The Allure of Surefire lights?

Ladies & Gentlemen, Being a bit new to the flashlight world. I'm curious, what makes Surefire lights so special.( I have noticed many prefer them here ) To me, they seem a bit costly ....Aren't there other lights out with the same or superior specs @ half the cost???

Here are some helpful CPF searches. Not that your question isn't worth discussion, just that we've had a lot of related discussions.

Surefire Cost

Surefire Price

Surefire Worth It

In short, the people who have bought Surefire lights sometimes like them and sometimes don't. The people who really like them will tell you a lot of reasons to like them. The people who don't really like them will tell you a lot of reasons not to.

Thanx! Actually yes, I was looking to get a discussion going from those who own & like/dislike them... I appreciate the links!

dna89 said:

Aren't there other lights out with the same or superior specs @ half the cost???

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...Yes, but they aren't nearly as reliable. For some people, whose lives, and the lives of others, depend on their tools' reliability, it's worth the extra cost and lack of neat but unncessary features for the Surefire.

People have had trouble with Surefires, but your chances of failure with a Surefire seem to be way less likely than with just about any Chinese light. If you do have a problem with a Surefire, they fix it promptly and painlessly. My E1B tailcap had a 'sticky' button, so they mailed me a new one without any proof that I even own the light and didn't require me to send the old one back.

Also, Surefire's lumens ratings are very conservative. My 500 lumen Fury is brighter than a co-workers 800+ lumen Nitecore, for example. Either Nitecore over estimates their brightness, surefire underdoes it, or some combination of both.

Reliability > Gimmicky features and a few more lumens

I hear ya! I had the same issue with a solarforce tailcap. They did the same. Matt have you tested your lumens on the Fury? I know many of the companies 'pad' their lumens ratings. What kind of Cd is it putting out?

You are part of the military-industrial complex team!

@ MIchael... Not certain what that means...

For me it is warranty and customer service. I am just a regular guy, but I use my lights and carry one with me every where I go. Sometime lights break or sustain some type of damage. Sometimes it is even my fault, but Surefire takes care of me and repairs or replaces my lights. For example that tail switch on my LX2 stopped allowing me to use low mode, SF send me a new one, no questions asked. I chose to pay more on the front end knowing that I can count on SF to take care of me.

1) Reliability. I need my tools to work with boring regularity.

2) Well designed form and user interface, clearly set up by someone who understands the end use of the light.

3) Availability of accessories, belt carriers, etc.

4) Excellent warranty service on the rare occasions when something does not go as it should.

There are some/many that do not run on rechargeables... a big disadvantage for me. And of course price...you might be able to buy 3 Fenix`s or 3 Eagletacs...Nitecores ect. for the price of one Surefire...sort of negates to some extent the excellent warranty Surefire provides.

They make nice lights. Other companies make nice lights as well, and odds are you will learn more about them the more time you spend here. The best plan is to do your research and find out what makes a light worth it to you, as well as which lights aren't worth it at all but you still want to own because they are just so cool.

Honestly speaking the new Surefires don't really allure me that much. I'm a hardcore Surefire fan but the newer stuff is just not as good and the older generation in my humble opinion. The new E2D looks good with a few others but I think Surefire has lost a lot of it's luster that it had in the past.
For me the allure of the older stuff was having a great quality flashlight that looked good and performed just as good. A lot of their newer stuff looks like Chinese stuff (I might burn in flashlight hell for saying that). Their older generation stuff was so well designed that it spawned a lot of copycats like Ultrafire, Solarforce, Xenoled. That alone spoke volumes of their design and quality. Not only that but they also created a sizable aftermarket for accessories and upgrades to make our great flashlights even better.
For example the design for the Surefire C2 was so good that just by looking at it the average Joe could tell that it was no ordinary flashlight. I had a girl who didn't know anything about flashlights look at my C2, ask what it was and ended up telling me how good it looked.

The same as many things in life such as tools, cars and just about anything else " you get what you pay for".

Surefire have earned their reputation and there are many reasons for that, basically it's a numbers game, less surefires fail than Chinese lights and worldwide there's definatley more Chinese lights in use so the ratio favours surefire also.

I think :headscratch:

Surefires work. They have simple UI's. The best customer service there is if needed.

They aren't as flashy and don't have all the neat features of some of other lights, but those other lights will most likely fail within 1 to 2 years of actual use. You can pass Surefires on to your grandchildren. Surefire has started to make lower priced "consumer" lights that may not be as bombproof as their professional/military line of lights, but you get what you pay for. There are multiple threads asking "Why should I get an LX2 when the Fenix TK11 is just as good and half the price?" The answer is that in about a year you're going to be asking how to fix your TK11".

Surefire makes lights for professionals. Not armchair commandos. Do most people need a Surefire? Probably not. But like a sportscar, they are fun to own.

I use them in a law enforcement capacity. To me they are worth every penny.

I never understand people complaining about Surefire prices... you can find used 6Ps for around $45 pretty regularly. With Surefire's quality and warranty, I am never afraid to buy a used one.

OK, ya'll sold me... Would the Surefire Fury be a good starting out light?

dna89 said:

OK, ya'll sold me... Would the Surefire Fury be a good starting out light?

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Yes. I would also highly recommend you pick up a 6P original as well, and eventually research the Malkoff M61 LED drop in offerings by Malkoff Devices, Oveready, and Illumination Supply.

Part of the great thing about the older Surefires is they are almost all built to use the P60 format, which is easliy upgradeable. The newer lights (Fury, 6PX, G2X, etc) are not upgradeable without significant effort or cost.

cland72 said:

Yes. I would also highly recommend you pick up a 6P original as well, and eventually research the Malkoff M61 LED drop in offerings by Malkoff Devices, Oveready, and Illumination Supply.

Part of the great thing about the older Surefires is they are almost all built to use the P60 format, which is easliy upgradeable. The newer lights (Fury, 6PX, G2X, etc) are not upgradeable without significant effort or cost.

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+1 I have a nice collection of Solarforce lights so I have some drop ins

Buy and try is the only way you will be able to judge for yourself.
I have 1 Solarforce and really don't like it. Feels cheap and nasty. I am fully aware many are happy with their Solarforce lights.

If you are happy with your Solarforce, can only imagine 1 of 2 outcomes.
You'll either want to sell your Solarforce collection when you receive your first Surefire, or you'll want to sell the Surefire to pay for 3 more Solarforce.

I'd say either decision is 100% correct.

Chodes said:

Buy and try is the only way you will be able to judge for yourself.
I have 1 Solarforce and really don't like it. Feels cheap and nasty. I am fully aware many are happy with their Solarforce lights.

If you are happy with your Solarforce, can only imagine 1 of 2 outcomes.
You'll either want to sell your Solarforce collection when you receive your first Surefire, or you'll want to sell the Surefire to pay for 3 more Solarforce.

I'd say either decision is 100% correct.

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+1 LOL, that seems to be the case in much of my light collecting... I must admit. I am very partial to my Solarforce L2T.