Chinese light- choice of typeface- does this bother anyone else?

I find the typeface many Chinese light makers use to be a bit...primitive looking? For something using 2010 technology, the print they use on the lights and the boxes are a bit, unfitting.
Just take a look at the spec list Fenix prints on the back of their boxes. it screams 99 cents store.
I guess its the software their engravers use?

You EDC the light not the box. If it keeps the costs down I don't care what the box looks like. I remember Arcs used to come in zip lock bags. Plain brown wrappers serve a purpose.

Yeah, but its on the lights. Check out the Lumapowers

No, it doesn't really bother me. I love Surefire lights and own several - but while most of the Surefire lettering/logos look pretty good, some of mine look kinda cheap when you look at them up close... I have a Surefire C2 where the lettering looks kind of smudged/doubled. Came that way new... wasn't bad enough for me to send it back, but it's noticeable. If I'd bought it to read the imprint instead of use it, or as a 'collectible', then I might be concerned.

I'd rather have something that does its job reliably, and is durable, and confortable to use over something that looks pretty. Making a product look "cutting edge" often takes away from other manufacturing priorities.

Once the Chinese discover our secret to making grade-A products (hint, we use Helvetica) I fear the US will lose its foothold.

Helvetica is so passé - I think Trebuchet is much better.

Personally, I love the look of the Fenix logo and type of font they use.

I can see why this might peeve some people but, not me. The light works good or not will be the Judge!

A $200 Ra Clicky will come to you in a ziploc baggie with a yard sale style price sticker identifying what model it is. I never saw one, but I 'd be willing to bet that the $600 titanium version also came in the same baggie. . . .

Yucca Patrol said:

A $200 Ra Clicky will come to you in a ziploc baggie with a yard sale style price sticker identifying what model it is. I never saw one, but I 'd be willing to bet that the $600 titanium version also came in the same baggie. . . .

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WTF?!

At that price level I demand bubble-wrap!!

It's not the packaging, it's the typeface they use on it and the lights.
I don't mind the baggie

That's the typical lettering I'm talking about. Compare that to the nice, neat type found on any US Domestic Market package

Yes, the world must all bow down to the might of the superior US font:













/sarcasm

I've noticed this too, and it does bother me a bit (well, not as much as the ubiquitous 'Police' branding of DX lights).

My theory is that the Chinese designers don't have a feeling for Latin script at all - they don't use it, so they don't know it's 'ugly' what they're making.

Magic Matt said:

I'd rather have something that does its job reliably, and is durable, and confortable to use over something that looks pretty.

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the assumption behind this conclusion is incorrect. good product design (or good packaging design) and reliability/durability are not mutually exclusive

balou said:

My theory is that the Chinese designers don't have a feeling for Latin script at all - they don't use it, so they don't know it's 'ugly' what they're making.

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you're pretty close, though it's not so much to do with the latin script alone, but more broadly speaking design, branding and marketing are not the key strengths of chinese industry. the reasons for this range from historical and cultural all the way to political. in that respect they are way behind of what's going on europe or US, just like the rest of the world is behind china on some other fronts.

kelmo said:

You EDC the light not the box.

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very true

If it keeps the costs down I don't care what the box looks like. I remember Arcs used to come in zip lock bags. Plain brown wrappers serve a purpose.

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I see what you mean, but at the same time: good product design = more sales = more money = better products!

From the consumers point of view the packaging does not REALLY effect the product. As long as the product is high quality and good value the packaging does not matter all that much. But one thing that I fall for is I definitely love nice packaging. Having nice packaging/nice font/proper english/lots of info/all the goodies makes me feel better about my purchase. Its all part of the big marketing scheme :tinfoil: