andrewnewman
Enlightened
Greetings:
I recently purchased a Novatac Storm. This is my first Novatac and I am *mostly* happy with it but it certainly doesn't live up to my (possibly inflated) expectations. The light looks more rugged than it is. The battery tube is quite wide and has a weird spring in it that the battery bounces against if it is dropped from even a short distance. Occasionally it will turn on if dropped and every once in a while (usually right after battery changes) it requires a reset to behave properly. For the record, I did tighten down the head and tail retaining rings to assure reliable contact. I recently put a fresh primary in it and will probably keep it in my office desk for "around the office" illumination. I doubt I will count on it for any "mission critical" activities. By contrast, the recently acquired Jetbeam RRT-0 is built like a tank and inspires *great* confidence for a new flashlight.
So... Given that Novatac has a reputation for reliable heavy duty flashlights, I am looking for input from someone who owns both a new Storm or Witchita and also one of the previous generations of Novatacs. I know the new ones have a lower price point due to being built overseas but I was hoping the quality would be equivalent to the US made ones. Am I mistaken here? If so, just how much better built are the US ones? The only things I know are that the new ones appear to have an aluminum (vs. steel) bezel and that they aren't hard anodized anymore. Any other differences?
I recently purchased a Novatac Storm. This is my first Novatac and I am *mostly* happy with it but it certainly doesn't live up to my (possibly inflated) expectations. The light looks more rugged than it is. The battery tube is quite wide and has a weird spring in it that the battery bounces against if it is dropped from even a short distance. Occasionally it will turn on if dropped and every once in a while (usually right after battery changes) it requires a reset to behave properly. For the record, I did tighten down the head and tail retaining rings to assure reliable contact. I recently put a fresh primary in it and will probably keep it in my office desk for "around the office" illumination. I doubt I will count on it for any "mission critical" activities. By contrast, the recently acquired Jetbeam RRT-0 is built like a tank and inspires *great* confidence for a new flashlight.
So... Given that Novatac has a reputation for reliable heavy duty flashlights, I am looking for input from someone who owns both a new Storm or Witchita and also one of the previous generations of Novatacs. I know the new ones have a lower price point due to being built overseas but I was hoping the quality would be equivalent to the US made ones. Am I mistaken here? If so, just how much better built are the US ones? The only things I know are that the new ones appear to have an aluminum (vs. steel) bezel and that they aren't hard anodized anymore. Any other differences?