I have more than a few name brand chinese flashlights. I like them. They are my toys. I have not purchased or used a Surefire product. For example a E2L AA Outdoorsman on Surefire’s website lists max output as 115 lumens. The price is $250.00. That is what I spent on my entire Chinese flashlight collection. My question is for Surefire owners: How much better is the quality of Surefire compared to Chinese brands? I was born when America had the largest and strongest economy in the world. I am sad to see so many manufacturing jobs leave the U.S.A. Please, I need more of a reason Surefire is better than the others because it is made in the U.S.A. Peace all.
i would like to test some surefires in order to experience how much better they are compared to Fenix and Sunwayman
Sorry, there are not many real reasons to pay extra for Surefire.
If you have extra money, want to support USA brand and find suitable light, then go ahead.
I only own one Surefire light, and haven’t kept up with their latest happenings after abandoning CPF, but from what I’ve gathered:
-Surefire lights are good quality (but not as good as the price tag might lead you to believe)
-They have good warranty inside USA (it might not work that well in other countries)
-They give you adequate amount of light (if you are after the latest and brightest, don’t bother).
In the past I bought several Surefire E series lights. I still have an e2e that I never use. As far as I am concerned they are not worth the money for the average user. If LEO’s have tried them and others, and then decided the Surefire is the way to go, then fine. But for me they are greatly over priced for my needs. It would be interesting to see what various Police Depts use.
Some years ago I had a friend who was a chief, and his dept used Streamlights.
Basically I agree with Blinky1.
Jerry
Here’s my two cents.
What do you get when you buy a Surefire? Very good and consistent build quality. Fantastic warranty and customer service. These things minimize function failures, though they can and do still occasionally happen, and quickly make things right when they do. You pay for that level of service.
What you don’t get is a lot of innovation or risk taking with design. You also don’t get good value if you are just a regular person who uses flashlights the way the vast majority of us do. If you have a job where reliable light can be a matter of life and death, that value equation changes, arguably, in favor of the Surefires. For most of us, though, the juice isn’t worth the squeeze.
The other thing is that while some brands come close or even match Surefire in terms of quality and service- Foursevens comes immediately to mind- Surefire still caters to the tactical community with things they really need, like very simple, Barney basic UIs. Multimode, complicated UIs in other so called tactical lights are not going to appeal to users who really need a tactical light. Therefore Surefire has a bit of a stranglehold on that segment of the market.
This leads to fan boys who want the same stuff the heavy hitters use because it is perceived as cool It’s the same reason every Tom, Dick, and Harry is running around with a bag covered in PALS webbing for no reason.
Anyway, to answer your question… tail cap switch stops working on your Surefire and on your brand X light. One call will get you a replacement shipped out to you ASAP free of charge and no questions asked while you may not even be able to reach the company of the other, much less get a replacement.
That’s why you’d choose Surefire; plus, they are as reliable as can possibly be because of their build quality.
Surefire makes nice supressors and AR magazines but lights are a bit overpriced based on quality and output.
Cone, well said!!
I just like to add one more point. There are a lot of jobs where workers have to buy their own lights. For example EMT or repair personnel. There is a high level of wear and tear involved. Great warranty and costumer service is a big factor.
I bought Surefire U2 couple of year ago, because I wanted to have it. Very poor lumen/price ratio.
Now SF have nothing in their offer can convince me to choose their light.
Mike
I haven't had to deal with surefire warranty claims, but I have dealt with other high end flashlight manufacturers and their warranty process. I work on the water, and having a good quality light is a must, but I won't be buying many more $100+ lights anytime soon.(with the exception of 3000+lumen lights that won't burn out in minutes) My opinion, I'd rather have 4 or 5 cheaper lights with possibly as good of a build quality for the same price as one high dollar light. The sad part is the cheap lights are just as bright if not brighter, for a fraction of the price.
It's better to throw away or keep for future parts any light that breaks or acts finicky and get a new one out than to send a light in for repairs, wait a week or more, and get back a light that still has obvious flaws. It may work like new but I guess even the manufacturer could overlook flaws as long as the major issue is resolved. If I need a light NOW I don't have time to wait a week. Nothing lasts forever, especially in my hands.
I think that if I were a LEO running through a dark alley, chasing some miscreant. I would probably feel pretty good about having a Surefire light in my hand. Living where I do and being more likely to get attacked by a moose than a real life bad guy I don’t think it would ever be worth spending the extra money.
