Latest news re: Surefire UB3 Invictus

As per Surefire:

Dear Sir,
We are hoping to have the UB3 Invictus flashlight available for purchase in late 2009 (September – December time frame).

Thank you

This may not be new news to anyone, but I couldn't find any new updates regarding this light in any of the other Surefire threads. I received this today.

Let's just hope it doesn't have

an Auto-Shut-Down after 5 minutes.


:sigh:
_

so it's June 2010 then.

I'll wait. My E2DL's, E1B's, L1, etc are working just fine

i'll believe it when it is in dealers' hands...

270winchester said:

so it's June 2010 then.

Click to expand...

+1

Just in time for SHOT 2010. Hmmm ... why bother having a 2009 [or 2008] catalogue full of products that'll we'll never own in 2009.

WARNING: RANT BELOW ...

Man ... SureFire has got to get their $hit together. It pains me to watch such a great company make such bad marketing decisions. We're talking about flashlights here not the next iPhone ... not a particle accelerator ... we're talking about flashlights. I am not suggesting that designing/engineering/developing their products is easy, not at all, but don't market products that are years from release. That puts pressure on SureFire and it annoys the loyal SureFire customer willing to drop $400 on a freaking flashlight! That said, I also wouldn't want SureFire to release a product that isn't ready ... if I'm dropping $400. I've seen the SureFire SAINT in magazines for almost 2 years now ... and we're still waiting. I've even seen a review [in Outside mag] on the SAINT last year. The SAINT, OPTIMUS, INVICTUS et al. should be shown as 'concepts' just like any car company would do. Better yet, keep product development whisper quiet with NDAs [as Apple does] ... let people speculate and then blow them away with an awesome new product ... THAT ... wait for it ... is available for purchase today. Dreaming-up a product such as an INVICTUS [which to me is the perfect light] is the easy part, anyone can do that. Give me two weeks with AutoCAD and FormZ* and I'll design you a flashlight made out of unicorn mane with 10000 lumens, runs for a month on full and only weighs 3 oz. Delivering is the hard-part. Unfortunately, there is so much negativity surrounding SureFire product announcements b/c everyone knows they may never be released. It's difficult to get excited about something that, realistically, may never exist.

SureFire, you make an awesome product, but your marketing 'campaign' is brutal. Your catalog should be for existing products, not ones you think may come down the pipe in 2009. I've never come across a company with such a great product - that has absolutely no understanding of marketing.

IMHO, Surefire has not come out with a flashlight worth upgrading to since I bought my first Surefire which was a L2 with 100 lumens output 5 years ago. Supposedly the "2009" L2 is upgraded to 120 lumens. WOW!!! Good work Surefire. This is what you have managed to accomplish in the last 5 years. Oh sorry. That is if the "2009" models ever get released. If not the L2 will be identical to what it was 5 years ago.

"2008" invictus 400 lumen 6.9" long 1.6" wide 8oz with 2 cells. Yea right. Would have been magical though.

"2009" invictus 350 lumen 9" long 2" wide 12.6oz with 3 cells. Who cares if it ever is released.

Cankster

And to think the consumer has to pay the price of surefires marketing failure.

The Catalog must cost millions to produce and print.

All a factor in the Pricing.

What is even more frustrating is that I would rather have a Surefire than any other light. They are the only company that I know that uses the 2 stage switch which is what I would prefer to clicky styles. I almost always want my flashlight to go to lets say 10 lumens with a partial depress then with a full depress go to full capacity and turn off instantly when I release the button. I know this style is not for everyone but it seems only Surefire offers it.

Cankster

cankster said:

IMHO, Surefire has not come out with a flashlight worth upgrading to since I bought my first Surefire which was a L2 with 100 lumens output 5 years ago.

Click to expand...

you really really check out the E2DLs.

Surefire seems to have major problems in their business processes :huh:

Don´t market stuff that can´t be sold

If I was in Marketing with Surefire, I would be very worried about my employment status.


Why do they continue to do this year after year?

Sharpy_swe said:

Surefire seems to have major problems in their business processes :huh:

Don´t market stuff that can´t be sold

Click to expand...

+1

Because we all know SureFire has the ability to produce exotic new products we all 'believe' that the INVICTUS will come to fruition. Just like if BMW said ... here's our new 2009 M5 that is also a helicopter ... dammit, I'd believe them.

270winchester said:

you really really check out the E2DLs.

Click to expand...

They are nice looking flashlights but my 3.3" NT is almost as bright and much smaller. The 2008 Invictus got me hoping, and dreaming it seems, that my next 2 cell flashlight purchase might be able to do something like that one claimed it could do. I have a Wolf-Eyes Storm for when I need more than my NT. But the claimed specs on the UB2 might have bridged the gap between to the 2 and did the jobs of both.

Cankster

my E2DL smokes my Novatac 120.

cankster said:

They are nice looking flashlights but my 3.3" NT is almost as bright and much smaller. The 2008 Invictus got me hoping, and dreaming it seems, that my next 2 cell flashlight purchase might be able to do something like that one claimed it could do. I have a Wolf-Eyes Storm for when I need more than my NT. But the claimed specs on the UB2 might have bridged the gap between to the 2 and did the jobs of both.

Cankster

Click to expand...

270winchester said:

my E2DL smokes my Novatac 120.

Click to expand...

I have never used one so I will have to take your word for it. I have seen this forums tests on the NT 120 where they say it puts out about 100 lumens out the front. I would figure the Surefire puts out at least 120 but what would you attribute the overwhelming performance you have seen. The TIR?

Cankster

cankster said:

I have never used one so I will have to take your word for it. I have seen this forums tests on the NT 120 where they say it puts out about 100 lumens out the front. I would figure the Surefire puts out at least 120 but what would you attribute the overwhelming performance you have seen. The TIR?

Cankster

Click to expand...

from integrated sphere test the E2DL apparently puts out about 200 lumens, and the new TIR is a real piece of engineering marvel.

The first time I turned on an E2DL my reaction was "wow that's a lot for 120 lumens".

mmajunkie said:

If I was in Marketing with Surefire, I would be very worried about my employment status.


Why do they continue to do this year after year?

Click to expand...

Indeed. They can't be too worried though, I think they're on CPF all day long.

Late 2009 means mid 2010. I don't bother reading the SF Catalogs anymore, the specs are out of whack and all over the place I have no trust in what they say, its a waste of time reading about lights that don't exist. I do like what they make and when actually available I get all the info I need here on CPF.

They should just provide the catalogs in PDF and make adjustments as the weeks roll by, saves trees as well

hurricane said:

Just in time for SHOT 2010. Hmmm ... why bother having a 2009 [or 2008] catalogue full of products that'll we'll never own in 2009.

Man ... SureFire has got to get their $hit together. It pains me to watch such a great company make such bad marketing decisions. We're talking about flashlights here not the next iPhone ... not a particle accelerator ... we're talking about flashlights. I am not suggesting that designing/engineering/developing their products is easy, not at all, but don't market products that are years from release.

SureFire, you make an awesome product, but your marketing 'campaign' is brutal. Your catalog should be for existing products, not ones you think may come down the pipe in 2009. I've never come across a company with such a great product - that has absolutely no understanding of marketing.

Click to expand...

Well said.