Will high end flashlight value increase ?

I was just wondering if the value of high end flashlight such as surefire, hds or custom lights would increase in value after some years.

Normally, for a painting it value will only increase after the death of the artist. Does this apply to the world of custom light ?

Please advise. Thanks.

Like the flashlight is more valuable after you break it?? :hahaha:
I don't know, I've seen some depreciation in what I thought were high-end lights. I'm not buying for investment anyway, though, it's either utility or sentimental value..

There are flashlight "collectors", and they tend to collect specialty items, such as short run lights, one offs, and just for the fun of it.

It is unusual to see a commodity, commercially available cars become a collectable that increases in value, but a few actually do of course. I think similar logic applies to flashlights as well.

It is quite possible it will DECREASE in value. Mostly because flashlights aren't highly collectable.

A few people here do have lights that go back 50 years or more. A lover of antiques may want it sheerly for the style and pay a nominal fee. Other than that, the future doesn't look too bright.

I would not count on the value of certain flashlights increasing, but there are some cases where this has already happened.

Some that come to mind:

The UltraG has more than doubled in value over the past year.

The KI lights have held their value well and sell for more than the purchase price.

I was recently offered way more than what I paid for my V1 SS 123 Gatlight. (Only 17 of those were made.)

I think the Neoca Wood will become a sought after collectible light.


Most of us buy flashlights for the fun of it and not monetary gain. And I think that is the best way to enjoy this hobby.

Yeah, and the Lionheart sells for about half of what it did when it was purchased in a lot of cases. The Ultra-G will sell like that until there's something compairable with a Luxeon (and many say that's already here, and if it's not it isn't too far away) and then fade away. But I'll stick with mine, there's always a use for a light no matter what it is..you just have to look hard sometimes. And that's what other lights are for

I wouldn't go buying any flashlight as an investment. You may get lucky and find one that has a high demand, but no supply, but more and more companies are getting into the flashlight business - and technology is making these lights brighter - with multiple levels, and cheaper. I think in 5 years, we'll see 150 lumens out of a cr123 sized light - with multiple brightness levels - commercially available for ~50 bucks.

That doesn't do much for the value of "current" lights - which will be by comparison dimmer with less functionality. The true collectors will still want some of the early "firsts" like the ARC LS - and 1st Gen Arc AAA's and other lights that will someday be deemed "collectable" by someone, but unless you would want to bet on a 1 in 100 chance for a increased value of maybee double in 5 years (less than 20% value increase per year)- I'd look elsewhere to invest your money.

Price of Flashlights is like stocks options, sometimes it goes high and sometimes low

There are some rarer Surefire flashlights that can bring more than new prices if they can be bought for a good deal. I found a 12P and 12Z a few years back and was able to just about double my money when I sold them a year or so later.

About the only thing that will drive the current high end used Surefire lights (like the M4 and M6) price up is an increase in the MSRP. As the new, retail price on the lights increases, so will what they will bring inthe used market, but it won't exceed the new price IMHO. Some of the older Surefire lights were somewhat rare, most of the models made in the last couple of years have saturated the market, and there are so many of them, they will likely never surpass their cost when new. Surefire is also continually improving and upgrading their lights, and some of the older ones might become less desirable.

The ARC LSH light still holds its value very well, usually selling for as much or more than when new. That's one light I wish I hadn't gotten rid of, even though I did sell it for a profit.

-Keith

LouRoy said:

I would not count on the value of certain flashlights increasing, but there are some cases where this has already happened.

Some that come to mind:

I think the Neoca Wood will become a sought after collectible light.

Click to expand...

I definitely agree with that one.

In 40 years....we should know.

Well some Arcs went up in price after Arc stoped making them. You pay more now for an LSH-P then when it was new. Also if somethign terible happened, like a big Surefire scandal and they went out of buisness the lights would go way up. Note to self: buy more Surefires.

There are a few especially significant lights that are rare and have collectable value but usually this doesn't happen. Buy lights because you like them, not as investments. They're more like a gourmet meal than a painting. This is especially the case with LED flashlights, since LED's are high tech semiconductor devices like microprocessors, that keep increasing in lumens just like microprocessors increase in megahertz. Last year's amazing LED light is like last year's amazing computer: ho-hum by today's standards.

Yes there have been a few lights that uniquely filled a need, so they became valuable when discontinued, until something else came along. The Arc AAA was $25 or so before Arc LLC went out of business. Their value then shot up to $60+. But other comparable lights (Peak Matterhorn) came along, and Arc itself reappeared in a different form and started selling AAA's again, so now the old AAA's are no longer worth nearly so much. Similarly with the Arc LS, while the first run might be collectable, and I guess the ultra-rare LS3 might still command a premium price, the favorite model was the LSH-P and those have declined in value since modern lights are better. The most desirable new unit was the Arc4x at around $300 and that was also ultra-rare (HDS claims only 5 were made) but I think those have dropped in value since the HDS EDC series performs at least as well.

I have seen some lights made at the turn of the Century break several hundered dollars....very few but I have seen it happen. Not the recent turn...1800s becoming 1900s

I don't see them increasing in value except for very limited versions like the Orb Raw U-bin or any other light that has been custom engraved for presentation and presented to persons of distinction like current/former heads of states, battlefield generals, rock stars, rap stars, serial killers, etc.