# Zebralight moving production from China to Dallas?



## Dubois (Nov 14, 2012)

I noticed a post in the Marketplace from Cellguy (who is offering a good deal on new SC52 over there at the moment). He mentioned that Zebralight will be moving production to the US in December. Sounds interesting (and unlikely) - anyone know any more about this? Sorry if this isn't right forum, but thought discussion in Marketplace probably the wrong place.


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## ZRXBILL (Nov 14, 2012)

Dubois said:


> I noticed a post in the Marketplace from Cellguy (who is offering a good deal on new SC52 over there at the moment). He mentioned that Zebralight will be moving production to the US in December. Sounds interesting (and unlikely) - anyone know any more about this? Sorry if this isn't right forum, but thought discussion in Marketplace probably the wrong place.



I find it hard to believe but good for them if true.


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## Random Dan (Nov 14, 2012)

That would be cool. Might justify the purchase of an SC600.


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## ragweed (Nov 14, 2012)

I find it unlikely as well but. great if true!


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## reppans (Nov 14, 2012)

Would be great if true... who knows, might also result in a US style warranty like Foursevens and Eagletac which are HQ'd here.


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## flame2000 (Nov 14, 2012)

Hopefully they won't cost an arm like those Surefire when manufacture in US.


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## glockboy (Nov 14, 2012)

I think he say "shipping products to Dallas"
Last few years whenever I buy from Zebralight, it's shipped from Texas, and I have to pay tax too.


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## FlashKat (Nov 14, 2012)

I am sure they just have a U.S. headquarters based in Texas to provide better customer service.


glockboy said:


> I think he say "shipping products to Dallas"
> Last few years whenever I buy from Zebralight, it's shipped from Texas, and I have to pay tax too.


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## david57strat (Nov 14, 2012)

flame2000 said:


> Hopefully they won't cost an arm like those Surefire when manufacture in US.



I was thinking exactly the same thing - how much will they have to jack up the price, for the U.S. made light, in order to make the same profit they're making now, with foreign assembly?


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## Outdoorsman5 (Nov 15, 2012)

One of the marketing guys told me this past spring and again last month that they are about to (trying to start by end of 2012) begin construction of a production plant in Texas. I was thinking he said Arlington though....not possitive about which city. This does mean that they will produce zebralights here in the US. Not sure if they will continue to also produce lights in China, although it would make sense for them to produce in both so they can better keep up with demand. This will be good news for warranty service and customer service.


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## Labrador72 (Nov 15, 2012)

david57strat said:


> I was thinking exactly the same thing - how much will they have to jack up the price, for the U.S. made light, in order to make the same profit they're making now, with foreign assembly?


Hard to tell but if they heavily automate the production assembling process and you think that they wouldn't be paying import duties and adding shipping costs on the final tag, they might keep within the same price range. You add potentially higher sales thanks to the "made in the USA" hype - which will make most US consumers happy to cash out a few more dollars on their lights - and there you go: they'll still make a profit. Or else I guess they wouldn't even play with the idea of opening a production pant in the US. Curious to see how it goes!


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## shelm (Nov 17, 2012)

Ok then let's ask ourselves, what are the main reasons for a flashlight company to shift production from China to USA?
Apparently ZL must be dissatisfied with the current production situation.

Or is it in the end all about money only?

A US company is more profitable imo if the produce is manufactured in China. See Apple.


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## carrot (Nov 17, 2012)

shelm said:


> Ok then let's ask ourselves, what are the main reasons for a flashlight company to shift production from China to USA?


Juicy military contracts.


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## dj:litestick (Nov 17, 2012)

Whatever the situation, I am glad and will not think twice about buying another light from them. I just sent a new one (still under warranty) in for repair, to their Irving location. If I can remember correctly, every one of us who wanted to make a warranty claim had to send the light back to China, and I didn't want to fork out that money nor wait on the turnaround time. But Zebralight contacted me back shortly after the first email about sending it to China and told me to just send it into their US location for repair. I am now a happy camper with Zebralight. So much that the H600W is back on the "to-buy" list.


