Battle of the TacLights .. Surefire Scoutlight M600c Vs Klarus XT11

[x-ray]

Battle of the TacLights, Surefire M600c (Genuine not the Element clone) Vs Klarus XT11

First lets see the spec for both torches;

Surefire Scoutlight M600c
Max Output -- White Light 120 lumens
Tactical Runtime* 2.0 hours
Bezel Diameter 1.00 inches
Weight w/Batteries 142.60 grams
Batteries 2x 123A*
LED Type N/A (ANSI rated/certified)
Protection Waterproof to 40m (tested) sealed with O-rings/gaskets.
Reflector type / lens type TIR lens (BB proof & described as being virtually indestructible)

Klarus XT11
LED Type: Ultra bright CREE XM-L (U2) LED with max output of 600 ANSI lumens.

Battery: 2x CR123A (3v) / 1x 18650 (3.7v)

Protection: Sealed with O-rings for excellent water resistance and improved service life. Waterproof to 2 meters and Dust Resistant to IPX-8.

Tactical: A stainless steel crenellated bezel at the front is removable and colored filters can be screwed securely in its place.

Dimension: 148mm (Length), 34.9mm (Head), 24.3mm (Body)

Weight: 132g (without battery).

Finish: Tough, sealed body with HA Type III anodizing.

Reflector: Orange peel to provide a smooth, flawless beam and good throw.

Lens: Toughened, ultra clear glass (BB proof)


Now for the actual Review;
These torches are regarded as the two best ones out there for airsoft use but which one is the best overall? Both torches are built to withstand being smashed about to within an inch of their lives so are perfect for airsoft. Both torches have been designed to withstand recoil from real steel weapons so you don't need to worry about your torch suddenly cutting out due to contacts coming loose. The Klarus has spring loaded contacts that are kept half compressed with a battery in the torch so regardless of the amount of recoil the contacts will always be in contact with the battery, The Surefire is built in the first place to withstand high recoil forces (due to it being designed for military applications etc) This has been tested with this very torch on a 12guage using rounds with high amounts of grain in the round (my shoulder still bloody hurts..) So any worries about the recoil from a GBBR or other gun with recoil (airsoft) unlike some airsoft replica torches which can be abit funny when they are subject to vibration or shock etc.
Both torches are specifically designed to be used as weapon lights/taclights (surefire is more of a weapon-light in my personal opinion) Both torches are able to be fitted with different switch assemblies (clicky button and tail-switches) On both torches the switch assemblies are second to none in quality but I have to say the klarus has a smarter layout/design, It incorporates both a constant on switch along with mode button (also allows strobe to be activated instantly)
Here is a picture of the Clicky switch showing the layout of the two buttons:
As you can clearly see there is a large switch (on / off) and a smaller “mode” switch, the mode switch lets you cycle through the different brightness settings (Hi,Med,Lo and strobe) this a unique feature that has only been seen on klarus torches due to its patented design.
The Surefire has a very simple clicky switch, which is quite simply just an On/Off button (you can have momentary on if you press the switch in only half way not locking the switch in) Here is a picture of what the switch looks like:
As you can see the switch does have a small metal lip around it which is great for when visibility is non-existent as you know that is the switch (unlike the klarus which can be quite difficult to tell if you are pushing the switch or just quite frankly a random part of your gun..) The rubber on the switch is slightly textured giving you more grip so you are always in control of the light when transitioning your weapon from a ready position to a firing position.

Both torches can be fitted with a tailswitch assembly (the Klarus one is an optional accessory at around the £20 mark) The Klarus one is a split design tailswitch (specific to Klarus as they have patented it) this allows you to just have pressure only power or by pressing the small round button constant power (you have to keep the small button pressed in for it to set to constant on mode) one the torch is in constant on mode pushing this button will let you cycle through the different brightnesses, and if you keep your finger pressed on the button (whilst constant on mode is selected) you will get the strobe feature, Personally I think it is a good design but with major flaws, that being to get to the strobe it takes about 3 seconds of button pressing and also that constant on can sometimes be a faff to select.. But here is a picture of the tailswitch to show button configuration:

The tailswitch is classed as being waterproof just as the torch is (I have not personally tested this) Unlike the surefire to remove the tailswitch you have to completely unscrew the switch assembly from the torch not just pop the tailswitch out of the socket like on the surefire, Having to unscrew it all the time can be annoying especially when you have the tailswitch setup on the gun with stick pads or Velcro etc..

