Is Armytek a gamble?

So I've been interested in Armytek for a while, really like the look of their lights and headlamps, the specs, tints, etc. Problem is, every time I start to research a particular model, I read all these horror stories of issues, flickering, bricking, just not good stuff. More so even than many of the much cheaper budget light brands. This has led me to holding off purchasing any of their lights.
So I ask, is it a gamble purchasing one, because I consistently see that sentiment reflected in others experiences it seems, and if that's the case, I will purchase something with a little better track record.

I've had both the Prime C1 and the Wizard Pro, never had an issue with either. That being said, I noticed the same thing you did, for a brand known for its durability the failure reports are way too high.

I'm unhappy with their customer service though, 2 day response time with unhelpful answers. Whats the point in a 10 year warranty if its extremely difficult to even communicate with them?

That being said, I rather like my Wizard Pro. Caveat emptor I guess

Jomohr84 said:

... I will purchase something with a little better track record.

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To keep it short, I think that is a (very) smart move.

Cheers.

Fwiw, i really like my wizard pro v3 xhp so far, even if it is using the veta firmware. Also, if you want a "sure shot" at what is advertised, you should "order directly from Armytek" because licensed dealers may be carrying other (beta) models. So....as a product, based on the only armytek i have ever owned, I love it. As a company, based on conjecture and empirical evidence, I dunno...word is that their customer service is top notch at least.

I had some issues with their "Canadian" customer service. That said, it was no worse than most other manufactures.

The product is unique. It may be worth the risk. Buy directly from armytek or choose a dealer with good customer service (eg. Illumn.com) and return policy.

Also, on the pro models, the LED under the button blinks every 5 seconds in all non moonlight modes when on. Make sure you are okay with that. The non pro models don't have this but also lack some of the UI flexibility of the pro models.

Note: I have 2 tiara pro. No issues so far, but it is early. I still consider it a calculated risk but worth it for the unique features and LED tint.

I think reports of multiple failures and multiple reports of failure, having experienced the former myself, make it a gamble. The chances of failure seems high, but the personal cost of dealing with returns and correspondence with AT customer support varies. The reward, on the other hand, if you get lucky, is quite satisfactory. So you gotta ask yourself one question...

I figure most people who are satisfied with their product don't bother to write about it. People are dissatisfied do, so there's a natural tendency for bad reviews to be over-represented. Furthermore, these issues seem to have been coming up for a while now, yet Armytek remains in business. If these problems were coming up a majority of the time, Armytek simply woudn't exist anymore.

So while it seems there is a bit of a gamble involved, I don't think it's a huge one. Having also encountered the problem reports scattered throughout CPF, but not seeing any other lights that quite matched what I was looking for, I took the gamble and came out happy so far.

Honestly, if you find something else that matches your wants equally well, I don't see a reason not to go for the alternative. Otherwise, it's matter of weighing your priorities: getting exactly the features you want, or being more certain the light will work as expected out of the box.

iamlucky13 said:

I figure most people who are satisfied with their product don't bother to write about it. People are dissatisfied do, so there's a natural tendency for bad reviews to be over-represented. Furthermore, these issues seem to have been coming up for a while now, yet Armytek remains in business. If these problems were coming up a majority of the time, Armytek simply woudn't exist anymore. ...

...

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This is the most helpful type of content and tone made in response to this type of topic thread, that I have seen in a while.

We see threads such as this for all of the manufacturers. The fact is, if a manufacturer is established and reputable and puts forth a quality product, occasional issues with some samples will emerge. Those are best dealt with through official support channels.

Armytek is universally known as an established provider of quality product, so if you are interested in making purchases, then by all means make the purchases. Chances are very high that you won't need to seek official channel support for your purchases.

Thanks to everyone for the great replies! This helps make sense of what I've read, and it's nice to get others insight and perspective before dropping high $ on a new light.

