question about Nightcore defender i just bought

[colubrid]

I just bought a Nightcore Defender and the beam spot is full of rings. Never seen or owned a crappier light. Can anyone tell me if this is the norm for the NCD? Or is mine returnable to the factory for this?

 

[PhantomPhoton]

Do you have any other cree-based lights to compare it to? Most cree lights have rings and an ugly beam on the whitewall, but do fine in real use.
It's the nature of the beast imho and a big reason most custom makers use Seouls I'd guess.

Overall I think my NDI is about average in comparative Cree ringy-ness. Definitey not the best out there but not the worst either.

 

[RyanA]

I just bought a Nightcore Defender and the beam spot is full of rings. Never seen or owned a crappier light. Can anyone tell me if this is the norm for the NCD? Or is mine returnable to the factory for this?

That is a tragedy.

To avert any further crisis, you should mail the light to me.
Save yourself the grief. Think about it, if you don't it will just sit there on a shelf somewhere, pissing you off, mocking you. It's easy to see why everyone hates NDIs. I'd be doing you a favor, you'd owe me.

 

[colubrid]

I just want to lmow if this normal for the NCD or not? I am thinking I got a lemon. But if they are all like this then I can live with it.

Anyone else out there have one that can tell me what theirs is like?

 

[jirik_cz]

Ringy beam is common to many cree lights. Maybe you should post a beamshot so we can see if it is normal or not?

 

[ElGreco]

'Full of rings' is rather ambiguous. But from the way you talk about it, you may have very well gotten a lemon. I know my Nitecore Extreme beam is nearly flawless, the halo around the hotspot is is almost non-existant.

 

[LED-holic]

There are a lot of NDI beamshots all over CPF. Have you taken a look at those beamshots to see if your beamshot is similar?

And do you have other lights with Cree emitters? Especially Q5 emitters?

If not, then it is in very poor judgement to use negative words like "crap" without having other similar lights to use as a comparison.

 

[colubrid]

Let me put it this way. This has more rings than the worst 2D incan flashlight of the 60's. Now if this is normal then fine. Otherwise will NCD exchange the light for this flaw or do i have to sell it?

 

[TDKKP]

Let me put it this way. This has more rings than the worst 2D incan flashlight of the 60's. Now if this is normal then fine. Otherwise will NCD exchange the light for this flaw or do i have to sell it?

Sounds like you got a defective one.

Originally Posted by LED-holic
There are a lot of NDI beamshots all over CPF. Have you taken a look at those beamshots to see if your beamshot is similar?

And do you have other lights with Cree emitters? Especially Q5 emitters?

If not, then it is in very poor judgement to use negative words like "crap" without having other similar lights to use as a comparison.

Did you do what LED-holic mentioned?

 

[PhantomPhoton]

Do you have any other cree-based lights ...?

If this is your first cree, then I'd say you're just not initiated into the Cree cult yet. Cree lights almost always have ringy beams.

 

[TITAN1833]

Let me put it this way. This has more rings than the worst 2D incan flashlight of the 60's. Now if this is normal then fine. Otherwise will NCD exchange the light for this flaw or do i have to sell it?

sell it! as you obviously need to get a non cree light.
Also no manufacturer should replace it ,just because you don't like the "rings" color.

One fix,and this advice is free,get a OP reflector :naughty:

 

[Marduke]

There are dozens of NDI beamshots floating around here in many review threads. Why don't you actually look at those beamshots and see how it compares. Also, try using it for actual illumination on something other than a white wall and see how it works.

 

[Fallingwater]

My own NDI is the least ringy Cree light I've ever seen. It doesn't quite come to the level of Seoul-powered lights, but it's the one non-thrower Cree flashlight I own that I'm happy to leave as it it (instead of swapping the LED for a SSC, which is what I've been doing to the others).

 

[Gunner12]

If there is only a single pretty even ring around the hotspot, then that is pretty normal.

But from your description with it full of rings I'd say return the light or get a replacement.

 

[Ninjaz7]

I believe I got lucky,mine is the smoothest transition of most all my cree's.

 

[jirik_cz]

Let me put it this way. This has more rings than the worst 2D incan flashlight of the 60's. Now if this is normal then fine. Otherwise will NCD exchange the light for this flaw or do i have to sell it?

Can you post a beamshot?

 

[Tekno_Cowboy]

If you don't need throw, you could try the satin style scotch tape on the lens to clean up the beam. It did wonders for a couple of cheap cree lights I got at DX. A lid from a 16.9 oz water bottle with the clear lid should fit pretty well over the end of the NDI too, for a less permanent fix.

 

[kaichu dento]

I believe I got lucky,mine is the smoothest transition of most all my cree's.

I think I got lucky with mine too in regards to the lack of ringiness. If I'm looking for white walls I can see a little bit of rings but in usage it's very smooth and has a nice aura around the outside of the flood area that adds just a touch more coverage which I really like.

Unfortunately the user setting is inaccessible and it just turns off if I try to get to it, in addition to being sporadic in regular operation. Although I bought it this way I wonder if there would be any sense in trying to get it repaired?