What brand of flashlights contend with Surefire?

[usmcvet]

I've had great CS with Streamlight and Sure Fire.

[camoman]

I'm not a fan boy. I just want stuff to work. I dont care who makes it. I do care where it is made and i am willing to pay more for an American made product. Especially one that lives depend on. I've tried other lights but have bee disappointed in quality and performance.

I guess I look at in the perspective, that no-matter whether you buy American or foreign, you are still dealing with some sort of corporate entity..That is only in it for the profit. While I am not saying that sf is junk (the quality in their craftsmanship is impressive) I am saying their electronics are, way be-hind other manufacturers, and that they are way overpriced...for what you get. Try lighting up a target at a hundred yards with an 80 lumen 6p or g2...it's sad. I can light up a whole tree line at a hundred yards with my olight m20s, and it has a longer battery life. I have never taken it into battle..but it has hit the concrete a few times in the 2 years I've owned it, and it has never failed to work.

[Wiggity]

Pot, meet kettle.

If he owns several different brands and has come to the conclusion that surefires are over-priced, then how does that make him a fanboy?

[Dennis]

i also run fenix as a daily light, there just as solid (if not more) than the comparable surefires.

the only other brand id trust would be the blackhawk brand "Night-ops"
dont let the parent company scare you away, these lights are not korean made junk.

the night ops gladius is to this day the best light ive ever owned.
has all the features you want and is easiest on the market to use.

I loved my original Gladius and even more after the first LED upgrade. However, I have gone thru 3 tailcaps and the last one is acting up as well.

Check out this light, basically an upgraded version that is super bright and has been working great for a year now. There is also an option for a Turbo head.

http://www.batteryjunction.com/thrunite-scorpion.html

Dennis.

[Dennis]

There are many good, simple, tactical-ish lights from various manufacturers that can get the job done with either separate button switching (copied in the new SF R1 Lawman) or even simpler two level by either bezel loose/tight. Unfortunately, you have to sort through all the other disco lights to find the simple ones: I have several from Olight, Thrunite, Fenix, Sunwayman, and Klaurus that I have no problem carrying for duty use.

I bought a couple of these on sale because they were so cheap, but even at regular price they are a great deal with solid build quality, better than average clicky switch feel, dual springs front and rear (weapon mountable?), simple bezel loose/tight dual mode, rechargeable capability, long battery life with an efficient XM-L LED, and bright! Basically the perfect tactical light
http://www.batteryjunction.com/olight-i6.html

That said, my primary EDC is either a SF A2L or a 6Z with Malkoff drop in modified to accept rechargeables along with a X300 on my G17. Either a Klaurus XT11 or Thrunite Scorpion V2 ride on my duty vest for brighter light options.

Dennis.

[zero7one]

+1 for the Elzetta ZFL-M60!

[keller]

Inforce is doing some interesting things and has a growing list of some serious end users. Ran one in a recent class and will be adding some to the inventory. On a side note, they are a good group of guys.

[usmcvet]

I guess I look at in the perspective, that no-matter whether you buy American or foreign, you are still dealing with some sort of corporate entity..That is only in it for the profit. While I am not saying that sf is junk (the quality in their craftsmanship is impressive) I am saying their electronics are, way be-hind other manufacturers, and that they are way overpriced...for what you get. Try lighting up a target at a hundred yards with an 80 lumen 6p or g2...it's sad. I can light up a whole tree line at a hundred yards with my olight m20s, and it has a longer battery life. I have never taken it into battle..but it has hit the concrete a few times in the 2 years I've owned it, and it has never failed to work.

The only light I carried in "combat" was my mini Maglite. I still have it. That was an awesome piece of gear in its day. I used the shit out of mine. I wore one on my duty belt for a while, they were issued. When I bought my first 6P I retired my mini. It sits in my medicine cabinet today.

[uwe1]

I picked up two of the Olight i6 Paladins on Dennis' recommendation and I've had them for about a week now.

They appear to be fairly well made, but I've only had them a week and they haven't been used heavily, or abused. In terms of handling and switching, it behaves a lot like a Surefire 6P with a z58 tail-cap. The bezel is a bit larger than the 6P and there is a flange at the rear of the body to assist in gripping the light.

Performance wise, the Olight i6 Paladins are extremely bright. They definitely out throw and out perform my 6PX Tactical (420 lumens versus 200 lumens). A nice feature is that you can turn the bezel to lower the light output to 80 lumens if you don't need 420 lumens.

I also have a Thrunite 460 lumens P60L drop-in (http://www.batteryjunction.com/Thrunite-xml-1m-9v.html) for my Surefire 6P which has become my favorite every day carry light. The Olights, have a more concentrated center beam and throws a bit better than the Thrunite/6P. However, the Thrunite/6P has a more consistent beam pattern (less defined center hot-spot) and is floodier. These brighter lights are perfect for ME, in the suburbs of Tucson, where residential neighborhoods are restricted from being brightly lit.

As Dennis mentioned, the Olights have a front and rear spring, which might make them suitable for mounting on rifles, but I haven't decided to go in that direction with these. I'm perfectly happy with my Surefire G2LEDs with z58 tailcaps and Malkoff M61 drop-ins on my rifles. On a side note, before I began using the Thrunite drop-in in my every day carry light, it was mounted on my training carbine for about 2K rounds, and it functioned fine.

The Olight body is more bored out (versus Surefire bodies) to accommodate 18650 rechargeables. Primary 123 batteries, which have a smaller diameter than the 18650s, will fit a bit looser inside the body. I don't believe that this will present any issues, but it's just an observation.

In my opinion, at about $60, these are a good buy. They feel almost as solid as my Surefire 6P, but then again, a Surefire of comparable light output is going to cost more than double. I would much rather pay $60 for this light than an anemic G2LED. These make for a decent multi-purpose, general use flashlights.

I am approaching this viewpoint as a civilian and this light will not be used in a duty role. I picked these up as cheaper, viable alternatives to Surefire lights, especially given the price increases.

[Shotdown]

I own Surefire and Fenix lights. I run an M600c on one AR and a TK15 on another. The TK15 is great for varmit hunting due to its brightness and throw but I've had an issues with it flickering once. I took the tail cap off and tightened the inside (of the tail cap since I'm not sure what to call it) and it stopped flickering. Haven't had it happen since. However, my go to lights are the Surefire lights. Whether it's a natural disaster or deployment, they are with me. I even keep an E1B with me at all times.