New Ra Lights products

[EEG]

I don't own a Twisty or a Clicky yet but have been waiting on the bugs to be worked out. I'm certainly glad I did but I wouldn't think the plan was release these new products this soon after the initial release. Remember how long ago they were supposed to release? That probably would have been a resonable amount of time between the first release and shot so I feel it was beyond his control and of course you want to have new products for such an event.

 

[litetube]

I should fine tune what I said even further. I think Ra does owe those who bought the 1st runs of the clicky and are having problems , as in , RA should be paying for ALL shipping costs to and from to get the lights in proper working order . It is enough of an inconvenience to have to send it back and deal with it in the first place but the pain should be minimal for the customer. The customer is the LIFEBLOOD of a business . If there does seem to be a bad taste in everyones mouth , it is also not a bad idea for the business to take this into serious consideration and possibly come up with something to get back on track with the consumer . It would only benefit the business overall to be in good standing after rough patches.
But what do I know, I am just an idiot who plays with lights :duh2:

 

[LLCoolBeans]

I think Ra does owe those who bought the 1st runs of the clicky and are having problems , as in , RA should be paying for ALL shipping costs to and from to get the lights in proper working order .

I would agree with that. Especially for the international customers that have to pay a lot of money and wait a looong time. That would be fair. One should not have to pay to have a defective product repaired. Assuming that product is truly defective.

 

[tebore]

Henry will likely say nothing and not respond to justify the price drops and compare his first run with the new second runs.

If you notice he will only respond when it benefits him to do so.

 

[Kamakazikev24]

Would not be surprised.....

He didn't like me posting on here.

 

[LLCoolBeans]

If you notice he will only respond when it benefits him to do so.

Why on earth would he respond if it didn't benefit him to do so? Keeping his customers happy benefits him.

 

[tebore]

Why on earth would he respond if it didn't benefit him to do so? Keeping his customers happy benefits him.

How can any response on this matter make any of his past customers happy?
"Thanks to all you early supporters, we finally have a product that is bug free. Thanks for being paying beta testers and for paying for the R&D costs so now we can make money." How's something along those lines going to make anyone happy?

I still say he's gonna let it ride. Don't get me wrong. The engineer in me loves his products. The business man in me shakes my head at his style.

 

[LLCoolBeans]

How can any response on this matter make any of his past customers happy?
"Thanks to all you early supporters, we finally have a product that is bug free. Thanks for being paying beta testers and for paying for the R&D costs so now we can make money." How something along those lines going to make anyone happy?

I have no idea what he plans to do or say or post. I just think that getting upset about this situation at this point in time is premature.

 

[MikeG1P315]

When Microsoft or Apple are done beta testing software and mass produce it, the earliest adopters are most prone to being effected by bugs that were not previously found in the more limited beta testing.

Sure, OS updates for uncaught bugs are free, but that distribution technology does not exist in this industry.

My point is that the early Ra adopters were not beta testers. They were willhng free market purchasers of a production technology which began to exhibit problematic behavior that was new after mass production began.

As long as Henry honors the warranty on the original lights and fixes the issues as he hs been, I dont see an issue here.

Everyone knew the Twisty had a price drop right after production ramped up.

 

[Bullzeyebill]

Henry is doing right by his customers of the RA lights, even to the customers of his original HDS lights. Using CPF'ers as beta testers is ok too, and it has allowed his wonderful lights to be produced, and improved. You sort of have to be amazed and appreciative, about what happens on CPF, and what CPF allows to happen. Henry does.

Bill

 

[HDS_Systems]

Death's Head,

Military hard anodize is HA-III - i.e., Type 3 anodize. All of our flashlights are military hard anodize for the best possible protection.

UnderTheWeepingMoon,

The GT models are and will continue to be available. They will be renamed to Ra Clicky Executive GT and they will return to our web site under the custom heading. I expect the dealers to continue to carry them as a regular offering.

Pöbel,

All of those items are on the lower priced models.

Armed_Forces,

We build our flashlights in Tucson, Arizona. Even the less expensive ones.

Henry.

 

[Moka]

Henry, are the bezels and/or the tailcaps going to be available (at a reasonable price) for us earlier adopters to purchase???
I personally would have loved the black bezel instead of the silver and I'm sure I'm not alone...:thumbsup:

 

[HDS_Systems]

Kamakazikev24,

Here is a test to perform on your new favorite flashlight. Change the battery 250 times and let me know if this is still your favorite flashlight. Unscrew the battery compartment completely and then screw it back together completely - with the battery installed. Please keep count of how many times you do this. If your new favorite flashlight is a standard production model, I bet you will have something interesting to say.

Moka,

Parts will be available so you can mix and match. We are still working out the details but when they become available separately, it will be announced.

Henry.

 

[LLCoolBeans]

Kamakazikev24,

Here is a test to perform on your new favorite flashlight. Change the battery 250 times and let me know if this is still your favorite flashlight. Unscrew the battery compartment completely and then screw it back together completely - with the battery installed. Please keep count of how many times you do this. If your new favorite flashlight is a standard production model, I bet you will have something interesting to say.

