I broke my Nitecore Defender Infinity

:mecry:

I was involved in a use of force last month (I work at a max security prison) and the flashlight got knocked out of my hand.

It switched off and seems to be completely non-functional. I swapped out the switch, hoping that was the problem, but with no improvement. I'm a little disappointed. It seemed like a tough little light up until then.

I've shot off an email to Nitecore (after not hearing back from the old US distributor) so hopefully I'll get some kind of response.


Cheers,
B.

Check with 4SEVENS.COM instead of the old distributer. He is the current US Nitecore distributer and handling all of the Nitecore problems, no matter who sold you the light. He should be able to help you.

I will do that.

Much appreciated.

B.

try ruling out the switch and the body by pressing the + of a battery against the head and connect the - with a paperclip. If it still won't light the problem is in the head and you can't do a thing about it yourself.

JBorneu said:

try ruling out the switch and the body by pressing the + of a battery against the head and connect the - with a paperclip. If it still won't light the problem is in the head and you can't do a thing about it yourself.

Click to expand...

Just gave this a try. It's a no-go.

With emails in to 4SEVENS and Nitecore, it looks like I'm using my old mini-mag (don't laugh) until something is resolved. In the mean time, can anyone suggest a replacement option?

My needs are: DURABLE and BRIGHT, with a strobe function (very good for getting a picket officer's attention).

Reasonably priced (approx $75 or less) would be preferable. And I found I'd rather go back to a longer/larger light, 2 CR-123 size, or even a little bigger.


Thanks,
B.

Olight M20 Warrior Premium R2 or one of the Jetbeam Jet-III models. All come in slightly over your budget.

Fenix PD30?

Jet-III Military/LE built very tough, just set the second level to strobe, no mistaking which level the light is going to come on at. Seems perfect for your occupation.
Norm

Fenix P2D Q5. I have one, and have been EDCing it for a half a year now, no problems. It is $60, and has strobe, low, med, high, and turbo.

I'd go with a Surefire. Maybe a 6P LED Defender, or for more money an E2D LED Defender.
You'll never have to worry about warranty service, that's for sure. No strobe, though.

Does it have to be small?
The inova T4 is a very solid light with a strobe and rechargeable, but it might be a bit large for what you want. It is more expensive but you will save money on batteries.

I know this sounds silly but have you tried replacing the battery itself? Batteries can break too.

You could replace the broken driver. People have managed to crack open the NDI's head (there is a thread about this somewhere); toss the old driver and put in its place one of the many multimode ones available all over the place. I know this will remove the NDI's best feature, but it's better than throwing the whole thing away.

Can I suggest another NDI ? Mine has taken a drop on to hard surfaces several times and it has not ceased to function. I do not think they are intrinsically fragile so possibly it was a one off weakness.

This post would tend to support that possibility:

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/219430

Thank you for all the suggestions!

Matt from 4Sevens has kindly stepped in and will be helping me with the warranty process.

Both the Jetbeam-III Military and the Olight M20 Warrior lights look like awesome choices.

Likewise, I think I could hardly go wrong with the Fenix PD30, although I like the beefier/grippier appearance of the other two. The little Nitecore slipped out of my hand while the varmint and I were having a slight disagreement over the possession of a cell phone.

Kraz, replacing the batteries was my first step. I carry extras in my thrust-vest.

Surefire: I have a non-LED Surefire. It's a Centurion (2 cr123s, cigar-grip body), not sure what the other designation is. But that stays in my disaster kit. I really like the strobe function on the NDI. It's a marvelous tool for getting the attention of a distracted or unattentive picket boss, to say nothing of defensive uses.

Regarding the Inova. I was just admiring an Inova carried by another CO. I'll look into that one. There's no real flashlight size guideline that I know of. Personally I want a light of a size that is not cumbersome, but easy to grab and hold.

Replacing the driver...I'm really not sure of my skills for such an operation. I'd rather leave that to the experts.


You all rock. I greatly appreciate your insight.


v/r,
B.

So you're getting it replaced? I assume they're going to take the nonfunctional one, right?

Fallingwater said:

So you're getting it replaced? I assume they're going to take the nonfunctional one, right?

Click to expand...

Yes, I'll be sending it to 4Sevens.

I still need something a little bigger to carry at work. I'll likely use the NDI for EDC instead of work carry.


B.

if i were in your shoes, id get the toughest light (that could double as a club if needed) know to man, and a very secure lanyard so it could not be pulled from my hands.

no idea what 'that' light is tho:thinking:

probably a $250 military light, not a $100 consumer light.