Hatred for Surefire Products

A long-time friend, colleague, former CO (military), and fellow flashaholic sent me e-mail a few days ago. He and I go waaayyyy back and he knows me VERY well.

The content of his e-mail concerns comments made by a young man who is apparently a member of this board. My friend tells me that this young man believes that I have some deep hatred for the products of that highly innovative Fountain Valley, CA company.

Now while my friend and I had a loooonnnnnggggg, hearty laugh at this young man's opinion, my friend asked what I was going to do about the comment. I laughed some more when my friend said "...no, I'm serious." I said 'uhmm, huh!?'

I said...well,...never mind what I said.

After a few days of some perfunctory research, here is my reply:

39-14-37-375K-6-55K

A new Chicago song? No!
Part of Rachel Welch's figure? Nooooo. (OK, I'm showing my age. Hell, most of you here wouldn't remember Tawnee Welch.)

Here is the low down.

39 is the number of years that I have been using a flashlight in the course of how I make my living.

14 is the number of years that I have been recommending Surefire Products.

37 is the total number of quantity purchases various organizations have made as a result of my recommendations.

375K is the approximate total dollar figure these firms have spent buying Surefire Products as a results of my recommendations.

6 is the total number of different Surefire models that I have recommended over the years.

55K is the dollar amount that 5 organizations have spent buying Surefire products in year 2002 based on my recommendations.

Need I say any more?

My friend says "...you know, somebody's gonna ask that you prove it."

Don't make me send the MIBs.

Something that doesn't come easily to some, is that like the multidimensional physical world, the abstract, but very real world is not simply two dimensional either. We face choices offered through such terms as "favorites", and are pushed, sometimes discreetly, sometimes forcibly, into making choices and decisions based only on extremes. You're either for Surefire, or you are against. You're either for Arc, or you are against. You either detest Maglites, or you support them. The world has come to value such traits as "make a decision and stand your ground".

KT, your objectivity in your informative evaluations of products is a trait I've found of value. Please, continue to see and report the varied degrees of value in products.

Mr. Dot,

Send on the MIB (you hex hater you )

- Don

Mr Dot,

I'm wondering who this young man is, but more importantly, if this is what you do when you have a deep hatred for a company's products, I am interested in how you respond to products that you love.

With all companies, especially with ones like SureFire with huge numbers of products, it's possible to find products you'd sell a relative for as well as products you wouldn't give to your worst enemy. Also, a company's products are not the only feature on which to judge it - customer service for examples is also important.

Al

I guess someone has their P's and Q's all mixed up.

Several hours after I posted this topic, I started to think that someone might wonder who that young man is.

It is my friend's second son; about 36 years old and a former underling.

Love is something that I generally DO NOT attach to flashlights or other tools.

I have recommended Surefire products for years because they are proven reliable tools for certain applications, but, as with any other tools that I have recommended, I will not hesitate to criticize features that I deem unnecessary.

It is only those that I discuss and criticize that I consider worth owning and using for what I need. I only speak of a few; namely Maglight (only the Magcharger), Streamlight, Surefire ASP, Inova, Brinkmann, and ARC. Notice that I don't talk about products such as the Eternalight, Saucewand, or the rest of the Maglight product line.

Al, let's keep this on topic. I didn't mention customer service because it wasn't germain to the issue.

I work in a mixed up world. Part of my job may be mixing it up more in order to unmix it down the road. Ps and Qs often don't exist in their raw form to mix up. PQs and QPs may be mixed with PPQs and QQPs.

Please don't ask. The Avon Lady's world is complex.

Don, what makes you think that J and K aren't already there?

Originally posted by sunspot:
KT, thanks for the laugh's.

Who the heck is Tawnee Welch? I do know about Rachel Welch.

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<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">If I remember correctly, Tawnee Welch is Rachel(actually its "Raquel")Welch's daughter. If you watched the Spielberg movie "Cocoon" sometime back, Tawnee played an alien - albeit, a pretty darn sexy one! She definitely inherited her Mom's outstanding bod

Too bad she dropped out of the movies. And I dunno why, but whenever I see Halle Berry - I think of Tawnee Welch...

Right! There's lots to like and dislike about many tools. And different applications require different tools.

Hang in there, Mr. Dot, in this complex world! There is a difference between "Surefire makes some great tools" and "Surefire can do no wrong." I go with the former. And then I can add that others make great tools, too, and those are shown on my Web page--from my perspective. Each user's evaluation of the factors may be different.

Cheers,

Richard

KT, thanks for the laugh's.

Who the heck is Tawnee Welch? I do know about Rachel Welch.

it's easier to cover up your problems and keep people from talking if you provide excellent customer service and give stuff away.

<Too bad she dropped out of the movies. And I dunno why, but whenever I see Halle Berry - I think of Tawnee Welch...>

Funny. I don't find that Halle Berry does anything for me. Those Welch women however.....

I'm one of those guys that dang near despises M*gl!te as a company. However I own several and would buy others if they were needed for some mod or the other.

I have NOTHING to say good or bad about SF.

I happen to like Streamlight products quite a bit, but don't find the Scorpion my cup 'o' tea.

OH, this is a VERY complex and mixed up world we live in. Who among us didn't know THAT?

B@rt was kind enough to email a pic of Tawnee to me. Nice. Very nice. I do remember the movie Cocoon with her in it now.

Originally posted by Size15s:
[QB
With all companies, especially with ones like SureFire with huge numbers of products, it's possible to find products you'd sell a relative for as well as products you wouldn't give to your worst enemy. Also, a company's products are not the only feature on which to judge it - customer service for examples is also important.

Al[/QB]

Click to expand...

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">My sentiments exactly.