Limited Liability Company | |
Industry | Illumination Tools Tactical Equipment |
Predecessor | Laser Products Corporation |
Founded | October 17, 1979 |
Founder | Dr. John Matthews Dr. Peter Hauk Ed Reynolds |
Headquarters | Fountain Valley, California, U.S. |
Key people
|
John Matthews (Co-founder, CEO and President) Sean Vo (CFO) |
Products |
Flashlights Weapon-mounted lights Laser sights Sound suppressors High capacity magazines |
Revenue | US$75 million (2007) |
Number of employees
|
500+ (2007) |
Subsidiaries | EarPro |
Website | Surefire.com |
SureFire, LLC. is an American company based in Fountain Valley, California. Their main products are flashlights, headlamps, weapon-mounted lights and laser sights. In addition, Surefire makes knives, sound suppressors, Picatinny Rails and batteries. The company is a major supplier of flashlights to the U.S. Armed Forces. Surefire products are commonly used in the US by law enforcement agencies.
John Matthews founded Newport Corporation in 1969, which specialized in industrial lasers. After Matthews developed a laser sight; he, Peter Hauk, and Ed Reynolds founded the spin-off company, Laser Products Corporation on October 17, 1979. In 1984, the company supplied the Los Angeles Police Department and Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department with shotgun laser sights for use during the 1984 Summer Olympics. Laser Products developed its first "SureFire" branded product — a handgun mounted light in 1985. Laser Products Corporation became SureFire, LLC in 2000. More recently, SureFire attained ISO9001:2000 certification in 2008.
Surefire produces flashlights of widely varying sizes and power outputs from single-cell lights to large 20-cell HID models. Most of its flashlights are powered by primary lithium CR123A batteries that allow for compact size and low weight while offering high power output. These batteries offer a long shelf-life, but are more costly than zinc-based cells. Several flashlights are available with rechargeable battery packs. In 2010, Surefire released the E2L AA, designed to operate on AA batteries, as does the Minimus™ AA headlamp. Surefire sells rechargeable "LFP123A" lithium ion batteries for all LED flashlights as a replacement for CR123A. Surefire also produces military weapon lights for mounting on handguns, rifles, sub-machine guns and shotguns. Surefire's Z2 CombatLight is standard issue to the FBI and the Federal Air Marshal Service, and their various handheld lights are a frequent choice of police, military, fire, and EMS personnel. Some models of handheld flashlights include an integrated "strike bezel" for use as a self-defense weapon. All of Surefire's flashlights are manufactured in the United States, although components such as LEDs are sometimes sourced overseas.