What's wrong with my torch?

[Junes1]

First post

I bought a Chinese LED torch at xmas and it's a great torch to use as a gun lamp but after using it a few times it has stopped working properly and now the LED just gives off a faint glow instead of being bright. The ebay item number is 290522167011 for anyone wanting to see exactly what torch it is.

Any ideas why it stopped working please?

 

[Somnophore]

Because its really badly made in china and can be sold at a profit for £6??

 

[enomosiki]

Did you really think that a cheap light like that would be able to stand the abuse from the recoils?

That's almost as bad as using cheap ammo and not expecting it to destroy your gun.

Ask for recommendations for a proper weapon light over at the Recommend Me A Light For section of the board.

 

[ev13wt]

Spend more than 10 dollars, recieve proper product.

 

[spc smith]

Junes1,

Your interest in this light that is now broken has led you here, so keep researching CPF and you will find your answers. You might have to spend a little more money though to get a light that can handle weapon recoil or is mountable. Ill start you off with what I am currently getting and have done much research on: Klarus XT11 $92. But you can probably go cheaper than that if you have a lesser budget.

 

[abvidledUK]

First post

I bought a Chinese LED torch at xmas and it's a great torch to use as a gun lamp but after using it a few times it has stopped working properly and now the LED just gives off a faint glow instead of being bright. The ebay item number is 290522167011 for anyone wanting to see exactly what torch it is.

Any ideas why it stopped working please?

Change the battery !!

 

[yellow]

hehehe,
I wonder, if that might solve the problem ...




PS: that torch - like most of the comparable - still uses an XR-E, so its 200 Lumen.
better get something like: google-search: "UniqueFire L2 Cree XPG-R5 320-Lumen LED Flashlight"
from shop "www.dealextreme.com", or any source else

simple ON/OFF works much more reliable in cheapo lights.

 

[Junes1]

Because its really badly made in china and can be sold at a profit for £6??

Just because it came from China and didn't cost much doesn't mean much, most come from there even the dear ones bought in this country.

I've some others that continue to work well and are absolute bargains. Not everyone wants to spend a fortune on a torch.

 

[Junes1]

Change the battery !!

The battery was taken from another torch that works fine.

Thanks for the reply nonetheless :thumbsup:

 

[Junes1]

hehehe,
I wonder, if that might solve the problem ...




PS: that torch - like most of the comparable - still uses an XR-E, so its 200 Lumen.
better get something like: google-search: "UniqueFire L2 Cree XPG-R5 320-Lumen LED Flashlight"
from shop "www.dealextreme.com", or any source else

simple ON/OFF works much more reliable in cheapo lights.

I've heard about dealextreme and will have to have a look. The good thing about this torch was that it was so small and light, ideal for a gunlamp but one with a remote on/off would have been better so maybe I'll find one of those on there.

Thanks :thumbsup:

 

[jabe1]

Typically, the cheaper lights use cheaper components and have poorer manufacturing and engineering. a part of the driver may have failed, or there a re bad solder connections.

Again, you get what you pay for.

I hope you don't need it in a work/safety situation.

 

[Junes1]

Typically, the cheaper lights use cheaper components and have poorer manufacturing and engineering. a part of the driver may have failed, or there a re bad solder connections.

Again, you get what you pay for.

I hope you don't need it in a work/safety situation.

If it mattered that much I would be carrying more than one anyway, as it is they are just a way of enhancing my hobby and I already have more LED torches in the house that I know what to do with but still struggled to find one at all when the power went off a couple of weeks ago.

That's life.

Think I'll just look to replace this one if anyone has any further suggestions for a nice bright tiny torch that's 4 or 5" long, takes rechargeable batteries and doesn't break the bank.

 

[chmsam]

Welcome to CPF and by the way not all the comments and replies here will be quite as snarky as some of these.

However, what you are asking that light to do is similar to asking a Fiat 500 to win a GP race and still be able to take it back to the dealership at the end of the day and get all of your money back.

Using a light with firearms that isn't designed for the job will usually result in a failure very quickly as you found out. The recoil of most guns will damage circuitry after only a few rounds. Weapon lights are specifically designed to take the G-forces that can be produced. However, they are priced accordingly.

Using a light that's not made as a weapon light is just abusing it.

Best suggestion for a bargain is to look on the used market for a known brand of known quality.

