Why is it that so many people need McClicky's and Malkoff's?

[LightJaguar]

All, Thanks for the inside on this.
It is not that I am interested in the Malkoff or McClicky upgrades for the complete team, that would be to expensive and have no real need.

But just to experience all the pro's and con's for myself I would like to order these upgrades and see what they do.
I still have some P60's and enough E2e's, and Maglite's laying around.

Well for personal use is fun but if your team sees you carrying a souped up Surefire or Maglite they might just want to have one too. Now if you decide that your E2Es or P60s are just too much trouble, I would be happy to help you find a good home for them next to my Surefire collection

 

[Apollo Cree]

The mass market manufacturers have economy of scale. If you have some great flashlight design, you can save a lot of money and effort by taking a mass-market flashlight and using some of the mass produced parts in your customized light.

The manufacturers are probably not going to be willing to sell you the parts, so you produce a kit and let the customer buy a mass produced light, or use one he's already got.

It doesn't necessarily mean the mass market light is garbage, it may be that you have something that fills a different need than the mass produced light.

Of course, it's also possible that the mass produced light has a significant problem and you have an add-on fix for it.

 

[Zenbaas]

Sorry for the slight OT GrizzlyB but from all my reading on the forums the Surefire are held up in incredibly high regard by some of the community here. If what you state is true, 35 % is a massive failure rate IMHO for something that is always touted as incredibly reliable. Did you create another thread to raise your concerns initially...?

 

[Grizzlyb]

No need for that Zenbaas,
As I sayd, it was just an experience from one batch in a specific build period.
Ad to that, that SF has a complete other meaning of warranty outside the US, and You can do the math.
I have no experience after this one, coarse we stopped using SF.
Reading all the comments here, a lot happened with SF in the last 4 years and they seem to be on track to be one of the best company's building lights.
AND, this thread was not about SF or Maglite's, but I wondered about why after market products like Malkoff and McClicky's are so popular.

 

[leon2245]

No need for that Zenbaas,
As I sayd, it was just an experience from one batch in a specific build period.
Ad to that, that SF has a complete other meaning of warranty outside the US, and You can do the math.
I have no experience after this one, coarse we stopped using SF.
Reading all the comments here, a lot happened with SF in the last 4 years and they seem to be on track to be one of the best company's building lights.
AND, this thread was not about SF or Maglite's, but I wondered about why after market products like Malkoff and McClicky's are so popular.

That's good news GB, thanks for sharing. I've learned from some of your other posts that manufacturers like Pelican, Streamlight, SureFire etc. still have a ways to go to catch up with Fenix, JetBeam, & SunWayMan in the reliability & customer service department, so it's good to hear that SureFire is finally turning the corner. Perhaps your Elite Tactical Squad will give SureFire another chance, sometime in the future? Assuming they stay on track? Or once bitten, twice shy, for good?

Sorry for the slight OT GrizzlyB but from all my reading on the forums the Surefire are held up in incredibly high regard by some of the community here. If what you state is true, 35 % is a massive failure rate IMHO for something that is always touted as incredibly reliable. Did you create another thread to raise your concerns initially...?

No, that's not GB's style. Though he might have mentioned it once or twice elsewhere...

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...-want-to-buy&p=3743908&viewfull=1#post3743908
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...efire-or-HDS&p=3747538&viewfull=1#post3747538
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...efire-or-HDS&p=3748269&viewfull=1#post3748269
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...-want-to-buy&p=3744988&viewfull=1#post3744988
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...-New-Officer&p=3753053&viewfull=1#post3753053
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...-Streamlight&p=3769124&viewfull=1#post3769124
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...-Streamlight&p=3770508&viewfull=1#post3770508
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?314083-Ever-had-a-clicky-tail-switch-fail&p=3772286&highlight=#post3772286

 

[nbp]

Leon, I'm sensing some sarcasm, I think.

 

[leon2245]

Not at all. Think about it- how often is it that we get feedback on reliability & customer service based on such a large sample size, all of the same model light, & all being used simultaneously in the same way (as opposed to for instance just a rotation among a collector's hundreds being used one at a time)? In fact, cool stories like those about GB's Elite Tactical Squad could be the very motivation behid surefire finally starting to get their act together & make something reliable enough for L.E. Unless one thought it was all a complete fabrication, & I can't imagine why anyone would lie about something like that. On the internet.

 

[Quiksilver]

Who DOESN'T need a Malkoff and McClicky?

If you're tired of your light(s) not functioning with fresh cells, then ...

 

[nbp]

That's good news GB, thanks for sharing. I've learned from some of your other posts that manufacturers like Pelican, Streamlight, SureFire etc. still have a ways to go to catch up with Fenix, JetBeam, & SunWayMan in the reliability & customer service department, so it's good to hear that SureFire is finally turning the corner. Perhaps your Elite Tactical Squad will give SureFire another chance, sometime in the future? Assuming they stay on track? Or once bitten, twice shy, for good?

This part of your post made me think that you had to be joking. :shakehead

These companies have been making lights for law enforcement, military, search and rescue, firefighting, diving etc FOREVER. Surefire since the 80's, and both Streamlight and Pelican since the 70's. They have some of the best track records for reliability around and the best warranties. "Assuming they stay on track"? They've been on track for decades. How much more proven can they get? "Finally turning the corner"? The corner is so far in the rearview mirror you can't see it anymore.

SunWayMan has been around for like 3 months, there isn't much data on how reliable they are in these hard use environments other than the anecdotal evidence in this thread. Jetbeam and Fenix are nice and have a couple years under their belts but even still I read of plenty of people having quality issues with these lights.

While Pelican, Surefire and Streamlight may not use the bleeding edge emitters that these small, agile enthusiast manufacturers do, to say they have to play "catch up" with SWM and Fenix in reliability and CS is kind of ridiculous. Surefire, Streamlight, Pelican, and those like them the industry leaders in reliability and CS.

 

[nbp]

In fact, cool stories like those about GB's Elite Tactical Squad could be the very motivation behid surefire finally starting to get their act together & make something reliable enough for L.E.

Is this a joke?

You do know that Surefire does like $300 Million a year in weaponlights and tactical lights and sells a huge majority of their lights to LE agencies and military personnel all over the place right?

That's what SureFire DOES! Make lights for LE!

 

[leon2245]

Well then you obviously need to read a little more Grizzly B, NBP.

 

[Bullzeyebill]

Enough re this topic. OP has made his point with multiple posts in this and other threads re reliability of some named lights, and we don't need to keep discussing it. Closing this thread.

Bill