Surefire layoffs

scs

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Str8stroke

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Yep, I saw that press release a few days ago. Kinda thought the same thing you did. It is probably why we are seeing a shift already. The AAA Titan, Intellibeam, AA Scout lights. I kinda figured the IR lights will be a small part of their offerings, if they even continue them. Only a few hunters I know have IR rigs. Very few in fact.

I would guess that LEOs will be a focus still as always.

Bottom line, I just hate seeing folks loose there jobs and companies down sizing. But, I am not a fan of war, so it works out.
 

cland72

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...with the potential of reduced quality or robustness perhaps?

I suppose that's a possibility. Even Craftsman, who for so long offered lifetime warranties on their proudly "made in the USA" products, has shifted and now offers both their original line of tools along with a budget "Evolv" line that is outsourced to China. They have continued to offer the product that made them a household name, but also expanded into another market.

I'm hoping Surefire can continue to deliver solid, quality lights meant for hard use (LEO and MIL), but perhaps delve into another market aimed at your average civilian. If they can produce the G2X Pro which goes for $55 online, surely they could produce 1xAA and 2xAA lights in a similar fashion (same quality and workmanship) at the same price point, no?
 
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ElectronGuru

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Competing with the Chinese juggernaut is no easy feat, nor is loosing a large single customer but they've been creating other problems on their own, like pk. And been slow to grasp the realities of LED marketing. This will take more than a single move to correct.
 

FlashKat

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American companies are set in their ways of thinking that they are the best, and we can charge a premium for it.
Reality check is real world competition of equal or better products at a lower price.
American companies are also slow at improving customer service.
 

RedLED

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I suppose that's a possibility. Even Craftsman, who for so long offered lifetime warranties on their proudly "made in the USA" products, has shifted and now offers both their original line of tools along with a budget "Evolv" line that is outsourced to China. They have continued to offer the product that made them a household name, but also expanded into another market.

I'm hoping Surefire can continue to deliver solid, quality lights meant for hard use (LEO and MIL), but perhaps delve into another market aimed at your average civilian. If they can produce the G2X Pro which goes for $55 online, surely they could produce 1xAA and 2xAA lights in a similar fashion (same quality and workmanship) at the same price point, no?
Say, what was the real story on the Icon line? I liked the styling of them. I bought one of each, and love the carabiner in orange. They had no questions asked service with a polite staff. I was hoping for a continuation of fun creative lights, not for rolling down the street in a fight tactical light, but some for fun for around the house, the car and air travel.

These layoffs are most likely due to the war, and increased competition. Years back, it was Surefire and only Surefire for me. Then while I never stopped being a customer, I found this place, found McGiz and other customs, which did make me more selective. For other SF customers all the new incoming lights, new models released everyday it seems has to have had an impact on them.

They will still be around and for myself they are the standard I base production lights on. Customs are something different.

keep in mind they are not a publicly traded company on any exchange, if that happens, you can forget them. They will be made in China so quick to serve the demands of stockholders, it would be awful. Just like In-N-Out, the hamburger chain, private company, with a menus that is the best, they go public, and you will get some awful food that has cheese on everything. Rolex is a wonderful example of a private company, Glock, I believe is private, Spyderco, a company many of us like here is private, Benchmade, Chris Reeve, Victorinox Swiss Army knives are too! who would want a Chinese SAK. You get the idea

and, I know Spyderco makes some knives in China, but they still make them in Japan and the USA. But, a public Spyderco would be China all the way.

Go back to some of your old favorite companies and see how they did things, how they made their products, and look at the junk they put out now!

Look at the best companies we have in the country, and the products and services they provide are all first class, and they are all privately held.

Say SF. Goes public and that switch of yours was damaged after you dropped the light, guess what? you are now paying the cost of repair. It is called the bottom line, the officers of the company are legally bound to work only for the stockholders, and must show a profit to pay investors dividends. Employees, and customers...they have no loyalty or any obligations to them at all.

