Why aren't better LED flashlights sold in local retail stores?

I find that for the most part, the flashlights for the masses sold at the local retail stores are pretty low end and junky.

I wonder why most stores don't carry the better lights like Fenix and others. I would think that with the higher volume the price would drop, and the public would benefit from cheaper but much better lights (by factors of 10's or 100's) when compared to the current junky selections.

While I'm grateful for sites like fenix-store.com, I would love it if the local stores would carry the better lights as well..

Is the reason because the better quality LEDs are in very limited supply so the masses have to make do with the vastly inferior LEDs?

My guess is there is no demand for them in general stores. Most average consumers haven't heard of the high end flashlights. If they have to pick between Maglite vs. Fenix, they'll stick to what they heard of. They usually consider flashlights to be just common household items, and won't spend time research on them. It's like me buying silverware and cookware, I know there are high end ones out there, but I don't care about it enough to do research on it. I just buy whatever my local Bed Bath & Beyond carries.

This is similar to high end knives too. If you go to a general sporting store, the highest end they carry is Gerber, which is not even that great.

Because most people don't know squat about lights and wouldn't pay the higher cost of a really good one.
To someone who doesn't know about good lights, telling them a $90 light is better than a $15 light that looks about the same is about the same as telling a caveman that a Corvette is better than a Yugo. To him they would both just look like cars.

That's why all of the HID lights at sam's are on sale to cheap. Because a regular guy can't see the difference in a $98 Hid and the bazillion candlepower halogen sitting on the shelf next to it for only 20 bucks.

Well at least we are starting to see Cree, Rebel, and SSC lights reaching stores shelves thanks to Rayovac, Energizer, and Brinkman.

the light disease is only contained in this forum :sick2: its up to us to spread the disease and slowly but surely were doing it :devil:

I think the market (general) moves much slower than the hardcore audience. This is true in gadgets, computing and flashlights.

As the new gens get intro'd and consumed by the hardcore, the older gens are moving into the mainstream. The stores have now made the transition from Nichia to Luxeon K2 and now we're seeing a few of the SSC and CREEs pop up here and there.

LED-holic said:

I find that for the most part, the flashlights for the masses sold at the local retail stores are pretty low end and junky.

I wonder why most stores don't carry the better lights like Fenix and others. I would think that with the higher volume the price would drop, and the public would benefit from cheaper but much better lights (by factors of 10's or 100's) when compared to the current junky selections.

While I'm grateful for sites like fenix-store.com, I would love it if the local stores would carry the better lights as well..

Is the reason because the better quality LEDs are in very limited supply so the masses have to make do with the vastly inferior LEDs?

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Because the normal Joe User isn't going to pay the price that we on CPF pay for a light. Even the lower cost Fenix would be considered outrageous in the local retail type stores.

Most people I talk to don;t know the difference between a luxI and a luxV, therefore its of no use to explain further to SSCs, rebels, CREEs, etc.


The question is best understood from the standpoint of a flashaholic, outside the forum you'll find there is almost no "drive" for people to discard their existing LED light [or even their 2D kryptons] for a better LED light, even after you showed them the difference in performance.
1. its the mindset! "one is enough," "why carry two flashlights?" and "why buy a new one when the old one still works?" would be the questions people around me tends to ask when I direct them to newer lights, after awhile I gave up and gave in. [and I couldn't be happier]
now I too find the thought ridiculous, hence I'm still using luxI lights. Theres really no point going from a Lumiled Luxeon I to a CREE 7090 XR-E Q4, sure its brighter, more efficient, yadda yadda yadda. but its still a flashlight, and will always be used as a flashlight, so why bother?
here we are pursuing the peak of technology like theres no tomorrow...why bother? who cares? kick your shoes off, grab a beer and relax, jeez...the forum is like a flock of sheep going into a frenzy every time a new patch of grass is spotted...check out the luxV!, o0o0o0ohhh! P4s!, o0o0ohhhhh Q2s...look! Q5's! d00d! its a P7! we care, unflashaholics don't care, would manufacturers update their products every time a new LED came out just for a forum of 30K people in a nation of millions? Don't be silly, they haven't and they won't:shakehead

why Rayovac, Energizer, and Brinkmann have started I don't know, but its more or less a good thing I guess:shakehead

2. its the price! many people's jaws drop when they hear about a flashlight that cost $40, [I won't discuss the aftereffects of a surefire M6:nana:]. Its a very interest question with no easy answer to why people would buy $200 sunglasses, $500 watches, $150 for a pair of shoes or $100 on a bikini for their girlfriends and not willing to pay $40 for a light:scowl:
so far I'm only successful in giving away photons and selling $10/ea pak-light basics for $5....then after a year and $80 worth of net sales loss from my own pocket. I gave up, picked up my solitaire, slapped the krypton back in then out for a pizza:nana:

Well, SureFire lights are sold in stores And I don't think there's a problem about demand either.

