Best build quality and warranty

[jomox]

Hi All,

Over the years I keep going through torches, to many. I keep buying none branded ones usually below £30 (Cree etc) without warranty etc. The build quality has been poor and everyone has broken with my personal use which just includes normal torch use, usually it's something to do with the contacts/switches that break, they seem to break after long usage.

What I want to do now is buy a actual manufacturer torch. I'm looking for whatever one has the best build quality with a good decent warranty.

The torch will be used pretty much every night throughout the year, so mixed conditions (UK) I will use it in my hand and also attached to my mountain bike on a rubber shock resistant mount. I do my best in looking after the torch and it's only used in my hand and attached to my bike (Do not drop it) It needs to be bright as I live in the countryside. (2-3 modes would be handy)

I will order from : Link Removed - Norm so this is what manufacturers I can look at. (Hopefully the link is okay here) I would consider buying two (One for the bike and one for hand held use)

I'm desperate for a decent torch as it's vital part of my life almost every night through the year so hopefully some of you can help me out here and point me in the right direction.

Thanks.

 

[Gunner12]

I think most of the lights on that site are good quality.

There are also some nice lights at around £30. Fenix has the E11 and E21, Sunwayman R20A, Thrunite TI, T10, and some others that I can't remember off the top of my head.

If you still have your old broken lights, and only the switch broke, maybe you can get some replacement switches and keep those around the house so you always have a light nearby. Or keep them as beaters.

The flashlight recommendation checklist might help narrow down the number of lights to choose from.

Personally, I carry a Zebralight SC51c and a DQG III on my keychain. I like the Zebralight's size, tint, and modes. The DQG III is tiny and a twistie, so there are no small mechanical parts to fail and it's made out of stainless steel. The threads are a bit thin though.

:welcome:

 

[Obsessed]

I'm pretty sure Surefire and FourSevens are both guaranteed for life? You'll pay a bit more for them (especially SF), but people like them just fine. I personally think the best value is Sunwayman, I've not had issues with their warranty or customer service. Always top notch.

 

[roadkill1109]

surefire. if you are willing to pay their price.

 

[Lou Minescence]

I would say a 4 Sevens Quark. Good warranty and you could also buy replacement parts if needed.

 

[jomox]

Thanks all for the recommendations. I did not realize my thread was on this forum (Thought it did not exist) but happy to have found it (Missed this section of the forum)

Been looking at the lights which are recommended, I also asked the shop and they recommended for best durability & warranty support "Olight" anyone have any experience with these? The max I can spend ideally is £50. (Lower the better though) I was looking at the Olight S10 Baton from the shops recommendation but they don't seem that popular?

4Sevens seem good for price with 10 year warranty, I may consider getting a Quark Pro QPL & m2a mini. The OLIGHT S10 Baton looks good but only comes with 2 year warranty. There seems a good number of brands to look into but I very much like the idea of lifetime warranty.

I honestly have at least 6 lights that are in bits due to the switches breaking on them, I'll have a look at trying to repair them to have around the house.

 

[Gunner12]

I think the Olight Baton is relatively new, so there hasn't been much talk about it yet. It looks nice and should work well, I think there are some first impressions on the forum somewhere.

Surefire has a good warranty and build quality, but they do cost a lot.

Many of the flashlight shops and similar shops also sell switches and replacement parts for lights. You'll have to take the current switch out and see how big it is first, so you can get a part that matches. Also, make sure it is the switch that is broken. For most tailcap lights, you can remove the switch and bridge the gap with a conductive material and make the light turn on. If the light does turn on with that method, then it is the switch that is broken. If the light doesn't turn on, then something else is broken.

 

[jomox]

I think the Olight Baton is relatively new, so there hasn't been much talk about it yet. It looks nice and should work well, I think there are some first impressions on the forum somewhere.

Surefire has a good warranty and build quality, but they do cost a lot.

Many of the flashlight shops and similar shops also sell switches and replacement parts for lights. You'll have to take the current switch out and see how big it is first, so you can get a part that matches. Also, make sure it is the switch that is broken. For most tailcap lights, you can remove the switch and bridge the gap with a conductive material and make the light turn on. If the light does turn on with that method, then it is the switch that is broken. If the light doesn't turn on, then something else is broken.

Okay thanks for the information. I looked at Surefire and indeed a bit to expensive for me right now, but they look nice.

The flashlights I have that are broken are cheaper ones of ebay etc (Cree) none branded, they are quite bright but the build quality is awful. There's a couple that are just dead full stop while the others are temperamental, they have a mind of their own. Currently the one I'm using right now you have to shake it about to get it to come on and it turns it's self off often, so I guess something in the switch/contacts is up?

I got given a cheap energizer impact flash light a few years ago and it still works fine, it's out lasted all those none branded much brighter lights I got from ebay etc for cheap, but it's not bright at all, it's only good as a back up solution around the house, so I'm looking forward to getting decent flashlights in the future.

 

[RCS1300]

I'd go with the Fenix TK15 for the bicycle and the Fenix PD32 for handheld. I own both. My TK15, with AW rechargeable 18650 batteries, is zip tied to the top of my bicycle helmet and I ride about 45 miles 3x/week before dawn. Works great and very light weight. I don't even know that it is there. The PD32 is one inch shorter and a little thinner and provides more flood than throw. Good for walking around.

