Fenix TK41 switch feels really weak

citysnaps

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Jan 17, 2012
Messages
1
Hi, new here...

I just purchased and received a Fenix TK41 light.

The left mode switch feels great, with distinct clicks heard and felt when pressed. The right on/off switch, however, feels really mushy with no discernible click heard or felt. It works, but am wondering if it's going to fail soon. The mushiness makes it a little tough to go into strobe mode as well.

Thanks for any info and insight!
 

kj2

Flashaholic
Joined
May 22, 2010
Messages
8,082
Location
The Netherlands
If have the same problem with the TK70. One switch is good, the other doesn't click but it does work.
If it's fails, I would go back to the dealer.
 

chewy78

Enlightened
Joined
Feb 2, 2008
Messages
594
Location
wi
with my new tk41 the left mode switch is picky on which angle i press it at.
 

buds224

Enlightened
Joined
Jan 3, 2012
Messages
837
Location
Yokosuka, Kanagawa, Japan
Sounds like another ongoing problem with the TK41. The first being Green-tint on some releases. Anyone else with that problem? I have good switches, but a slight Green Tint on lower modes.

I would personally send mine back with a switch problem.....the Green tint, not bad enough to worry about.
 

buds224

Enlightened
Joined
Jan 3, 2012
Messages
837
Location
Yokosuka, Kanagawa, Japan
I would definitely return it for a replacement just for the switch problem alone. I would use that opportunity to complain about the green tint as well.
 

chewy78

Enlightened
Joined
Feb 2, 2008
Messages
594
Location
wi
I intend to. There's more than just a little greenish tint than what other members are describing that their tk41s have. plus the mode switch has to be pressed at an extreme angle.
 

recDNA

Flashaholic
Joined
Jun 2, 2009
Messages
8,761
I've come the the conclusion the TK40 is just a much better flashlight. I sold mine to buy a TK41 then all the greenage complaints came rolling in and I never did. Lately I've been thinking about buying the TK41 again and you guys just talked me out of it. I thank you for that because it's just too much money to spend for the kind of issues I've been reading about.
 

SimulatedZero

Enlightened
Joined
Nov 23, 2011
Messages
586
Location
SouthEast, USA
Just as an update for anybody who reads this, GoingGear just got in a new batch of TK41's and the tint on the one I got has no hint of green anywhere. It's just a beautiful white light with a bluish tinted spill. Now on to the question.

I have this light for two days and have been playing with it a lot trying to get it in through the break in period. Lights don't need a break in, I just do this to see if it fails with in the first week or not. If the light lasts through the first week I generally find that it lasts for a couple years. Both switches feel solid and tend to work from a broad range of angles no problem. That being said, I just had to use it while on duty to check a car and I clicked the power switch and nothing. I kind of panicked a little and quickly hit it again and it worked. A few minutes later I was clicking the light on and off to see if I could replicate the previous failure and the light came on when I depressed the switch and turned off when I let go, almost like it had a electronic momentary function. Other than those two things nothing else has gone wrong in the last couple hundred clicks. This kind of has me on edge about the sidewinder switch system. Has anybody else had this problem in any form?
 

Cataract

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Apr 24, 2009
Messages
4,095
Location
Montreal
It happened to me once or twice when I got my TK45 over a year ago. It has never happened again since and I have absolutely no explanation, but since it only happened a few times, I believed I had gone crazy and thought I pressed or let go when I did not.
 

CyberCT

Enlightened
Joined
May 10, 2010
Messages
633
My TK45, TK41, and TK70 all have the same dual-switch type setup. While i do notice on button is more "mushy" than the other, it's no big deal to me and have not had any problems of them not working.

As for the green tint, are you guys sure you're not noticing tints being more green or blue because you're used to the neutral white color? At first I never really perceived green tint until I got into neutral white.
 

yliu

Enlightened
Joined
Apr 10, 2011
Messages
584
Location
Hungary
My TK45's switch is responsive and has a distinct click. I guess it's just bad quality control.
 

SDM44

Newly Enlightened
Joined
May 26, 2011
Messages
177
Location
LAX
My TK41 has been like that for about a year now, but I use it at least a few times a week (on & off for about 45 min at a time). No issues yet with the buttons or the light.
 

SimulatedZero

Enlightened
Joined
Nov 23, 2011
Messages
586
Location
SouthEast, USA
So, when I got off duty this morning I sat down and played with the switch to try and see if I could replicate it. After clicking from all kinds of angles I got the light to click "on" but actually turn on again several times. To test it out a little more thoroughly I clicked the button one hundred times straight on and one hundred times pushing from the right. When I pushed the button straight up and down the light worked no problem every time. When I pushed the power button towards the mode button one hundred times I got thirty-seven misfires out of one hundred clicks. It turns out if you push the power button at an extreme angle, you can cause to "click" to the side making you think you turned it on. When in reality all you did was stress the switch out to no end. This makes sense because when I was using the light I was griping the head in an underhand grip and had my thumb on the mode button and finger on the power button. This caused me to hit the power button at an angle with my finger. So if you get a misfire it may not be the light guys, you have hit the switch odd.
 

mattzane227

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Mar 13, 2012
Messages
7
Just as an update for anybody who reads this, GoingGear just got in a new batch of TK41's and the tint on the one I got has no hint of green anywhere. It's just a beautiful white light with a bluish tinted spill.
Good to know, I just ordered one last night from GoingGear and it will be here Friday (free 2 day shipping!). I came here to this site looking for a small light for when I'm working on computers. I started reading around and ending up getting the TK41 along with a Quark X aa2 and a Fenix E01. I figured later I'll get the aa body for the quark and maybe a 14500 battery and i'll be set. I've bought a nice charger a while ago and have been using eneloops for a while so I didn't have to buy any batteries.

Spent a crapload more than I was planning but it should be awesome.
 

fiberguy

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Feb 23, 2012
Messages
188
I got my TK41 yesterday from Amazon. I went used (Like New) to save a big $20. Error on my part. The power button doesn't always work properly. Sometimes it's fine, sometimes I get nothing. When I do get nothing, I get nothing repeatedly no matter how much I try. If I set the light down for 3 minutes and try again, works fine. I know the issue isn't the angle, as I tried several angles while I had the problem.

Yesterday I ordered another (new this time) from Amazon so I'll have that today. The other one will be returned (return for refund already approved by amazon). Saving 15% isn't worth buying used, even if it is in the box like brand new.
 

peterkin101

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Oct 8, 2009
Messages
158
Location
Leicester, East Midlands
Just taken delivery of a TK41.

Apart from a cracked box there are no problems.

No off centre LED, no green tinge to the beam and no mushiness in either switch.

For those with problems the best plan is return to your dealer ASAP.
 
Top