Where are the European manufacturers?

Surefire, Maglite, Streamlight, Inova... on an on, American flashlight manufacturers. There are obviously more and more quality lights coming from Asia, which is great for the consumer. But what about Europe? Why are there so few flashlights manufactured there that we know about? Do all European police forces, military and rescue units carry Streamlight and Maglites? That can't be so, can it?

Just wondering...

According to some marketing guys they will be using these ...



... shortly as they are so superior lights

bernie

I think I saw that new LEDLenser light a few days ago - it was in a different package but looked like the same light. Are they finally making a waterproof light?

The French special forces, the GIGN have been using Surefires for as long as I know. They have also recently started using the Gladius.

Geologist ... IIRC they have something similar to the Fenix and claim "splash-resistance" ... but I'd go Fenix anytime and in fact didn't buy the LedLenser.

They have one "dive light", the "Frogman", but I wouldn't encourage anyone to buy it either.



bernie

I've seen it stated that OMBU are made in Spain, but I've also heard that they are really Asian made. Or the bodies are machined in Asia and the electronics done in Spain.

Of course I've heard about US lights being machined elsewhere too, and not all Streamlights are made in the U.S.

TorchMan said:

I've seen it stated that OMBU are made in Spain, but I've also heard that they are really Asian made. Or the bodies are machined in Asia and the electronics done in Spain.

Of course I've heard about US lights being machined elsewhere too, and not all Streamlights are made in the U.S.

Click to expand...

I realize that some American companies outsource the manufacture of some of their lights, ala Streamlight (model specific). But doesn't someone else in the world besides the US and Asia actually make flashlights?! Haven't you all thought this kind of strange that we never seem to discuss any other sources? What I'm getting at is, where are these lights?? I want to play with them!

:laughing:

Phaserburn,

Your question is a good one, and I can't remember seeing it before. I've wondered about France, especially if my understanding of Lumileds is correct and they are related to Philips. I've read that the Coast Cutlery are German engineered, but I don't know if they are made there. I can't remember my packaging, and I chunked it. My friend has a Lenser that looks like my V2 Triplex, except it's a Luxeon or maybe Jupiter. The case had writing in German. I would expect several more EU countries could turn out a good product, and yet, none.

There are some European manufacturers in some high-tech fields such as Lupine in Germany (headlamps and bike lights).

Mark, very good point about Lupine ... finally a high-tech manufacturer popping up !

Coast lights are mostly LedLensers ... LedLensers are German Zweibrueder Lights, but they are mostly manufactured in China together with most of the US lights I guess

bernie

European flashlight manufacturers are only evident in niche markets and AFAIK none in the tactical market place. Most police firearms units in the UK use Surefire or Streamlight products. The UK special forces in the main use mostly Surefire products.

Anyway who's complaining? I'll gladly put my money into American made products as the quality is far superior to anything that I've seen from european sources.


Doug

There are some high-end divelight manufacturers ... FaMi in Italy IIRC and Treble Light in Germany ...
http://www.treble-light.com/
... who seem to be associated with KenRad.
bernie

This is a good question.

There are cultural and historical reasons for the excellent European products in some areas -- the Autobahn facilitates high performance cars, etc. Yet the historical European and especially German tradition of fine machine work and fine optics would seem perfectly suited for high end flashlights, yet we don't see many from there.

You'd think Zeiss, Leitz, etc would produce high end flashlights to rival Surefire, if nothing else than for local consumption.

Does Orb count as a manufacturer?

All of the LedLenser lights I've seen are manufactured in China, even though the company is German.

Another European firm is Ombu, but despite it being a Spanish brand, a few of their lights look suspiciously like Nuwai lights which are also made in Asia.

The only other European brand I know of is Barbolight of Spain. I do believe these lights are actually Spanish-made.

I think companies like Zweibrüder Optoelectronics (LedLenser) and Ombu are just having these lights made for them by Asian factories in the same way that knife factories in Taiwan and mailand China manufacture knives for CRKT, Timberline, Kershaw, Gerber and Benchmade.

Can't speak for the rest of Europe but I guess Orb are the only Brit manufaturer (my Raw went in the post today, Cheers Rob!).

Fundamental economic activities like manufacturing seem to be totally out of fashion in UK nowadays............

As I said European flashlight manufacturers operate in niche markets. None seem to make tactical lights and certainly none make them to Surefire quality.

Orb and Ombu are good products but are not particularly well known outside of CPF circles and certainly not mainstream even in europe. Dive lights are by definition very specialist lights and again serve a very small niche market.

I agree it seems bizarre that some famous optical companies have never got around to making flashlights but then I think I may have found a plausible explanation. The rise of Maglight began after the American LEO market started taking an interest in buying reasonably cheap and (for those days) reasonable quality flashlight. The American public were then targeted by Maglite as another potentially large market for their lights and the rest is now history. However, as the use of flashlights in low light conflict began to become more accepted two flashlight manufacturers seemed to cater for this specialist but important marketplace, namely Streamlight and Surefire.

In europe the use and acceptance of firearms was/is more restrained and therefore the potential impetus to serve a very limited and specialist market has never driven someone to make flashlights of the functionality and quality of the american products. IMHO this is a good example of how firearms have indirectly driven innovation and other product developement?

Of course this is all conjecture but if someone else can offer a better explanation I'd like to hear it?

Doug

Nice post, Doug. Good points, and logical. But what of fire departments, emergency personnel/medics, etc, folks who have always desperately needed a quality light? There are many other professions, like real estate property inspectors, for example, that need a quality instrument that works better and more reliably than a 1.99 plastic el cheapo. These workers have needed quality lights since their professions began, and it's odd to me that this need hasn't been filled with a quality product until Maglite. Maybe Mr. Maglica is more forward thinking and a visionary than he is sometimes given credit for? (no flames, people, let's stay on target...!)

Not sure if Premier light is Usian or British:

http://www.premierlight-uk.com/aboutuspage.htm

I think there are some headlamps made in Europe. Also of course the barbolight in Spain.

From what I have seen, the optics and optics simulation are very strong in Europe.