Brand Reliability

[Phry]

So you don't mind the Chinese parts in your Surefire?

So you would call your iPhone something from a "Chinese company"?

Surefire spend a lot of time and money creating and promoting the image of being reliable.

How do you know if their failure rates are higher or lower than Armytek, Jet beam or any others?

You have this data?

Or are you just believing the hype - and paying for it!

 

[MatthewSB]

So you don't mind the Chinese parts in your Surefire?

Not at all.

Those parts are backed up by an impressive warranty, reputation, and customer service. If the chinese circuitry breaks in 10 years, I'll either get the part replaced or they'll give me a newer light as replacement.

So you would call your iPhone something from a "Chinese company"?

No, it's an American company who outsources production to China, something I have no problem with so long as quality does not suffer.

Surefire spend a lot of time and money creating and promoting the image of being reliable.

They also spend a lot of time and money taking care of their customers.

 

[Phry]

Their customers pay for that "good service" in advance with their ridiculous prices!

Of course you can dish out replacement parts easily if you over charged for them in the first place.

Many people who complain about the warranty of "Chinese lights" have never used them.

In Europe it is cheaper and easier to post to and from China for warranty repairs and many people buy from dealers who handle returns anyway.

You do know that some people exist in the world outside of the USA don't you?

 

[dougie]

I love Surefire, I love their warranty. However, I can't say I love their prices. Do I buy Surefire lights? Yes! Would I consider buying other lights? Yes! And I do! Currently, my favourite light is a Nitecore EA4. Is it reliable? Yes! Do I carry a backup? Yes! And it's a Surefire. So my answer would be to buy whatever takes your fancy but carry something that you can have a great deal of confidence in as a backup!

 

[sbbluewater]

I have had my Fenix TK11 for a couple of years now. I use it almost every day and have had zero problems with it. The build quality is great and the price was reasonable. I am looking for another Fenix to add to my collection.

 

[dss_777]

Well this thread went about as well as expected. :nana:

What is "reliable" mostly depends on what your threshold is for failure, and whatever your personal cost vs. benefits analysis yields. I'm not living or dying by my lights, so I decide based on build quality, features and performance, warranty and cost. Right now, that means Malkoff, Surefire, and Zebralight a distant 3rd.

Nothing is perfect, some are just less imperfect than others. When you need 100% reliability, you bring two, or more, lights.

 

[ragweed]

The ones that have been very reliable for me are: Arc AAA,Fenix E01,Fenix E05 & Shining Beam Romisens. No problems with them at all!

 

[AZPops]

Presently serviceability e.g. warranty support plays a big part in my decisions. Stuff made by man will break, but the ease of having the light repaired, as well as communication with the company, and or person who's behind the light is as mentioned extremely important!

When deciding on a light. Do a CPF search e.g. doing your homework to help you make an informed decision prior to hitting the proverbial order button!

 

[jdhermit]

Kind of hard to be objective on that...I've had fantastic luck w Olight, jetbeam and fenix....horrible w 4sevens. (Or however they're spelling their name these days).
But, I'm SURE *someone* will be along shortly saying 4sevens is OUTRAGEOUSLY good.

Hard to measure objectively without collecting data, I'd imagine.

 

[GordoJones88]

brand x > brand y

 

[jasonck08]

Another consideration is the complexity of the light should influence its reliability. For example a simple 3 mode light with modest drive current from a reputable brand I would consider it overall more reliable than a light with a much more fancy UI and feature set. There is just a lot less that can fail in a simple light.

 

[JCD]

Many people who complain about the warranty of "Chinese lights" have never used them.

Many people who rant about Surefires being overpriced haven't ever tried them. I've owned and used both. The smoking deal I got on my only Streamlight notwithstanding, my Surefires offer the best bang for the buck, with respect to quality, of all my lights. At the opposite end would be the Fenixes I've purchased, which I feel were way overpriced for what they are.

 

[Phry]

Many people who rant about Surefires being overpriced haven't ever tried them. I've owned and used both. The smoking deal I got on my only Streamlight notwithstanding, my Surefires offer the best bang for the buck, with respect to quality, of all my lights. At the opposite end would be the Fenixes I've purchased, which I feel were way overpriced for what they are.

I've owned and used both.

Tend to find the Surefire and Maglite fan boys are from the USA :rolleyes:

 

[JCD]

I've owned and used both.

