Chinese Lights - Thoughts / Feelings?

Hello All:
First off, I own a Chinese-manufactured light - a Fenix L2D, and use it probably more than any other. So I'm not China-bashing, just struggling with some issues of Chinese goods vs. North American and European goods. But as I started looking for a decent one-123 cell light with a clickie, found a P2D with a Rebel 100 at 58 bucks. and if it's anything like my L2D, the quality is probably above average, and for the brightness and utility it's a GREAT value. And the China based companies can be so DARN responsive - Q5s and Rebels in lights shortly after their introduction. Then l looked at American made - Novatac 120 T or P, or better yet the upcoming ARC LS. Likely a LITTLE less output, but at 150 for the Nova's and 150+??? for the LS, a LOT more $. So, if looked at strictly as a lumen per dollar ratio, the Fenix wins hands down. But start throwing in the "intangables" things look different. The Novatacs and ARCs FEEL more solid, and likely are tougher They have better UI's in my opinion. I'd give a soldier going overseas a Novatac hands down before a Fenix, Olight, Dereelight, Tiablo, etc., etc. And then the other big one - We're keeping the money we pay for the lights in OUR economy, not shipping it overseas.

So, if I wanted instant gratification, had $60 to spend on my next light, I'd buy the Fenix, and fairly certainly be happy with it. I still may. But I think I'd like to skimp on some other stuff, stash an extra 100+ bucks and go Novatac/ARC or ?

So, what's you thoughts on Chinese lights or China goods in general? No poll here, just trying to start same lively conversation...

Greg

PS: MY other light include a few Surefires, some Barbolights, a few modded mags, an old ARC, a HDS, a Lion Cub, and an Ion. Of them all, I trust the Barbolights most (simple and built like a tank) and the SF's shortly behind them. The Fenix would be at the bottom...

i have a bunch of Chinese lights and they are not bad at all for the price you pay. never had a fenix, but i have lumapower, jetbeam, liteflux, and some other brands. i have used a novatac and love the ability to program it on the go to any situation. I am waiting for the HDS to release, but at the same time i plan on buying a jetbeam jet II and possibly a deerelight dbs.

Nothing wrong with them in general. Cheaper manufactoring costs, plus non brand name=cheaper lights. I buy them, I like them.

That being said, I prefer to buy Made in USA, just because I worked in a factory for a time and I still try to support that. So if I wasn't interesting in flashlights in general and collecting, I would probably avoid Chinese flashlights.

I generally prefer lights that are easily pocketable and have multiple levels. I don't care who makes them, though I would certainly prefer them to be US made. Until that happens I'll joyfully buy the Chinese models.

Geoff

What lights are actually assembled in the US by American workers? Seems like everyone wants to cut costs by outsourcing as much as possible. Some might just be partially 'made in the US' ?

One, I like supporting the US economy. Second, I'm somewhat ok with manufacturing based in China, but as long as the CSRs are in the US, a fluent english major writes the manual, and I can get support thats based in the US. Third, I feel that a lot of the time, the designers and the retailers themselves don't have a good line. What a designer wants, the manufacturer may not understand, and in the end, aspects are lost in translation. Next, the blatant lack of originality annoys me. Get some creativity. Names like superfire, even if they are good products, just scream at me "We should steal a name, and see if people fall for our imitations". Last, it honestly depends. If it's a rock solid piece of equipment, design is perfect, and it boils down to the fact that the cost of living, wages, and other factors over there are lower, I may go for it. But if I see hot glue and masking tape again....

It's a good point though. My Surefire says that it is US made, but I wonder if that applies to most of the parts. Chances are high that the emmiter were not of US origin, so what else?

Qoose said:

It's a good point though. My Surefire says that it is US made, but I wonder if that applies to most of the parts. Chances are high that the emmiter were not of US origin, so what else?

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How often do we have to repeat this? :sigh:

Surefire does not outsource to Asia. Some components they have to buy from Asian manufacturers (you simply cannot buy LEDs, resistors and other electronic components in bulk that are made outside of Asia). Everything beside electronic components is made in the USA. Most mechanical stuff is done by Surefire themselves. Some things, like anodizing or parts for switches, is outsourced to US companies manufacturing in the US.

Maglite is the same.

It's beyond me why some US company has not decided to import a bunch of the Chinese flashlights. They could make a killing selling these lights (Such as the UltraFire line).

It also baffles me that many US companies that make flashlights don't keep up with modern technology and offer the latest and greatest.

KingGlamis said:

It's beyond me why some US company has not decided to import a bunch of the Chinese flashlights. They could make a killing selling these lights (Such as the UltraFire line).

It also baffles me that many US companies that make flashlights don't keep up with modern technology and offer the latest and greatest.

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Coast/LEDLenser. Brookstone and Sharper Image (and similar) offerings.

People in China must all be flashaholics. I wonder if these Cree lights are just sold at street and nightmarket vendors?

swxb12 said:

I wonder if these Cree lights are just sold at street and nightmarket vendors?

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Probably. There's a huge Asian market for SureFires. As for the question regarding Chinese lights in general, it's easy to find lights of a very high quality. It's all in the research. I try to buy American as much as possible, but I will buy a Chinese light if it is the best for my use.

:laughing:

No poll here, just trying to start same lively conversation...

