Element (ACM) Surefire M961 Replica w/ FM23 Replica Cover Review

[intinerious]

Hey all!

 

This is my review for the Element Surefire M961 replica along with the FM23 flip cover (Infrared Filter) replica (also made by Element) I bought the M961 ages ago at Shooter Gear and the cover just recently at ACMGear; both of which are great airsoft retailers IMO I don't remember the price for the flip cover at ACMGear but the M961 (ironically, given when I bought the items...) was HKD 388.

 

Like my other reviews, I'm going to skip the real steel details since they're posted all over the net for those who are interested For myself I'm only concerned with the fit and function of the weaponlight myself, along with it's looks, hence I'll go straight to that

 

The M961 came with a clear plastic packaging with the Element Cardboard logo clipped to it's opening. Nothing really fancy from what I remember, but when it comes to ACM products, nobody cares about the packaging other than the packaging protecting the product during shipping (which fortunately living in Hong Kong means I don't need to concern myself with that!). I threw away the packaging a long time ago, so no photos, sorry!

 

The M961 unpacked!

 

The M961 takes three 123a batteries that I believe most, if not all Surefire flashlights run on. To insert the batteries you twist away the headlamp of the M961 (counter-clockwise) and then dump the batteries in. Note that there's an o-ring where the two 'tubes' meet. If the other parts of the light is also waterproof I'm sure you can use this replica underwater should you have some reason to do so.

I haven't tried it myself though!

 

Battery Compartment

 

The rear 'switch' part of the light can be twisted but it doesn't seem to come off. It's also very tight, leaving me to believe that the rear part of the light is NOT meant to be twisted in the first place. I've probably twisted that thing for one complete turn already though, so there's no issues there.

 

The Surefire trademarks

 

There's only one area with trademarks, which is the tube between the mounting points. The trades are crisp and the finishing on the M961 is anodized. Any dents and scratches in my pics btw are due to usage only, the M961 came out of the packaging without issues to the finish.

 

The bezel head on the M961 isn't for show. It's actually pretty effective considering the damage it did to my 5.11 RUSH 24 backpack when I mounted the light on my SCAR previously, shoved it in my bag and accidentally dropped the bag off a classroom chair's height onto the floor. Considering the bag's made of Cordura and the bezel was already slightly pushing against the fabric before I dropped the bag the bezel can probably do some serious damage if you smash it against fleshy parts...

 

Damage to the top of a 5.11 RUSH 24 backpack

 

The light came with a velco tape thingy for the tape switch (which I've misplaced). I never had the use for it so I never tested the adhesive backing's strength on the velco thingy.

 

The bezel head and glass on the M961

 

The tape switch can be removed by unscrewing it counter-clockwise and the switch is protected with an orange o-ring between the connection ports. An issue here is that the o-ring isn't secure on the tape switch connector, so it can fall freely out of the tape switch if you removed the tape switch with the o-ring attached to it. I'm lucky enough that despite never sticking the o-ring down with some grease or even glue, I've always managed to find the o-ring when it falls off my tape switch.

 

If the tape switch is removed, there's a small plastic stopper that goes over the tape switch connector on the rear of the M961. However, the stopper isn't really secure so I won't rely on that to keep the connector dry if you're playing in heavy rain.

 

Rear part of the M961 with the switch and tape switch connector

 

Note also that the manual button switch is a 'reverse' switch compared to the real Surefire switches. The switch does nothing if you temporarily press it until it positively clicks and then the light would turn on. Whilst the light is on, if you press it halfway the light will turn on. Releasing it will turn the light back on until you click it off. The material used for the button switch is pretty good actually, feels exactly like my real Surefire E2D LED Defender.