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## Erzengel (Nov 18, 2012)

I recall a post somewere on cpf that the T3 and T5, which are announced as future products for more than a year, are planned to be tactical and American made lights.


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## ZebraLight (Nov 22, 2012)

We'll move to a new location in Las Colinas next week. The new manufacturing facility will house cutting edge 5-axis machining centers, robots, etc., and above all, a manufacturing system based on a concept we believe that's move advanced than today's robot cells or FMS.


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## Burgess (Nov 22, 2012)

:thumbsup:
_


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## mega_lumens (Nov 22, 2012)

Good Luck ZL with your new manufacturing plans. I hope we will continue to see innovation and improvement in quality of production like none before!


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## Quiksilver (Nov 22, 2012)

If ZL is manufacturing in USA then I'll definitely pick up some of those USA-manufactured models ... 

I stopped purchasing from ZL after my sample size of one (a ZL H501) started malfunctioning with flickering issues on High. I want another 1xAA headlamp but just didnt trust the QC. If that will improve as result of manufacturing location, then I'll vote for a ZL headlight with my dollar$.


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## twl (Nov 23, 2012)

It's in a Foreign Trade Zone, where foreign manufacturers can bypass US Customs.


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## Vortus (Nov 23, 2012)

twl said:


> It's in a Foreign Trade Zone, where foreign manufacturers can bypass US Customs.



Not a real good definition there. It gets around some, but not all, just depends. Helps them compete.

http://ia.ita.doc.gov/ftzpage/tic.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_trade_zone


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## twl (Nov 23, 2012)

I just wanted to point out that it is a Foreign Trade Zone, which is NOT inside US Customs jurisdiction.


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## naiter (Nov 24, 2012)

Sounds like good news for everyone. as long as prices don't skyrocket.
Edit:
[h=4]Foreign Trade Zone 39[/h]Foreign Trade Zone No. 39 encompasses approximately 2,500 acres at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, including a 621-acre business park. Foreign trade zone designation allows companies to defer, reduce or eliminate U.S. Customs duties and reduce inventory and distribution costs.
The City of Irving offers additional benefits for new, expanding and relocating businesses that are within both FTZ 39 and the Irving city limits.
:thinking: sounds better


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## ToyTank (Nov 24, 2012)

ZebraLight said:


> We'll move to a new location in Las Colinas next week. The new manufacturing facility will house cutting edge 5-axis machining centers, robots, etc., and above all, a manufacturing system based on a concept we believe that's move advanced than today's robot cells or FMS.


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## Vortus (Nov 24, 2012)

I go in and out all the time, businesses have to survive best they can nowadays.


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## markr6 (Aug 27, 2015)

ZebraLight said:


> We'll move to a new location in Las Colinas next week. The new manufacturing facility will house cutting edge 5-axis machining centers, robots, etc., and above all, a manufacturing system based on a concept we believe that's move advanced than today's robot cells or FMS.



3 years later and I'm not sure if this happened. I've heard both yes and no depending on who I ask. Just curious


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## Tachead (Aug 27, 2015)

Quiksilver said:


> If ZL is manufacturing in USA then I'll definitely pick up some of those USA-manufactured models ...
> 
> I stopped purchasing from ZL after my sample size of one (a ZL H501) started malfunctioning with flickering issues on High. I want another 1xAA headlamp but just didnt trust the QC. If that will improve as result of manufacturing location, then I'll vote for a ZL headlight with my dollar$.


+1 

I never did try a ZL due to all the poor QC I read about. I constantly hear about failures on this site alone. Hopefully their reliability will improve with the move as well.

Edit: I just saw how old this thread is. Apparently they did not improve.


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## WalkIntoTheLight (Aug 27, 2015)

Tachead said:


> +1
> 
> I never did try a ZL due to all the poor QC I read about. I constantly hear about failures on this site alone. Hopefully their reliability will improve with the move as well.
> 
> Edit: I just saw how old this thread is. Apparently they did not improve.




There's way less complaints than there was about them a couple of years ago. So, they seem to have improved. I have no idea if that was the result of a move, but I rather doubt it. I think they're just maturing as a company, and focusing more on quality and inventory. Location has nothing to do with that.