This is a quick rough brief, but you get the idea. I could go in to public companies fixing the switch free out of fear of liability, and things of that nature to prevent lawsuits that cost investors, trust me you want private companies. I am a capitalist and small business owner, so I am not against business, just what is done in the name the confounded need
of the bottom line. There are good companies traded on the exchanges, Boeing is one of my favorite ones. They are not all bad, it just has to be looked at and sorted out.

PS...I forgot one of my dear companies I buy from, Oveready is private, and you get the private ownership service out of them on every purchase, and in fact if Surefire collapsed, OR could build us what we liked from SF! If I left anyone else out I am sorry in advance.
 
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RedLED

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Competing with the Chinese juggernaut is no easy feat, nor is loosing a large single customer but they've been creating other problems on their own, like pk. And been slow to grasp the realities of LED marketing. This will take more than a single move to correct.
I noticed all of the or most of the old time Surefire experts and lovers disappeared from CPF when PK left!
 

magellan

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Say, what was the real story on the Icon line? I liked the styling of them. I bought one of each, and love the carabiner in orange. They had no questions asked service with a polite staff. I was hoping for a continuation of fun creative lights, not for rolling down the street in a fight tactical light, but some for fun for around the house, the car and air travel.

These layoffs are most likely due to the war, and increased competition. Years back, it was Surefire and only Surefire for me. Then while I never stopped being a customer, I found this place, found McGiz and other customs, which did make me more selective. For other SF customers all the new incoming lights, new models released everyday it seems has to have had an impact on them.

They will still be around and for myself they are the standard I base production lights on. Customs are something different.

keep in mind they are not a publicly traded company on any exchange, if that happens, you can forget them. They will be made in China so quick to serve the demands of stockholders, it would be awful. Just like In-N-Out, the hamburger chain, private company, with a menus that is the best, they go public, and you will get some awful food that has cheese on everything. Rolex is a wonderful example of a private company, Glock, I believe is private, Spyderco, a company many of us like here is private, Benchmade, Chris Reeve, Victorinox Swiss Army knives are too! who would want a Chinese SAK. You get the idea

and, I know Spyderco makes some knives in China, but they still make them in Japan and the USA. But, a public Spyderco would be China all the way.

Go back to some of your old favorite companies and see how they did things, how they made their products, and look at the junk they put out now!

Look at the best companies we have in the country, and the products and services they provide are all first class, and they are all privately held.

Say SF. Goes public and that switch of yours was damaged after you dropped the light, guess what? you are now paying the cost of repair. It is called the bottom line, the officers of the company are legally bound to work only for the stockholders, and must show a profit to pay investors dividends. Employees, and customers...they have no loyalty or any obligations to them at all.

This is a quick rough brief, but you get the idea. I could go in to public companies fixing the switch free out of fear of liability, and things of that nature to prevent lawsuits that cost investors, trust me you want private companies. I am a capitalist and small business owner, so I am not against business, just what is done in the name the confounded need
of the bottom line. There are good companies traded on the exchanges, Boeing is one of my favorite ones. They are not all bad, it just has to be looked at and sorted out.

PS...I forgot one of my dear companies I buy from, Oveready is private, and you get the private ownership service out of them on every purchase, and in fact if Surefire collapsed, OR could build us what we liked from SF! If I left anyone else out I am sorry in advance.

I couldn't agree with you more.

I still like the stock market but if I want a quality product I look to the privately held outfits whenever possible.
 

RedLED

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So what is military using in place of Surefire?
They have warehouses filled with them from floor to ceiling don't worry, besides they left more behind in Iraq than the entire American civilian collector - enthusiast market ever bought in the history of the company. What they have on one CVN vessel would shock you.

Number one owners of Surefire lights: USDOD.

Number two: ISIL.

Number three:British SAS, SBS. Including NATO, Israeli Defense, Saudia Arabia, and other friendly countries.

