Cracked my last Raider Bezel....

[Robocop]

Ok in no way is this a bad comment towards Wolf-Eyes product as I very much enjoy my Raider and have full confidence in the light.....

My problem is that I am busting the bezel glass on every one I carry. Yes it is due to heavy usage and this last one was dropped from about 3 feet to a concrete driveway. The light never failed to work after and showed no real damage to the body however the glass lens broke all the way across.

My last two spare Bezels suffered the same fate from a drop of equal distance. Yes the beam quality does show a noted change with the cracked glass however that is not what I am worried about. I worry that if I continue to carry the damaged bezels any future drops will completely break the lens and possibly leave me in the dark at a bad time.

Now I do plan on purchasing a few more bezels however would like to know if there is anything I can do to help stop this problem? Does anyone know of a way to remove and replace the sealed glass with maybe another type of glass? Is there any other bezel that may fit or maybe some way to treat the Raider bezels for a little more drop proofing?

I also want to ask if anyone has had drops with the M90 shock isolated bezels and if so how did they perform? I may have to resort to using my beloved Raider as a duty bag spare and switch to the M90.

Thanks again and I have included a few pics of my duty light just to show how my pretty little partner looks now.....please forgive the crappy camera as it is all I have.

 

[SoundMix]

I do not own a Wolfeyes,,,but. I use a lanyard to help reduce the possibility of having my lights slip from my grip. It has saved me on several occasions.

 

[Robocop]

Believe it or not I tried to find a way to attatch a lanyard however with this light it is difficult due to no attatchment point. I tried a fancy wrap method found in the lanyard thread however it was not that great and would not fit in my duty holster with the added thickness.

I even tried a corded springy material with plans to keep it attatched to my duty belt with enough slack to allow usage but not enough to hit the ground if dropped....once again found no way to attatch it.

 

[Flash007]

If W-E could provide landyard rings like Surefire, it will be a good thing.
We could attach a landyard, and avoid the accidental dropping.

Or W-E could provide bezel with better glass quality, maybe Tempered glass or Pyrex glass, don't sure however.

I own myself D2AX Defender and 9AX Raider, both are really excellent flashlights.
I use the 9AX @ work, and it's true I'm afraid to drop accidentally the flashlight and break the bezel glass.

Most Surefire models have tempered Pyrex lens, wich offer certainly better thermal resistance, and maybe better shock resistance also.

 

[Paul_in_Maryland]

On thre Raiders or Snipers, I've broken (cracked) one glass in three years of occasional use.

A few months ago, I posted photos showing how I was using a makeshift lanyard: a Fuji FinePix lanyard squished between the body and the tailcap. Well, within 2 months, the thin nylon frayed and broke.

My wish list to Wolf Eyes:

• a truly smart charger
• a lanyard solution
• thicker or tempered glass

 

[LED61]

What would be the cost addition of a tempered pyrex lens ? I just purchased a Raider and it's due any minute now and looking forward to it but the vulnerability of the weak lens is a minus.

 

[Paul_in_Maryland]

What would be the cost addition of a tempered pyrex lens?

This site should give you an idea. However, the Raider's lens is not user-replaceable.

 

[DM51]

Does anyone make heat-shrink tubing large enough for a short length of it to cover the end of the bezel? That might provide just enough shock-protection to prevent a lens breaking, and it could easily be renewed whenever it gets damaged.

 

[SoundMix]

I was considering the purchase of a Wolf-Eyes Sniper. But without a way to attach a lanyard.....

Wolf-Eyes does seem to be a company that listens....Are you listening?

 

[nobody]

I do not like them...but sometimes a user-replaceable polycarbonate window might be better than glass. If one could actually do the replacement by oneself...

 

[Flash007]

I was considering the purchase of a Wolf-Eyes Sniper. But without a way to attach a lanyard.....

Wolf-Eyes does seem to be a company that listens....Are you listening?

+1

 

[tomcat017]

+2. Exactly what Paul said. If WE could engineer in a thicker (preferably tempered lens), lanyard solution, and a smart charger, it would be close to my ideal light.

 

[VF1Jskull1]

my raider fell from waist high onto carpeted floor and although the lens did not break or shatter immediately, it did so after a few weeks of sitting on the shelf... had to buy a whole new turbo bezel for it and at the same time bought the standard bezel for it.... so now if and when i take it out for field use, i'll just swap the turbo bezel out with the standard in hopes that maybe the standard bezel will be more resistant to breaking if it is dropped....