Is Surefire out of touch?

[lovemachine]

I take it with a grain of salt. for $50, i would buy an Olight, jetbeam, or fenix and be alot better off in the long run.

Sure, then it will break and you just wasted $50.

Buying a Surefire is never a waste of money.

 

[downlinx]

Sure, then it will break and you just wasted $50.

Buying a Surefire is never a waste of money.

depends on the features you want. the g2x is a waste of money in my opinion. you want quality with surfire, cheap for the masses.

 

[jwh20]

Clearly someone must be buying SureFire at their price level.

 

[downlinx]

Clearly someone must be buying SureFire at their price level.

I have not bought a surefire at all.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

Sure, then it will break and you just wasted $50.

Buying a Surefire is never a waste of money.

What if I lose it?'

I carry an M18 Maverick Olight on my ankle every day. I've had it for a year now and its done everything I need it to do. My use is generally looking for evidence, etc. I am not hard on my light, I am not a tactical elite operator, and while I know the olight isn't the best its deep into "good enough" territory for me. If it lasts a few years and dies, it wasn't a waste of money. I don't expect it to last forever. I'm more interested in value over time.

Weapon mounted light? Absolutely I'll pay more for a more robust light. If I were still in the military or contracting where resupply might be an issue, I'd pay for a more robust light. For my current purposes, though, I'm certainly not wasting money by not paying for capability I don't need.

 

[cosermann]

Interesting to hear of folks having trouble with their Streamlights. The 4 that I have are all still working well.

 

[Thegeek]

They're good flashlights, but the price is heavily inflated. High price on things like these make people feel like their getting more than they really are. Maglite has a lifetime warranty and are pretty tough. Redline by Nebo makes a good tough light as well. Neither of them have super-inflated prices.

A flashlight is just a tool. Look at the tool world. You have Matco and SnapOn. Both warranted for life, both high quality and high dollar. Then you go to Husky and Craftsman... still quality, still lifetime warranty. Then you can go to Harbor Freight and get a Pittsburgh... good quality, lifetime warranty. Does a 1/2" combination wrench really have that big of a gap in price? I can exchange that Pittsburgh 100 times and still be ahead. And I'll most likely never have to.

It's amazing to me, no matter what genre you're discussing (weapons, tools, motorcycles, computers.... take your pick), you always get those people that will tell you that the over priced hype is somehow far superior and that anything else is just a waste of money.

If you have a Surefire, and you're happy with it, then good for you. I don't have one, and I'll never let anyone wallet rape me like that. If you think I'm wrong, go play with your flashlight....

 

[jwh20]

I have not bought a surefire at all.

Nor have I. But if nobody at all is buying, they'd be out of business. I suspect they sell more into the government and LE markets where price is less of an issue. You also have those who just have to have the best of the best of the best no matter the cost.

They appear to be well made but there are plenty of alternatives that are of similar quality and construction for a lot less. I guess I'm a value shopper.

 

[downlinx]

Nor have I. But if nobody at all is buying, they'd be out of business. I suspect they sell more into the government and LE markets where price is less of an issue. You also have those who just have to have the best of the best of the best no matter the cost.

They appear to be well made but there are plenty of alternatives that are of similar quality and construction for a lot less. I guess I'm a value shopper.

you are right, i am a value shopper, that is why i like to modify or build my own lights. If they don't work, my own fault and no warranty hoops to jump through.

 

[Jeremy1066]

I have not bought a surefire at all.

I find it funny that you have such a negative opinion on something you've no experience with. That pretty well sets a value to your opinion at "zero".

 

[tradertator]

They're good flashlights, but the price is heavily inflated. High price on things like these make people feel like their getting more than they really are. Maglite has a lifetime warranty and are pretty tough. Redline by Nebo makes a good tough light as well. Neither of them have super-inflated prices.

A flashlight is just a tool. Look at the tool world. You have Matco and SnapOn. Both warranted for life, both high quality and high dollar. Then you go to Husky and Craftsman... still quality, still lifetime warranty. Then you can go to Harbor Freight and get a Pittsburgh... good quality, lifetime warranty. Does a 1/2" combination wrench really have that big of a gap in price? I can exchange that Pittsburgh 100 times and still be ahead. And I'll most likely never have to.

It's amazing to me, no matter what genre you're discussing (weapons, tools, motorcycles, computers.... take your pick), you always get those people that will tell you that the over priced hype is somehow far superior and that anything else is just a waste of money.

If you have a Surefire, and you're happy with it, then good for you. I don't have one, and I'll never let anyone wallet rape me like that. If you think I'm wrong, go play with your flashlight....

You also always get those people that think a lesser priced inferior product is just as good as a professional grade one. I don't "play with my flashlight", I rely on it with my profession. Nebo's and Maglite's are great for around the house, under the seat of the truck, or in the glove box. Carry one for 40 plus hours a week and run it for a few hours a night. Then let me know how well they hold up. Been there, done that, and I can answer you with certainty that they will not hold up as well. If I'm at home and my Maglite doesn't work, it's most likely no big deal. I can probably grab a spare or buy a replacement cheaply at my leisure. But when I clock in for shift, I'm stuck with what I've brought that night. If it goes down, my night just got a whole lot harder. I found that out the hard way when I was first starting out and I was deep down in a steam tunnel, and my Maglite decided not to work anymore. The forever warranty didn't mean much as I spent the next hour or so feeling my way out in pitch black conditions. Since switching to Surefire, I have not been in a similar situation. The best warranty is the one you never need, and in some cases, you're better off buying the best you can get.
Your tool analogy is a good one. I buy Craftsman, and they work great because I'm a hobbyist. On the rare occasion that I break one, no big deal. I just run into Sears for a replacement. But the guys I know that are professional mechanics, buy professional level equipment. They don't have time to make a road trip into Sears in the middle of a job, so they buy the best product that they can find and I don't criticize them for that. I don't see anywhere in this thread where people are saying "anything else is a waste of money". Most people can get by with a cheaper one, but guys that rely on them daily and are rough on gear (law enforcement, military, etc....) swear by them.

