SureFire VS. StreamLight In General

I'm a new Flashlight-a-holic -- wondering...most of my lights I own are surefire's, but I do have a few Streamlights....amongst the die-hard flashlight followers...is the SureFire VS. Streamlight debate one that is kind of like Chevy VS. Ford, (May just depend what mood you're in that day) or is there really a majority of die-hards that favor one over the other???? I'm interested to know how the flashlight die-hards view them -- I.E. Which one is better, etc, etc...

They both make wonderful lights. Surefires are more expensive and for certain applications like EDC, I prefer them. For utility/general purpose, I own many more Streamlights.

Underwater Kinetics is another favorite manufacturer.

Richard

I think Surefire is more like fully loaded top of the line say...Tundra, and Streamlight is a base model Tundra. Both get the job done, one does it better IMO.Both lights are extremly tough. Surefire's are my favorite because of their size vs output and design, but they are expensive and somewhat expensive to run compared to a Streamlight. I perfer Surefire, the Streamlights I have are used around the house by my family.

I feel Surefire lights are more application specific (my opinion), the exceptions being the E series. Being designed for more specific applications, dare I say "professional users" they are more expensive and users are more inclined to pay a much higher price for them. Also I would guess that a big majority of SF lights are not paid for by the user, they are issued a light paid for by a government agency.

Streamlight on the other hand I've always felt as more general purpose lights, marketed to a broader population. As such their lights have to have broader appear and a lower average selling price. I would imagine a large portion of them are issued to their users by a government agency as well, but, in much greater quantities.

I was once curtly told "Patrol get Streamlights, Swat gets Surefire"

GregR

Now that is a big can of worms /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Jtivat: You can say that again!

Agree with Double A... Surefire seem more high-end specialized (Military/Spec.Ops./SWAT/High End LEO/etc.) while the Streamlights are marketed to a wider audience (LEO/Fire-Rescue/Security/Sportsmen/etc.) They both make very good lights.

I'm currently reviewing a Streamlight Stinger and it's a great little rechargable!

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Double_A said:

I was once curtly told "Patrol get Streamlights, Swat gets Surefire"


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I've been told something to that effect by several SRT members in different areas.

Lately, I acquired a number of Streamlight TT-3AA, TT-3C and TL Luxeon 3AA.
The xenon bulbs, the quality of beams, the manufacture material and tolerances simply do not compare to SF, not to speak of their reliability in comparison with SF.
The only difference may be the TL Luxeon light, with a beam and brightness better than, say, the L1. The LED is passively overdriven, not temperature controlled and poorly dissipated, notwithstanding the big metallic mass of the 3AA.
The SL are simply very good light targeted to a different market, and much cheaper to feed than SF. I would not define them "professional" but I like them anyway.

Anthony

My good friend, a recently retired LEO, was issued by his agency a Streamlight Stinger, but he purchased with his own $$$ a Surefire 6P.

He carried BOTH on his gun belt.

Yes, in the town I'm from (Omaha) Nebraska, There are currently a lot more stores that carry Streamlight's than do SureFire's....I can only think of one store that has SureFire's and they only carry the G2 Nitrolon and the E1E and E2E series...so, I guess Streamlight's are a little more accessible for the public to have at least in Omaha. I use a G2 a lot and have had a local Omaha Police Officer inquire about how he could get one...I bought a Streamlight TL-2 (non-LED) and I'm pleased with it so far.

They both have their good and bad points. Both come from fine manufactures and both cater to two different markets. I think StreamLight has probably 3 times as many rechargeable's in their offering versus what SF has but again two different markets they cater to. They compete nicely with one another and probably on some occasions compliment one another. I don't have a SF in my collection yet but I probably will have one or two in the near future. I agree with the above comments one market being specialized and the other being more appealing to the public at large as an affordable Work/Utility Light.

You are lucky to have a source for any surefires in your town.I have yet to find one dealer here in Cincinnati. I visited the local safety store(read that police accessories) and they were still waiting on the streamlight 2L TT and bulbs for theTT1L. This is Cincinnati where we just recently upgraded from coal oil to that newfangled eelectricity that runs in them wire thingies up on the poles. Maglights are high tech here.

I agree with all of the above posts. That being said, lets talk rechargables.
The Ultrastinger is a very tough light. My US been banged around and dropped without any problems.
IMHO, SureFire has had issues with their line up.
Another very well respected line is the Tigerlight. It's made with LEO's as the main product user.
Alot cheaper than stuffing 123's in a flashlight.

I think it's difficult to compare Streamlight and SureFire. They are different as has been mentioned. They don't play the same game.

Underwater Kinetics, Pelican and Princeton Tek play much the same game all making waterproof divelights.

I guess that most companies have things they are good at as well as offering things that other companies do to introduce an element of competition which is good. Many companies offer a two cell 123A model for example.

My perspective is that SureFire make "tactical lights" and Streamlight make "duty lights". Both are vital.

To be more precise, I think that SureFire make WeaponLights and most things they do are related to their work at the highly specialised end of the industry. I believe that SureFire "flashlights" are often used as testbeds for new technology and concepts, and that SureFire is driven to try many things and some things are released and the majority are not.

In the last year or so Streamlight have been able to release more products more quickly and offer them for less money.

SureFire continue to concentrate on a different approach; "toyz for the boyz" (tools for 'Special Forces') rather than mass market.

Al

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/popcorn.gif

All of this is my opinion:

Surefire: Top of the line, top quality and performance. All of this comes with a price though. If you can afford it though, you will definitely be satisfied.

Streamlight: Great brand with terrific products. Not as top of the line as Surefire, but definitely a good alternative. Another big advantage here is price.

So for a normal everyday person a Streamlight is excellent. Only if you were part of a SWAT team, military, or other high-demand job would you need a Surefire.

So for a normal everyday person a Streamlight is excellent. Only if you were part of a SWAT team, military, or other high-demand job would you need a Surefire. >>>>>>

Ah, I gotta come in here. The life of a cop, deputy, or fire fighter, is every bit as valuable as the "elite". The tasks they perform are essentially the same. Their lives depend on their lights. Period........

Those "elite" units" tend to have much "fatter" budgets, and can obtain higher priced goodies, usually through government procurement.

I carry a handgun daily, my 6P, and Scorpion are to me, interchangeable. NO difference in reliability, or function. The same with my 9P, and TL-3 Xenon.

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JohnK said:
I carry a handgun daily, my 6P, and Scorpion are to me, interchangeable. NO difference in reliability, or function. The same with my 9P, and TL-3 Xenon.





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I understand your need to defend Streamlight but do you really believe this statement?

I understand your need to defend Streamlight but do you really believe this statement? >>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I don't have a "need" to defend anything, I just stated an opinion. Take it or leave it.

I would carry a Pelican M6 as well.

Lets try not to turn this thread into a stick to beat each other with.

Thanks

Al