Light failures thread

[angelofwar]

NO SURRENDER, Farnsrocket!!!

 

[Vbeez]

Farnsrocket : smart solution !!!!!

 

[HIDblue]

Pelican M6 LED - tailcap stopped working.

Costco 2-pack of TechLite - one just died on it's own after the first battery change and the battery carrier in the 2nd one cracked apart inside the light.

 

[blub]

I'm just glad all of these expensive flashlight companies don't build guns or aircraft, we'd all be dead.

 

[Farnsrocket]

:laughing:

 

[Wcleexh0]

Re: Malkoff M61LL vs. Surefire P60L

Thanks for putting the post in the right place. I just came upon this light failures thread tonight.

 

[Wcleexh0]

Re: Malkoff M61LL vs. Surefire P60L

To Wcleexh0: How long did you have the damaged P60L for? as it seems to me that you may have burnt the LED. The P60L (I think) was discontinued as a result of its relatively poor heat disipitation because it only heatsink is its reflector; since it was used in a G2 with a nitrolon bezel it may have just been too hot for the LED to handle.

The Malkoff dropins are much better then Surefires P60L's as they are both more efficient and properly heatsinked but cost almost double; same deal though, don't use the high powered dropins in plastic bodies lights.

Jeremy

thanks for the reply, I had the lamp for about four days. I brought it back to lowes where they exchanged the entire package with no issue. Btw, this g2 was the led version that had the metal bezel to dissipate the heat. The light was never on for more than a few minutes at a time for testing/comparing purposes when I noticed it wasn't as bright as a standard p60 lamp.

 

[Wcleexh0]

Re: Malkoff M61LL vs. Surefire P60L

The P60L's weren't much to begin with...one reason they were discontinued. If it happens again, contact Surefire, and they should send you a KX4 to replace it, free-of-charge. Since you don't have to send the bezel back, get a Malkoff drop-in for it, and you're set. You'll have a bomb-proof light (6P + Malkoff), and a nice back-up LED assembly (KX4). You could even get a cheap G2 body off the MP for around $20, and have two lights.

Hope this helps!

Another thanks for some great suggestions on this forum. I have already exchanged the bad light/lamp to Lowes, but if i have the problem again i will contact Surefire. I figure that since the failure was in such a short time from purchase ( it just started dim) it would be easiest to exchange as defective.

Thanks

 

[CSSA]

Re: Malkoff M61LL vs. Surefire P60L

After 10+ years of regular use, a small contact broke on the charger for my Surefire 9N. Surefire repaired the charger as good as new, cleaned and refurbished the 9N, and replaced the old NiCd battery all at no charge.

 

[intervivos]

I had nearly the same failure as Farnsrocket...

Only difference is I received this in the mail today. :twothumbsto Countrycomm for standing behind their products and having excellent customer service!

 

[black_ice_pc]

Just received a Xeno E03, CW in blue. It won't run off a NiMH AA period, and it's only drawing about 750mA from 14500 vs the intended 1.5A. Being promptly taken care of by the seller though :thumbsup:
By the way, it seems I have the first semi-DOA E03 reported. I must be special

 

[Cypher_Aod]

My iTP A2 EOS flickers sometimes, but only in medium/high. in low it never does it.
i've tried cleaning the threads and contacts and relubing but it comes back.

if i tighten the head on quite hard and then give it a tap against something hard it stops though

 

[Outdoorsman5]

My wife, 3 kids, & I went on a day hike at Petit Jean Mountain here in the Ozarks a few months ago. It was getting late in the day, but we decided to take a trail down to a waterfall. Round trip we thought should be 2-3 hours which would push us close to dark. I had 3 flashlights in my pack, so we were covered. On our way back it did get dark, so I pulled out my Zebralight SC30, my Fenix P2D Q5, and my Fenix LD20 Q5. The LD20 would not turn on. I banged it around, and it flickered only. The head of the LD20 worked on the body of the P2D no problem, so the problem was somewhere else. The batteries were fresh lithiums, so that wasn't it. This was very frustrating because it was getting late & we had a ways to hike. We managed just fine with the two lights, and I knew I had back up batteries (so no real worries.) But still with 5 of us hiking up a steep trail, the third light was needed. My kids did complained a bit as my wife & I tried to light things up for everyone.

