Why are we paying so much for SureFire flashlights?

This morning I was disassembling my flashlights, cleaning contacts and o-rings and wondered why Surefire's are so expensive. My E2D Defender is a good thrower and its lite. But it can't take rechargeable batteries (correct me if I'm wrong) , the small clip doesn't do its job, it doesn't hold well and forces you to have the heavy end of the flashlight up. I rather have quick access to the switch and yes, it has fallen out of my pocket - no good at all. I don't see any gold plating for the contacts (the high cost has to be justified somewhere) and the threads are not square. I've had it for one year and I have places where the anodizing is worn off (how can this be? Am I expecting too much) Don't get me wrong, I like my E2D, but I am liking my other flashlights more and no longer carry the E2D daily like I used too. In fact, I don't even consider buying Surefire anymore after buying its' competitors products. This week I am going to buy a Jet-III M (XM-L) and I bet I'll love it.

Because they're awesome...

Because Surefire makes quality products right here in the good old USA and have a bombproof warranty. Once your Jetbeam dies, good luck getting them to do anything about it... You may have to wait two months if you even get the light back at all... Surefires have tons of compatible parts, both OEM and aftermarket. Many competitors' lights are even thread compatible... In 2 years your Jetbeam will look like a candle... While, if you take good care of it, your bored C2-HA with McClicky or Z58 can take a nice <$20 LED flavor of the day as an upgrade that will blow the socks off of your other light. Just saying... Plus they look cool... Like they mean business... No froo-froo flippery and gimmicky options.

Edit: well... almost no gimmicky options...

I like the 6P lego options and the modular P60 design. Whenever they roll out a new LED, its a simple $20 DIY project and I have a new light.

I like the electrical simplicity of the design. My 6P has been upgraded with a Malkoff M60 and an over-ready zero resistance tailcap. With an 18650 bored body, its a SOLID assembly with no moving parts to fail. I use unprotected 18650 cells in it, as I have had protected cell boards fail, or break on a hard fall. Its solid machined brass and aluminum.... 100% made in USA. Even the LED is a USA made Cree XRE (white back + 4 bond wire), and the hand engraved M60 pre-dates Genes transition to mass production.

Yeah SF clips are not the greatest. I have found mine to hold my light in pack well enough though. Their 2x cell lights are just too big for pocket EDC, I dont think an improved clip, or switching to a different 2x cell light will solve this.

Yes gold plating is something they typically don't do. But most of my lights lack this, outside of the DC-DC board.

Yes their threads are not square, does it really matter though? I have never had a SF angled thread fail or wear out. Even after 3-4 years of Z41 twisty use.

All my user lights (SF or otherwise) have areas of chipped typeIII and type II. Depending on how you use the light, yes you could be expecting too much.

"Don't get me wrong, I like my E2D, but I am liking my other flashlights more and no longer carry the E2D daily like I used too. In fact, I don't even consider buying Surefire anymore after buying its' competitors products. This week I am going to buy a Jet-III M (XM-L) and I bet I'll love it."
Nothing wrong with that, its all about personal preferences.

$20 says this thread will get closed.

Unwritten rule: "Thou shalt not question the goodness of Surefire".

Nap.

Surefire is expensive, considering american labour etc.

Compare their products to the products of fox racing shocks. Those are motor- and bicycle suspension components (world-championship class) made in usa. Aluminum parts, cnc machined on a lathe, hard anodized. With highly dynamic seals, high pressure and very complex internals. And still, a part like this http://www.foxracingshox.com/bike/11/shocks/FLOAT costs the same as a surefire M6, which is basically a aluminum tube with a few seals.

I don't get it either. I have held many surefire lights in my hands but never bought one, because I found nothing exceptional about them, except for the price. The build quality feels even worse than some competitors. I think if you're buying surefire you are paying 30% for the name and 30% for "made in the US".

I think Surefire have a high price tag because people keep paying that for them, I mean come on, is the military, police force, marines, and all the other government agency whom im sure all buy Surefire going to haggle them down and threaten to buy elsewhere.

No.

We I believe are a small minority who just pay the price.

Everyone says this until their "fill in the blank" light dies. And it will.

If any of my "fill in the blank" lights dies (hasn't happened yet) I just pick up another one of the 4-5 other "fill in the blank" lights. Instant customer service - no need to send anything back, no waiting etc.

