Founded in 1894 by Robert S. Finch and Morten Carlisle, The Carlisle & Finch Co. has a history of being the “first” time and time again. C&F manufactured the world’s first electric toy train in 1896, but the firsts didn’t stop there. In the early 1900s, C&F would go on to pioneer the use of German carbon rods to revolutionize the searchlight industry.

During WW I, when materials were only available for the war effort, C&F became a trusted supplier of marine lighting to the U.S. government and many other foreign countries.  After the war, C&F focused on marine lighting as its core products, but also explored a range of new products and inventions, like electric fans, radio headphones, electric clothes dryers, and other household items.

More recently, the company continued their track record of innovation when they pioneered the development of high-intensity arc searchlights. Over our long history, C&F has become the world leader for the highest-quality and brightest searchlights.

The present-day C&F is captained by Garth and Kurt Finch—both great, grandchildren of Robert S. Finch. Together, the Finch brothers continue to steer the company in the direction of innovation, quality, and excellence. C&F searchlights are found on almost every U.S. military watercraft, on most commercial ships and private yachts, and are used in land security operations around the world.