Why do Surefire's cost so much?

Ive been on Surefire's website looking at some of their lights and Ive used a few of them, just cant understand the prices, very expensive I think. Are they made in the States? Most dont seem to be extremely bright and runtimes are low, wassup with this? Dont get me wrong, they look and feel very solid but what makes them so much better than say a JetBeam or Eagletac ect ect.. Just asking and looking, havent ruled out getting one

Oooh not a good question, but here's my answer FWIW. I'm not sure you can fully and logically justify the price of Surefires. Maybe someone can but I can't. American labour, quality materials and the warranty all add up of course. I'm not convinced they really add up to Surefire prices.

On the other hand, having bought two of them I have no regrets at all. Sometimes you pay a lot for something because of the hype and kick yourself afterwards. That wasn't the case with me and Surefire - I'm glad I bought them regardless of the price. Maybe they have 'nice personalities'?

This is going to be closed so quick. A flame was will follow. Mods will race to the close button.

Just go here:

http://www.surefire.com/why_surefire

and then hang out on the forums and look around. The answers are indirectly everywhere.

(I trust SF so much they are the only company I would ever buy from again. All of my future lights will be Surefire. When my life depends on them, because it will, I will only trust them. They suit my needs. I don't need 10000000 lumens in some stupid looking micro mini girlie flashlight. I want a nice, strong, sturdy, dependable, working, capable, sexy light.. I call Surefire.)

d1live said:

Ive been on Surefire's website looking at some of their lights and Ive used a few of them, just cant understand the prices, very expensive I think. Are they made in the States? Most dont seem to be extremely bright and runtimes are low, wassup with this? Dont get me wrong, they look and feel very solid but what makes them so much better than say a JetBeam or Eagletac ect ect.. Just asking and looking, havent ruled out getting one

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Please do a search for the exact title of your threa, or a variation of the question. This question has been raised many, many times, and a repeat of it would be just that, a repeat. Use Google, CPF only at the top of every CPF page.

Bill

Bill

They are very-well made.
They never (rarely? maybe in the past?) exaggerate their claims for output.
They create, others imitate. Pentagon is a great example of this.
Original R&D that is worthy of deployment across the pond isn't cheap.
I have yet to find a weapon-light I would own other than an SF.

d1live said:

Ive been on Surefire's website looking at some of their lights and Ive used a few of them, just cant understand the prices, very expensive I think. Are they made in the States? Most dont seem to be extremely bright and runtimes are low, wassup with this? Dont get me wrong, they look and feel very solid but what makes them so much better than say a JetBeam or Eagletac ect ect.. Just asking and looking, havent ruled out getting one

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Take a look at the M600C

under 5oz.
real output 120L? I think not. Try 170+
Mounting hardware? Part of the body.
Beam profile? None of this "well it WOULD work on a weapon", it was made FOR a weapon. The hotspot is perfect for moving targets at night that would dart out of a narrow spot.

There is just one example.

I do love my U2A, but it is way overpriced.
I dont think it's made a bit better than my Fenix TK11, it just
has a adjustable output, big deal, how hard is it to do that?
There is no reason to justify that much money for this light,
it's a flashlight for heaven's sake!!

I guess your just buying the Surefire name!?

Let me post this quick before this thread gets closed!! :huh:

its like anything, you pay for a popular name, and you pay for the very best. surefire is both. i may buy one myself one day as long as it takes a 18650. I do have my eye on the Fenix Tk11 and the eagletac t10c2 though and im not sure i could be convinced to go with SF just now.

PsychoBunny said:

I do love my U2A, but it is way overpriced.
I dont think it's made a bit better than my Fenix TK11, it just
has a adjustable output, big deal, how hard is it to do that?
There is no reason to justify that much money for this light,
it's a flashlight for heaven's sake!!

I guess your just buying the Surefire name!?

Let me post this quick before this thread gets closed!! :huh:

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I disagree. Find me another light as good as my M600C and I will put it on my weapon instead.

Ligher than 5oz
Have provisions for a QD throw-lever system
Illuminate a large area out to 100m.
Reliable. Un-relentingly reliable.

