Is there a better flashlight than surefire?

[davebrave]

I own three Surefire flashlights and I have to say they are hands down the best illumination tools I have ever used. I work in the TV/Film industry and we are always up before sunrise and still working after sundown so a good flashlight is a necessary tool of the trade.

The only downside to Surefire that I have experienced is the cost. I have paid between $80-$200 depending on the model.

Has anyone had any experience with other flashlights that cost less then Surefire and are better or at least as good?

 

[Acera]

I have had Surefire's in the past, right now I carry a Fenix. Great light for the price.

 

[txinvestigator]

I am a Surefire fan. I have one that is a plastic case and is less than $60. I have found that the old saying, "you get what you pay for" true.

That said, I imagine there are other good lights available.

 

[Tejano Scott]

I am a flashlight nut, and former surefire fanboy. There are plenty of lights that are better and much cheaper. I'm the kind of guy who seldom skimps on buying anything, but numerous surefire lights have changed my opinion. Most expensive can mean best quality, but not so much in this case. Check out fenix, streamlight, and others

 

[ZX9RCAM]

I am a flashlight nut, and former surefire fanboy. There are plenty of lights that are better and much cheaper. I'm the kind of guy who seldom skimps on buying anything, but numerous surefire lights have changed my opinion. Most expensive can mean best quality, but not so much in this case. Check out fenix, streamlight, and others

Ditto & ditto, lol......

 

[jtriron]

Fenix and Olight are great products as well.

 

[majormadmax]

I have a few SureFires and they're OK, but I will agree they are overpriced. I've had a few go Tango Uniform on me, so I don't get 'em anymore.

Instead, I bought a iTP SC1 Eluma at a gun show over two years ago, it's been hanging off my travel bag and it has been beat to shit, but is still working 100%! It's compact (uses one CR123 battery), light (less than two ounces), brighter than hell (190 lumens at full strength!) and has adjustable settings with a strobe.

I think they are $39.95 at the SAXET shows, I've been wanting to pick up another one but since the one I've got has been so reliable, I don't see a reason to get a spare!

Cheers! M2

 

[M. Sage]

I use a flashlight all day at work, and I'm a Streamlight fan. Check out their rechargeables, awesome not buying batteries.

 

[shipwreck]

I personally think there is no reason to pay the big bucks that surefire charges. They also tend to not use the latest technology.

I am an admitted flashlight LED nut. I sold some recently - as I found that I was just "collecting" lights - and I was only using maybe 4 or 5 with regularity. Technology changes, and I decided to sell some while I could still get $ for them. 5 years from now, LEDS will be better, and they would likely still be sitting on my shelf, collecting dust... Anyway, below is a picture of some of the ones I had... That pic was from Jan 2012, and I probably had 3 or 4 more lights after that photo was taken...

Anyway, Eagletac is my persona favorite brand. I have owned many over the past couple of years. I like the quality, and they are typically in the forefront of actual lumen output for lights in their size. Much less than a surefire, with typically 3-4x the actual lumen output (I saw ACTUAL out the front lumens, not the theoretical maximum many companies measure in the first millisecond of the lights activation).

I do have a 2200 lumen Fenix TK70. That is my first Fenix, but the light absolutely rocks. It is rather large, though.

I got my first Jetbeam early this year. a BC40 model... An actual 830 lumens out the front light for $70. REALLY nice quality and light output for the price. Fantastic price, actually. It has become my favorite light, and i use it outside every night. Smaller than my Fenix TK70, and absolutely enough light output for what I need.

However, the BC40 is just slightly too big to pocket carry. My fav pocket carry light is the Eagletac T20C2 MK II, with the XML-HO module. 720 lumens at the emitter level, and 580 out the front lumens. And, I see that they just came out with another model - 770 lumens at the emitter, and 620 out the front lumens.

What is cool about the T20C2 MK II and the P20C2 MK II is that as new LED tech comes out - you just buy a new LED module for like $30, and you don't have to buy an entirely new light. I've already upgraded one of my T20s twice already. Very easy to do.

 

[tussery]

Fenix's are definitely no Surefire in terms of construction but they work, and work well.

 

[scap99]

Ship, where do you get your lights? That eagletac is nice.


Tapatalk sent it.

 

[itchin]

I have a few surefires including the g2x on a bcm upper in a vltor offset scout. it is beat to shit and works fine. It works so good i left it on the rifle after getting better surefires. Eventually i do something different, but i like the set up. I have a pressure switch, but do not like them. That is why i got the vltor mount.

 

[shipwreck]

Ship, where do you get your lights? That eagletac is nice.


Tapatalk sent it.

I order the Solarforce ones on ebay, typically.

I buy my Eagletacs and most other stuff here: EagleTac Tactical Flashlights

Great vendor. Made many, many, many orders from him.

 

[itchin]

Batteryjunction.com has alot of different lights.

 

[London]

Just as a gun is only as good as the bullets it fires, a flashlight is only as good as the light it shines. Whatever it is, as long as it has a quality LED in it and a good body, you're there. Surefire is extremely overpriced IMO. They use the same Cree LEDs the cheap flashlights use. Not to say Cree is a crappy LED company; it's very good. It's just not as expensive as Surefire sells it for.

Here's my take on the subject. People seem to be happy with it:

http://www.texasguntalk.com/forums/...101-high-quality-inexpensive-flashlights.html

 

[tussery]

Just as a gun is only as good as the bullets it fires, a flashlight is only as good as the light it shines. Whatever it is, as long as it has a quality LED in it and a good body, you're there. Surefire is extremely overpriced IMO. They use the same Cree LEDs the cheap flashlights use. Not to say Cree is a crappy LED company; it's very good. It's just not as expensive as Surefire sells it for.

Here's my take on the subject. People seem to be happy with it:

http://www.texasguntalk.com/forums/...101-high-quality-inexpensive-flashlights.html

That is subjective. A Chinese flashlight is made by a factory of staff whose entire wages add up to very little. Where Surefire employs quite a few American's who make a very good wages. When you think of it that way a $50 Fenix light is way more overpriced than a $100 Surefire.

 

[Leper]

I keep a surefire micro stream around my neck at all times and an old fenix pd10 in my pocket. I like them both for their intended purpose. Thanks to this thread I will be adding an eagle tac d25c to my flashlight collection(fetish).

 

[Wolfwood]

Tactical Flashlights

survival laser has really good products. i havent bought any of their flash lights but one or two is on my list. i do own the 660 nm red laser (375 mw) and it is an incredibly solid build!

 

[Wolfwood]

1000 lumens is a whole crap load of light.

 

[weiss27md]

I imagine Elzetta is very good. They are made in the USA. They seem to also be very durable as they have videos of them using there flashlights as hammers.