i lost my nitecore but make way

[abarth_1200]

Had it for less than 2 weeks and ive gone and lost it, my nitecore extreme:mecry:

Anyone else lost their new fav torch and really want to buy a new one.

Anyway, recieved my EX10 at last after drooling over pics on here, one thing is annoying me about it, i cleaned all the blue lube off and changed the piston o-ring for one of the other ones that came with it, then relubed with thinner silicone lube, after a few seconds of being very smooth and slippy it kinda gets stiff and sticky again.

Ive tried different lubes but they all do the same, and ive tried different amounts of coverage too.

Was wanting to know if any other EX10 owners think that the piston is stiff and hard to press, still a great light but doesnt quite cover up for losing my Extreme

 

[CM]

Had it for less than 2 weeks and ive gone and lost it, my nitecore extreme:mecry:

Anyone else lost their new fav torch and really want to buy a new one.

Anyway, recieved my EX10 at last after drooling over pics on here, one thing is annoying me about it, i cleaned all the blue lube off and changed the piston o-ring for one of the other ones that came with it, then relubed with thinner silicone lube, after a few seconds of being very smooth and slippy it kinda gets stiff and sticky again.

Ive tried different lubes but they all do the same, and ive tried different amounts of coverage too.

Was wanting to know if any other EX10 owners think that the piston is stiff and hard to press, still a great light but doesnt quite cover up for losing my Extreme

Mine is smooth as butter, requiring very little effort to activate. Make sure you clean, and I mean clean off all the gunk before applying new lube. I use good old silicone plumbers grease and have not had to reapply it since getting it new. If it will make you feel better, you can also try the "exotic designer $200,000 a gallon lube" that people here rave about. It might work just as good as the cheap stuff from Home Depot.

EDITED: Just noticed you're across the pond so ignore my Home Depot comment. Plumbers silicone grease is all you need to remember.

 

[Oddjob]

I was lucky and got a D10 and EX10 both with smooth twisty and piston operation.

 

[matrixshaman]

I've found the Radio Shack PTFE lube to make things more slippery than anything else I've tried including plumber's silicone. Far more easy to twist, push or anything you want less sticky - not sure if they have RS there but if not try eBay as I'm sure you can find some there or maybe someone here close to an RS can get you some. Less than $4 and I've used it on many dozens of lights without hardly putting a dent in the little pen oiler it comes in. It did wonders for my EX10.

 

[Zenster]

I bought both the D10 and the EX10 at the same time (first run), and while the D10 had a nice "clicky" feel, the EX10 was a bit mushy out of the box.

I still haven't done anything to the D10 other than use it (and it still feels great), but I disassembled the EX10 and cleaned off every bit of factory lube.
Then I put just a very thin film of regular gun oil on the outside of the tube itself, and a thin (very thin) application of Nyogel on the O-rings and threads.
From that point on right up to today, the EX10 feels almost like the D10. It's not quite a "clicky" feel, but it's definitely easy to operate and it does have a sort of "snap" when I hit the button.

Based on my own experience with the EX10, I'm pretty confident that thorough cleaning and proper lubing is everything.

 

[Jarl]

My D10 is a bit odd. It's very hard to twist, but twist it hard a few times and it becomes very easy to twist- much better than my L2D, but not quite on par with the mini mag I have (lubed, that thing twists so easy!). Thankfully for me, the piston is very very easy to press, and I rarely have problems with it.

 

[orcinus]

I've got the impression (probably wrong, just a hunch) that the residual "stickyness" is caused by the blue gunk left in the piston o-ring groove. I think the o-ring rotates a bit after some use, transfering the gunk back on the ring and causing it to stick.

Anyways, mine did that after the initial relube. Since i took the piston out again, took the o-ring off and cleaned, then lubed the groove, it's as smooth as butter.

Also, check the surface around the "button" (or "plunger") of the piston. Mine had quite a lot of gunk stuck to the inner tail surface of the flashlight casing and it kept sticking to the rear surface of the piston until i gave the insides a thorough cleaning with a cotton swab.

 

[jbviau]

Also, check the surface around the "button" (or "plunger") of the piston. Mine had quite a lot of gunk stuck to the inner tail surface of the flashlight casing and it kept sticking to the rear surface of the piston until i gave the insides a thorough cleaning with a cotton swab.

I agree 100%. Removing the blue gunk from the bottom of the the piston and the inside of the body that it contacts made a night-and-day difference in my EX10. It's very smooth now.

 

[abarth_1200]

i did remove every bit of the blue gunk, and i have tried using the thicker plumbers silicone grease but its just as bad as the thin silicone lube, i noticed on the inside of my piston its kind of discoloured at the very end around the spring, almost as if tis been heated up and cooled, the way some metal goes blueish in colour, is any elses like this, i was thinking this could be a manu fault and increased the size of piston making it stiff.

And the head is very tight to twist, its definetly a two handed operation.

