Does anyone like Surefire anymore?

[this_is_nascar]

The last useful SF, in my opinion, was the Aviator.

 

[Rossymeister]

Which one was your favorite? The incandescent or one of the led models?

 

[Rossymeister]

Ive got the T1a titan, kroma milspec, and an older e2l. I seem to like the older lights, compared to any of their new offerings.

 

[bykfixer]

PK used to present a lot of cool ideas to "the boss" who would often try them out. Not always. A lot of good things resulted. Then one day things changed. Lumen wars didn't help. From the hobbyist point of view SureFire aint what it used to be. But that was never the reason for its existence. "The boss" built lights for use in self protection. The hobbyist side of things was just him letting PK explore the boundries of what could be done at the time. It was probably a calculated move by a very down to earth, very smart man who knew good word of mouth meant good reputation, meant more customers willing to pay more for a better product. SureFire is now like Maglite in that they are trying to stay true to their roots in a crowded market place as demand for flashlights is dropping since LED flashlight sales are falling.

I still think the 320 lumen G2x Pro is one of the greatest flashlights ever produced.

 

[Monocrom]

Ironically, the G line of lights is probably the only one that PK didn't create.

 

[Kestrel]

Ironically, the G line of lights is probably the only one that PK didn't create.

You remember that epic thread of the colored / photoshopped G2's ? PK dropped in with approval and mentioned the G2 they made that color-changed with temperature.

 

[IMA SOL MAN]

PK used to present a lot of cool ideas to "the boss" who would often try them out. Not always. A lot of good things resulted. Then one day things changed. Lumen wars didn't help. From the hobbyist point of view SureFire aint what it used to be. But that was never the reason for its existence. "The boss" built lights for use in self protection. The hobbyist side of things was just him letting PK explore the boundries of what could be done at the time. It was probably a calculated move by a very down to earth, very smart man who knew good word of mouth meant good reputation, meant more customers willing to pay more for a better product. SureFire is now like Maglite in that they are trying to stay true to their roots in a crowded market place as demand for flashlights is dropping since LED flashlight sales are falling.

I still think the 320 lumen G2x Pro is one of the greatest flashlights ever produced.

@bykfixer How do you know LED flashlight sales are falling? Do you get an industry newsletter or have company contacts saying that?

 

[letschat7]

You can sorta tell and it has been this way for a while. Cheap China lights are killing them market, even for Chinese lights such as Pila or Sunwayman.

 

[swampgator]

I've got 4 Surefires:

A 600 Scout mounted on a shotgun with LED head
An old G2 running a drop in LED lamp
An old G2Z running a drop in LED lamp
An old 6Z running a drop in LED lamp

The old lights are my favorites. Simple designs. Rugged construction.
Obviously I've dropped the use of P-60s as LEDs just have more to offer.

 

[letschat7]

P60 or even P90/91 are a lot of fun.

 

[M@elstrom]

The Surefire Aviator is the only light they produce that I would actually appreciate 👍

 

[1996alnl2]

I used to swear by, SureFires back in the late 2000's when a "120Lumen' LED light was the cats *** compared to everyone else.
Everyone knew their ratings were based on having the thing ON to the point when the batteries are half toasted. The build quality was second to none..and the price reflected that.

I didn't care, I wanted a product that can take a beating and keep on working. I spend the money..as expensive as they were.

Having said that I kind of got out of the hobby for about 10 years or so and I was blown away how far we've come when I caught up with the fine folks here on this forum.

Competition is fierce, quality and brightness is leaps and bounds better than it was years ago.
I remember back in '07 I bought a cheap $10 Chinese mega lumen flashlight as a "what the hell, why not?"
The piece of junk lasted 3 weeks before it gave up the ghost. Now-a-days many of "these" lights are true hard anodized military grade aluminum construction with the latest LED's and fantastic output and tint.
I will always have a soft spot for the American made lights out there, I did purchase a Cloud Defensive MCH last year, very happy with it.
Also picked up a Surefire E2D Defender, love it. And they're EDCL1-T that one I returned due to a green tinted LED. I couldn't believe how bad it was.

So If you ask me If I still like SureFire the answer is yes.

Side note I joined this forum sometime back in 2007 but being absent for so long, I forgot my password, had a heck of a time retrieving anything so I just re- registered a few years ago..but I'm glad I'm back.

 

[letschat7]

I was here in 2008 or 09 it was a great time back then.

 

[Qship1996]

Love my Titan, has been on my daily carried keyring for 7 years now. My Fury DFT i also love, but honestly have very little need for. Sold my E1d { my all time favorite light} recently when I noticed selling prices were more than double what I paid for it brand new over 5 years earlier.

 

[rwolfenstein]

I mean, I still have one of their keychain lights that I carry daily, it does its job on a rechargeable AAA. I do wish that Surefire would invest in other types of batteries for their lights. Sure I know that alkys dont hold up over time and burst. I have an E2LAA that has survived one burst set of AA batteries. I would like to see more innovation out of surefire, like the days of old where they had a magnetic selector ring to change the brightness or mode.

 

[turbodog]

I don't dislike them, but they are not cutting edge anymore for tech/output nor are they the leader in build quality. The fast movers have an advantage when the market's changing a lot, but eventually the pack/peloton catches up.

 

[troutpool]

The L1 (with a diffuser on it) is a light I never get tired of, and I use it around the house a lot. The G2 is a favorite host for a Malkoff dropin.

 

[letschat7]

They need to have a classic line with old models and parts.

 

[bykfixer]

@bykfixer How do you know LED flashlight sales are falling? Do you get an industry newsletter or have company contacts saying that?

8 years ago the flashlight section at WalMart, Lowes, Home Depot, Ace, Grainger etc was huge and empty spaces galore. Now they all have paultry spacing with dust collecting on product.

Plus, yeah I know people in the industry.

And actually PK played a part in the G series. He helped design the LED that went into the G2L, then later the thermal step down. He worked with his brother, a designer at Motorola with the thermal stepdown and ARC ceo Peter Gransee to get away from what he called "baby puke green" tint. We all know it was an awful shade of blue at first but later it was not. He wanted to have G2's sold at WalMart, Radio Shack etc but "the boss" said no. That led to him releasing his Icon series later.

 

[Monocrom]

Still have one of those early Icon models somewhere in storage.
I recall they were on the shelves for a hot minute. Glad I snagged one.