The Surefire tailswitch is again basic like the clicky switch as it only activates the torch whilst you have pressure on the tailswitch, the switch itself is completely waterproof and is semi flexible looking like a black rubber tab able to fit in front foregrip switch holder recesses etc.. Here is what the tailswitch looks like:

(not the best picture but your not really missing much) One big bonus on the scoutlight is that you can remove the tailswitch but not the switch assembly making it very easy to change batteries move the torch to a different rail without having to move the tailswitch, Here is how the system works:

no unsrewing whatsoever just give it a good tug and it will pop out (can be a bit of a struggle as this when you will be breaking the waterproof seal between the switch and the torch, however the rubber tab can then be placed into the socket hole on the torch to stop debris getting in the switch assembly it does not make it waterproof again untill you either reconnect the tailswitch or change the switch assembly to the clicky switch) an alternative to the supplied tailswitch is the surefire SR07 tailswitch which is similar to the klarus tailswitch but allows you to have instant constant on whilst also having pressure switch momentary on aswell as being mountable to a RIS rail, this will set you back around £60-70 and looks like this:



Now onto the light output / illumination technology for both torches, Both torches have been ANSI rated which means the number you see is the number the torch produces unlike the brands like ultrafire which say 3000 lumens when they are really about 400-500 ANSI lumens. The Klarus is rated at 600 ANSI lumens which is very very bright, the Klarus does have a high quality orange peel reflector in the light assembly but does not have any focusing on the lens meaning you loose valuable focus from the U2 LED, Here is a picture of the Klarus being used by myself in a CQB environment:
Whilst being fantastic for blinding people when taking a corner in CQB I find the beam is to unfocused to use in ranges longer the 40ft as you loose a good amount of your white hotspot turning it more into a floodlight then a spotlight (granted in some situations you may want that but in most situations you will be wanting a spotlight)

The Surefire (KX2C head) only has a 120Lumen LED emitter but the light head has both a professional light reflector and a TIR focused lens, This gives you both the advantage of being able to blind someone in close quarters and being able to use it as a spotlight upto ranges of about 150-170ft whilst having the hotspot of the beam always focused without any of the light fading into an outer ring. One thing I am very surprised about is although the klarus may have just under 500 more lumens then the surefire, the surefire seems to be far brighter! (remember both are ANSI rated) SO I did a few comparison shots of what the beam looked like from behind the torches and from in-front of the torches.
Here is the picture of the surefire looking into the torch from about 45ft away:

And here is a picture of the klarus from the same distance away:
( both pictures were taken on identical camera settings and have not been enhanced in anyway shape or form)

Now for some images of what the beam actually looks like from behind the torch,
First we have the surefire Scoutlight (target was again 45ft away) :

And now for the Klarus (same setup) :

You will instantly be able to notice the difference between the two torches, The klarus illuminates more area (floodlight almost) but has significantly less contrast, Whereas the Scoutlight has a far tighter beam spread and is all one hotspot of the same brightness (like a spotlight) You also get far more contrast using the surefire as can be seen in the images. The reason behind the different spread of light is because of two factors: The reflector and the lens used (or in the Klarus’s case no lens) as can be seen in these images,
First the surefire:

And here is the Klarus:

As you can see there is a clear difference between the two light assemblies, On the Klarus you can see how effective (and how much it relies on) the reflector peel, whereas on the surefire you are able to see how its focused and how the reflector is used creating a far stronger beam! When I compare the two beams at the same time I can easily distinguish which part of the beam is from the klarus and what part of the beam is from the scoutlight, Due to the scoulight having a far brighter looking hotspot (entire visible beam) it easily out does the klarus in terms of how the light is used. You are not able to tell the difference between each torches output if you are looking into the beam as they both look identical (to me the surefire seems ever so slightly brighter, but thats just me)

