Agreed. I find most of the folks I work with are incredibly brand loyal for anything work related. Doesn't matter if your talking boots, weapons, duty gear, foul weather gear, or flashlights most people do the "been using XXXX for years". I get why they are brand loyal, our lives can depend on this stuff after all, but I always liked checking out what other officers are using. I think I am a little more open to improvements in products and technology than most. Only time will tell if they are the ones playing it smart with their brand loyalty though.
Sometimes brand loyalty has very good reasoning behind it. I have been a cop for a few years now and have carried a few different brands of flashlight (streamlight, Fenix, Surefire, etc) but I keep coming back to Surefire. The reason is their customer service and the quality and design that go into their lights. Most surefire lights are purpose built for a law enforcement/military user. They have well thought out features that actually work for the intended use and they stand behind their product 100%. I have been a loyal customer of theirs for 10+ years and will continue to do so because there is literally no other competing brand that has the combination of functional design, durability, initial quality longevity and customer service that Surefire has had over the years and continues to have.
I currently have a Surefire C2 LED on my duty belt and an LX2 as backup. I carry an X300 with DG17 on my Glock 22 and have an M3LT as a large duty light for night shifts.
Surefire lights just work.
Some examples: Fenix tk 11 has a "combat grip" body similar to the surefire Z series. The combat grip was initially designed for use with a handgun and intended to be held like a syringe using the "rogers" technique. The TK 11 has the grip ring, but is very poorly designed for this use. The tail cap has sharp crenelations on it that dig into your hand if you attempt to use this method. Obviously designed by someone who saw a picture of a Surefire or Gladius and thought it looked cool without understanding the practical application of the grip ring.
Insight weapon lights. I have an insight procyon weaponlight. Its basically insight's answer to the surefire x200/x300. Well made light, bright and has a strobe feature which the Surefire x series do not. However, the light has a well documented problem when used in conjunction with the most common duty weapon around, the Glock model 22. The light will mount to the weapon's dust cover and lock on, but under recoil will fly off the weapon after only 4 or 5 rounds have been fired. Obviously they did not adequately test the light prior to shipping the units out. When customer service was contacted regarding this issue, they pretended it was the first time they had heard of it, even though a google search will reveal many other instances of this very thing.
I am not bashing these brands, they make good lights, but what Im trying to say is Surefire tests their products more thoroughly before they put them out on the street and they stand behind them when they do break. I once had an old M2 centurion. The light was never advertised as being waterproof, but I had a problem with the light fogging up on the inside after I had submerged it in water. I contacted surefire and they exchanged the light for a brand new one no questions asked. I broke the lens on my C2 one day, I contacted Surefire CS and they sent me a new bezel for it free of charge, no questions asked. I have never bought a surefire and regretted it.
I also feel somewhat better supporting a US company with my hard earned money than funneling it into the pockets of our new overlords, the chinese. Just my 2 cents.
