New York Times, August 13, 2006, by David Colman:
QUOTE
About the only thing he has that aspires to a higher ideal is, of all things, a flashlight. The SureFire M6 blasts the competition, which averages 60 lumens, with a 250-lumen light beam. The company bills it as a "searchlight disguised as a flashlight" and boasts that "SWAT teams use the lights to temporarily blind suspects at night."
"Who needs a baseball bat?" said Mr. Wales, who keeps his M6 on his bedside table not as a weapon but in case he, you know, needs a flashlight. "You have to love the kitsch of that, that there’s an assault flashlight now."
The $400 M6, which is eight inches long, holds six lithium batteries and is housed in aerospace-grade aluminum, is the product of a design school that might be called Modern Militant, the most familiar example of which is the Hummer. "It’s really, really, really, really bright," Mr. Wales said. "Anyone who tries to one-up me with their fancy car or whatever, I’ve got ’em. I say, ‘Well, I have a brighter flashlight.’"
Not that the flashlight was bought with one-upmanship in mind. As Mr. Wales explained: "We were living in California, there had been earthquakes and terrorist attacks, and we had these crappy $2 flashlights. I started reading flashlight-geek Web sites and just went crazy and got very into this. The M6 was like 10 times brighter than any normal flashlight."
Still, the flashlight sees very little active duty. He likes that it is there next to his bed, just in case. Even at rest, it functions as a little totem of safety and quality. "It’s almost like an object of art for me," he said.
"Who needs a baseball bat?" said Mr. Wales, who keeps his M6 on his bedside table not as a weapon but in case he, you know, needs a flashlight. "You have to love the kitsch of that, that there’s an assault flashlight now."
The $400 M6, which is eight inches long, holds six lithium batteries and is housed in aerospace-grade aluminum, is the product of a design school that might be called Modern Militant, the most familiar example of which is the Hummer. "It’s really, really, really, really bright," Mr. Wales said. "Anyone who tries to one-up me with their fancy car or whatever, I’ve got ’em. I say, ‘Well, I have a brighter flashlight.’"
Not that the flashlight was bought with one-upmanship in mind. As Mr. Wales explained: "We were living in California, there had been earthquakes and terrorist attacks, and we had these crappy $2 flashlights. I started reading flashlight-geek Web sites and just went crazy and got very into this. The M6 was like 10 times brighter than any normal flashlight."
Still, the flashlight sees very little active duty. He likes that it is there next to his bed, just in case. Even at rest, it functions as a little totem of safety and quality. "It’s almost like an object of art for me," he said.
New York Times, November 18, 2007, by Edward Lewine:
QUOTE
Prized possession: The SureFire M6, a super-powerful flashlight. I wanted a brighter flashlight and discovered a subcommunity of flashlight people online, and found that this is the ultimate. It is aesthetically pleasing because it is carved out of aluminum and is very small. It costs 400 bucks.
We need a picture. There's a picture of Jimbo's flashlight taken by the New York Times photographer in last month's article, but of course we cannot violate copyright. However, I found a picture from some online merchant that's the exact same thing. No one will suspect that this is not a picture of Jimbo's actual flashlight.
Don't forget the handicapped, the house-bound, and even the bed-ridden. How will they ever get to Cape Town? But all of them can own the same flashlight that Jimbo's owns!