Maybe its the o-rings, it came with clear ones on it and 2 spare clear ones but every one does the same

 

[meuge]

Had it for less than 2 weeks and ive gone and lost it, my nitecore extreme:mecry:

Anyone else lost their new fav torch and really want to buy a new one.

Anyway, recieved my EX10 at last after drooling over pics on here, one thing is annoying me about it, i cleaned all the blue lube off and changed the piston o-ring for one of the other ones that came with it, then relubed with thinner silicone lube, after a few seconds of being very smooth and slippy it kinda gets stiff and sticky again.

Ive tried different lubes but they all do the same, and ive tried different amounts of coverage too.

Was wanting to know if any other EX10 owners think that the piston is stiff and hard to press, still a great light but doesnt quite cover up for losing my Extreme

I had the clear O-ring installed on the piston, as opposed to the red one (whatever that means - all the o-rings I had including the light and spares looked like they were of different thickness).

When I swapped the red one from the spare pack to the piston, the light became smooth as silk to operate (I lubed everything with PTFE lube as well). I then used the clear o-ring to help waterproof the head.

At the moment, the EX10 is my favorite EDC light. That being said - I don't trust it for any degree of immersion. It'll be fine in the rain, but I wouldn't drop it into a river, and expect it to work when it gets out.

I am considering swapping the LED to a neutral white one... but I am not sure whether the drop in brightness is worth it. It might be for me, since flesh looks normal under my 3A warm white Fenix, and that would really help in case of an emergency for examining people.

 

[abarth_1200]

yeah it cotton swabbed it too jbviau, im just not convinced about this whole piston drive switch, maybe its just my luck i got a dud

 

[Zenster]

i did remove every bit of the blue gunk, and i have tried using the thicker plumbers silicone grease but its just as bad as the thin silicone lube, ... <snip>...
And the head is very tight to twist, its definetly a two handed operation.

Maybe its the o-rings, it came with clear ones on it and 2 spare clear ones but every one does the same

The whole point of doing a thorough cleaning of everything that has factory lube on it is to get rid of all of the thick lube.
The thicker lube you use, the more stiff it's going to be.

Thinner, and less, is better. Any lube or oil you use should only leave a film, and if you can actually see the lube you use, you used too much.

 

[abarth_1200]

ive tried thinner and less and ive tried thicker and less and thinner and more and every other combination,

so why did i not get a red o-ringin my spares bag, i bet thats all it needs the red one:sigh:

 

[Kilovolt]

My EX10 has a red o-ring on the piston but even after cleaning and re-lubing the action is still rather stiffer than the D10's one. :shrug:

 

[BabyDoc]

I've found the Radio Shack PTFE lube to make things more slippery than anything else I've tried including plumber's silicone. Far more easy to twist, push or anything you want less sticky - not sure if they have RS there but if not try eBay as I'm sure you can find some there or maybe someone here close to an RS can get you some. Less than $4 and I've used it on many dozens of lights without hardly putting a dent in the little pen oiler it comes in. It did wonders for my EX10.

1+
I have to agree that this stuff is pretty amazing. I was a bit dubious because I had been using Nyogel with a modicum of success with all of my lights. When I switched to the RADIO SHACK PTFE Oiler, I was amazed that my lights threads stayed cleane longer (Nyogel tends to turn black quickly) and the lube does not seem to thicken within the light when it isn't used.

Haven't you experienced with other lubes that the light needs a few twists before the lube gets reactivated, especially if the flashlight has been unused for a day or longer? Well, with the thin PTFE lube there is none of this. The light operates smoothly every time with no need to work it back in.

Apparently this stuff is safe with O-rings, too, since the package states that it is good for rubber gaskets. What is PTFE - I looked this up and it is some form of Teflon. It makes sense to use Teflon on aluminum flashlight grooves. Many of our stick free aluminum frying pans are coated with Teflon; not only does it adhere well, but it is resistant to high heat. The only caution with this lube is that you use it VERY SPARINGLY. It adheres very well to the grooves and O rings, but excess lube will flow onto contact areas and cause problems. One drop on the threads, and one drop on the O ring should be enough; too much and you will be wiping off the contacts until you get it right.

 

[abarth_1200]

can someone put radio shacks web address up please i cant find it

 

[BabyDoc]

can someone put radio shacks web address up please i cant find it

If you are specifically looking for information on this oiler, this should help you:

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2102643&cp=

 

[abarth_1200]

ah cheers, do you know if they ship to UK

 

[Thujone]

FWIW I ended up dissasembling the head and cleaning everything with DeOxit before everything really got silky smooth. For the lubricant on the ring and piston I am using the 50/50 Krytox blend. It has been much better than Nyolube for me.

 

[M.S]

Anyone else lost their new fav torch and really want to buy a new one.

I remember one time that I thought that I lost my HDS that I seoul modded myself (arc4 style clip with titanium screws and SS bezel etc...). I chose to have that light in my pocket when my first daughter was born, so it is very special to me.... Thank god I found it two weeks later.

I have EX10 incoming now... To have easily replaceable but good enough EDC.