To be fair here it really isn't fair to keep referring to surefire's nitrolon as merely "plastic".
But it is, in fact, mostly made of plastic.
I mean, sure in the end it's still plastic, the same as platinum and tin and both "metal",
That's correct--there are many types of plastic and metal with widely varying properties and levels of quality, but they're still plastic and metal.
however surefire's nitrolon is a step above most of the other plastic lights I've seen and it's makeup and structure is far more advanced that what it gets credit for.
So it's a very strong plastic. Feel free to call it Nitrolon or more informatively fiber-reinforced plastic whenever you want to be specific, but when speaking in general there is no denying that it is plastic. For the purposes of this discussion, which largely involves material properties other than strength, Nitrolon has all the quintessential properties of all plastics (e.g. thermal and electrical insulator), making "plastic" a very apt term in this context (nothing more needs to be said).
Thank you. Not merely plastic, but the latest in POLYMER technology!
Polymer is an even more generic term than plastic. :ironic: For example, your fingernail is made of a polymer. There are all kinds of weak, crappy POLYMERs oo: out there, but because it sounds better than "plastic" it has been appropriated as yet another marketing term. I say marketing departments should come up with their own fancy names (e.g. Nitrolon), and leave real words alone!
In any case, Nitrolon is more accurately described as a composite because it's reinforced with some other material (in this case glass fiber). The word composite has likewise been badly abused, especially among aerospace enthusiasts. As with polymer and plastic, there are many types of composite with widely varying physical properties. For example, perhaps the most common composite material of all is steel-reinforced concrete, but I doubt that fans of the word "composite" would like to see an airplane made of that! :laughing:
Anyway, I just think we should try not to let salesmen mess with our understanding of the English language. :duh2: