VIDEO -- Hot, BUTTA'D Z57!!!

VIDEO -- Hot, BUTTA\'D Z57!!!

Between the two furthest points of the universe (or the country, anyway), I sent my ickiest, stickiest, worst example of an L4 Z57 tailswitch to LitFuse (we talkin' from Hawaii to Florida) on 9-8-03. I got it back today (and this is only the 13th, people), fully buttered up and smoothed out. Since actions speak louder than words, you can download this MPEG and watch me clickin' it on and off with my pinky, USING JUST ONE HAND:

http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4289132821&congratulation_page=Y

I tell ya Pete, if word of this gets out, SF surely has a job waiting for you -- hey PK, ya listenin'???

THANKS!

Re: VIDEO -- Hot, BUTTA\'D Z57!!!

Just another little note -- we can all click these switches with the tips of our thumbs (well, except for maybe the Really bad ones I guess, which I've not had the joy of experiencing), and the better ones allow clicking with the "ball" of the thumb, what I assume describes the hard bony area under the first joint -- but with this switch I can now click it with the center of my thumb PAD! This is not to say it is Too soft. In fact it is, as Baby Bear is so famous for saying, "Juuuuust Right".

Re: VIDEO -- Hot, BUTTA\'D Z57!!!

I too have performed this operation by adding in the secret ingredient into the mix, though I used several pieces of cut up cardboard as the washer.

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif to LitFuse for the secret ingredient!

It is indeed very smooth to click on and off, but it got me wondering whether SF deliberately configured the Z57's in a manner that made the "on" operation harder than others? The SF's aren't really constant on lights to start with..

-YC

Re: VIDEO -- Hot, BUTTA\'D Z57!!!

WhySee,

I follow your line of reasoning, yet I have another Z57 that is very good, within a hair as easy as this modded one by Lit. And yet, to do the baby-finger-with-one-hand-thing with the other switch, the rest of my body ends up pretzeled into a contortionist pose with legs crossed, bent over, face grimacing, and my other hand making just about every gangbanger sign known (and even some original ones), just to get enough body English going for the original hand and baby finger to click that switch!

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Re: VIDEO -- Hot, BUTTA\'D Z57!!!

[ QUOTE ]
MR Bulk said:
I have another Z57 that is very good, within a hair as easy as this modded one by Lit. And yet, to do the baby-finger-with-one-hand-thing with the other switch, the rest of my body ends up pretzeled into a contortionist pose with legs crossed, bent over, face grimacing, and my other hand making just about every gangbanger sign known (and even some original ones), just to get enough body English going for the original hand and baby finger to click that switch!

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Charlie, Any chance you could make a video (fullframe, of course) of yourself "gettin' jiggy" with that one? Now that's something I'd like to see! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Seriously though, thanks for positive vibes and for taking the time to make and post the vid. It's not terribly practical to be able to click on the L4 with your pinky, but is still kinda cool nonetheless. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

I agree completely that the post-mod resistance is "just right" and is not a liability as far as accidental activation. There is still considerable travel to to the switch before it "clicks through". I personally find it to be perfect! I also don't think that these "stiff" clickies are intentional on SureFire's part, and have been told as much from someone who definately knows of what he speaks.

Thanks again Charlie. For the sake of trying to keep this information in one thread, I am going to try to keep my comments in the original "stiff Z57" thread. I don't want this to end up like the mess that the "3 to D" holders has become in the EL forum. Having three different threads on the same issue just makes it harder for members to find the info that they are looking for. I just wanted to stop in here and thank you for a job well done! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink2.gif


Peter

Re: VIDEO -- Hot, BUTTA\'D Z57!!!

LitFuse,

Well, I wanted to let you know that I attempted your mod with fiber washer that I hand sanded and fitted to the stock Z57 tailswitch.

My results are mixed! Although the switch is considerably smoother.... almost butter like, the operation is flukey. Sometimes it works fine, other times, it will switch on and other times it wont cycle correctly.

So this is what I'm going to do. I will send this POS switch back to Surefire for a replacement. If I don't received a "fuctional" switch (i.e. too stiff), you will be getting a package from central NJ!!

Thanks for the tips though, it really did work, but I just couldn't find the correct washer to get 100% efficiency on the switching mechanism.

Thanks
MSax

Re: VIDEO -- Hot, BUTTA\'D Z57!!!

MSax, It sounds to me like something got slightly askew with the internals when you put the switch back together. I too have run into this issue on several occasions. Out of curiosity, was the washer approx. .6mm in thickness? If it was close to this, I would be 95%+ sure that you've got a slightly skewed internal component. Most likely it is one of the springs not seating evenly. If you want to PM me your address I could send you an "official" washer out in the mail tomorrow. This would most likely be much faster than dealing with SureFire, as there are rumors of a Z57 "shortage" currently. BTW, I am also lowering the price of the mod to $10 including return shipping for anyone that may be interested in bringing out the best in their Z57. See the "other" Z57 thread for details.

Peter