Granted I am a flashlight newbie, but I have a hard time thinking there are so many out there who literally would be dead or crippled had not their flashlight "saved" them. :rolleyes: I mean, come on, what type of job or activity are you doing where there is so much danger (and both are ultimately your choice, even your job) involved and how in the world can a flashlight get you out of trouble....
The two clear examples would be soldiers in the war, and LEO's serving their communities. Those are the ones who realistically rely on their lights for Life & Death situations. Whether it is a Police Officer searching for a suspect hiding in a dark field, or a soldier who's first through the door of a home suspected to be hiding Taliban terrorists or their cache of weapons. If you can put light where you need it, you can see trouble before it comes your way. (Such as a suspect raising his weapon, and getting ready to fire).
....real "bad guys" are hardly going to be intimidated by a flashlight in any case!), and how still do you know that a $10 Walmart light would have failed to work and do the same thing (get you out of trouble) in such circumstances anyway?! :p
They'll be intimidated by the weapon in the other hand, or the muzzle of the M4 (The weapon, not the Surefire model) that the light is attached to. You don't see too many soldiers or LEO's carrying $10 Walmart lights. I guess they're not reliable enough after all.
I was not making it up when I talked about my Maglite that has been through all sorts of weather (and for days too, not just a few hours outside in the cold or rain/sleet/snow/mud, but literally sometimes being buried in it when I left it outside and slept in my tent overnight!) for the last 10 odd years yet has yet to fail me even though I have not taken care of at all. It cost a whole $20 something I think when I got it.
Fair enough. Let me share my personal experiences with Maglite....
Carried a Mag 3D model under the seat of my car. After about three years, I decided to check to see if it was working. The alkies hadn't leaked. The light seemed fine. But it didn't switch on. When I went to check to see if the problem was the batteries or the bulb, the light literally fell apart in my hands. Nothing would even screw on back together again. Not the tailcap, not the head, not even the bezel ring. Aparently the threads got stripped just sitting in my car for 3 years. No clue how that happened, just know it did.
I had a couple of 2AA Mini-Mags that failed on me as well. Including one that also literally fell apart in my hands. And the other one had a barrel so soft, that I accidentally flatted it between my thumb and fore-finger. Barely applied any pressure at all. Other than as hosts for better electronics and lamps, Maglite has been a huge let-down. In fact, I had a cheap, disposeable, 2D plastic light from G.E. that had a much better beam-profile than my 3D Maglite, at only $1.99. That G.E. light lasted me nearly a decade. Seven years longer than my 3D Maglite.
It seems expensive brands like Surefires sell because it is a kind of status symbol. It's like owning an Acura or my Sentra: both will do the job equally well most of the time, but one will be more envied and will, admittedly, have better quality and be more fun to operate. But will it really be more reliable? If I'm almost in an accident but am driving an Acura and my brakes work so my life is saved or at least severe physical trauma is avoided, is it really legitimate to think that if I was in a lesser car (like my Sentra) that my brakes would have failed and I'd be dead or crippled? Should I congratulate myself on buying the Acura and not being "cheap"?
I've encountered two flashaholics in real Life. Two. Who are you going to impress if you buy a Surefire as a status symbol? The members here on CPF? You don't physically interact with anyone here. They can't stop by your home to check out your Surefire collection. It's not a status symbol if you can't physically show it off to others.
Here's why I own over a dozen Surefire models:
1) Long-term quality.
-- I've already mentioned that Surefire hasn't done everything right. Not even close. But my Surefires are the lights I can pass down to my niece, nephew, or my kids. (If I one day have my own). That's how good the quality is. Long after a cheap DX light falls apart, my oldest Surefire is likely to keep on working. You want bright & cheap, you can get that anywhere. Just like you can go to a street corner and get a woman who is "pretty" & cheap. You want someone of real quality. Those women are a bit harder to find. In terms of lights, those are easy to find.
2) Lego-ability.
-- Your Surefire isn't bright enough for you? Toss in a quality drop-in. My 6P has a handmade Malkoff M60 drop-in inside of it. Doesn't take away from the quality of the light. (Not if you use quality aftermarket units). Don't like the tailcap on your Surefire? Swap it out. There's a nice variety of options, even from Surefire. Want to use 18650 or 18500 cells? Get a Leef or FM body. Customize your Surefire until it's perfect for you.
3) Excellent pocket-clips.
-- Just makes carrying a light so much easier. Some companies don't even bother to offer that feature.
Those are my personal Top 3.
As far as cars, if you're an enthusiast, than I don't need to point out the huge differences between an Acura RSX vs. An economy car. But many folks aren't enthusiasts, and can never understand why anyone would spend the extra money. If you truly enjoy driving, you
know why. If you don't, you'll never understand.
On a personal note, due to a moron swerving into my lane last year, the brakes on my Ford Escort locked up. I went sliding into the stonewall of an exit ramp. I made it out alive with just a sprained wrist and a headache. Had my car had anti-lock brakes, it would have been a different story.... I'd have no clue what it's like to have an airbag explode in my face, along with the choking fumes I inhaled from the blasting cap. I spent more money on my next ride. Quite a bit more for my 2009 Mazda6, V6. Besides the most powerful engine in its class, it has anti-lock brakes, and a suspension built for handling. I've had the car for 8 months, and yes; I've relied on both the anti-lock brakes and the handling to avoid accidents when sharing the road with idiots.
I don't think so, I think such thinking is just a rationalization for ultimately rationally unjustified purchases and a way to make ourselves believe that we are not wrong when we make such buying decisions. There is little way of knowing about how reliable equipment is anyway unless we test multiple models of flashlights (or cars) against one another to see if certain models will fail to perform as they should a lot more than the others. Anecdotal claims and conjecture are not suffiecient to prove a universal phenomena, and that's what we seem to have for claims of Surefire (and other brands) flashlight quality (good or bad). But we need repeatable and verifyable lab tests before we can be sure that one brand of light will outperform another, just as we do with a model of car over another. And even then different variables will alter the results; it can't be exact.
Can't speak for others, but I justify buying Surefire (and lights from other companies) because I want them. I have a job, the bills get paid on time, the rest goes into my bank account, and a small portion of that money gets used on this hobby of mine. That's
my justification. Do I feel that I've spent too much money on my hobby. Nope! But that's just me.
You can tell if equipment is reliable if it stands the test of time. Surefire's 6P has gone through a few minor cosmetic changes. But it's still basically the same light it has always been. Over the years, it has earned a reputation as a proven & reliable design. (If it wasn't, we'd all know about it). Enough people have bought and used that model, along with other Surefire models, over the years; that you can say that Surefire makes reliable lights that will stand the test of time.
Surefire Beta tests their lights. Something that some other companies don't do.
Again, no offense intended and I may very well "eat crow" sometime down the road here! :ohgeez:
No offense either, but I'm beginning to think you made your posts just to bash Surefire, and those of us who choose to buy Surefires over other brands.
