Hi monocrom...greetings from singapore, in asia..well more south east actually...
but i agree, majority of surefire owners might not be flashaholics...
Crenshaw
What is so special about surefire?
- Thread starter a4d
- Start date
Help Support Candle Power Flashlight Forum
Hi monocrom...greetings from singapore, in asia..well more south east actually...
but i agree, majority of surefire owners might not be flashaholics...
Crenshaw
jzmtl
Flashlight Enthusiast
Consider the surefire received by CPF members are random samples from surefire production, I'd say the poll result is quite valid and does represent entire surefire owner population.
Someone should do one for maglite clickie, since we already had fenix and surefire.
Someone should do one for maglite clickie, since we already had fenix and surefire.
Hi monocrom...greetings from singapore, in asia..well more south east actually...
but i agree, majority of surefire owners might not be flashaholics...
Crenshaw
Any way you could help us out by doing a little survey. You know, maybe ask half the country whenever you have an hour to spare.
Marduke
Flashaholic
It's still a representative sample, and similar failure poles with other brands give a global comparison. Particularly since CPF is generally not the most destructive crowd for real world use (ie. true combat conditions) I would venture a guess that failure rate would even be lower here than in the wild.
Their twist momentaries are ok, but their clickies need a serious redesign. They might want to take a hard look at the Fenix T1 to see how they solved the problem of protecting a protruding momentary from impact damage while still leaving it very accessible, even with gloved hands.
And yes, I own some of both, and was sorely disappointed with what happens when you drop a Surefire 3 feet and it happens to hit first on the tailcap.
Any way you could help us out by doing a little survey. You know, maybe ask half the country whenever you have an hour to spare.
i wish i could, but i dont think we have a big base here..i wouldnt mind walking around with a pen and survey form, but more then likley they will go "huh whats that? its a 200$ torchlight? !@#^&" even an e1e is about $150 here, thats around $100 USD
as for the rest of South East Asia, there are members here that are from Malaysia, and i think i have seen Indonesia, we will have to wait for them to respond. The problem will mainly be that surefires can get pretty expensive this side of the world, especially with the shipping costs involved, whether you buy direct, or through a dealer, so most of us will more then likley stick with the stock tail switch, most of which are twistie momentary on kind. Therefore, we will not be in much position to comment.
I think it will all come down to quality control,and variance between batches, someone in in the qc room must be falling asleep
incidently, my surefire twistie has failed me once...see the thread on "your first surefire" im somewhere on the first page
maybe thats the real reason fenix has the Assult prong thingies, that means for all our whining, they are not going to change anything....sigh, why does surefire have a patent on thier momentary on twistie? one of those on a T1 would be perfect...
Crenshaw
Last edited:
Well I am one of the dude in Singapore who owns a number of Surefires. I am primarily collecting and using Surefire lights. I do have some gripes about bulbs failing, regulation not working properly, but Surefire handled those issues for me. Other than that, I am happy with Surefire quality and design.
Well I am one of the dude in Singapore who owns a number of Surefires. I am primarily collecting and using Surefire lights. I do have some gripes about bulbs failing, regulation not working properly, but Surefire handled those issues for me. Other than that, I am happy with Surefire quality and design.
maybe we should organise some kind of gathering of the enlightened, but theres hardly anywhere dark enough..maybe eastcoast park? and do you know any other flashaholics outside of cpf?
Crenshaw
270winchester
Flashlight Enthusiast
forgive us mere civilians who seek quality tools without being in one of those "categories"
MikeLip
Flashlight Enthusiast
forgive us mere civilians who seek quality tools without being in one of those "categories"
Oh now, he didn't say you shouldn't - he just said there is not much reason to. The point being made (I think) is if you don't absolutely rely on your light, you don't necessarily need to pay for a Surefire.
This being CPF though, need doesn't necessarily enter into it. The desire for a really nice, well made and reliable light is all that is required.
