NightCutter Leaving Retail Market

PhilElmore

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On 7 April 2005, The Martialist received a letter from Lightship Enterprises, LLC, manufacturers of the NightCutter lights. The letter informed NightCutter's retail dealers that the company was leaving the retail market and not taking new orders at this time. No further explanation was provided.

I am genuinlely sorry to see this happen. I liked the NightCutter lights and they were very popular with readers of my publication. I'm going to have to stock Inova and Streamlight to take up the slack; I wonder if this has something to do with the legal business involving multiple LED torches about which I've heard rumblings on other sites...?
 

meeshu

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I purchased some Nightcutters directly from LSE a couple of months ago when they were still accepting orders.

Within the last week or so, I noticed that they no longer had an order facility, so I presumed that ordering had to be done through dealers.

Whether the discontinuation of the lights has anything to do with similar issues experienced by Peak LED Solutions, is anyones' guess at this time.

Fortunately, I have at least one sample of all models in their Sport Light range (not interested in their other ranges). Although I was hoping to get a couple more lights (soon), it looks like this may not be possible now.

It would be a shame to have these lights become (permanently) unavailable. They are quite reasonable lights!

Hopefully, LSE will be able to continue manufacturing these or suitable alternatives in the near future!!
 

PhilElmore

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I heard from the owner of NightCutter this evening. They weren't sued, they haven't gone out of business, and all is well -- but they were not surviving in the retail flashlight market. That was why they chose to leave it and focus on their industrial clients. I guess that means they won't be manufacturing handheld torches at all; they'll be focusing on whatever it is they do for such clients. (I can think of a few industrial LED applications, like the lights strobed to inspect assembly line items and such.)

It's a competitive trade and I guess they just weren't making money at it.
 

Mags

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No offense at all, but I dont think Nightcutter products were very popular. They arent mentioned much on these forums, but I dont want to make the assumption that not many people buy these products.
 

PhilElmore

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I liked them, but I think by definition they weren't very popular, if the company felt it had to withdraw because they weren't selling well enough. It's a shame; they were great little lights.
 

idleprocess

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Nightcutter's stuff looked great, but I don't think their brand recognition was all that great. Given 30 seconds to name every flashlight brand I could, I'd probably leave out LSE/Nightcutter. Their marketing seemed to be low-key and somewhat behind the times.

Their pricing seemed a bit high as well. They sold themselves as being high-end, but I think they should have competed on price/performance - maybe "buy" some market share with the first few models - before getting into SureFire territorry on pricing.

At least that's my armchair failure analysis.
 

mtbkndad

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Jan 1, 2005
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I have a M60L and I am glad I got it before this change.
It is a fantastic light. I felt their pricing was very reasonable for what I got.
I looked at the Surefire L4, but liked the fact that the NightCutter was more compact with similar light output. I also liked the look of the NightCutter more. I was lookinng forward to getting other lights from them in the future.
Whatever Lightship Enterprises does in the Future I wish them well.
 

Sub_Umbra

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I really like the Sports. I have a couple of them with four different heads. I use them all the time. They are very, very water tight. I have one that has gone through the wash TWICE without leaking a drop. Quite elegant for a light in it's price range.
 

PocketLights.com

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It is a shame that NightCutter flashlights are now collector items. Their Sport Lights were some of my favorite LED flashlights because they are rugged and the smallest two-cell CR123A flashlights on the market.

I agree with Idleprocess, LSE should have concentrated selling their 3 LED and 5 LED Sport Lights because they are much more affordable than their Luxeon flashlights. The Luxeon flashlight market is very crowded and competitive.
 

Big_Ed

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Oct 28, 2003
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I use a Nightcutter P20 everyday, and I love it. Great beam quality, and build quality. I'm glad I got one when I did. It's sad news.
 

NikolaTesla

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The 5CSI i have spots fake money and dirty hotel rooms real nice. The 375NM is just perfect for that. It's a keeper. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
 

Fat_Tony

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Jul 22, 2004
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King of Prussia, PA
I don't have one, but I have toyed with the idea of getting one. Does anyone know of any on-line dealers with any NC lights left in stock? Thanks.
 
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