Try your local gun shop or police supply store. They will have Surefire and others.
Mine (the one I go to) has the full range of Surefire lights as well as Novatac and a couple of other high end brands of flashlights.

You will have more success if you go to the place where professionals get their tools.
Last time I checked the only thing a police officer will buy from target is his underwear.
Yaesumofo

2 main reasons.

Price: "Public" usually goes for the cheapest decent light the fits his tasks, this usually means under $20.

Knowledge: "Public" doesn't know much about high power LEDs, much less Cree, Seoul, current gen LEDs, Drive current, multimode, hotwire and so on.

Sorry if anyone named public is offended.

The general consumer's purchasing decision (esp for common househould goods) is driven by price and brand. Their incentive to purchase something they never heard of is directly correlated to how cheap the item is. I remember about 6 years ago when I purchased my first Inova flashlight for $40, I was blown away by how much a flashlight cost.

Plus, as what other members have said, "if my old flashlight works, why should I get a new one?" ... believe it or not, my grandfather still uses his $1.00 Everready incan plastic flashlight that he picked up in the 80s ... that thing is flimsy and not waterproof. He buys the bulbs and akaline batteries by the bulk at 99 cent stores. If I tell him how much I spend on flashlights, he'll literally have a heart attack.

To be honest, I don't think the typical public (not job related) has a need for the expensive lights.
To be realistic, $5 lights or even incan. lights from 10yrs ago are fully sufficient for the realistic needs that the typical public person would need a flashlight for.
I just posted here:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/2418371&postcount=5

Saying that for me personally, flashlights are just toys, and I'm being honest that they are really just entertainment for me. Once I came to that realization, I was more at ease in making future purchases without having to trick myself with some false rationalization or justification on why I needed another flashlight.

there needs to be a Led flashlight commercial like the one mag put out but even mag commercial was RARELY seen on tv...and maybe incorporate a situation in the commercial llike when a flood hits " ex. hurricane katrina" and show how important it is to be ready with a good light....and not one of these useless commercials where they exaggerate their product :nana: although that commercial applies to the "TORCH" turning night into day

REI had a decent selection. Even target was carrying Inova. Its starting to spread.

Ray Tseng said:

To be honest, I don't think the typical public (not job related) has a need for the expensive lights.
To be realistic, $5 lights or even incan. lights from 10yrs ago are fully sufficient for the realistic needs that the typical public person would need a flashlight for.
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No I can think a many, many situations where a bright light is needed. Personally I see these pocket rockets as a huge $ making opportunity.
I'll bet I could sell a few thousand Romisen RC-C3's in my town alone. The issue is the batteries. When 1xAA's get as bright as 1xCR123a's are now the market will explode.

glenda17 said:

No I can think a many, many situations where a bright light is needed. Personally I see these pocket rockets as a huge $ making opportunity.
I'll bet I could sell a few thousand Romisen RC-C3's in my town alone. The issue is the batteries. When 1xAA's get as bright as 1xCR123a's are now the market will explode.

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Needed? or just think you need it, and really just a nice to have? Again it probably depends on your location and exact situations (e.g. we have lights in my "town" and electricity is stable). But at least for me, I think that I could go a full year without "needing" a flashlight more then a few minutes, and any cheap flashlight in those circumstances would be more then sufficient.

Ray Tseng said:

I think that I could go a full year without "needing" a flashlight more then a few minutes, and any cheap flashlight in those circumstances would be more then sufficient.

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You must not do much, sorry.

The general lumen-challenged public would not even consider spending $40 on a flashlight. Just like they buy most bicycles in a department store for $70 when a good bike from a bike shop makes riding enjoyable and makes long and fast rides possible.
Unless they actually learn about the product/market for the goods they want to buy, they will usually just get the cheapest thing they can. They even do it when buying food, which will go into their bodies and have a direct bearing on their health.

I searched for "flashlight commercial" on youtube and i found a few. I think this as much of a research the general public would do. Seems like Maglite exaggerates just a tad.


Maglite - http://youtube.com/watch?v=ndCfRYOxtYc&feature=related
Maglite - http://youtube.com/watch?v=oY2-7sRUu9U
Maglite - http://youtube.com/watch?v=RMn8ix5FFW0
Rayovac - http://youtube.com/watch?v=_ayTQqTio84
Surefire - http://youtube.com/watch?v=iKpTPqghl64
Surefire - http://youtube.com/watch?v=O_vgHXjIFsk&feature=related