On a side note, I don't think there's a single company that isn't complained about on these boards. Nobody's perfect. I judge it by the ratio of whiners to fanboys. That takes care of the noise simply because of volume. Because of the massive amount of HDS fanboys, I'd have to say they're the best quality. (Not necessarily the best value, of course, due to high price.)


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## mega_lumens (Aug 27, 2015)

Tachead said:


> +1
> I constantly hear about failures on this site alone. Hopefully their reliability will improve with the move as well. Edit: I just saw how old this thread is. Apparently they did not improve.


 Can you point out the constant topics you hear about ZL failures still? This thread is from 2012. ZL has been improving its models and pushing model upgrades annually. I remember the time when Fenix came aboard and CPFers were badgering its quality issues and how it's Chinese so your life can't depend on it. Today Fenix has established itself as a quality product that's also reasonably priced. ZL is no different today. I think their recent models have greatly improved in quality and the fact that they keep releasing new upgraded models annually, the company is doing something right to have returning customers.


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## more_vampires (Aug 27, 2015)

The 3 ZLs I bought a year or two ago have top notch QC, beautiful machining, buttery soft threads, and have never hiccuped even once.

If this is "poor QC," then I need to find out these "good QC" brand lights the ZL haters keep mentioning. I see no reason to bash ZL at this time?

Am I missing something?


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## uofaengr (Aug 27, 2015)

The 2 ZLs I've bought this year are on par with my Surefires quality wise. Don't care where they came from.


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## more_vampires (Aug 27, 2015)

My Armyteks are from China and they are rock solid. I don't care if it's made in China, as long as it's made in the GOOD places... not the Ultrafire plant.


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## emarkd (Aug 28, 2015)

Just jumping on the Zebralight love train! I've got three of their lights, one of which has been my daily edc since last November and taken quite a beating in that time without ever missing a beat. Every one of mine are rock-solid lights.

Of course, I realize my three lights are a _really_ small sample size...


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## markr6 (Aug 28, 2015)

emarkd said:


> Of course, I realize my three lights are a _really_ small sample size...



I have 7 right now, but over the course of 3 years or so I had at least 12. Some duplicates, some just to try and resell. I don't recall a single problem other than a tint issue (green, yellow, weird artifact). And I don't think I was just being picky. Either way, I still feel lucky. After all the negative feedback on this forum, you would think their lights are junk. But I just haven't seen any first-hand evidence of this. I hope I never do!


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## recDNA (Aug 28, 2015)

Zebralights get smaller while Surefires get larger. I mean the eb1 is huge. I don't understand why Surefire doesn't make any small lights CR123A lights any more. The e1e is the perfect size.


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## wolfey (Sep 12, 2015)

Haven't had any issues with my zebralights either. I've drop experience them on concrete multiple times on accident of course and they still work awesome.


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## Imon (Sep 12, 2015)

If ZL moved their production here that would be interesting. I know they already ship from a warehouse in Irving.

I EDC a HDS Clicky but my go-to headlight is still the H600.
I live in the DFW Metroplex so everytime I order from ZL I get my item within two days. 
Once I ordered a light early in the morning and it arrived the next day without me having to pay for one day shipping, lol.


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## JimTokle (Sep 12, 2015)

Imon said:


> If ZL moved their production here that would be interesting. I know they already ship from a warehouse in Irving.
> 
> I EDC a HDS Clicky but my go-to headlight is still the H600.
> I live in the DFW Metroplex so everytime I order from ZL I get my item within two days.
> Once I ordered a light early in the morning and it arrived the next day without me having to pay for one day shipping, lol.



I also live in the DFW area, and that's why I've never ordered directly from ZL. Sales tax + no discount code = no sale. I order my ZLs from E2 Field Gear and usually get them in two days anyways with their free shipping. And they have discount codes.


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## markr6 (Sep 12, 2015)

JimTokle said:


> I order my ZLs from E2 Field Gear and usually get them in two days anyways with their free shipping.



I once drove 10 minutes down the road and picked one up directly from E2...after testing the tint in person!


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