Tend to find the Surefire and Maglite fan boys are from the USA :rolleyes:

I couldn't care less where they are made. I don't buy anything because it is or isn't made in a particular country. I like to buy quality, not patriotic bragging rights. My Streamlight is outstanding, and it's made in China. My Surefires are also excellent, and they are made in the USA. Both of my Fenixes were/are a small step up from supermarket junk, with a premium price tag. They were made in the China. My LED Lenser has been great for an inexpensive light. I think it's from China.

Honestly, I've had more bad experiences than good with USA manufacturers, but when it comes to flashlights, all of my Surefires have been first rate, better than anything else I've used. (I've never used an HDS, Malkoff, or high-end custom, so I have no opinion regarding how they compare to Surefire.) I doubt I own any Surefires that I couldn't easily sell for at least what I paid, which also demonstrates excellent value. I'd have no qualms trying an HDS or a Malkoff, or even a McGizmo, not because they are USA made, but because they have excellent reputations.

 

[jabe1]

In general, I find that all of my lights are reliable when properly maintained, excepting some old dime store multi LED pieces, a Solarforce that had a cheap solder job, and a much abused Ultrafire 1x123 that saw 2 years of shop duty.

When looking for bullet proof reliability, I consider complexity of the circuitry, UI, water resistance, whether the electronics are potted, and the materials comprising the light.

With all of that in mind, my Peak lights are probably the most reliable, followed by my Surefires with potted drop-ins, and my old Inova X5. I will say that I have never had a Fenix or 4sevens light quit on me though.

I consider myself very patriotic, yet when spending my money( not just on flashlights), I buy the best my budget affords me, whether US made or not. I'd be a fool not to.

 

[Phry]

I consider myself very patriotic, yet when spending my money( not just on flashlights), I buy the best my budget affords me, whether US made or not. I'd be a fool not to.

Foolish or not there seem to be a lot of the buy American brigade, even if it is overpriced junk.

Advertising really does work too, as Surefire have shown. So it appears does saying your product is used by the us military, that gets lapped up by people like hungry seals!

In between buying those little expensive red cells Surefire sell that end up in the bin.

Oh that's right they have now, eventually, conceded to making rechargeable 18650 based lights. Years after all the others :rolleyes:

 

[N_N_R]

I guess nowadays all more expensive flashlights meet more or less the same standards, due to the harsh competition. My top best are Fenix and Olight. I've had just a few others: Maglites, Sunwaman, Tank007, but after a while, I got rid of the rest, left the Fenix and Olight and even bought more Fenixes and Olights.

My understanding of reliability is: working even after having been abused. And in my case abuse = having been dropped MANY times on tiles / concrete and working flawlessly even after that. Also in my experience the Fenixes are very economic, this can also count for reliability - they often work even with dead batteries other flashlights/devices cannot use anymore.

 

[WilsonCQB1911]

Foolish or not there seem to be a lot of the buy American brigade, even if it is overpriced junk.

Advertising really does work too, as Surefire have shown. So it appears does saying your product is used by the us military, that gets lapped up by people like hungry seals!

In between buying those little expensive red cells Surefire sell that end up in the bin.

Oh that's right they have now, eventually, conceded to making rechargeable 18650 based lights. Years after all the others :rolleyes:

Some of us believe in and have pride in our country. I won't be ashamed of that. Your major issue seems to be with patriotism, and less about the products and services. The ideals you seem to look down upon, I hold up high. If you are an American, I feel bad for you. If you are not, I hope you believe in your country as much as we do in ours.

No need to reply to me. I'm putting you on my ignore list for your endless anti-American campaign.

 

[neutralwhite]

+1.

Some of us believe in and have pride in our country. I won't be ashamed of that. Your major issue seems to be with patriotism, and less about the products and services. The ideals you seem to look down upon, I hold up high. If you are an American, I feel bad for you. If you are not, I hope you believe in your country as much as we do in ours.

No need to reply to me. I'm putting you on my ignore list for your endless anti-American campaign.

 

[Treeguy]

Tend to find the Surefire . . . fan boys are from the USA :rolleyes:

And Canada. :wave:

I buy Canadian first, American second, all else third.

I bought a field knife for my work bag and bought Made in America. Not disappointed at all with the quality.