lights you regret buying? why?

[defloyd77]

my only regrets thus far have been the 3AAA lights... I haven't found a CPF worthy one yet. The Husky 3-watt doesn;t really count since I modded it for an 18650.

I'm assuming you just mean handhelds, the Princeton Tec EOS is definately CPF worthy.

I definately regret the Solitaire, I got it at a time when I lost everything and lose it I did and not to mention it's performance. The Princeton Tec AMP is my other, I was hoping for the brightness of my Photon Rex with greater runtime and reading all of these guys talking how the Nichia DS tint is sooo much better than the GS, but instead got a dim, worse tint than my E01, 2 modes barely apart from each other and the need to hold the button for 2 seconds to turn it off. My cat also seems to be able to turn on the AMP and it has no lockout ability.

 

[Muskett]

Not a whole lot that I regret buying... They each seem to have their own individual usefulness. I have 6 Surefires, none of them really get a whole lot of use except the L4... Maybe more of regret having the opportunity to use them?

 

[hyperloop]

I can't say I actually regretted buying any light, but off the top of my head these are a few that stand out as disappointments...

• JetBeam JET-III Pro ST - UI (too easy to inadvertently enter programming mode)

Was your Jet III Pro ST the forward clicky? I found that you just got to not 1/2 click too quickly to change modes but i must say you are right, i have sometimes (though not often) entered programming mode when i was switching modes but i think IMHO that its outweighed by its plusses, long runtime on max, flexibility in output, slim form factor and durability.

 

[BurlyEd]

I have to admit that I regret buying a Fenix TA30. I am disappointed that I cannot take it apart to replace the lense or to knock out a stuck battery. I have to use both hands to change modes (I had to use grippy rubber gloves the first several times). I still do not know what the second O-ring is for. I cannot stick the lanyard string thru the hole in the tail switch.

About the same time, I bought a Solarforce L2 (gray) with an extra 18650 tube and a lanyard ring. I made a lanyard from Paracord. The L2 is about the same size and weight as the TA30, but I like it better in almost every way. I can easily replace/upgrade/customize every single part of the L2, while the TA30 is a dead end.

The Fenix is a Q5 and cost $91 including 2 o-rings and a lanyard that does not fit, the L2 currently has an R2 (upgradable) and cost $39 including a nice holster and a rechargeable 18650. Quality seems equally excellent.
I am using 2 AW 17500s with the TA30 and 2 18650s in the L2.
I can turn the L2 into a MC-E Mini with a Klingon bezel if I ever want to (but I probably will not)!

 

[brighterisbetter]

I can't honestly say that any one particular purchase has been a regret without also pairing it with a sell. What I'm getting at is me buying too many McGizmo's at once. I got McGizmo fever middle to late last year and bought 4 Ti variants all within a month. In a nutshell, I overextended my means. So me being consequently short on cash afterward prompted me to sell some of them off. I suppose in the grand scheme of things that it's better to have held them in person once than not at all, but it's bittersweet when the length of ownership is so brief. So my regret is not spacing out my purchases a bit more to be able to afford and keep all of my lights. It's the flashaholic fever getting the best of me that leads to impulse buys.

 

[Burgess]

Well, i LOVE my Olight M20 Warrior R2 flashlight, :kiss:


but, in hindsight . . . .


I wish that i hadn't bought it until AFTER the manufacturer had

"fixed" the initial firmware problem.


Like so many others, mine would do the "Low-Battery-Blink",

when the battery was still fine. :hairpull:



Of course, my Dealer handled the problem OK,

but i still had the hassle of sending it back.



Shoulda' waited a while.








Oh, yeah, one more regret . . . .


The Black & Decker SnakeLight (2-C cells)


is / was a waste of money.


:shakehead

_

 

[MWClint]

Oh, yeah, one more regret . . . .


The Black & Decker SnakeLight (2-C cells)


is / was a waste of money.


:shakehead

_

I love that thing..i bought it years ago way before sipping flashahol.
must be in a kitchen cabinet somewhere, forgot all about it. i can probably stuff a rop low and some AA's in there.

 

[Search]

I've never regretted buying a light, only wish I already knew what I was going to find out.

I've got a few lights that only led to me buying another light once I realized what I wanted in that specific type of light.

I bought a Fenix PD30 when I was a flashlight newbie and just starting my training as a Reserve Officer.

Now I've given it to my girlfriend for purse duty and bought a TK10 and E1B for street duty.

The TK10, which I love, only made me realize how much I want the new SureFire AZ2 when it comes out.

That might not be enough light so I might get the older version and get a drop in.

No regrets, only money spent to learn.

Lots of money.

 

[Tom_123]

1. All the cheap lights I bought till I learned that standing in the dark
at the most inopportune moment is much more expansive than buying some decent lights.

2. LedLEnser P14
Too big for what's comming out of the front, bad handling an UI...
and I feel cheated by their "made in Germany" marketing.
The Holster is really nice though.

