Re: You get what you pay for...or DO you?
Definitely not when it comes to taxes and government.....
Someone once said, we're lucky we don't get the government we pay for....😀
Welcome to CPF. Wise words.
The first production Luxeon hand held flashlights were by ARC and for the first few years ARC and others were in the $90-180 range. I was in on the first 'group buy' offering that started 4sevens for the Fenix L1P for about $40. It was an incredible value, because of what it offered for the price compared to what else was available. The same question applied then. There sure were a lot of sales for that light because of the perceived value. I didn't think less of my ARC Luxeon, but it sure did alter the perceived value for many.
I would say that was probably the start of the reverse engineered imported lights.
SF had a history of quality lights that were marketed to professionals, not hobbyists and consumers. Back then, high powered LEDs were not bright enough for tactical lights. By the time SF did their R&D and started production, they had worthwhile output from LEDs for EDC use flashlights, but they were still not bright enough to be tactical. When SF released their lights, they had done homework to know that the lights would still work reliably 5-10 years down the road and offered such a guarantee with them. That comes with a price tag and a compromise in things like brightness by not overdriving LEDs.
As LEDs evolved, SF took advantage of the technology and now has extreme tactical lights in their LED line up, but their R&D cycle is probably 3 times as long as the imports. The imports
may hold up and last - time will tell. Time has told us that we already know, the SFs will. For some, that's not important, but for others, it is.
I only own one SF light that has since been upgraded with an LED drop in. I can't afford them now and when I could, there were other offerings available that met my needs at a cheaper price. I'm not a professional where my life my depends on a flashlight, but if I were, I think that knowing what I know about lights, I would have justified adding a SF or two to my EDC.
I'm going to stick my neck out with a statement ....... Most everyone believes that SF is the 'gold standard' b/c it's what everyone bases their perceived value on.
...... if it's well made, attractive, feels good, brighter, more modes, etc. and costs less than a SF, it's a better value. Some have said that they can have 2, 3 or 4 lights that 'do more' for the same as a SF. So most must think that they are 'the standard.'
Flashlights aren't any different from others goods in that there are offerings of different quality. Some businesses offer goods that are marketed as high quality based on price, but they're just overpriced and some offer items that appear to be quality at budget prices, but they're just junk. An informed consumer will do research to prevent from buying either of those extremes. Most often, I believe that you do get what you pay for, because the others don't last.
Here on CPF, there's no excuse for getting taken advantage of. There's more information available here on flashlights than any other place. CPF is
the gold standard for being informed.
Remember that SF is produced for and marketed to professionals. We are a largely a hobbyist community, although we have a large number of professionals among us. I consider that those that rely on lights for work as professionals, not just LEOs, rescue, armed forces, etc. and their comments weigh more heavily on my opinions than do collectors and white wall enthusiasts.
It's great that we have so many offerings in flashlights now. Competition makes for more choices for the consumer. There are lots of professional goods that are overkill, or at least their cost can't be justified for the non professional. Flashlights are just one of those.
I personally believe that SF is worth every penny, but I'm one whose needs can be met by other offerings at less expense. For the record, I think that 'junk lights' are a complete waste for any use other than for kids as a toy, but many here will argue that. They may have been lucky and had good service out of one and even luckier not to have had problems with the retailer. Just not worth it to me, but that's the same question as the OP but at a different price point.
