Well, so much for Incan support from SureFire

Status
Not open for further replies.

Brigadier

Enlightened
Joined
Mar 19, 2008
Messages
900
I inquired about some incan items directly to SurFire, and this is what I got:


Thank you for contacting SureFire.

The KT4 turbohead for the M3 combatlight and the N3 lamp assembly for the 9AN Turbohead have been discontinued and unfortuantely are no longer available directly from SureFire. However you may be able to find them online through websites such as Ebay or local SureFire dealers in your area.

Best Regards,

XXXX XXXXXXX
Technical Support
SUREFIRE, LLC
17680 Newhope St., Suite B I Fountain Valley, CA 92708 I U.S.A.
T 800-828-8809 F 714-545-9537
 

LuxLuthor

Flashaholic
Joined
Nov 5, 2005
Messages
10,653
Location
MS
Well you would hope that a quality company promoting a lifetime service warranty would keep a good stock of replacement parts available for a reasonable time for situations like this. I don't remember when they discontinued the M3, but it has not been that long. I think they should at least have spare bulbs, lenses, O-rings, switches as things that are known to wear out for a few years after discontinuation.
 

Snacks

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Feb 28, 2012
Messages
47
i was able to get a replacement z46 head from surefire due to the shock isolation on mine went kaput. Not sure hoe much longer they may have new old stock on hand.

i'm sad to hear they no longer have support for the kt4 heads
 

Silgt

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Aug 6, 2011
Messages
1,224
Yes the M3 incan has been replaced and not longer in their catalog, but many have bought SF lights for their customer service and warantty so yes, it would be reasonable to assumed that they would have maintained a considerable spares for the common replacement parts for their discontinued lights! If I go back to Patek Philippe or Rolex for my broken watch, they will have spares or is able to built new parts to service my watches...THAT is a good after-sales customer service!
 

Justin Case

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Mar 19, 2008
Messages
3,797
Well you would hope that a quality company promoting a lifetime service warranty would keep a good stock of replacement parts available for a reasonable time for situations like this. I don't remember when they discontinued the M3, but it has not been that long. I think they should at least have spare bulbs, lenses, O-rings, switches as things that are known to wear out for a few years after discontinuation.

Based on the OP's post, it isn't quite clear if the contact was for a warranty claim or simply to purchase incan products. It seemed like the latter to me.
 

Brigadier

Enlightened
Joined
Mar 19, 2008
Messages
900
It was to purchase new, not warranty. But what does that matter? If you need a bulb, you need a bulb, and replacement bulbs for my 9ANT are no longer available. Bad form on SureFire's part.
 

nbp

Flashaholic
Joined
Dec 16, 2007
Messages
10,970
Location
Wisconsin
That's true. It's not reasonable to expect that everyone out there using a SF incan is just going to throw away or upgrade their incan lights just because the light is discontinued. Some of those weaponlights are super expensive, replacing it may not be an option. But without bulbs, they're useless. Seems weird to me too. :thinking:
 

Justin Case

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Mar 19, 2008
Messages
3,797
Presumably, SF has a reasonable estimate of warranty claim rate based on historical data. That would guide how much rermaining stock to maintain for X years. They've clearly exited the retail incan sales segment, so to expect SF to cover both with what is clearly limited stock seems unreasonable. That would leave insufficient supply for warranty support.
 

Silgt

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Aug 6, 2011
Messages
1,224
any idea how long have SF discontinued all their incan lineup?
 

nbp

Flashaholic
Joined
Dec 16, 2007
Messages
10,970
Location
Wisconsin
Presumably, SF has a reasonable estimate of warranty claim rate based on historical data. That would guide how much rermaining stock to maintain for X years. They've clearly exited the retail incan sales segment, so to expect SF to cover both with what is clearly limited stock seems unreasonable. That would leave insufficient supply for warranty support.

Bulbs aren't covered under warranty anyways, so they would only be used for retail. At any rate, there are tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of their incan lights out there in use currently. If they soon do stop manufacturing all incan parts, do they really think that all those people are going to splurge on LED replacement heads (some of which are near the cost a whole new light)? I think a lot of those lights will just get shelved and people will look for something else.

