I don’t think you should compare TK75 to RC40 just on price without itemize their differences.
TK75 is 2600 lumens, selling about $160, that is $0.062 per lumens.
RC40 is 3500 lumens, extra 900 lumens should cost extra $55, agree?
Move on to material:
TK75 has 3 U2, RC40 has 4 U2, so $4 extra, agree?
RC40 has 6*18650 batteries where Fenix batteries has been selling $13 per piece, and this battery pack has voltage indicator, so $85 extra, agree?
RC40 included chargers for home and car, $15 extra, agree?
RC40 has bigger head and more aluminums and machining and HAIII and lens and reflector, $30 extra, agree?
RC40 has newer circuits and designs to drive 4 U2 to 3500 lumens, let’s just assume $3 extra, agree?
$55+$4+$85+$15+$30+$3 = $192
This is very rough estimation typed in 5 minutes, to me it is not really very expensive compare to TK75. Sure I hope to get RC40 at $320 or something. That will make RC40 more value than TK75. :bigsmile:
i dunno, i was expecting better for the rc40. the tk70 looks like it will outflood the rc40, and be brighter, and throw further.
im just looking at ilf’s comp picture between the tk70 and 75.
man, that polarion though, is one bad mofo. not even the ff3 can compete with that huh?
I think you're being awfully generous with those dollar amounts... Adding $55 arbitrarily from the start. If we measure strictly on a cost to performance basis, SkyRay King beats everything else hands down ;)
Let's look at it from a production, and consumer standpoint?
Both lights have the same kind of coating, and the same kind of lens. Slightly different sizes yes, but aluminum is cheap, and coating something with a 15% (being generous) greater surface area will not cost even proportionally more. Being generous, maybe $5 more.
The battery pack, given capacity, is more or less equivalent to five 3100mAh cells. I'm sure in bulk these can be had for $6 a piece, if not a lot lower, considering the massive bulk in which they are bought. At most on the production end you're looking at $30 to produce these custom battery packs, but I expect they will run quite a bit more if you want to buy a spare. Having to buy the low capacity battery pack... major downside.
The extra LED? No way Fenix is paying $4 a piece... $3 is being super generous.
The "charger" is not truly a charger, rather just an adapter for home and car, that you can plug into the light. Completely useless except for the RC40. Want to use it to power something else? Nope, no can do.
Newer circuitry, LED indicatator for battery status, for $3 more that I'll buy.
When you take the battery pack and car, and home charger adapters out of the equation, what you're left with, is a very minor increase in production cost. Let's round it up to $20 for the sake of argument. $50 with battery pack, and $60 with the two charging adapters. You're left with a $60 justifiable increase, assuming the TK75 is being sold at a decent margin!
Meanwhile the price difference is actually $210.
At the same time, Fenix also insures that their customers are stuck with them for accessories... I'm sure fenix took the cue from cell phone accessories... the markup on them can be HUGE.
At the end of the day, to me comparison is primarily based on a difference in performance. While the RC40 is clearly an improvement it is not a leap forward, and I would certainly take two TK75 lights instead of one RC40. (The difference will leave enough for one set of batteries and a charger too.)
I guess you are using BOM cost to do calculation. If you are buying 100 x 18650 yourself, then you get $6 per piece. That is unrealistic price to me as I don’t buy 100 x 18650 myself.
We have to base price comparison on market price. Not manufacturing BOM price. Gross margin is calculated using percentage. The higher investment and taking risk into producing high end flashlight, the price will be higher. Not many will buy high end flashlight, imagine the risk manufacturer has to take.
As for me it’s not buying 2 TK75’s for the price of one RC40, or buying 24 Jacob A60 for that price. It will all boil down to the flashaholism in us how much do we want the RC40, or whatever light in that regard. I buy a light because I want that light, I might initially consider how many other lesser-priced that amount can buy, but eventually what I want is what I buy. If I don’t go by this logic, I’m afraid I’ll never be able to buy a light that I want.
