Well, staying with the lithiums, the SF is the best from a quality standpoint. I'm not talking about only beam quality (the Scorpion and ASP Taclite have a very good beam also), but other quality issues.
The Scorpion and Taclite lamps will not last as long as an SF lamp. The Scorpion lamp lasts only 3 or 4 sets of batteries. I do like the fact that the Scorpion has another lamp on board, however.
As noted in other's posts, the lithiums are not that expensive if bought in bulk from AGR (Gary's a great guy, btw) and they have a long shelf life. This makes a lithium torch good for survival gear or letting it sit until you *really* need it. (If you're going to burn through batteries, you should look at rechargable.)
Another issue is switching. SF's is stone simple, bulletproof and the entire torch is very corrosion resistant inside and out.
The engineering quality of a SureFire is "real", many others are simply good looking and perfectly adequate for most tasks, but it's really up to you to decide if having the best (and paying for it) is worth it.
As far as cost, one must look beyond the product as a whole and at the manufacturing processes that go into it. MVD (for SF refelctors) is a fairly expensive process, the raw materials (aluminum alloys are not created equal) and the corrosion resistant processes used on SFs are also of a very high level. This, as well as the quality of CNC machining is not cheap and is going to be reflected in the final cost. As an engineer, I can assure you the darn things are pretty well made using very good materials. Hey, Laser Products has to make a profit also
It's also a question of if you simply appreciate finely engineered things or are just looking for a light to "do the job". One has to evaluate the mission of the torch. I suspect many *non* LEO folks who buy SureFires simply appreciate well made things.
I choose G2 SFs (and Krills) for my survival gear (I fly in remote areas) and I wanted a torch I *knew* would operate when I needed it. So my criteria is for absolute reliability. (That, and I simply appreciate fine engineering.)
Also, most "normal" flashlights lack in quality current/contact paths. This gives the typical dim beam requiring the "shake" manuver. SFs avoids this problem with quality paths. (Even then, I use a bit of anti-oxidant compound on my survival packed SFs)
Having said all that, my daily carry is a Scorpion in my flight case and the E2 in my pocket. My other SFs live a quiet life, waiting for the call. This lack of use translates to even greater costs, but one gets what one pays for and for me that's knowing when I push the button the SureFire won't let me down.
So each person's viewpoint and "mission" in selecting a torch will be different. As an engineer and pilot, I have a "need" for good stuff.
Besides, sometimes there can be no rational reason for perceiving quality and value, we simply buy certain stuff because we like it. The "cool" factor takes over and love is blind in such cases.
Anyway, sorry for the length. Hey, anyone have other opinions on the ASP Taclite?