 

[leon2245]

S.F. L4- purple tint
S.F. L1- mismatched body anodizing & beam too spotty
S.F. L5- too big for pocket E.D.C., & for a dedicated backpack light I'd want more
Fenix ? (older model one/two cell convertible)- dim green tint, weak finish & threads
MagLite 3c/4D- ugly beams & too big/heavy
S.F. 6P- not regulated, no pocket clip, weaker finish, shorter runtime, dimmer, thicker, heavier, & less versatile than current E.D.C., so it collects dust.


Thankfully S.F. saved me from adding the Invictus to that list, but assuming this year's line-up is actually released, I'd be surprised if the A2L or A2LZ (?) didn't eventually.



Edit: Just F.Y.I. but as punishment for talking trash about my other S.F.'s, the very day I made this post my A2's pocket clip BROKE L.O.L.!

 

[f22shift]

dx lights?
it's better to spend the extra money so you don't in the long run.

i'm pretty much okay with purchases as i dont jump on bandwagons and wait for full reviews to see if the light really fits my needs.

 

[Gary123]

Well, since I can't slam a manufacturer I won't mention any names.

But there is only one light I am sorry I purchased: It is a very technical sort of a light made by a fine but small manufacturer with tons of experience in the flashlight area but little published experience with this particular sort of light.

I really wanted one of these type of lights, so without being able to verify the performance of this light - I bought it. It ended up having several prominent flaws that severely impacted its performance and will require some expensive modifications to make it work properly and the company will not allow me to return the light.

Lesson learned: Make sure you can get a refund if you are not able to verify performance prior to purchase.

 

[Black Rose]

The only lights I really regret buying are the original AA MagLEDs.

Poor heat sinking results in reduced output in a short amount of time.

Tail caps that are incompatible with 3rd party offerings.

Tube design that prevents using 3rd party sandwiches to make them better.

Mine just sit unused most of the time. My lowly 3xAAA lights get more use than the MagLEDs.

 

[GarageBoy]

My G2 that I paid $50 for. I loved it, but hated the fact that I paid $50 for it. Gave it away during a Christmas CPF thing

 

[TKC]

I regret ever buying the Fenix lights that I did, as I just didn't care for them at all. I ended up giving them all away.

 

[Kestrel]

Besides a few too many MiniMags, my regret is my SureFire L2. Yes, a great light, but it was one of my first two high-performance lights, and I got it before I knew about flood vs. throw. I've found out that for my primary use (nighttime walks), a narrower beam just works better for me. Also, for camping use, a smaller light is just handier around the campsite. And I can't bring myself to sell it, because they fetch so little these days, it seems like it has depreciated more than just about any SF, with good examples going for ~$75. This for a light with a SF list price of $175 or so, a larger gap than most other SF's. I guess I'll keep it around for a mod some day, a two-level SF host is worth more than $75 for the basis of a good mod...

My cat also seems to be able to turn on the [the Princeton Tec AMP] ...

Wow, that sounds like the best UI ever, the KISS principle taken to the ultimate...:duh2:

Not a whole lot that I regret buying... They each seem to have their own individual usefulness. I have 6 Surefires, none of them really get a whole lot of use except the L4... Maybe more of regret having the opportunity to use them?

That's actually a good point, I wish I had more time to spend 'out there' than I do...

And DHart, at least you didn't mention the MicroStream, I was thinking about that while reading your post.

 

[Juggernaut]

The 6 volt "SLA" Darcy Industrial lantern, I heard it was a great thrower, and I love good throwers:twothumbs so I put the $40 down, weighted for it to charge up…and discovered just how good my other throwers were:huh:. I returned it for my $40 dollars, It had a nice Par 36 RP bulb adaptor reflector and lens though:thumbsup:, but I wouldn't pay $40 just for them.

 

[gswitter]

Was your Jet III Pro ST the forward clicky? I found that you just got to not 1/2 click too quickly to change modes but i must say you are right, i have sometimes (though not often) entered programming mode when i was switching modes but i think IMHO that its outweighed by its plusses, long runtime on max, flexibility in output, slim form factor and durability.

I bought both switches. I had problems entering programming mode unintentionally with both, but it was definitely worse with the forward clicky (plus it wouldn't tail stand). There were many aspects of the light that I liked, and their IBS is far from the only UI with this particular problem, but I thought it was especially bad in this light.

 

[MikeF]

I'm not sure if this would count since it wasn't a light, but an accessory product to make my Surefire M-6 rechargable. $243.50 to AWR for the HDM6 and $65.oo for the Petrev XTN-36 that was shipped to AWR and that I hever saw.


http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=163465

 

[The Black Knight]

Against my better judgment I recently picked up a Browning Microblast AAA light from the local Gander Mtn. The light has a definite purple tint with no clear, defined spot. I kept the receipt/package for a week thinking I would just return it. It's slowly growing on me.