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down goes one on this one.....:sigh: your intentions may be noble... but ....May I humbly suggest to start this thread underground..... it's been countless occasions such threads have gone the wrong direction and ultimately end up in US VS China ......Economics VS Patriotism etc etc....... some people get banned... some people flame each other.... and ultimately the thread is closed... with a few more "enemy's" created...

.....Just enjoy the lights that we have, admire them for their quality irrespective of origin and carve for more bright lights to come in future....and yes buy both .....

I really do not care where a flashlight is made. As long as it is over-engineered for what I will use it for, that is sufficient.

I dislike any form of brand loyalty. I currently own LED Lenser, Fenix and Maglites. Many of you will have a negative opinion of LED Lenser, because they do produce some horrible button-cell powered lights at the low-end. However, of that particular brand, I find the David 15 to be a perfectly useful flashlight. Within that brand, I have found the right flashlight for me (for now).

Within the next six months, I will be heading over to Florida, and will try to pick-up a Surefire A2 Aviator. I am not picking it up because it is a Surefire, or that it is made in the US. I am getting it because it has a particular set of features that I am looking for in my next incandescent light. There are plenty of Surefires that would be useless to me.

The point I am trying to make is; Judge each and every flashlight on its individual merit. Do not try to generalise using such blanket-categories as manufacturer, country of manufacture etc...

I'm with MikeSalt, so the only chinese light I had owned were the Liteflux LF2 and Fenix P3D. Having used them and edc'ed them for a while, i came to the conclusion that other brands fits my needs better. They are remarkable though and worthy for many tasks IMHO

MikeSalt said:

I really do not care where a flashlight is made. As long as it is over-engineered for what I will use it for, that is sufficient.

I dislike any form of brand loyalty. I currently own LED Lenser, Fenix and Maglites. Many of you will have a negative opinion of LED Lenser, because they do produce some horrible button-cell powered lights at the low-end. However, of that particular brand, I find the David 15 to be a perfectly useful flashlight. Within that brand, I have found the right flashlight for me (for now).

Within the next six months, I will be heading over to Florida, and will try to pick-up a Surefire A2 Aviator. I am not picking it up because it is a Surefire, or that it is made in the US. I am getting it because it has a particular set of features that I am looking for in my next incandescent light. There are plenty of Surefires that would be useless to me.

The point I am trying to make is; Judge each and every flashlight on its individual merit. Do not try to generalise using such blanket-categories as manufacturer, country of manufacture etc...

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Well said!

Don't care at all. I would probably even not know that most lights we're made in china if it weren't for the fact that it's constantly brought up here on CPF. In general, I believe american customers are a bit more vary about chinese products than the rest of the world. I haven't seen this "paranoia" on other forums. Generally, people don't care of the origin as long as the product meets their demands. If China can send satelites into space, I don't think it's out of their grasps to make a decent flashlight(funny thing is that the irony in that sentense probably is lost on most CPFs since we think flashlight technology is as advanced as rocket science...).

Since I'm not an american, the aspect of not supporting american manufacturer doesn't bother me, and there are no Swedish manufacturers to support (except Silva maybe?). On the other hand, do you do your own manufacturers a favor if you keep supporting them even though they don't keep up with the evolution? That's what capitalism is about, if you don't have a worthy product at a worthy price, you're out.

As a guy who has to do business with Chinese manufacturers, I am kind of ambivalent about them. I love being able to buy high tech products cheaply, but I am also not all that happy with the way China treats their workers. I do find that in general, made in USA stuff is of a higher quality and somewhat better thought out than the stuff China sometimes rushes to market with, even if it's not always bleeding edge tech.

I do own several Chinese-made lights. I also own some American made lights. I'm fairly happy with all of them, although more so with the made in USA stuff. I'm not sure where this leaves me, but that's often the case.

Lobo said:

Don't care at all. I would probably even not know that most lights we're made in china if it weren't for the fact that it's constantly brought up here on CPF. In general, I believe american customers are a bit more vary about chinese products than the rest of the world. I haven't seen this "paranoia" on other forums. Generally, people don't care of the origin as long as the product meets their demands. If China can send satelites into space, I don't think it's out of their grasps to make a decent flashlight(funny thing is that the irony in that sentense probably is lost on most CPFs since we think flashlight technology is as advanced as rocket science...).

Since I'm not an american, the aspect of not supporting american manufacturer doesn't bother me, and there are no Swedish manufacturers to support (except Silva maybe?). On the other hand, do you do your own manufacturers a favor if you keep supporting them even though they don't keep up with the evolution? That's what capitalism is about, if you don't have a worthy product at a worthy price, you're out.

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That's what capitalism is about, if you don't have a worthy product at a worthy price, you're out.

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Yeah, as long as you are not cutting costs by using poisonous materials or selling counterfeits...

Outdoors Fanatic said:

Yeah, as long as you are not cutting costs by using poisonous materials or selling counterfeits...

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Well, that's not a privilige only reserved for China, is it now?

Lobo said:

Well, that's not a privilige only reserved for China, is it now?

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Well, I have never seen a counterfeit made by an US manufacturer in American soil. Neither products made with toxic material. With the amount of lawyers and lawsuits in the US, that is just not a very good business practice...