Broke 2 lights at once...A happy ending :)

[darkgear.com]

I turned my pants upside down yesterday and both my Inova X5T and my Arc SLS fell out and hit the hard tile floor. Both no longer work. I was very surprised considering how many people rave about the toughness and quality of these 2 lights. Pictures show the X5T being run over by trucks...HA! try dropping one from the window of one of those trucks

My Eternalight Ergo X-ray and Ergo 3 have survived multiple drops like that and some from 10ft onto concrete.

I have replaced both but it's sad I have to baby them and worry about dropping them now.

NE1 have any idea on fixing these 2? If you drop a mag light sure you have to replace the bulb but point is that you _can_ replace the bulb. $70 Arc and a $40 X5T is just havolina fodder now.

Anyone else have any experience with dropping eiither of these two lights? Maybe Craig would consider making a 5ft drop onto a hard surface part of the Punishment Zone.

Well if it can't be fixed ne1 want 2 dead lights?

Regards,
Randy

Afterthought: The X5T HAS to be the best selling light in the world without a web site. They have been under construction forever now. Any webmasters want a job. They must be looking for one

 

[The_LED_Museum]

I usually throw lights up to the ceiling in the uncarpeted front hall (7 feet) and let them fall. That's how I've broken virtually every light I've broken to date. Before you turn them into "havolina" (whatever that is), try a new set of batteries first. The most common failure in a dropped LED light is compressed (+) nipples on the batteries.

 

[Saaby]

Heh heh, well any pages I do for here are faithfully coded in wordpad, but at school I use dreamweaver. Lets send them a copy, even I can make a decent looking page with that software, and trust me when I say that webpages and I don't get along...

 

[Gransee]

Yes, I second what Craig said. Changing the batteries fixes about as many problems as rebooting does for your computer.

If is still doesn't work, we will replace it (the LS not the X5!) for you.

Peter Gransee

 

[Saaby]

If all that's wrong with them is dead batteries I'll take them

I'll even pay shipping

 

[darkgear.com]

I did try batteries and it was the first thing I tried. Heh and I do reboot computers for a living too (and plug in mice and hit the caps lock key and many other computer IT related no-brainers

)

Wow, thank you Peter for offering to replace it. You always exceed the expectations I have of Arc. Not too many manufaturers offer to replace admittedly dropped lights (make that none. right Craig?) Maybe I'll come down to see the new office since I'm just up the hill in Prescott.

Regards,
Randy

Havolina are wild pigs in this area...

 

[bmsmith]

I'm kinda surprised the X5T broke from a 5 foot drop. There's not much to it really. A solid head, tough body. Maybe the impact pushed the top lithium cell against the head and it cracked something inside? That's scary. I'd have figured it to be tougher. I've heard of switch trouble, though the switch seems to be extremely simple in design.

Now I have to worry about babying my X5T.

Sorry about your losses.

- Brian

 

[BuddTX]

There is a video someone took here that showed him throwing an ARC and a mini-mag on the floor, and of course, the ARC survived.

Don't remember who or where that was though.

 

[Saaby]

I present to you Mag Drop by "Mr.Science" (Darell)

 

[x-ray]

Darell you deserve a guest spot on Craig's upcoming LEDMUSEUM video

 

[Silviron]

I have dropped my ARC LS from shirt pocket height on cement, pavement etc. 4-5 times with no ill effects except for one small abrasive ding on the rim of the head and one small one on the end of the 2AA bettery holder.

Guess you are just unlucky, or I am VERY lucky.

P.S. it is spelled Javelina, but pronounced like you spelled it.

 

[The_LED_Museum]

Originally posted by Saaby:
I present to you Mag Drop by "Mr.Science" (Darell)

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">That's too funny... "Ooooh, uh-oh's right!"

How 'bout it D'mo?
Can you splice this in?

 

[Saaby]

Maybe if you asked Mr.Science real nice he could even send you a broadcast quality 640x480 copy not fit for dialup users except under the most extreme circumstances...

 

[brightnorm]

Many substances have the equivalent of a "mini-crumple zone because of their absorbtive or flexing properties. Tile is a particulary nasty surface for your light to hit because it has virtually no ability to absorb an impact. Concrete is more forgiving, as is wood, even brick.

Clearly, the more abrupt the deacceleration the greater the potential for damage. Perhaps this is one reason the UKE lights with their thickly rubberized bezels are so good at taking punishment (in my experience).

It would be very useful to analyse the cause of failure; what part actually failed, and how can we most efficiently reduce that vulnerability in the future? We know that several incandescents in addition to UKE have some form of shock absorbancy designed in. Examples: The Surefire impact resistant bezels, the Asp Taclite rubberized lamp holders, etc. But I can't think of a LED light with similar design, unless you mod into an existing protected light.

The testimonials that boast that XYZ light survived being run over by an 18 wheeler prove nothing except that a light is reasonably robustly made. The force per square inch exerted by even a monster truck is miniscule compared to the tremendous shock of sudden and complete deacceleration.

Brightnorm

 

[Doug Meister]

My package for the X5T says Extreme Performance Technology and Lifetime Warranty. I'd try sending it back telling that you dropped it from your pants. Maybe they'll replace it. I wonder if the switch got jarred. The batts go in backwards you know.
--Ðøug

 

[yclo]

Ditto with the tiles. I just dropped my E2 last week on tiles, and it put a little ding on the rim of the bezel where the HA has flaked off.

Dropping it on wooden tiles however will only dent the floor..

YC

 

[Charles Bradshaw]

I will be sure to take better care of my Arc LS (due to arrive today

).

I learned a long time ago, to not turn pants upside down without removing all items from pockets, first.

 

[darkgear.com]

Here's the damage done to the X5T

I don't want to bother sending it back for warranty (void anyway because abuse?) Anyone want to take it apart and find out what failed? Just so us CPF'ers will know what the weak link is.

As a credit to ARC I could not even find a scratch on the SLS.

Regards,
Randy

 

[B@rt]

Sorry I don't live in the neighborhood, or I'd gladly examin it...

 

[The_LED_Museum]

Originally posted by darkgear.com:
Here's the damage done to the X5T

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">That looks like the type of failure you'd see in "pot metal", rather than aluminum.