By Andrew Liszewski
I’m actually kind of surprised that this is the world’s first dimmable LED flashlight but since I can’t think of any other companies offering this feature, it must be. The Titan from SureFire can be adjusted from anywhere between 0 lumens up to 70 lumens by rotating the bezel. And even though it’s only 3.5 inches long it’s built like a tank and could probably eat MagLites for breakfast.
The body is made from tough, corrosion-resistant Titanium and the virtually indestructible LED is protected by a scratch-resistant sapphire window. It even has a tailcap connector threaded at 1/4-20 UNC allowing it to attach to most standard tripods for hands-free usage.
While the Titan might seem like the perfect tool for your upcoming weekend camping trip you might be disappointed to learn the limited run of 1000 Titanium units will set you back $500 each.
[ SureFire Titan ] VIA [ Popular Science ]
It’s not the first dimmable LED flashlight. I have a couple eternaLight LED flashlight that are dimmable. They are about 4 years old.
$500? that is expensive, I could easily get hundred of those LED flashlight, and if i want something as bright as what they offer, simply bundle four of those cheap LED light and i bet that would do the trick.
For 500$ I could just get the parts and build ten dimmable LED flashlights! It might not be as indestructible as this one, but if it gets damaged, I’ll still have nine spare ones!
this is too expensive. i don’t see anything in this product that will cost $500.00
SureFire is probably not even making a profit here, considering R&D costs and only 1000 units produced. However, I think they have crossed a line with a price of $500,-. Excluding R&D here, but people will not be fooled that the intrinsic value of the product is anywhere near the retail price. Too bad, SureFire…
Yes, there are other dimmable LED-based lights available, and there have been for some time. However, this is the first OF IT’S KIND in the high power LED realm. This is part of an entirely new class of flashlight which uses a very high power LED (typically running at 3-5 watts, e.g. Luxeon III or V, Cree XR-E, Seoul P4) with very high output – 70 lumens is 50% brighter than a 4D maglight. The fundamental difference between this light and others of its class (which are dimmable) is that this light is essentially “infinitely dimmableâ€?, capable of very low output, and does so WITHOUT rapidly PULSING the light (which many people find annoying). Pulsing circuits are also typically limited to some minimum level. The added cost of course coming from a titanium construction and limited edition status. This is obviously a collector’s item, and anyone who complains about the cost claerly isn’t a collector. Do you have any idea how expensive it is to machine titanium? Yes, their profit is negligable, but it’s rumored that this light will later be made available in aluminum at a far lower price, so the R&D will ultimately pay off. No lines have been crossed, this is the cream of the crop – DEAL WITH IT YOU BABIES!
R&D and machining Titanium are very expensive. Look at ANY custom Titanium light. They are all over $400 and very limited production. Plus, most of them only have 2 fixed outputs. This is a light for folks that want the best. It will appreciate in value. Check ebay right now. They are already being listed for $100-200 over list.
There are a ton of great LED lights on the market for under $200. They just aren’t made out of Ti or steplessly adjustable.
I have one myself and would say that is very nice worth the money i paid $400 for it through a friend dealer yet i can always sell it on ebay if i want to recoup my investment not that i would do but its much nicer than other Custom Ti’s i have feel and finish wise. Lifetime warranty is a big plus for this little baby,
The SF Titan is not the world’s first fully-variable LED flashlight. It’s SF’s first fully-variable LED flashlight. The Gatlight (http://gatlight.com/index.htm) is Ti, custom-designed, custom-made, and fully-variable, with double the output of the Titan.
The only dimmable flashlight in the world? Hardly! I can name 5 different flashlights off the top of my head that offer this feature with a much wider range of brightness: NitecoreD10, NitecoreD20, Nitecore EX10, ARC6, Jetbeam III
THere are loads more, but you get the idea. What a ridiculous claim!
Oh yea, and the Gatlight. How could I forget the Gatlight? It's probably the most similar in cost and build quality.
The only dimmable flashlight in the world? Hardly! I can name 5 different flashlights off the top of my head that offer this feature with a much wider range of brightness: NitecoreD10, NitecoreD20, Nitecore EX10, ARC6, Jetbeam III
THere are loads more, but you get the idea. What a ridiculous claim!
Oh yea, and the Gatlight. How could I forget the Gatlight? It's probably the most similar in cost and build quality.