Imalent Good Bad or In-between

[dddrees]

I know they had issues but I heard they have since fixed at least some of those so was that just growing pains or is this a brand to steer clear of and why or why not?

 

[Monocrom]

Never had an issue with my Imalent. Love the massive output of a mini Sun in my hands. Would happily buy from the company again.

 

[dddrees]

Never had an issue with my Imalent. Love the massive output of a mini Sun in my hands. Would happily buy from the company again.

Thanks for responding. Can I ask if you have ever had any interaction with their customer support and if so how would you rate them as well?

 

[Monocrom]

Thanks for responding. Can I ask if you have ever had any interaction with their customer support and if so how would you rate them as well?

Honestly, no interaction with customer support. In my case, it wasn't necessary.

 

[dddrees]

Honestly, no interaction with customer support. In my case, it wasn't necessary.

Thanks. I'm beginning to think the problems I see they had about 4 years ago, is just that. Problems they had four years ago.

 

[Schokokeks]

Thanks for responding. Can I ask if you have ever had any interaction with their customer support and if so how would you rate them as well?

For what it's worth, I think most of the Chinese brands have similar CS, and it's MOSTLY non-existent.

When they SELL the item, the CCP subsidizes the shipping cost, but if you/they ship something for warranty work, then you/they need to pay the actual costs, which are kind of insane. So, they will NOT pay the shipping cost, and it usually makes no sense for you or I to pay it (since it is often more expensive than the actual item).

That means, most every Chinese company "has a warranty," but it's really just unrealistic to expect to ever be able to use it.

IF you can find a reliable distributor in the U.S., that'd be the way to go. Often, they "box up" a bunch of problem lights, and then just do a larger warranty shipment to/from China. If you're sending a few DOZEN lights, it's not as onerous to do the warranty.

 

[dddrees]

For what it's worth, I think most of the Chinese brands have similar CS, and it's MOSTLY non-existent.

When they SELL the item, the CCP subsidizes the shipping cost, but if you/they ship something for warranty work, then you/they need to pay the actual costs, which are kind of insane. So, they will NOT pay the shipping cost, and it usually makes no sense for you or I to pay it (since it is often more expensive than the actual item).

That means, most every Chinese company "has a warranty," but it's really just unrealistic to expect to ever be able to use it.

IF you can find a reliable distributor in the U.S., that'd be the way to go. Often, they "box up" a bunch of problem lights, and then just do a larger warranty shipment to/from China. If you're sending a few DOZEN lights, it's not as onerous to do the warranty.

Ah, so are there any Chinese brands which do warranty work in the US?

 

[aznsx]

Ah, so are there any Chinese brands which do warranty work in the US?

Sure. First, and generally speaking, it is a serious fundamental error to attempt to generalize on this subject, which some many are wont to do (but I'm not saying you are doing that). They could not be more different, and they're not that difficult to distinguish if one knows what they're looking for and takes an honest, objective look. Furthermore, the quality of their support usually mirrors the quality of their products. Clearly, one must do due diligence before purchasing, not after purchasing and are in need of Support. Anyway, here's but one example of a company who apparently understands 'Support':

A couple of years ago I used Fenix warranty for a side switch issue. Not only did they do the job perfectly I had my light back in EIGHT DAYS. Worked perfectly.

If one doesn't know 'what to look for', start by looking at companies which have a well-established market presence in the U.S. If you never even heard of them 1-5 years ago, look very closely. If they've been around a while, there's probably a good reason for that. If they haven't, there may be a good reason for that too.

IF you can find a reliable distributor in the U.S., that'd be the way to go.

This is critical.

 

[dddrees]

Sure. First, and generally speaking, it is a serious fundamental error to attempt to generalize on this subject, which some many are wont to do (but I'm not saying you are doing that). They could not be more different, and they're not that difficult to distinguish if one knows what they're looking for and takes an honest, objective look. Furthermore, the quality of their support usually mirrors the quality of their products. Clearly, one must do due diligence before purchasing, not after purchasing and are in need of Support. Anyway, here's but one example of a company who apparently understands 'Support':

If one doesn't know 'what to look for', start by looking at companies which have a well-established market presence in the U.S. If you never even heard of them 1-5 years ago, look very closely. If they've been around a while, there's probably a good reason for that. If they haven't, there may be a good reason for that too.

This is critical.

I would agree that this makes sense, however I can also see why it would be so easy for most that they wouldn't even think about it when making that initial purchase.

 

[Schokokeks]

I would agree that this makes sense, however I can also see why it would be so easy for most that they wouldn't even think about it when making that initial purchase.

I think, for a lot of people, the cost is so low, they don't care.

Honestly, that's what I do. I generally never pay over $50 for a Chinese light, and IF I DO, then I get it from Killzone, because they have great customer support, and WILL handle the warranty on my behalf (they essentially will replace the item, then they deal with the manufacturer in batches). I'm not SUPER worried if my like <$20 Convoy AA light has a major issue. It's literally cheaper to buy another than pay for shipping. Shipping to China is usually ~$50 for me, so that's why I don't buy anything that the cost of shipping exceeds the cost of the product.

After some mediocre CS experiences, though, I've kind of moved to MOSTLY U.S. brands at this point. I have enough Chinese headlamps to last a lifetime, so most of my purchases, now, are just for fun, and the Malkoff LEGO bug has bit me hard, haha. The other advantage is that I do like more of the "buy it for life" mindset, where I can simply upgrade my drop-in, and I don't create as much e-waste.

 

[aznsx]

it would be so easy for most that they wouldn't even think about it when making that initial purchase.

You are so very, very right about that. The companies you would likely least want to do business with are counting on that very fact for their very existence - and probably thriving.

There are many product/market segments, and many types of customers to go with them. Eventually, they always find a way to each other.

 

[dddrees]

I thought I would update the thread a bit. After getting the Imalent MR90 I decided to look into getting the Imalent MS18. One motivator was the fact I had noticed Imalent was selling MS18 seconds on their website and for seconds the reviews were very positive and in fact the few stated they couldn't even tell they were seconds. But the thing was the price was also 50% off original MSRP. They still have some if anyone is interested, however I would highly recomend watching the YouTube video I linked first. That may just change your mind.

So I came across this YouTube Video. Personally I think he made a very compelling argument for the Acebeam X75. Although the Imalent MS32 and SR32 might be better in some regards I just simply wasn't prepared to pay the premium for either of those. They weren't current selling any of those as seconds and even if they had any left the discount wasn't quite as good. So I decided to get the Acebeam X75 and an extra large battery instead and probably would have even if Imalent had better discounts on the MS32 and SR32.

Maybe I should have skipped the Imalent MR90 in hindsight give I finally decided to get the X75 as most would. However I still like the fact it's in a soda can format which makes it easier to carry and I also like the fact it has a separate flood and spot as well.