 

The tape switch's connection port

 

Now, onto the important part

Here's a test in an 'office brightness setting' where I aimed both my real Surefire E2D LED Defender and the Element M961 at a wall approximately 226 inches away (around 5.7 meters). Note the focus on the beams:

 

The wall before being 'lit up', so to speak

 

Surefire E2D LED Defender's beam, rated at 200 lumens

 

Element M961 Replica's beam, rated at 188 lumens IIRC

 

As you can see, the focus on the M961 is tighter than the E2D and as such (assuming that the M961 is really rated at 188 lumens IIRC) the light seems brighter on the M961. I've also shone both lights at a ~65-70 story tall building in Hong Kong at night, standing some 50-60 meters away from it's base, and both lights can light the top-most part of the building. I'll see if I can get some pics in the future.

 

So, in concluding this review, was the HKD 388 I spent worth it? I'd say yes, considering how damn powerful and nicely focused the beam on the Element replica is along with the fact that I've probably totalled 45mins to 1 hr of lit time on the M961 with no signs of it weakening it's beam strength. It's as bright as the first day I shoved the three Surefire 123a batteries into it. This light has also proven to be very, very effective in a CQB game, where I managed to hold off shots against my friend some 5 meters away for 25 minutes. Sure, at that close distance and the lack of opfor it doesn't sound much but considering the feedback from my friend (being that he can't see a damn thing once I turn the light on to his direction!) and the focus of the beam I'm pretty sure it's a great force multiplier within a dimly lit 'corridor' of around a 50-60 meter distance engagement. I don't have any other ACM lights to compare this M961 with other than the VFC PEQ and the Element PEQ but this is MILES better than the performance from those PEQ boxes.

 

 

As for the flip cover, it came with the same kind of packaging as the light.

 

Flip cover unpacked

 

The flip cover was nothing special, I only bought it as I wanted something to protect the glass on the M961. It comes without any trademarks and I'm not sure as to whether the IR lens actually work on the cover, sorry (don't have NVG myself and the M961 replica is an LED light, from what I understand it doesn't emit IR very well).

 

The flip cover with the cover opened

 

The cover is actually made of a rubber circular cover inside which is stretchable, and the outside part is made of plastic, which includes a latch that you can open to allow the stretching of the rubber cover to fit over the head of the lamp, before locking the cover down with the plastic latch.

 

Latch opened on the flip cover

 

The cover itself has a lever that locks it in place when closed, and it's not loose at all when you open it all the way. There's a metal piece (which is held onto the cover body by the 2 screws that you can see on the above picture) which provides sufficient friction to keep it from flapping about once the cover is opened.

 

Another picture of the flip cover, this time from the rear

 

There's nothing really special about this cover as I mentioned but it's construction is pretty nice for an ACM product (as are a lot of Element stuff). It's got all the functions of the real thing other than the IR part (which I can't determine if it works or not). With the rubber internal sleeve however, I'm sure I can fit a thin, circular plastic piece between the cover and the glass of the M961 to give it some sort of protection from being shot out; without really exposing the plastic protection as the flip cover wraps over it. Hence in terms of aesthetics purposes this cover is top notch.

 

Oh, that and given that you can't lock out the function of the M961 without taking out the batteries, the cover also provides a way to prevent an accidental discharge of light if your hands are near the tape switch often. Something to consider if this is an issue for you.

 

With the complete package and the price I paid for it I'd run one of these babies if I need a light that can discharge a huge amount of light with a very very tight focus. However, one thing I don't like (and I hope that in the future, when I get one of those Element Scoutlight replicas) is the weight of the light itself. The thing is bulky, no doubt about it, so it does shift the balance of whatever gun you put it on.

 

Anyway, I hope you guys found this review helpful, lemme know if you have questions!

 

EDIT: Oops, sorry for forgetting my obligatory "sorry for the long read, here's some gun porn!" pictures Here's my WE SCAR with the VisionKing 1.25-5x26 scope and the Surefire light mounted on! I omitted something though, forgot to take the front scope cover off! Otherwise it would've served as another nice pic of the VisionKing optic's clarity

 

 

Here's another one, front facing the SCAR:

 

Edited June 20, 2012 by intinerious