They could continue to manufacture bulbs, even if the lights than they go in are discontinued, I suppose, as they obviously have a finite life expectancy.
 

Justin Case

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Mar 19, 2008
Messages
3,797
Bulbs aren't covered under warranty anyways, so they would only be used for retail. At any rate, there are tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of their incan lights out there in use currently. If they soon do stop manufacturing all incan parts, do they really think that all those people are going to splurge on LED replacement heads (some of which are near the cost a whole new light)? I think a lot of those lights will just get shelved and people will look for something else.

They could continue to manufacture bulbs, even if the lights than they go in are discontinued, I suppose, as they obviously have a finite life expectancy.

I've contacted SF at least twice on P60 lamps that failed out of the gate. Both were covered by SF -- they shipped out free, replacement P60 lamps. That looks very much like warranty service on bulbs to me.

If there is a market vacuum that is worth filling, someone will fill it. Maybe they'll call their company Lumens Factory or something like that.
 

LE6920

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Mar 24, 2010
Messages
126
Location
USA
Misleading thread is misleading.

There is a big difference in SF not selling you discontinued items any longer, and SF doing warranty work on a discontinued item.

SF has done a ton of warranty work on long discontinued ican lights in my personal observation.

This is really something you worry about?


It was to purchase new, not warranty. But what does that matter? If you need a bulb, you need a bulb, and replacement bulbs for my 9ANT are no longer available. Bad form on SureFire's part.
 

Justin Case

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Mar 19, 2008
Messages
3,797
Amazingly, I followed the advice given in the SureFire customer service letter to check the web, ran a Google search for "surefire N3 lamp", and came up with a hit on the very top link. TFE.
 

LGT

Enlightened
Joined
Nov 10, 2011
Messages
789
Location
Massachusetts
Misleading thread is misleading.

There is a big difference in SF not selling you discontinued items any longer, and SF doing warranty work on a discontinued item.

SF has done a ton of warranty work on long discontinued ican lights in my personal observation.

This is really something you worry about?
Agreed. That may very well be the case. And it makes a lot of sense that SF wouldn't sell off their incan stock and not be able to fulfill their lifetime warranty.
 

mat_the_cat

Newly Enlightened
Joined
May 26, 2011
Messages
133
Location
Wales, UK
I've contacted SF at least twice on P60 lamps that failed out of the gate. Both were covered by SF -- they shipped out free, replacement P60 lamps. That looks very much like warranty service on bulbs to me.

If there is a market vacuum that is worth filling, someone will fill it. Maybe they'll call their company Lumens Factory or something like that.
I believe they don't have a legal obligation to cover bulbs under warranty, but have done so in your case as a goodwill gesture. That's certainly the case over here with a UK light manufacturer I deal with - their terms state that batteries and bulbs are no covered under warranty, but that they will "look favourably" on claims within a few month of purchase. (And they did offer to replace my battery after just under a year).

If there is a demand, someone (like LF) will be along to fill it, so I'm not worrying just yet!
 

fyrstormer

Banned
Joined
Jul 24, 2009
Messages
6,617
Location
Maryland, Near DC, USA
Might be time to replentish my spare bulb needs with some Lumens Factory bulbs.
I was going to suggest this.

Surefire seems to be trying to make a clean break from their older products, and making the (very safe) assumption that the aftermarket will continue to supply replacement parts for the foreseeable future. It's not like Surefire hasn't noticed that kits are available to replace just about every part of their lights with replacements of equal or better quality.
 

BenChiew

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Nov 8, 2011
Messages
3,185
Location
Malaysia/Ship to Portland, Oregon
If the OP is trying to upgrade the M3 with a turbo head which only comes with a M3T, then I think Surefire is doing the right thing to reserve those heads for warranty on the M3T.

I for one own a M3T and I will surely be pissed if Surefire sold the turbo heads and not kept them for potential warranty work.

Plus I must state that Surefire has always fulfill their warranty obligations as far as I am concerned.

In my experience with them, they have replaced parts for very early models and have exchanged later models for imperfect lights. They even FedEx it back to me half way round the globe to me. All at their expense.

I have no hesitation to buy Surefire even if they cost more per lumen of output.

For people that say Surefire is expensive, I say you don't earn enough.
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top