SureFire M6 Guardian
Encyclopedia
The SureFire M6 Guardian is a flashlight produced by SureFire
, a company which produces tactical flashlights
. It is relatively small (7.9 inches long) with a Mil-Spec Type III anodized aluminum casing and has a 250 lumen
beam from a xenon lamp
. The flashlight has an integral shock-isolation system to withstand repeated recoil or impact. The light output can be doubled to 500 lumens with an included add-on. The bulb is covered with a pyrex
window to add further strength. The SureFire M6 uses six 3-volt CR123A lithium batteries
. Battery life is 60 minutes (high illumination mode) or 20 minutes (ultra high illumination mode). The M6 is housed in aerospace-grade aluminum.
." This was later used in SureFire's marketing brochure about the M6. Co-founder of Wikipedia
Jimmy Wales
noted it as one of his most "prized possessions."
used a SureFire M6 Guardian to light a pivotal desert-crossing night scene in the film Babel. Since it's hard to create fake moonlight on film ("So the challenge became how to light a big night exterior with the light from a single flashlight."), he suggested the M6 because he had heard of the M6's brightness. It played a huge part in him saying, "the effect was scary and kinetic... I was very, very happy with the results, and we didn't need to manipulate the scene at all in the DI
."
Surefire
SureFire, LLC. is a Fountain Valley, California company whose primary products are flashlights, headlamps, weapon mounted lights and laser sights. In addition, Surefire also manufactures knives, sound suppressors, Picatinny Rails and batteries. The company is a major supplier of flashlights to the...
, a company which produces tactical flashlights
Tactical light
A tactical light is a flashlight used in conjunction with a firearm to aid low light target identification, allowing the marksman to simultaneously aim and illuminate the target. Tactical lights can be handheld or mounted to the weapon with the light beam parallel to the bore...
. It is relatively small (7.9 inches long) with a Mil-Spec Type III anodized aluminum casing and has a 250 lumen
Lumen (unit)
The lumen is the SI derived unit of luminous flux, a measure of the total "amount" of visible light emitted by a source. Luminous flux differs from power in that luminous flux measurements reflect the varying sensitivity of the human eye to different wavelengths of light, while radiant flux...
beam from a xenon lamp
Xenon arc lamp
A xenon arc lamp is a specialized type of gas discharge lamp, an electric light that produces light by passing electricity through ionized xenon gas at high pressure to produce a bright white light that closely mimics natural sunlight...
. The flashlight has an integral shock-isolation system to withstand repeated recoil or impact. The light output can be doubled to 500 lumens with an included add-on. The bulb is covered with a pyrex
Pyrex
Pyrex is a brand name for glassware, introduced by Corning Incorporated in 1915.Originally, Pyrex was made from borosilicate glass. In the 1940s the composition was changed for some products to tempered soda-lime glass, which is the most common form of glass used in glass bakeware in the US and has...
window to add further strength. The SureFire M6 uses six 3-volt CR123A lithium batteries
Lithium battery
Lithium batteries are disposable batteries that have lithium metal or lithium compounds as an anode. Depending on the design and chemical compounds used, lithium cells can produce voltages from 1.5 V to about 3.7 V, over twice the voltage of an ordinary zinc–carbon battery or alkaline battery...
. Battery life is 60 minutes (high illumination mode) or 20 minutes (ultra high illumination mode). The M6 is housed in aerospace-grade aluminum.
Design
The New York Times referred to the M6 as being of the "design school that might be called Modern Militant, the most familiar example of which is the HummerHummer
Hummer was a brand of trucks and SUVs, first marketed in 1992 when AM General began selling a civilian version of the M998 Humvee. In 1998, General Motors purchased the brand name and marketed three vehicles: the original Hummer H1, based on the Humvee; and the H2 and H3 models that were...
." This was later used in SureFire's marketing brochure about the M6. Co-founder of Wikipedia
Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a free, web-based, collaborative, multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Its 20 million articles have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world. Almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the site,...
Jimmy Wales
Jimmy Wales
Jimmy Donal "Jimbo" Wales is an American Internet entrepreneur best known as a co-founder and promoter of the online non-profit encyclopedia Wikipedia and the Wikia company....
noted it as one of his most "prized possessions."
Application
Cinematographer Rodrigo PrietoRodrigo Prieto
-Life and career:Prieto was born in Mexico City, Mexico. His grandfather was mayor of Mexico City and leader of the Chamber of Deputies of Mexico, but was later persecuted by the country's ruler because of political differences. The grandfather escaped with his family to Texas and then to Los...
used a SureFire M6 Guardian to light a pivotal desert-crossing night scene in the film Babel. Since it's hard to create fake moonlight on film ("So the challenge became how to light a big night exterior with the light from a single flashlight."), he suggested the M6 because he had heard of the M6's brightness. It played a huge part in him saying, "the effect was scary and kinetic... I was very, very happy with the results, and we didn't need to manipulate the scene at all in the DI
Digital intermediate
Digital intermediate is a motion picture finishing process which classically involves digitizing a motion picture and manipulating the color and other image characteristics. It often replaces or augments the photochemical timing process and is usually the final creative adjustment to a movie...
."