Need technical advice of Chicago spotlight

[ClarkK]

Got it last month from Harborfreight, after reading about it in this forum. Really delighted with the light and amazed at the low price. Battery charged up right away, everything worked fine. Then one night it wouldn't light up at all. I tried it plugged into my car battery to see if the rechargeable battery had somehow died. Still no light.

So I figure it must be the bulb. Problem is, I can't get to the bulb. There doesn't seem to be any way to get the lens off without breaking something or completely disassembling the housing. The manual doesn't address bulb-changing at all.

I e-mailed Harborfreight's customer service dept. and got a silly response from someone in their technical dept., advising that the reflector might be sticking. I wrote back and explained that getting the lens off is the problem. He wrote back and said, "Sorry, there is no other way."

Now I'm beginning to understand why the damned thing is so cheap. But maybe I'm missing something. Anybody had any experience with this light? I'm open to all suggestions.

 

[cheesehead]

I bought one too, maybe not the same, but my charger never worked and then I just gave up and returned it. Check the battery for voltage, to me it doesn't make sense the bulb would be burnt out - since spotlights are all underdriven and the bulbs (even the cheap ones) should last forever.

Eh, I would return it.

 

[ClarkK]

Thanks, Cheesehead, I just may do that. But shouldn't the durned thing work off my car battery?

BTW, what part of Badgerland you from? I grew up in Columbus.

 

[cheesehead]

You'd expect the light to work, period, it's not a complicated device. I have perhaps 30-40 wallwarts scattered all over the house and this Chicago spotlight's wallart was the first that I ever had that didn't work.

I'm in Racine (but I'm an IL transplant).

 

[ClarkK]

Harbor Freight ordered a UPS return for me, and when I put the light back together last night to get it ready for shipping, it started working again. Am thinking loose connection, and since I paid only $15 for it I decided to keep it.

 

[cheesehead]

Mine wasn't a connection, I couldn't get the wallwart to charge, checked everything.

 

[twentysixtwo]

I had the exact same problem. Played with it for 2-3 days then poof, it stopped working. I was able to get the battery out and also take the lens off (the bezel rotates) but no luck. I returned it. It's $12.99 today, but I'm wondering, with quality like that, whether it's really worth it.

 

[ClarkK]

I've found now that a couple of good whacks on the housing makes it work. Probly a loose connect in there somewhere, but I'm not sure I wanna take the whole thing apart to find it.

 

[twentysixtwo]

What the hay, couldn't resist at $13 so I snagged one. I guess I have 30 days to return it if it dies. Nice form factor.

 

[mqqn]

Hi folks -

I received a new HB mailing today - the 3MCP light is now $6.99 - just FYI - I'll go buy one to see if they are really that bad - for less than 10 bucks, what the hey....

best regards -

mqqn

 

[mqqn]

Hi folks -

I received a new HB mailing today - the 3MCP light is now $6.99 - just FYI - I'll go buy one to see if they are really that bad - for less than 10 bucks, what the hey....

best regards -

mqqn

 

[twentysixtwo]

Swung by my local HF to see - the only $6.99 3MCP light they have has no battery, so I think it's not the same model. Oh well. $12.99 was cheap enough.