If you check some of the threads put out by the Tank rep, it usually goes along the lines of:
— initial announcement from the rep
— people point out that it’s a bit pricey for a light using a non-Cree, non-Nichia emitter
— rep says that’s true, but using a Cree/Nichia would bring up the price even more
— generic grexing, no more commentary
and that’s it.
Truth be told, how much exposure does Manker get? Nice lights, I’m sure (don’t have any myself, though), but the MAP policy bugs people, there are no coupons or discount codes for Manker lights, no sales even around the Big Holidays, etc. I haven’t seen many reviews, I don’t know if Manker gives out lights for review, so I don’t recall very much exposure. That’s their choice. If they’re making enough of a profit adhering to those policies, hey, more power to them, but I haven’t exactly seen a slew of new reviews for the latest Manker lights to come out.
In contrast, and I’m trying really hard to not sound like a fanboy, but Sofirn does a lot of the above, engages the community, gives out samples for review, LISTENS to feedback and comes out with new/improved models incorporating the suggestions given, and has had some pretty kick-ass lights. To the point where people here were P&Ming about reviews being “advertising” instead of reviews. And for the holidays, I bought (yeah, on my dime, not samples) 3 SP10Bs and 4 SF32Ws. They’re just nice lights, and at what I think is a great price-point.
So, dunno what to say. If Tank comes out with lower prices, uses more popular emitters, keeps quality up, and puts their lights at a more appropriate price-point, they’d likely clean up. I got nothing against their lights or brand, but they just seem to be a little too spendy for the features.