Best light from the 2000s

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Some links are affiliate links. You pay the same.

Classics · Nostalgia. Not a 2026 buyer’s guide.

The 2000s duty tube was the SureFire 6P. Compact. Hard anodized. Tail switch. Two CR123A cells. If “tactical flashlight” entered your vocabulary from TV or a duty belt, this is the shape people meant.

This post is nostalgia. It is not crowning the 6P the best light of 2026. For lights you can buy new in that job, use Best Tactical Flashlights. For the full map: Best Flashlights 2026.

What the original 6P was

A short aluminum tube. Precision reflector. Momentary or constant-on from the tailcap. Aerospace aluminum, hard anodize. Xenon P60/P61 era output was roughly 65 lumens (P60) or 120 lumens (P61) — bright for the late ’90s / early 2000s, not a modern turbo screenshot. (That is the historical story, not a measurement from this site.)

Be honest about the name. The original SureFire 6P (incandescent and later 6P LED) is discontinued. KnifeCenter has marked the 6P LED (6PL-BK) discontinued; Trailspace says the same. SureFire’s current compact 6P-shaped lights are the 6PX Pro and 6PX Tactical. SureFire’s own copy: the 6PX Pro “traces its origins directly to the SureFire 6P that introduced the compact, high-efficiency flashlight in 1988.” (Source: surefire.com/6px-pro.)

What you buy now in that family

SureFire’s published numbers for the 6PX Pro (SKU 6PX-D-BK): 600 lumens high, 15 lumens low, 8,700 candela, 187 m, high runtime 1.5 hours, low 52 hours, two 123A cells included, click tailcap, IPX7, 5.2 in, 5.2 oz with batteries. The Pro is dual-output. The Tactical sibling is 600 lumens only. (Source: same SureFire 6PX Pro page.)

600 lumens and 8,700 cd are modest next to a modern 21700 SFT70 tube. You are paying for the body, the switch, and CR123A shelf life — not a lumen race. That is why the 6PX Pro still sits on the tactical hub next to the Fenix PD36R Pro and Sofirn SK30.

This site has not had an original 2000s 6P on the desk for this refresh. The nostalgia is the shape and the era. The buy-now numbers are SureFire’s current 6PX Pro sheet.

Buy this if / skip this if

• Buy a 6PX Pro if you want CR123A shelf life, a two-level tailcap, and the classic 6P silhouette.
• Skip it if you want USB-C and a spare 21700. Shop the PD36R Pro or SK30 on Best Tactical Flashlights.
• Skip it if you wanted a pocket EDC or a Maglite glove-box club. Those are different pages: Best EDC, Maglite 2D era.

Confirm any Amazon listing says SureFire 6PX Pro — not a used original 6P, not a clone.

Buy from SureFire Check price on Amazon

Where this fits in 2026

Keep the story. Shop the current duty tubes on Best Tactical Flashlights. Wider map: Best Flashlights 2026. Candela basics: Lumens Explained. Cell basics: 18650 vs 21700 vs AA.

Related nostalgia: Best light from the ’90s (Maglite 2D era).

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Some links are affiliate links. You pay the same.