The sweet spot for best cost per quality seems to be about $15 - $30. For $250, you could get a nice little light that’ll be good enough for most tasks or you could buy/build a few nice custom lights that’ll cover any task and have a few bucks left over. :money_mouth_face:
As for supporting American jobs, if they can’t be competitive, I literally can’t afford help them.
I’ve used, not owned, several Surefires. In my opinion they are not better than good budget lights, such as BLF Special Edition Eagle Eye, stuff from Shiningbeam, and many others. I wouldn’t buy one even if I had the extra dollars to do so.
I have a ShiningBeam Caveman and it’s a great AA light IMO. I’d rather buy 6 of them for the price of 1 SureFire E2L. My brother has 3 SureFires and 2 of them have had issues with switches. They were replaced quickly and without any hassles but it goes to show that higher prices doesn’t mean zero problems.
I agree that America has to be competitive if the business is to survive. In spite of the “Buy American” rhetoric most of those buy where they think they get the best bang for the buck. So do I.
Jerry
Thanks for all the info. I could never justify spending $250.00 on one flashlight ever unless it was for a job. I was hoping to hear Surefire was a bit more spectacular. Great customer service though. I have had a couple issues with my Chinese brand flashlights. Customer service was not much help resolving the problems with those flashlights.
I tend to agree. Surefire (and Pelican) make great lights for LEO/FIRE/EMT. They are reliable, available and interchangeable. There are only two lights that I prefer just because the interface works well for my needs, Surefire and 47s tactical.
If I’m changing a tire or taking out the trash, just about anything will do. And it will do it for less money too.
I really don’t mean this to sound sarcastic or rude but you did ask people in the “budget” light forum about a non-budget light brand. I think most of the answers were kind of what I’d expect. I’ve never spent much time on CPF but from stuff I’ve read I think you might get some different answers over there. Everyone has their own opinion about the value of things they buy.
You often hear people say “you get what you pay for” and there is some truth to that. However, some things are just over priced.
I have two Surfire lights, ( an old 6P and a “cheap” G2 ) nothing spectacular. they both collect dust in the display cabinet. Great quality build, but not worth the cost. Its become a over-priced name-brand thing with them as it did with Streamlight, etc. for the price you can get several other equally built lights other name brands like Sunwayman, Olight, Nitecore, Fenix, etc.
The idea of having only one expensive “quality high-priced” light like a single surfire on a week-long backcountry canoe trip or expedition, ( like our group do often) is risky, as it can still fail, break, or become lost. for the same price several others can be bought, where several back-up lights are a definite requirement on our trips.
I never carry just one light in cases like that.
I have a bunch of Surefires and a bunch of Chinese lights….I agree that Surefires are overpriced but I have never paid retail price for one either. I was able to get a new E2L AA for under 100 bucks. If your patient you can find some good deals.
Yes there are brighter lights that are WAY cheaper ….with surefire, your pretty much paying for their warranty in the price of the light.
Well others have mentioned some very good and valid points on both ends of the spectrum. For me I like the lego capabilities of the SF lights. And with that there seems to be a consistent build quality. Making them this way makes a lot of parts interchangeable, especially if you get some adaptors. This can lead to intense flashlight fun.
I have a lot of SF lights. But,I bought most all of them either on sale, used or a at a deep discount. By doing so, I have some that I only have $40 in and they listed, MSRP, for over $200. I have built several weapon lights for cheap that perform flawless by picking up parts here and there.
I like that there are tons of lego options for the lights. Some are expensive, but others aren’t. Plus there are lots of folks selling odds and ends for the SF lights.
If that interests you, its possible that you look around and wheel and deal you too could do the same.
But at the end of the day, its to each is own.
EDIT: few more thoughts:
google or bing images: Surefire Lego, Sure E series lego. There are some manufactures & builders who make some lights & parts that are interchangeable with the E & C series lights. Like McGizmo, Vital gear, malkoff, overready, Solarforce, and the list goes on.
Having said all that, you can build some neat SF/Solarforce rigs. Also, the SF G2 led can be bought for sub $40USD. It is a great platform for a solid light, especially if you get the Aluminum head.
Also, if you search eBay or the airsoft sites there are plenty of replica lights for cheap. The E series heads on eBay from China actually rock. Plenty of budget mod potential there.
Anyways, the good part is that the hobby has enough room for all kinds. 