In-terms of overall build quality I would say that the surefire wins easily, It is CNC milled from solid high-strength aerospace aluminum with Mil-Spec hard anodizing for superior toughness and corrosion resistance, and optically coated tempered glass for maximum light transmission. Whereas the body on the Klarus XT11 is milled from a titanium alloy and then anodized (not to milspec ratings) The Surefire is lighter the the klarus with batteries (not by much) and feels very solid (as you would expect from a £230+ torch...) The Klarus can definitely take a beating and being of very good quality would definitely take a while for it to start battle-scarred, but with it being thinner than the scoutlight and made of a less strong alloy metal I will stick with the scoutlight as the winner. Here are some images of both torches showing the fantastic quality of both of the torches and other material used,
First up is the surefire:

And here is the Klarus XT11:


Choosing an overall winner is quite difficult as both are FANTASTIC quality torches and are both very well spec’ed.. The Price of the Klarus on its own for the torch only is circa £75 new however with all the extra little bits you will need e.g rechargeable 18650 batteries, tailswitch and RIS mount you are looking at about the £120 mark which is not bad price for a torch of this quality. The price of the surefire BRAND NEW is circa £330 but can easily be found for circa £140 in new or good condition on sites like ebay etc.. With the surefire you are getting a lifetime guarantee on the torch so if anything goes wrong surefire will repair it for free (some exceptions) whereas the Klarus torch only comes with a standard two year shop warranty where they will just give you a new one or replace the part they don't offer a lifetime warranty of any sort.
So which is the best torch then? the Surefire Scoutlight M600c or the Klarus XT11...
It has to be the surefire, It is just fantastic quality and can be found for just a slight amount more money than the klarus and can outperform it in most areas even though the Klarus is higher spec’d in some areas. Overall I have to say both are great choices and you wont be disappointed with either of them in any way but if you have that extra bit of money or are wanting the best you can get for this type of torch go for the Scoutlight you wont regret it... The next step up would be a surefire Hellfighter and those things are like having a bloody lightsaber in your hand :P

One last picture of the Surefire Scoutlight M600c...


Thanks for reading, any questions or comments please dont hesitate to ask.



X-ray






*All pictures (except the surefire SR07 switch and the image of me using the Klarus XT11) are subject to copyright to myself and are not to be re-used without my permission, Using these images unauthorized may result in legal action*

[madwelshman]

Re: Battle of the TacLights .. Surefire Scoutlight M600c Vs Klarus XT11

nice review

one little thing... as your hosting your pics on photobucket, you have no rights to them anymore, so no, you can't bring legal proceedings to anyone who reposts them without your permission... sorry to burst your bubble

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[989lips]

Re: Battle of the TacLights .. Surefire Scoutlight M600c Vs Klarus XT11

I have the genuine Surefire Scoutlight M600c and its awesome. Stops people in there tracks and gives me that split second extra time to take them down

[x-ray]

Re: Battle of the TacLights .. Surefire Scoutlight M600c Vs Klarus XT11

nice review

one little thing... as your hosting your pics on photobucket, you have no rights to them anymore, so no, you can't bring legal proceedings to anyone who reposts them without your permission... sorry to burst your bubble



http://photobucket.com/terms

Cheers for that info, it is much appreciated will be using a different one image host from now :D

[madwelshman]

Re: Battle of the TacLights .. Surefire Scoutlight M600c Vs Klarus XT11

yeh, they are bloody swines for it, "host here for free.... we own you now!"

further to that, your a BAD MAN!!! I've now gone and bought one of the rail pressure pads, the SR7- LH2....

[x-ray]

Re: Battle of the TacLights .. Surefire Scoutlight M600c Vs Klarus XT11

yeh, they are bloody swines for it, "host here for free.... we own you now!"

further to that, your a BAD MAN!!! I've now gone and bought one of the rail pressure pads, the SR7- LH2....

Those Rail pressure pads are fantastic I have the one with a 10inch wire (stupidly didn't include in review) and love it, With regards to image hosting I will now be using imageshack as they don't remove your rights from your pictures (according to their terms) Might even open a zenfolio account :D