Find something as good/better. You will save me money if I outfit any other weapon systems with a light.

well ill let you know-just a normal camper hiker type rather than a intense enthusiast-altho i almost always have a light

i just ordered and e2l on sale from REI

liked the smaller one cell version also offered on sale-but for the small difference in cost, weight and longer run time and output-as usual i went for the bigger and slightly more pricey

ive been here off and on-ive never ehard anyone complain aboutSF
but
at REI-the user comments (from non-afficianados) are very high

with a current 20% discount, free delivery, and having wanated A sf for about 2 years, as i do like flashlights, and bright ones, and knowing the quality, as well as the hard to find discount (at least i havent)

i thought i was lucky to find the sale and im anticipating a great light

ive handled them in a rather expensive army surplus stire her in denver and they really do feel unlike any other flashlight-

someone once said you pay increasingly greater amounts for minimal increase in quality-but thats the way things are for many items-depends on many factors, not the least is $$, how often you lose thngs, how much you want/need etc

i modded a light i purchased at target -might have been a brinks using 2 123s-thanks to this forum and its info
added a fenix drop in-and wow does it work-really cool-123s perform well in a frozen glovebox too

the idea of having a metal version with hi and low (and most likely brighter still) seems worth the $80 greater price than the $20+ $20 upgrade

sometimes you just have to try-like a nice single malt-you might not find it in a bar and you just have to get the entire bottle and risk it based on what others have reported

ill let you know-

You just opened up a can of worms.

I think it has to do with warrenty, Customer Service, testing the lights, R&D, the lights that don't make it to market, testing again and a few more things. IMO some of the lights do seem a bit overpriced but most of them seem reasonable considering the work and history of Surefire. Making the U2 selector ring isn't as easy as you think.

Fenix doesn't make drop-ins but they do have 2 mode lights(look at the TK series and the L1/2T V2.0)

stevedenver said:

someone once said you pay increasingly greater amounts for minimal increase in quality-but thats the way things are for many items

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Very true. A lot of people aren't so bothered about those extra increases in quality, so the people who cater for those few who do, can (and to some extent have to) charge a lot more.

my mistake -it might not have been a fenix, pehaps a cree? -one of the sponsors here offered a nice drop -reflector either included or required no modl as i recall and thats what i purchased-dramatic increase in both run time and brightness-been over a year-it was my first hot rodding of a flashlight-it brought me closer to the "dark side" of flashlight obsessions

I have an L1. It's a great light that a fellow CPF member (bondr006) gave me as a retirement gift. He knew I was too cheap to get one for myself. He's was right. Personally, I think I prefer to go for the best bang for the buck in whatever I buy. If you're more into just the best, Surefire is it. It depends on your basic desires. I figure for the same amount of money I get more satisfaction from two or three lights than I do from one. But, that's just me.

Geoff

Why?

- excellent design
- excellent build quality
- exceptional warranty

Cutting edge? Usually not. Built right for the intended use? Definitely. I have a lot of lights, including a lot of SureFire lights, and usually have several within reach, but the last one they'd peel out of my hands is a 199-something 6Z. Only the body tube is original. Everything else has been replaced and/or upgraded since (LOTC, pyrex bezel, M60 drop-in). I still think it's the best d@mned light for its purpose and the only piece I ever paid for after I bought the light was the Malkoff.

They charge what they charge because that is what people are willing to pay.

If you want a high quality American made flashlight, either one that costs less than a Surefire or one with better features or both, all one needs to do is hang around CPF for a while. There are quite a few to choose from.

well i should have been here more often-i know there are others -but from time to time when ive tried to purchase-out of stock-or other hurdles or delays

i think it was a combination of convenience-delivery-discount-recourse locally

but
i dont know if anyone else has noticed-

in my most recent Eddie Bauer catalog-or was it LL bean? something national and big and well known-Sure Fires are now offered!!

never seen a SF in a mainstream consumer catalogs

perhaps there are money issues for luxury makers?

perhaps we're about to see an entry into the flashlight market not too far away from Mag-ie not inevery lowes and home dept etc-
-of course more $$$ but the same as in touting excellent american quality-sort of a nocth or two higher than Mag in the consumers mind?

It really comes down to simple economics. The people they design their lights for are military and law enforcement, and they are willing to (and do) pay their prices. Since there is going to be demand for their lights no matter what, there is no real reason to lower their prices. They probably could, but they don't need to.
Whether they are "worth it" or not is a different question. Could you get what they are offering from another flashlight manufacturer? A lot of the time, yes, but in some cases, no. They basically have a monopoly in some respects, so they can get away with charging what they can.
In my opinion, many of these prices are unreasonable, so I would (and have) gone for other options that seem more cost effective to me.

I've never seen Jimmy Page playing a £200 Les Paul copy, and never seen Clapton play a Chinese Strat. If you hang around in Guitar shops you often hear people ask why one guitar costs thousands while an identical looking one costs a couple of hundred. To the person who asks, there really isn't much difference. To seasoned guitarists the difference is (generally speaking) worthwhile. I guess it's the same thing with Surefire. If you can't see the point in forking out for a Surefire, there probably is no point. :shrug:

Never owned one, but certainly seems to be because the 80/20 rules works in both directions.

Ie, for 20% of cost you get 80% of function. For some 80% is not close enough to 100%.