Does anyone like Surefire anymore?

[Monocrom]

I owned two Surefire lights so far: a Maximus that I had bought in 2012 and a Titan Plus in 2016. The former is now a paper weight with a dead battery....

$350.oo for a SureFire with an integrated rechargeable battery that cannot be swapped out if said battery malfunctions or gets too old. Yeah, oddly shaped paperweight is all you can use it for; unfortunately.

 

[IMA SOL MAN]

$350.oo for a SureFire with an integrated rechargeable battery that cannot be swapped out if said battery malfunctions or gets too old. Yeah, oddly shaped paperweight is all you can use it for; unfortunately.

Ummm, have you contacted SF about the problem? For that kind of coin, they should take care of it and get it 10-8 again.

 

[Monocrom]

Ummm, have you contacted SF about the problem? For that kind of coin, they should take care of it and get it 10-8 again.

Thankfully, I don't own one. If Bucur hasn't, hopefully he contacts SureFire about it. Years back, I got very lucky with my first ever headlamp being a Princeton Tec. EOS II. Highly recommend it, overall. Never felt a need to replace it.

 

[rwolfenstein]

$350.oo for a SureFire with an integrated rechargeable battery that cannot be swapped out if said battery malfunctions or gets too old. Yeah, oddly shaped paperweight is all you can use it for; unfortunately.

I think thats surefires way to make sure you buy more of their products. Much like many of these companies who have specialty batteries.

 

[Monocrom]

I think thats surefires way to make sure you buy more of their products. Much like many of these companies who have specialty batteries.

Just a messed up way of doing business. At least with some of those other companies, a faulty proprietary battery means you can replace it with another proprietary battery; and you're good! With the Maximus, SureFire apparently expects you to buy another $350.oo Maximus! Screw that!!

 

[IMA SOL MAN]

I think thats surefires way to make sure you buy more of their products. Much like many of these companies who have specialty batteries.

Since the battery is non-customer serviceable, SF should replace the light under their warranty.

 

[rwolfenstein]

Since the battery is non-customer serviceable, SF should replace the light under their warranty.

Usually they give you a free replacement light. When I called about my exploded Alkies in the e2laa, they gave me suggestions and said if that didn't work they were gonna send me an e1b max vision to replace it.

 

[rwolfenstein]

Just a messed up way of doing business. At least with some of those other companies, a faulty proprietary battery means you can replace it with another proprietary battery; and you're good! With the Maximus, SureFire apparently expects you to buy another $350.oo Maximus! Screw that!!

Olight and fenix use customized batteries that you can't get when they move on to a new light

 

[Monocrom]

Olight and fenix use customized batteries that you can't get when they move on to a new light

Precisely why the only Olight models I own are the ones that take common battery types. And, also why I haven't bought a new Fenix model in several years. (As in, back when Fenix didn't do that sort of thing.) Can't stand companies that pull that nonsense. Also why I stopped buying Klarus models awhile back.

Only silver lining with my Klarus XT2CR Pro frying its own LED and malfunctioning, is that I replaced it in my rotation with a Limited Edition AceBeam Defender P16. Will work with literally any type of flat-top 18650 battery (unlike the Klarus that required a proprietary 18650), any type of 2xCR123 cells, and even 3.0v 2xRCR123 cells.

Credit to where it's due. Very happy with my new AceBeam.

 

[rwolfenstein]

Precisely why the only Olight models I own are the ones that take common battery types. And, also why I haven't bought a new Fenix model in several years. (As in, back when Fenix didn't do that sort of thing.) Can't stand companies that pull that nonsense. Also why I stopped buying Klarus models awhile back.

Only silver lining with my Klarus XT2CR Pro frying its own LED and malfunctioning, is that I replaced it in my rotation with a Limited Edition AceBeam Defender P16. Will work with literally any type of flat-top 18650 battery (unlike the Klarus that required a proprietary 18650), any type of 2xCR123 cells, and even 3.0v 2xRCR123 cells.

Credit to where it's due. Very happy with my new AceBeam.

Well there are so many companies that make customized batteries with some weird amp hour output that make it only work with that light. I would say buy spares, but with how hot these lights get, I imagine that the rate of discharge kills the light faster than others.

 

[Bucur]

Ummm, have you contacted SF about the problem? For that kind of coin, they should take care of it and get it 10-8 again.

I may have slightly exaggerated by referring to my Maximus as a "paper weight with dead battery". It is actually a paper weight with weak battery. However, is SF supposed to replace my 11 years old battery for free? I believe I was dumb enough to buy an expensive paper weight which was quite bright for a decade or so. Given that batteries don't last forever, this is my mistake.

