankful that I was carrying my trusty M6 with me.

Victor O.
Garden Grove, CA