 

[jomox]

Thanks for the info on the Fenix. The more I look into things here the more options keep coming up, which is a good thing, but still liking the potential life time warranty which is leading more towards the manufacturers which offer that. However I like the look of the LFenix D22 (Trying to stay with 1 x 123 or AA/AA) Just not sure if I'll be happy with 2 year warranty only as I plan to use the two lights I get for as long as possible. (Which could potentially exceed those 2 years) I'll get two ore more for the different purposes.

 

[RCS1300]

Fenix Warranty

Service Promise
What we offer: We will replace products afflicted with manufacturing defects within 15 days of purchase;we will also repair a light free of charge within 24 months of purchase if problems develop with normal use; and finally our limited lifetime warranty( if repair is required after 24 months from the date of purchase, we will charge for parts. The total repair fee is according to the cost of the replaced materials).

 

[reppans]

When considering a warranty, be aware where you might have to ship your light back to. Given the additional costs and time, it may not be worth your while. Certain dealers have a policy to handle warranty matters for their customers, including international shipping if necessary, so that's another avenue worth looking into.

 

[jomox]

Fenix Warranty

Service Promise
What we offer: We will replace products afflicted with manufacturing defects within 15 days of purchase;we will also repair a light free of charge within 24 months of purchase if problems develop with normal use; and finally our limited lifetime warranty( if repair is required after 24 months from the date of purchase, we will charge for parts. The total repair fee is according to the cost of the replaced materials).

The warranty on the UK site is a bit different: Link removed as per the banner at the top of the page - Norm
Not as detailed, not sure if the same warranty details are effective for all continents? but at least you can still get it repaired outside two years (Albeit at expense of parts cost) so that's reassuring if it's effective in the UK.

I like the Four Sevens & Eagle Tac 120 months full free warranty which right now is edging me more towards these manufacturers.

As it stands my list is in order is:

Eagle Tac D25A2
Four Sevens Quark Pro
Fenix LD 22
Olight T25
Olight S10
Sunwayman R20A

But I'd like one smaller one for hand held use and a bit larger one for the bike so not sure which two will get just yet, will keep reading.

When considering a warranty, be aware where you might have to ship your light back to. Given the additional costs and time, it may not be worth your while. Certain dealers have a policy to handle warranty matters for their customers, including international shipping if necessary, so that's another avenue worth looking into.

Good point, obviously would have to pay shipping costs myself to send to them so it would be easier to be able to post in Europe to get any potential repairs done, will have to keep researching. I'll ask the store also see if they could deal with potential repairs.


Thanks all for the info again.

 

[jomox]

New contender, Fenix E40, like the duration of the modes . As it stands may order the D25A2 and E40 possibly. Is some rivals that are better is seems over the E40 but the e40 is considerable cheaper here (£38)

 

[Gunner12]

The E40 is a 4 AA light though, so it'll be bigger then the Eagletac.

It does throw well according to reviews, so if you don't mind the size and want throw, it could work well for you.

 

[jomox]

The E40 is a 4 AA light though, so it'll be bigger then the Eagletac.

It does throw well according to reviews, so if you don't mind the size and want throw, it could work well for you.

Don't mind about the size, I'm use to bigger lights overall, the quark for example to me are very small it will take some getting use to I guess, though the small size is handy when carrying it around. The main downside would be the 4 aa's with the E40, but I like the duration.

Looks like I'll get the Eagletac at least anyway and still have to decide on the second one.

Thanks for the info.

 

[RCS1300]

As mentioned above, carefully select the place of purchase. You'll want to purchase from a seller that has excellent customer service.

 

[jomox]

As mentioned above, carefully select the place of purchase. You'll want to purchase from a seller that has excellent customer service.

Yeah done allot of reading on flashaholics.co.uk and it's one guy who does all the service, nothing but positive feedback from everyone from what I've read and he answers my mails quickly also, free delivery also.

There's not to many places in UK which sell lights from most of the best manufacturers as far as my search goes anyway.

 

[MontanaMan]

surefire. if you are willing to pay their price.

I've had a few Surefire lights, and they have all failed. This was years ago, but I had three different lights that were pretty expensive (all over 100 USD) and they all failed in short order. Like I said, this was about a decade ago. Maybe all their lights are awesome now, but mine were garbage. I'll have to do a bit of research to find out the particular lights I owned, but they all failed.

 

[jomox]

Just want to say thanks to everyone who has responded in this thread and to all the good information on these forums. Before I made this post I was a bit clueless as to what the good flash lights / manufacturers where, but spending the last few days reading here and elsewhere (Reading elsewhere come from info of these boards) but now I have a good general idea of what the good manufacturers are and who to look out for. Of course I'll have to see things with first hand experience but hopefully reliability is good which is my main want feature.

I've had a few Surefire lights, and they have all failed. This was years ago, but I had three different lights that were pretty expensive (all over 100 USD) and they all failed in short order. Like I said, this was about a decade ago. Maybe all their lights are awesome now, but mine were garbage. I'll have to do a bit of research to find out the particular lights I owned, but they all failed.

Let me know which ones failed on you, if you can.