 

[bykfixer]

I may have slightly exaggerated by referring to my Maximus as a "paper weight with dead battery". It is actually a paper weight with weak battery. However, is SF supposed to replace my 11 years old battery for free? I believe I was dumb enough to buy an expensive paper weight which was quite bright for a decade or so. Given that batteries don't last forever, this is my mistake.

Probably a good thought process,
Here's the current Maximus warranty

 

[Monocrom]

I may have slightly exaggerated by referring to my Maximus as a "paper weight with dead battery". It is actually a paper weight with weak battery. However, is SF supposed to replace my 11 years old battery for free? I believe I was dumb enough to buy an expensive paper weight which was quite bright for a decade or so. Given that batteries don't last forever, this is my mistake.

No harm in contacting them and asking. Honestly, weirder things have happened with SureFire in the past.

 

[IMA SOL MAN]

I may have slightly exaggerated by referring to my Maximus as a "paper weight with dead battery". It is actually a paper weight with weak battery. However, is SF supposed to replace my 11 years old battery for free? I believe I was dumb enough to buy an expensive paper weight which was quite bright for a decade or so. Given that batteries don't last forever, this is my mistake.

Why do you think that light was so expensive? You paid for the replacement light upfront.

Years ago, there was a television manufacturer by the name of Curtis Mathes. They charged the most for their televisions of any TV manufacturer. At one time I worked for a TV dealer, who sold RCA, Zenith, SONY and Magnavox. I asked him about Curtis Mathes, about them being better. He told me that their TVs were no better than any others, you were just paying for an extended warranty upfront in their retail price. I figure SF, with the warranty they give on their lights, and as expensive as they are compared to everyone else, is doing pretty much the same thing.

 

[rwolfenstein]

Why do you think that light was so expensive? You paid for the replacement light upfront.

Years ago, there was a television manufacturer by the name of Curtis Mathes. They charged the most for their televisions of any TV manufacturer. At one time I worked for a TV dealer, who sold RCA, Zenith, SONY and Magnavox. I asked him about Curtis Mathes, about them being better. He told me that their TVs were no better than any others, you were just paying for an extended warranty upfront in their retail price. I figure SF, with the warranty they give on their lights, and as expensive as they are compared to everyone else, is doing pretty much the same thing.

I will admit though, regardless of how expensive their products are, they have excellent customer service. I cannot think of many companies that would give you a free brand new light if your old light, that they cannot fix, wears out.

 

[IMA SOL MAN]

I will admit though, regardless of how expensive their products are, they have excellent customer service. I cannot think of many companies that would give you a free brand new light if your old light, that they cannot fix, wears out.

Well, the reason that they can do that is because they charge so much for their products upfront, and then you have to keep the customer happy, or they won't be a repeat customer. You don't stay in business with the first sale, you stay in business with repeat sales.

 

[Bucur]

No harm in contacting them and asking. Honestly, weirder things have happened with SureFire in the past.

No other harm than letting them remind me how dumb I was when buying a headlamp with non-removable battery. Their guarantee statement that bykfixer posted confirms this. Even if the "weird thing" you have mentioned would happen, the cost of overseas shipping and the bureaucracy at the customs would be prohibitive. I appreciate your sympathy but I have no other choice than accepting the facts.

 

[rwolfenstein]

Well, the reason that they can do that is because they charge so much for their products upfront, and then you have to keep the customer happy, or they won't be a repeat customer. You don't stay in business with the first sale, you stay in business with repeat sales.

Yes you are correct, however there are some companies who charge a lot and then turn around to say oh well, buy a new one.

 

[IMA SOL MAN]

Yes you are correct, however there are some companies who charge a lot and then turn around to say oh well, buy a new one.

Yeah, those are the companies that don't get repeat business, and soon go extinct.

 

[ghostguy6]

I can tell you one thing about government, we are never as prepared as it's made out to be. I found our power outage flashlight at our office the other day, it was some cheapo 2 cell plastic d battery flashlight. Guess what batteries we don't carry... D batteries. All of the remaining flashlights we have that are normally mounted in the cars, well those batteries have exploded or lost their charge. Food for thought.

Hey now, don't knock the government... Their lack of preparedness was the cornerstone of a branch of the security company I worked for. We made millions advising companies on how to prepare and sold them ready made disaster kits for when the government would fail them. The sad part is no one really thinks about it until it is too late.