It should be pretty easy to find information in other sections of this forum and that will lead you to a better idea of what will work for you.

 

[Junes1]

Welcome to CPF and by the way not all the comments and replies here will be quite as snarky as some of these.

However, what you are asking that light to do is similar to asking a Fiat 500 to win a GP race and still be able to take it back to the dealership at the end of the day and get all of your money back.

Using a light with firearms that isn't designed for the job will usually result in a failure very quickly as you found out. The recoil of most guns will damage circuitry after only a few rounds. Weapon lights are specifically designed to take the G-forces that can be produced. However, they are priced accordingly.

Using a light that's not made as a weapon light is just abusing it.

Best suggestion for a bargain is to look on the used market for a known brand of known quality.

It should be pretty easy to find information in other sections of this forum and that will lead you to a better idea of what will work for you.

Thanks for the reply. I would like to add that the gun I am mounting the torch on is a virtually recoilless precharged air rifle so firing it definitely wont damage any torch.

 

[PapaLumen]

One easy thing you can try - unscrew the tailcap and look inside the tailcap. If there is a metal ring with a couple of indents in it then try tightening that ring using those indents. Turn clockwise.

 

[NOREAT]

:welcome:How many of these cheap lights have you bought? You have to replace them as they break, and you keep extras around so that you won't be left in the dark when they do break. Have you bought ten? Then you could have bought a single $100 light that would last for the rest of your life, for the same amount of money. I'm not against inexpensive lights, and I'm not saying you're wrong to have bought inexpensive lights, but once you start using them for applications where they do not survive, it will become cheaper over time to purchase a single good light. Many here, (including myself), will tell you that they wish they would have bought a quality light right from the start, rather then spending the money they could have used for that good light on cheap lights.

 

[Cataract]

LED Flashlight problems standard procedure (I don't know why there isn't a sticky yet for this one):

1 - Clean all the contacts and thread (inside and out, including tube ends)
2 - Check the retainer ring in the tailcap (see post #15)
3 - Test your battery in another flashlight (recharge if necessary) and try brand new primary batteries in you faulty light
4 - Make sure everything is screwed in properly and tight enough. Remove O-rings if necessary.

Steps 1 and 2 solve at least 90% of all problems. Step 3 and 4 add another ~5% of resolution.

Unfortunately, I have to agree that a 10$ flashlight can't have been made to resist the abuse of being tied to a fire arm and so don't be surprised if the above steps do nothing to make it better. I once dropped a 30$ light on thick carpet and it was forever dead. We all (or most of us) went through the phase of wanting tons of light for little money, but you'll quickly find out that reliability and durability do come at a price, depending on how you use your torch too. It's a learning process for all of us.

 

[Monocrom]

Just because it came from China and didn't cost much doesn't mean much, most come from there even the dear ones bought in this country.

I've some others that continue to work well and are absolute bargains. Not everyone wants to spend a fortune on a torch.

Here's the thing with lights Made in China. Some are indeed quality lights. I own several Fenix models, and have given away a few as well. None of the ones I own or have given away have had any issues at all. I own other lights made in China. Different brands, all quality.

The flip side is, there are also plenty of No-name brands from China which yes, are junk. Cheap garbage that if you're lucky will last you about two months before they crap out on you for seemingly no reason at all. I used to have a few of those, and they've all let me down. I don't look at the ones which have let me down and say my Fenix models are junk. (My Fenix L0D Rebel 80 actually came through for me when my Night-Ops Gladius failed miserably during a situation in which I needed it to work. It didn't. My Fenix did.)

At the same time, I don't look at my Fenix models and wonder why the cheap, No-name, Made in China junk failed to work reliably.

Honestly, if you want to save money, the best thing to do is spend a little more on quality right off the bat. That way, you're not spending more money several weeks down the road to replace a cheap light that failed on you. Otherwise now you've spent money on two flashlights, just to have one working light. And if that 2nd one is just as cheap as the first one you bought, chances are it'll crap out on you as well a bit later on. Now that's twice you've flushed your money down the toilet, and you still don't have a working light. So you buy another one. By now, had you bought a good quality light right off the bat; you'd have actually saved more money than you've spent.

With flashlights, you honestly do get what you pay for. If you want something that is truly good in terms of quality, without a huge price-tag, take a look at some of the models made by Solarforce.