Number four: American LE all 1000 levels of badged workers. With exception of the California Highway Patrol, they use dim Incan lights.

Number five: American civilian users, like us.
 
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ElectronGuru

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I noticed all of the or most of the old time Surefire experts and lovers disappeared from CPF when PK left!

My sense is that someone(s) worked with PK, controlling and channeling PKs energy. When PK left, SF no longer had the energy and PK no longer had the control. SF designs started to fall flat and his designs became to radical. Like yin and yang without the other.
 

slumber

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My sense is that someone(s) worked with PK, controlling and channeling PKs energy. When PK left, SF no longer had the energy and PK no longer had the control. SF designs started to fall flat and his designs became to radical. Like yin and yang without the other.

You are wise....this makes perfect sense.
 

nbp

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My sense is that someone(s) worked with PK, controlling and channeling PKs energy. When PK left, SF no longer had the energy and PK no longer had the control. SF designs started to fall flat and his designs became to radical. Like yin and yang without the other.

Now that is a very interesting theory! It makes a lot of sense. I haven't liked too much from SF or PK after they split.
 

RedLED

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Now that is a very interesting theory! It makes a lot of sense. I haven't liked too much from SF or PK after they split.
No telling who his right hand people were, they can be very, very important to a person in a creative endeavor, and they possibly either left or were let go at the same time.

Without my my right hand people, I would be in a world of hurt, no one does it all in a creative field most all are collaborative. I studied Walt Disney in college, and he took all the credit for everything, and I mean everything. Never gave one person credit for an idea.

Also, from my years in business working as a contractor or vendor, with many, many companies in 40 years in two fields, when a creative talent has left for whatever reason, their assistants either quit of are fired at once, these companies don't want them around saying well PK did it like this....

Guru, you are right, SF was so cool, and then, almost overnight, not.

Does anyone here even know who the Heir to the lumen Pontiff was at Surefire?

As much as I love Surefire, I have to say for that style of light we like so much, the power and technology has shifted to Oveready. When you see what they have done it is amazing.

And they are known in Hollywood!
 
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dano

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They have warehouses filled with them from floor to ceiling don't worry, besides they left more behind in Iraq than the entire American civilian collector - enthusiast market ever bought in the history of the company. What they have on one CVN vessel would shock you.

Number one owners of Surefire lights: USDOD.

Number two: ISIL.

Number three:British SAS, SBS. Including NATO, Israeli Defense, Saudia Arabia, and other friendly countries.

Number four: American LE all 1000 levels of badged workers. With exception of the California Highway Patrol, they use dim Incan lights.

Number five: American civilian users, like us.

With the exception of weapon mounted lights, SF has only a marginal presence in the LEO handheld market. And CHP current issue is Streamlight's SL-20L.
 

scout24

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Agreed Dano. I work in a civilian capacity for one of if not the largest municipal departments in NYS, and there is no issue light. Unfortunately. SF or otherwise. Some Pelican 7060's, some executive vehicle mounted Streamlights with chargers. Nothing I personally would pick. I do know that their H&K MP5's wear Malkoff forends with M61's, though. :) Gene was kind enough to loan/ demo one to me, which they liked. Led to a purchase of +/- 10 of them.
 

RedLED

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With the exception of weapon mounted lights, SF has only a marginal presence in the LEO handheld market. And CHP current issue is Streamlight's SL-20L.
Well, I get stopped every time I get on the freeway, and I am telling you they still have beat up incans. This used to be a punishment region 7600 or something and maybe it still is.

The last CHP who stopped me at night, I said do you want to see a bright light, and he made the mistake of saying yes, I showed him what the M6LT is like on a dark night. He completely lost his vision, I stayed with him for a while, and he was amazed at the output.

This is California Govt., Dude they suck, and I was CDF in the 80's and I hated it. They ran a 1950s fire dept. in 1988.
 
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