Oh, and btw - you'd be surprised at the crappy lights that are issue for many firefighters. My first good light (a Tru Grit - 1975) was the direct result of having a junk issue light fail on me. I still have the Tru Grit, and while it's pretty ugly, it still works like the day I bought it. That light is at *least* Surefire quality in construction. Actually, it could pound a Surefire into the ground like a nail and still work
270winchester
Flashlight Enthusiast
Oh now, he didn't say you shouldn't - he just said there is not much reason to. The point being made (I think) is if you don't absolutely rely on your light, you don't necessarily need to pay for a Surefire.
This being CPF though, need doesn't necessarily enter into it. The desire for a really nice, well made and reliable light is all that is required.
Oh, and btw - you'd be surprised at the crappy lights that are issue for many firefighters. My first good light (a Tru Grit - 1975) was the direct result of having a junk issue light fail on me. I still have the Tru Grit, and while it's pretty ugly, it still works like the day I bought it. That light is at *least* Surefire quality in construction. Actually, it could pound a Surefire into the ground like a nail and still work
I understand what you are saying.
THere were three "not" in one sentence, a triple negative if you will, so excuse me for a little lost-in-nots.
And don't get me started on administrators that issue crappy lights to fire fighters.
GadgetTravel
Enlightened
- Joined
- May 18, 2005
- Messages
- 642
One thing that hasnt been mentioned much is the beam quality. Im not a real stickler about that but I remember being stunned at how useful an E1e with only 15 lumens was compared to much higher rated lights that were probably exaggerated and had crappy, ringy beams. I have a number of Streamlight lights that I like, and a Fenix and Novatac and HDS. If I had to pick one light to depend on it would be my A2. Without a second thought. Also, another nice thing about Surefire is Surefire lego
cernobila
Flashlight Enthusiast
........history, they were the first in this category and size......that's about it. Outside of the US these lights are a luxury because of the prices. Performance wise they are about the same as a lot of other lights on the market today so there is no need to spend big to get what you need anymore......and yes, they still make their lights with narrow bodies that wont take the 18500/18650 cells, for me this is a major drawback........
cernobila
Flashlight Enthusiast
I agree, I included things like reliability, customer service, pricing structure, predictability of LED tints etc. There is a lot more than just brightness to judge a light by.....I use rechargeables to cut down the amount of CR123 cells going into land fill. I haven't thrown out a single cell in over a year even though I have over 30 lights and use them far more that the average person.
a4d
Enlightened
Well if i bought a G2 because it'a about $35 would that be a good indicator for me to really see Surefires durability,reliability, and overall build quality.
youll be surprised by how rugged even thier "plastic" lights are, i have a g2z, coming to a year, and im STILL surprised...the g2 is well worth the US$35 if you live in the US and no shipping...IMO
if you live outside, you might as well spring for something abit higher up because shipping doesnt care if you are trying to save money by buying that 35$ light, it will still cost a bomb, thats why i got the g2z instead of the g2
plus, the momentary on twistie is the reliable switch, versus the clickies which seem to be generating a bad rep here...
Crenshaw
Last edited:
Here is a torture test.
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/176054
And same test with P3D
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/181049
Allthough the P3D passed the watertest better, notice that he didn't perform it exactly the same way, the G2L had a harder watertest (deeper river). On the other hand, the P3D had a harder drop test.
All in all, both of them were very rugged.
cernobila
Flashlight Enthusiast
If I had to choose between a SF G2 and a WE Sniper 6TX (about the same price from PTS if you are a member) there would be no contest; the Sniper is alloy, can fit 18650 cell in it and has the low light LED tailcap, for me, better value for money for sure......btw I have both lights.
KeyGrip
Flashlight Enthusiast
SureFire's special-ness depends on what you need the light to do. I don't consider SureFire as a company to be any more special than the other flashlight companies out there. Many people overestimate it, and an equal number underestimate it. The Cree E2L, however, is a light I would consider special as it is as close to perfect -for my use- as I have yet come in a light. I do not expect them to be god's gift to flashaholics, and I am rarely disappointed.
