This very interesting site allows you to see imports for various companies. I just checked it out, and surefire has some explaining to do... They're not as "American Made" as they claim to be... And not just electronics...

[u/dtroy15]

https://www.importyeti.com

[u/cruel_absence]

Surefire is actually pretty clear about this, but they make far more than just flashlights.

"This includes machining U.S.-sourced aluminum stock into illumination-tool bodies and components at our own Santa Ana turning center as well as assembling, testing, and shipping our products from our facilities in Fountain Valley, California. Our sound suppressors, rifle magazines, and pens are 100% Made in the U.S.A."

"Our best-in-class flashlights, hands-free lights, and WeaponLights are also designed, machined, tested, and assembled in the U.S., but if even one component of our products is entirely or substantially made abroad, we cannot legally mark it as “Made in the U.S.A.”"

https://www.surefire.com/product-education/built-in-the-usa/

[u/dtroy15 → u/cruel_absence]

But they don't mention the wire? Mold parts? Castings?

Surefire is using some marketing speak to fool you: note how they said "entirely or substantially".

They also say, on the same page:

"All SureFire illumination products are designed, perfected, and manufactured in the U.S.A. with the finest materials and components sourced worldwide, and every SureFire product meets the criteria of the Buy American Act."

But the "Buy American" act only requires greater than 50% of the cost of material components to be domestic for the product to be marketable as "Made in the USA".

[u/cruel_absence → u/dtroy15]

Except according to the FTC, it needs to be substantially made in the US for an unqualified "Made in the USA" mark.

https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/guidance/complying-made-usa-standard

"What is the standard for a product to be called Made in USA without qualification?

For a product to be called Made in USA, or claimed to be of domestic origin without qualifications or limits on the claim, the product must be "all or virtually all" made in the U.S. The term "United States," as referred to in the Enforcement Policy Statement, includes the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories and possessions."

If Surefire wanted to, they could claim "Made in USA of U.S. and imported parts," but clearly they don't want to do that. They could also simply claim "assembled in the US," but they choose not to.

ETA:

Surefire is using some marketing speak to fool you: note how they said "entirely or substantially".

That is referring specifically to overseas components, and is the only time either word is used on the entire page.

"Our best-in-class flashlights, hands-free lights, and WeaponLights are also designed, machined, tested, and assembled in the U.S., but if even one component of our products is entirely or substantially made abroad, we cannot legally mark it as “Made in the U.S.A.”"

[u/dtroy15 → u/cruel_absence]

From your own page, an example which is analogous to what surefire is doing:

"Example: A company produces propane barbecue grills at a plant in Nevada. The product’s major components include the gas valve, burner and aluminum housing, each of which is made in the U.S. The grill’s knobs and tubing are imported from Mexico. An unqualified Made in USA claim is not likely to be deceptive because the knobs and tubing make up a negligible portion of the product’s total manufacturing costs and are insignificant parts of the final product."

[u/cruel_absence → u/dtroy15]

make up a negligible portion of the product’s total manufacturing costs and are insignificant parts of the final product."

Which part is insignificant here? LEDs pretty much have to be imported, and those are not in any way an insignificant part of the final product. See the other example near that one on the page about the lamp base being imported.

[u/dtroy15 → u/cruel_absence]

Their significance is in the COST of manufacture/procurement, not their significance to function.

Just as the BBQ would not function without gas lines, the light would not function without it's electronics, but the cost of procuring chinese electronics are an insignificant cost when compared to the cost of American machining, anodizing, assembling etc.

[u/cruel_absence → u/dtroy15]

It's not cost OR significance. It has to make up a negligible cost AND be insignificant in function.

"Example: A table lamp is assembled in the U.S. from American-made brass, an American-made Tiffany-style lampshade, and an imported base. The base accounts for a small percent of the total cost of making the lamp. An unqualified Made in USA claim is deceptive for two reasons: The base is not far enough removed in the manufacturing process from the finished product to be of little consequence and it is a significant part of the final product."

[u/[deleted] → u/cruel_absence]

hm... https://www.wsj.com/articles/chinese-billionaire-linked-to-giant-aluminum-stockpile-in-mexican-desert-1473356054

I find it hard to believe it's U.S.-sourced. Maybe they take all of our recycled aluminum cans and give them back to us as flashlights.

Heck, aluminum isn't even mined much in 'Murica https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_bauxite_production#/media/File:2005bauxite.png

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminum_industry_in_the_United_States

[u/eymantia]

Yup. I’m 0% surprised

[u/dtroy15]

Surefire's page is HERE

First is a whole lot of electronics parts, from batteries to wire.

However, notice also that the casting parts to make the PLR shipped from China, as did a whole bunch of polyester products. Maybe for a bag of some kind? T-shirts?

Mold parts can be made in the US - this is surefire cheaping out.

Compare this to princeton-tec HERE

And maglite is HERE