SureFire's business practices suck!

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Originally Posted by ares armor

Streamlight are not an option for us. Quality is too low. We are looking more for a smaller company that is producing quality equal to surefire just without that baggage that comes along with being a SureFire dealer.

we are looking at options.

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Sounds like you literally described Elzetta. Great guys over there.

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Originally Posted by ares armor

So it seems that a lot of people really like the X300. Is there any other light from surefire that is "un-replaceable" in your minds.

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Lumamax LX2

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Originally Posted by ares armor

That is normal business practice. However, competing with your own dealers by stopping them from giving any discounts to customers only hurts the consumer. We would sell them for a much lower price if allowed to do so.

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It seems others feel the same way you do. They sell Surefire lights with free batteries and free shipping. Maybe that is an option?

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Originally Posted by Iraqgunz

They may be expensive (prices may have been raised in response to the price of metals/ commodities) but I have been using them since around 1993 or so and I have yet to find flashlights that are better.

Their customer service has always been good to me.

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I'll bet there isn't $10.00 of raw materials in the most expensive light they make. I suspect the most expensive part is the LED or xenon lamp. The rest is mostly plastic or a chunk of anodized aluminum. You could double it and it still would pale into triviality.

What you are mostly paying for is research and development, tooling, marketing, distribution and labor costs. Then the profit to the owners/shareholders and taxes.

I doubt the price of materials is one of their top five costs.

Surefire does make good products but this coming huge price increase is absurd.

If they keep it up eventually they will price themselves out of an ever more competitive market.

4sevens.com

I have their quark tactical, great light.

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Originally Posted by Ares Armor

That is normal business practice. However, competing with your own dealers by stopping them from giving any discounts to customers only hurts the consumer. We would sell them for a much lower price if allowed to do so.

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Bundling is how a dive shop I once frequented got around MAP and there wasn't a damn thing the manufacturer could do about it.

Bundle a regulator, BC and a cylinder from multiple manufacturers for one low price.

As long as the bundle cost more than the most expensive MAP for the most expensive single item, how do you know which manufacturer got discounted? You can always argue you charged full MAP on the brand X regulator and gave the cylinder away free!

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Originally Posted by Heavy Metal

Bundling is how a dive shop I once frequented got around MAP and there wasn't a damn thing the manufacturer could do about it.

Bundle a regulator, BC and a cylinder from multiple manufacturers for one low price.

As long as the bundle cost more than the most expensive MAP for the most expensive single item, how do you know which manufacturer got discounted? You can always argue you charged full MAP on the brand X regulator and gave the cylinder away free!

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Absolutely brilliant, Heavy Metal -- this is an idea that retailers like Ares who are trying to look out for the end user could really put to good use.

AC

How bad is this price increase?

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Originally Posted by Littlelebowski

How bad is this price increase?

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Bad enough that we are on here looking for a replacement product...

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Originally Posted by Whootsinator

Sounds like you literally described Elzetta. Great guys over there.

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+1 for Elzetta. Their light beats the heck out of any G2.

I still like X300 best out of the various pistol lights, with the Insight WX-150 a close second.