Hey Mate,

There's no debate that Armytek lights are pretty nice. I own the wizard v1 headlamp and it has not given me any problems. I also own the wizard v3 in warm tint and it didn't give me any problems. Then I bought the predator pro with the xb h and it was a nightmare. The torch was not working straight out of the box. Luckily my ebay vendor was willing to exchange the torch, but Armytek customer service not so much. They want a video to be uploaded to YouTube and do some tests. I kid you not mate, the bloody torch sat around for a couple of weeks until I finally managed to get Armytek to send me a tail cap. I could have send it back to my ebay vendor, but I really didn't want to pay 20AUD for shipping and then wait a combined 6 weeks to get it back. That's the risks you take when you but overseas. I have several torches, so one bad torch doesn't bother me, but if that's your only torch, then yes, it will be a problem.

After waiting a month to get the tail cap in the mail, it was the wrong one. It didn't fit my the predator pro.

Depending where you live, if you are able to buy from amazon, do it, you can return things easily. Well that's what I hear they keep saying. If not, pay a little bit more and buy from a vendor that has a great reputation in your country and you will have a great time.

Any item can be a gamble, but if you buy it from a vendor that has a great reputation and no reasonable return policy, it won't be a gamble at all.

This whole "bad rep" thing with AT is a total bummer. I really want to get one or several of their lights, but the negative posts I read about their QC and CS just make it an uncomfortable buying decision.

I had the Wizard Pro V2 that had a UI glitch. I had to jump through many hoops, send a video of the problem, and do much convincing before they agreed to replace it. They sent me a V3 XPL pro as a replacement. I haven't had any issues with the V3 XPL replacement and it has been used and abused at work for about a year now.

iamlucky13 said:

I figure most people who are satisfied with their product don't bother to write about it. People are dissatisfied do, so there's a natural tendency for bad reviews to be over-represented.

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Valid point. However, surely there are brands with at least as many, if not more, lights in circulation. Armytek seems to leave the impression that there are a lot of customer complaints. While there are undoubtably more satisfied customers (I'm one of them) than there are unhappy customers with malfunctioning lights, the frequency of issues seems to be much greater than any other comparable brand.

In addition, Armytek's greatest attraction and selling point is the reliability and durability. For lights with IP and drop ratings as high as they are, we should be seeing much much less complaints. Heck, the fact that this thread exists points to a very significant issue.

+

I have a Predator Limited XP-L HI (non Pro) and it's one light I'll never part with!!

...stick with the simplest UI

Ozythemandias said:

Valid point. However, surely there are brands with at least as many, if not more, lights in circulation. Armytek seems to leave the impression that there are a lot of customer complaints. While there are undoubtably more satisfied customers (I'm one of them) than there are unhappy customers with malfunctioning lights, the frequency of issues seems to be much greater than any other comparable brand.

In addition, Armytek's greatest attraction and selling point is the reliability and durability. For lights with IP and drop ratings as high as they are, we should be seeing much much less complaints. Heck, the fact that this thread exists points to a very significant issue.

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Exactly! !!

Tough call, personally if your going to invest in armytek , simply buy from a reputable seller your side. Then if any issue does arise, returns are taken care of without the shipping out of the country. So imho not too much of a risk, they do make a nice product. Their older v2.5 warm predator still puts lights today in the shade in build quality/finish imo.

ven said:

Tough call, personally if your going to invest in armytek , simply buy from a reputable seller your side. Then if any issue does arise, returns are taken care of without the shipping out of the country. So imho not too much of a risk, they do make a nice product. Their older v2.5 warm predator still puts lights today in the shade in build quality/finish imo.

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But ven, when buying from a dealer you risk getting pre-production models. The dealers themselves don't know what they're really getting. So still a gamble. You're just playing in a secondary casino.

Also, don't forget, and we forget so quickly and so often these days, in general. When AT first pushed out the XPL HI lights the throw of the predator and Dobermann was greatly exaggerated: over 70k CD and over 50k CD, respectively. AT defended those figures repeatedly after getting called out, only to recently "update" them to their current advertised values.

You have ilumn and going gear who would exchange issue free in USA, so i still think not much risk tbh. But it would have to be a reputable seller, away from ebay and china shops.

ven said:

You have ilumn and going gear who would exchange issue free in USA, so i still think not much risk tbh. But it would have to be a reputable seller, away from ebay and china shops.

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Citing reason for return as "not as advertised". I imagine that would not go over so well after the first couple of times. Pretty soon, they might not want your business. The underlying problem: dealers aren't evaluating AT with a critical eye and not pressuring AT enough to correct their business practices.