 

[9mmfan]

In an earlier life I worked as a mechanic. Thought that is what I wanted to do all my life. 5 years into it, not so much. Got out of it. Now I have several large tool boxes full of Snap On and Mac tools that my friends need to borrow all the time because their Harbor Freight socked cracked trying to get off a lug nut. Some I don't get back .
I have an original 6P that I've had about 15 years. It's 65 lumens have been updated to about 300 with a drop in LED replacement bezel. That is my daily carry light. I have one of Surefire original LED lights at 100 lumens that sits on my nightstand. I never paid full retail price for them. Can't say that for some of my Snap On tools.

 

[downlinx]

I find it funny that you have such a negative opinion on something you've no experience with. That pretty well sets a value to your opinion at "zero".

Just because I have not bought one, does not mean I don't own any. I never said all surefire lights are bad, I just didn't believe the G2X was a surefire quality. Personally, I would not pay for a surefire light, I would rather build a light than to pay the price for the light. Because I believe surefire is not the only light on the market, that makes my words of no value. surefire lights are quality, but not the only light on the market that is of quality or trustworthy.

 

[UGaARguy]

Surefire makes some extremely rugged lights. But so do Malkoff, and ElZetta here in the USA. ArmyTEK of Canada makes equal quality lights to Surefire, IMO, and their circuitry can use 2xCR123 or a single 65-70mm length 4.2V rechargeable equally well.

However, the light you're asking about has a body with an integrally machined attachment point for a thumb screw or QR weapon mount. The whole light (switch, LED, driver, optic, as assembled) has been tested to handle weapon recoil. You're also getting one of if not the best warranty in the industry. This light is simply surefire taking their existing 3V single CR123 head and sticking it on a longer thinner scout body designed for a pair of AAs. If you want to use CR123s and get 500 lumens that version of the light lists for the same price.

What does tick me off about Surefire is that they zealously guard the EB1-2 Backup / LX Lumamax / A2 Aviator interface, and they don't set those lights up for a single 4.2V rechargeable. It's the best high-low output tactical interface ever made, and I'm just going to have to deal with reduced output when I buy an EB2 and use 17650 IMR rechargeables in it.

 

[mdmayo]

I bought a pair of some Chinese knock-offs, KeepFire, as part of a pair of bicycle head/tail-light combos for less than $50, with two batteries and a charger each. I fully expected them to be trash, barely worthy of the power it would take to charge the batteries; boy, was I wrong.

Several hundred charges later, bike rides, bike crashes (my kid is a total clutz), mounted on my 870, mounted on my AR just to abuse it further, falling down a flight of stairs (I dropped it) and both units still will light up the world. It is rated at 1000 lumens with 5-way switch, H/M/L/Strobe/SOS. Haven't smashed out any windows lately, though I suspect it will do the job.

 

[theledwarehouse]

Nice Thread.

There is always a debate about the price of Surefire lights. At the end of the day, it's all about what works for your personal needs. I have a SF I take out backpacking, because i know if will work. I have some nice Fenix and foursevens lights I take on shorter hikes and use around the house.

I will say, that after 5 years and over 3000 lights surefire lights sold, I know of two lights that came back to us defective. Which means they failed in under 30 days.

 

[Robjps]

Nice Thread.

There is always a debate about the price of Surefire lights. At the end of the day, it's all about what works for your personal needs. I have a SF I take out backpacking, because i know if will work. I have some nice Fenix and foursevens lights I take on shorter hikes and use around the house.

I will say, that after 5 years and over 3000 lights surefire lights sold, I know of two lights that came back to us defective. Which means they failed in under 30 days.

I really like the foursevens lights they have became well if it doesn't need a surefire ill buy foursevens light.

I don't buy junk flashlights anymore, buy a nice flashlight and realize you can abuse the crap out of it and it will still come on. Too many times i've broken over priced junk and had to finish doing something in the dark.

 

[UGaARguy]

I've now been carrying a FourSevens Quark Tactical QTL on my keyring everyday for a year. A little less than midway through that time (June 2014) it was switched to a AA body, but the switch, and the LED, lens, and driver are the same. So far it's holding up as well as the Surefire E1e (converted to E1L with KX1 head in '09) it replaced that I'd carried everyday in my front pocket with my keys starting on a deployment in the fall of '06 and continuing until the Jan of last year when I got the QTL. The KX series heads just made the E1 series too big to be practical as in pocket lights, and they wandered too far from the soul of the E1e. The FourSevens single cell QT/QP series are the spiritual successors to Surefire's E1e.

 

[Denny347]

I have an original Surefire 650 weapon light, maybe 20 yrs old now, on my patrol rifle. I just recently installed an LED bulb to replace the original incandescent bulb. It still worked but LED is SOOO much brighter. That light has never failed me. I'm not in combat or anything like that but it is one piece of gear I do not have worry about working. I'm not gentle with my rifle in training, I want to make sure my equipment will hold up when I need it. Light always clicks on. I don't buy new, I'll find these used on eBay or similar.