What Happened To VoidHawk Flashlights?
VoidHawk Flashlights is a now defunct internet flashlight company that primarily operated between the years of 2012 and 2022. They manufactured a number of flashlights over the years but their most notable models included the Velociraptor, T-REX, and the Mini Raptor. At some point in in 2023, the company went out of business and completely disappeared from the face of the internet.
As most people probably know by now, many of VoidHawk's products were completely generic flashlight models which had simply been private labeled. While there is nothing inherently wrong with this practice, successful brands at some point generally make an effort to introduce unique designs. To the best of my knowledge, VoidHawk never introduced any new models and ultimately went to the grave with the exact same flashlights they had started with ten years prior.
While they may not have been the most innovative of the flashlight brands, they were arguably among the first to popularize a new generation of consumer product: lithium-ion LED flashlights. It might be difficult to believe, but lithium-ion LED flashlights as a whole were relatively uncommon prior to 2014.
Perhaps for good reason.
Putting loose lithium-ion cells directly into the hands of consumers, and then asking them to responsibility recharge them, was a risky proposition. This apparently did not bother VoidHawk. As a result, VoidHawk's line of products were almost entirely novel in the United States and allowed them to become one of the first companies to successfully capitalize on this new product.
The marketing formula was simple: military-inspired flashlights that had insane performance and cost next to nothing. When compared with the previous generation of incandescent flashlights, this marketing formula was not only enticing — it was overwhelmingly accurate. These new lithium-ion powered flashlights were powerful, lightweight, and affordable. Sure, some companies like SureFire and Streamlight had products like the P3X Fury or the ProTac HL3 — but these were expensive and were also predicated on the non-rechargeable CR123A battery (also expensive)
VoidHawk's approach was so successful that it gave birth to numerous copycats over the years. Marketing campaigns like Trey Lewellen's G700 flashlight, Tarr, Inc's Shadowhawk X800, and even Bell & Howell's TacLight all seem to use the same marketing formula that VoidHawk introduced back in 2013. Some of these companies, even still to this day, even use the same models.
As competition increased over the years, it's likely the case VoidHawk simply lost market share and was unable to remain competitive. It's also entirely possible the company rebranded continues to be a significant player in the flashlight market today.
Either way, it is almost certain that any mention of the VoidHawk brand will eventually be lost in the annals of history. Hopefully this short article can help shed some light (no pun intended) on what was once a very interesting and influential organization that laid the groundwork for a multi-billion dollar marketing formula.