Are older LED lights still sold?

I've noticed that as newer Cree LEDs are available, the older ones seem to disappear! The newer ones sell for the same price as what the older ones used to cost, so I figure the older ones should cost less, if they were still being offered.

Here's a perfect example. 4Sevens now has the Cree S2 for the Quarks. https://www.4sevens.com/index.php?cPath=297&gclid=CPirz9u64KcCFUVqKgodjFfO9Q

They are the same price as what R5 and even R2 used to cost when they were the latest and greatest. Well, I'd be happy with an R2, or even a Q5, and I imagine they'd cost alot less now. So why don't these sites offer them so we'd have lower priced options. It seems that we have to pay top dollar for the latest, or we just don't buy anything at all.

Sure, I could look for a used one, but older versions of Cree are still manufactured, as are the old 5mm and Luxeon lights which are found in department stores. No Q5 or R2, etc. quark lights to be found in department stores, so it'd be nice if they could be found on sites like 4Sevens and similar.

I'd say it because the lights with the older LED's just wouldn't sell very well, and the company would risk losing money on products that are just sitting around. I had this same problem with neutrals. I wondered why there weren't more available for sale until I found out that they just don't sell very well. Only a small percentage of us would want a neutral light, and only a small percetage of us would want a light with a Q5 or an R2 LED in it.

Outdoorsman5 said:

I'd say it because the lights with the older LED's just wouldn't sell very well, and the company would risk losing money on products that are just sitting around. I had this same problem with neutrals. I wondered why there weren't more available for sale until I found out that they just don't sell very well. Only a small percentage of us would want a neutral light, and only a small percetage of us would want a light with a Q5 or an R2 LED in it.

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Well, the price would be a good selling point, I think. With a Quark 2AA S2 now selling for $59, there might be people interested in buying an R5 light for $50, and maybe a Q5 or R2 for $35 or $40. I'd certainly be interested.

The older lights with dated bins would make great gifts for those not in the know!

LEDAdd1ct said:

The older lights with dated bins would make great gifts for those not in the know!

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Or for those IN the know and know how to say some cash! Just like buying a car--if you buy the latest, you pay the most. Buy a car 1 or 2 years old, and you save a bundle! It would be nice to have that option with flashlilghts.

There's always the MP, and I can understand dealers not wanting to keep older stock.

That being said, I would definitely buy an older light for a friend/family member for 30% less than the latest and greatest emitter.

Problem is the "old" LED is not really any cheaper to buy so the light with the "dated" emitter would not be any cheaper and nobody would buy it.

tre said:

Problem is the "old" LED is not really any cheaper to buy so the light with the "dated" emitter would not be any cheaper and nobody would buy it.

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Unless they had old stock....

LEDrock said:

Well, the price would be a good selling point, I think. With a Quark 2AA S2 now selling for $59, there might be people interested in buying an R5 light for $50, and maybe a Q5 or R2 for $35 or $40. I'd certainly be interested.

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I'd be interested too. I like my quark AA R5 & even R2 a lot more than my greenish quark AA S2.

I still see Luxeon-powered lights for sale in retail stores.

In fact there is/ was a price differnce on the R5 vs S2. 4Sevens sold his R5s at a discount when the S2 was released, but they didn't last that long. A smart merchant will let the supplies dwindle on the old bins before releasing the new bins.

Some merchants like REI, Amazon or even the manufacturer may simply not inform the customer when there is a upgrade, even when the upgrade was significant like 100% brightness increses on the Princeton Tec lights.

Knifeworks is still carrying both R5 and S2 on some models with the R5 at a discount. What is interesting here is because of the switch to ANSI specs is that the R5 version (non-ANSI) specs made it look brighter to the unenlightened and cheaper than the S2 so it is probably more likely to sell.

http://www.knifeworks.com/4sevensquarkminiaas2edition66ansilumens.aspx
vs
http://www.knifeworks.com/4sevensquarkminiaa.aspx

The actual LED's don't cost anymore so it doesn't make sense to manufacture new lights with old LED's.

Well, I wouldn't buy anything with a dated LED, #1 because they were dim and poorly tinted and #2, only exception would be as a mod host.

Outdoorsman5 said:

I'd be interested too. I like my quark AA R5 & even R2 a lot more than my greenish quark AA S2.

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4sevens have said their S2 lights are a limited run, and they will return to the R5's when the S2's sell out.

4sevens.com said:

The S2 limited editions are starting to run low! We are only listing the exact number we will be receiving in our next shipment. If you see the gray "Out of Stock" button, then that model is completely sold out - so don't wait!

We will be offering R5 editions again as the S2 editions sell out.

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They've already moved back to the R5 with the Maelstrom G5.

I doubt they're going to reduce prices substantially, however.