I got the light home the next day, and found that in the tail cap there is a silver cylinder with 2 dimples in it that had become loose. This cylinder can be removed so that you can change out the tail switch & boot. I simply tightened it, and it worked just fine. I now have a better understanding of how this light works.

Since that happend to us, we now hike with five small lights at all times.

 

[LightWalker]

My wife, 3 kids, & I went on a day hike at Petit Jean Mountain here in the Ozarks a few months ago. It was getting late in the day, but we decided to take a trail down to a waterfall. Round trip we thought should be 2-3 hours which would push us close to dark. I had 3 flashlights in my pack, so we were covered. On our way back it did get dark, so I pulled out my Zebralight SC30, my Fenix P2D Q5, and my Fenix LD20 Q5. The LD20 would not turn on. I banged it around, and it flickered only. The head of the LD20 worked on the body of the P2D no problem, so the problem was somewhere else. The batteries were fresh lithiums, so that wasn't it. This was very frustrating because it was getting late & we had a ways to hike. We managed just fine with the two lights, and I knew I had back up batteries (so no real worries.) But still with 5 of us hiking up a steep trail, the third light was needed. My kids did complained a bit as my wife & I tried to light things up for everyone.

I got the light home the next day, and found that in the tail cap there is a silver cylinder with 2 dimples in it that had become loose. This cylinder can be removed so that you can change out the tail switch & boot. I simply tightened it, and it worked just fine. I now have a better understanding of how this light works.

Since that happend to us, we now hike with five small lights at all times.

Hey Outdoorsman5, I was at Petit Jean a couple of days ago and had three light as well, a Fenix E01, Quark 123 mini and an Eagletac T100C2, no failures though. Petit Jean is a nice place to visit, here are a couple of pics I took.

 

[angelofwar]

I got some pics of that waterwall...beautiful place indeed...can't wait to make my way back up there...been a few YEARS! Devils Den and Lost valley are also nice places to use any newly acquired lights you may have...

 

[TyJo]

I got the light home the next day, and found that in the tail cap there is a silver cylinder with 2 dimples in it that had become loose. This cylinder can be removed so that you can change out the tail switch & boot. I simply tightened it, and it worked just fine. I now have a better understanding of how this light works.

This is common with a lot of lights, like Fenix and 4sevens (my HDS rotary has one too). When I get any light I clean it and lube it and then I tighten that retaining ring down real good with a small pair of needlenose pliers (I didn't do this to the HDS).

 

[LightWalker]

I got some pics of that waterwall...beautiful place indeed...can't wait to make my way back up there...been a few YEARS! Devils Den and Lost valley are also nice places to use any newly acquired lights you may have...

Ok, thanks. You should check out Blanchard Srprings caverns next time your in Arkansas, just don't turn your light on high, they dont like that.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blanchard_Springs_Caverns

 

[Outdoorsman5]

LightWalker & AOW,
Arkansas is a beautiful state, and great for exploring. We moved here from Atlanta in 2009, and really like it. Petit Jean Mtn is our favorite & Mt. Nebo is a close 2nd. Blanchard Springs is awesome...and yes I took my lights...and no I didn't use high. Loved your pictures LightWalker; good to hear from you again AOW. I was tempted to put on a few pics myself, but am afraid we are getting too far off subject here. Really good to here from some Arkansas folks though.

That hike up from the waterfall where my fenix failed on me taught me a valueable lesson, and one I've thought about many times. I'm glad I was well prepared, and have been even better prepared since then. I like to hike with lightweight single-cell lights, so carrying five of em is nothing (weight-wise.) Last weekend we hiked Mt. Nebo, and we were WELL prepared (gear + 5 lights)....and no light failures.....this time.

 

[TwitchALot]

Quark Mini AA Warm White failed to turn on a couple of days ago. I don't use it too often but check it once in a while, and it didn't turn on the other day. Contacts were cleaned, spring checked, battery replaced, still no good. No known cause of failure - hasn't been dropped or used much. Sending back for RMA.

I got this light back from RMA, but today, it just failed again under the same circumstances. There's something loose in the head (audible). The light is rarely, if ever used, as it's a backup backup light (and my primary Quark AA hasn't failed yet), and it just lives with my keys and hasn't been dropped. Disappointing to have a second failure under these circumstances, especially since I gift the Mini AA often.

 

[syntax]

FourSevens Quark 123^2 Tactical running in 18650 configuration. Failure of low modes, probably driver related. I have owned it for probably about a year and used it extensively.