I rather to trust surefire than those $10ed light, atleast i dont have to worry about durability
You will notice that surefire has a thicker body than other cheap lights,
while those otherfire is just like an aluminium can, SF is a jar.
Another factor, no-hassle warranty, more than satisfactory, ive experienced it
History, surefire is almost the first one who makes CR123A flashlight(in 198X, theres plastic cr123a, read from another post)
Machining and crafting, the engraving and the notch are detailed, all bulbs were pre-focused in factory
A fly in the ointment, they are not IPX-8 Waterproof, not officially waterproof

Or "why are we paying so little for other lights?".
Go ahead and try to set up a shop that makes flashlights and pay your workers a decent wage, then let us know how it went.
You didn't pay for that $30 flashlight, the underpaid workforce did.

From what I've read and understood most people buy Surefire's because of their lifetime hassle free warrenty. Which Is only valid in the USA, that's why I will not buy one.

I like the idea and I understand people paying 90$ more if they have something that will be replaced if it died on them after a couple of years, but for me Chinese lights all the way, there cheaper, have similar quality or a little bit less and they have a global warranty (not a lifetime one though).

If I was living in the USA I would consider buying a surefire but since I'm not, then I'm not interested.
And I do understand and respect people who try to buy the local merchandise and support their contrymen.

That's my understanding and if I'm wrong then this is only my opinion and nothing more.

rmteo said:

If any of my "fill in the blank" lights dies (hasn't happened yet) I just pick up another one of the 4-5 other "fill in the blank" lights. Instant customer service - no need to send anything back, no waiting etc.

Click to expand...

You can say that easily but, for people whose lives and those of others depend on such products, they don't have the luxury of going to a store or mail-ordering them in middle of their tasks.

Do you really think that a cop will have the time to walk into a shop in middle of a pursuit, when the suspect may be armed and present danger to anyone nearby?

Do you really think that a medic will be able to leave the patient to find another light, when the patient is laying there bleeding and unconscious?

Do you really think that a firefighter can simply exit out of a burning building when his light dies, when there are people trapped inside who need to be rescued?

Do you really think that a soldier has the time to find a replacement light in middle of a firefight, when the lives of not only him but his comrades as well are at stake?

rolex/timex... I don't own a rolex but own plenty of Surefires

enomosiki said:

You can say that easily but, for people whose lives and those of others depend on such products, they don't have the luxury of going to a store or mail-ordering them in middle of their tasks.

Do you really think that a cop will have the time to walk into a shop in middle of a pursuit, when the suspect may be armed and present danger to anyone nearby?

Do you really think that a medic will be able to leave the patient to find another light, when the patient is laying there bleeding and unconscious?

Do you really think that a firefighter can simply exit out of a burning building when his light dies, when there are people trapped inside who need to be rescued?

Do you really think that a soldier has the time to find a replacement light in middle of a firefight, when the lives of not only him but his comrades as well are at stake?

Click to expand...

And you are saying that a Surefire will NEVER fail?

rmteo said:

And you are saying that a Surefire will NEVER fail?

Click to expand...

No, just that I'd trust a Surefire more than, say, Fenix.

bansuri said:

Or "why are we paying so little for other lights?".
Go ahead and try to set up a shop that makes flashlights and pay your workers a decent wage, then let us know how it went.
You didn't pay for that $30 flashlight, the underpaid workforce did.

Click to expand...

I vote for this answer. ICNHSIAB

Q8iGunner said:

From what I've read and understood most people buy Surefire's because of their lifetime hassle free warrenty. Which Is only valid in the USA, that's why I will not buy one.

I like the idea and I understand people paying 90$ more if they have something that will be replaced if it died on them after a couple of years, but for me Chinese lights all the way, there cheaper, have similar quality or a little bit less and they have a global warranty (not a lifetime one though).

If I was living in the USA I would consider buying a surefire but since I'm not, then I'm not interested.
And I do understand and respect people who try to buy the local merchandise and support their contrymen.

That's my understanding and if I'm wrong then this is only my opinion and nothing more.

Click to expand...

Received a Free(replacement) E series SatinGray tailcap from surefire in HongKong.

Your paying for 2 things,
1) The name. The brand has built up a good reputation meaning they can charge high and get away with it.
2) Patriotism. People will pay more if a product is made in their own country, in this case, America. Regardless of the quality their the product or that of other countries, theirs is best.

What i don't like about many of the opinions of the occupants of this forum is the often repeated suggestion that anything made in any other part of the world is junk. "When it break's, good luck getting your them to do anything about it" etc etc, pure ignorance.

Take a Surefire apart and you'll see why.

Attach one of their weaponlights to your AR, you'll feel why.

I'm a firefighter on a busy truck that sees a good deal of fires. I use a Jetbeam RRT-2 on my belt for GP use, but on my gear, I need something to hell and back rugged. I use a Pelican, but Surefire is on the short-list of brands I would trust in a fire.