:laughing:

 

[m16a]

Kamakazikev24,

Here is a test to perform on your new favorite flashlight. Change the battery 250 times and let me know if this is still your favorite flashlight. Unscrew the battery compartment completely and then screw it back together completely - with the battery installed. Please keep count of how many times you do this. If your new favorite flashlight is a standard production model, I bet you will have something interesting to say.

Henry.

Henry, since it isn't very clearly spelled out on your site or userguides, could you please give a short nutshell summary of the differences between Executive/Tactical and ExecutiveEDC/TacticalEDC. I've noticed that the "EDCs" don't appear to have the burst feature and instead use a 120 lumen high. Other than that, I see no difference. Also, do you have a projected price range for the black steel bezel rings and the "tactical" switches? I'm quite curious about both of those options. Thanks,

m16a

 

[270winchester]

good to hear all that, Henry. Looks like a few Ra's will be in my tool boxes soon.

 

[Moka]

Moka,

Parts will be available so you can mix and match. We are still working out the details but when they become available separately, it will be announced.

Henry.

Cheers mate, Thanks for the update :thumbsup:

 

[zenas]

Kamakazikev24,

Here is a test to perform on your new favorite flashlight. Change the battery 250 times and let me know if this is still your favorite flashlight. Unscrew the battery compartment completely and then screw it back together completely - with the battery installed. Please keep count of how many times you do this. If your new favorite flashlight is a standard production model, I bet you will have something interesting to say.

Henry.

Henry,

I'm not Kamakazikev24, but I think you are not in the position to (even if only indirectly) "bash" another manufacturer (and this "bashing" is one thing I recognized in your posts a long time ago). You were involved in the development of Kamakazikev24's new favorite flashlight - and therefore you may (or may not) be aware of its weak point.
Anyway, the first production Clickys were far away from being perfect and a few issues (not all) could have been solved before selling them - because you already knew about some issues from developing Kamakazikev24's favorite flashlight. And some issues could have been found with proper quality control. Examples are the low level flickering, Kamakazikev24's flashing and a locator flash which varies in output depending on the light's temperature.
You just have to admit these issues and you should talk about YOUR issues (and not the issues of another manufacturer) because we are talking about YOUR lights, YOUR customers and we are waiting for a solution from YOU!
Besides all, you should refer to more posts than to those being useful for you and maybe you should give a description of every new model (maybe in the manufacturer corner?!) you offer!
There are still ome points left, which are not clear (even after reading the manual for the new lights and the descriptions on your page):

1.) Which features belong to the different models? (just make a complete AND CLEAR list! e.g.: potted electronics, reverse polarity protection, burst, output guaranteed for 1 hour, etc...)
2.) Are all the issues mentioned for the first production Clickys solved?
3.) Is the price drop a result of improving the manufacturing process?
4.) Do you still have issues with the anodizing and do you already have a solution how to solve them? (e.g. deeper knurling?)
5.) When will these models be available?

I'm not trying to put you down, but I want you to be honest with us! Just talk about your issues and everything is fine - customers want YOU to talk to them and NOT to hide something. That makes things easier for both sides - and your customers will take everything lightly! Please work on your communication skills Henry!

Additional comments on the new models:
It's nice to hear you are offering all the parts separately; do you mean both, bezels (in black) and the tactical tailcap?
The new opportunities for your customers look great indeed. Many different models and many options. Looks like everyone can choose his/her perfect model. Are you going to offer the new lights as a "WW" (warm white) models via your dealer like you are doing with the "GT" models? I know this means you need another description (because the WW models are not capable of a 140lm output right now) - but the WW models are crazing a lot of people here on CPF...
Nevertheless: Can you tell something more on your "custom" program? We already know you want to offer a black HA and a natural HA. Will we be allowed to choose the emitter, too? To choose the tailcap? The bezel?


Edit: I was wrong here: "[...] via your dealer like you are doing with the "GT" models?"
Correction: You are offering the GT-models via your "custom" program - can we expect the same for the "WW" models?

 

[Kid9P]

My point is that the early Ra adopters were not beta testers. They were willhng free market purchasers of a production technology which began to exhibit problematic behavior that was new after mass production began.

As long as Henry honors the warranty on the original lights and fixes the issues as he hs been, I dont see an issue here.

I could not have said it better myself :thumbsup:

 

[bullfrog]

Wow I was literally ready to purchase a clicky on Friday - now there are a lot of decisions!

I was looking over the specs on the site and maybe Henry can answer:

1. Are the clicky tactical and clicky executive (both have 140 lumens as an output option) capable of the 140 lumens for one hour in regulation? Or is it just the burst output?

2. Are the clicky tactical EDC and clicky executive EDC (both have 120 lumens as an output option) capable of the 120 lumens for one hour in regulation? Or is it just the burst output?

3. Other than the bezel color, beam pattern and a flush tailcap, is there a difference between the clicky tactical and clicky executive models?

4. Is the 20 lumen difference in output the ONLY difference between the clicky EDC models and the respective "premium" ones?

Did that make sense? :thinking:

Thanks for your time and help!!!
-Harry