Ultrafire EMR1 Dead-On-Arrival

[zed]

I'm just getting into the whole 'real' flashlight thing and purchased a Fenix P3D 100 Premium a couple of weeks ago. Being really happy with the Fenix, I thought I'd see what the cheaper brands are like, so went for the UF EMR1.

It Arrived this morning from Hong Kong and doesn't work with the supplied battery, nor one of my own batteries.

In addition to not working, the battery is very hard to remove once inserted. It took me a good 10/15 minutes to remove the battery.

Is there anything I can try to get this working, or do I just accept it being dead.

I've contacted the seller to see what they suggest, but if I need to return it to Honk Kong, in general, do sellers expect the buyer to pay for return postage? If so, there would be no point in returning it due to the postage costs from the UK to Hong Kong.

Any advice is appreciated!

Thanks
Z

p.s. I can't help feeling I should have gone for the Fenix P1D CE for £25 ($50?) instead!

 

[Norm]

What battery are you using? there is plenty of room even for a protected cell.
Norm

 

[zed]

I've tried both the standard CR123A that was supplied free with the light, and also my UF RCR123A Protected battery.

Neither work, and both get stuck :mecry:

 

[BSCOTT1504]

You should have gone with the P1D-CE!

 

[onthebeam]

Hang in there. It's a terrific light and I'm sorry to hear yours may have problems. In mine, the battery fits easily, too. Most dealers are pretty good about replacements for defective items. You may have to be a bit patient waiting for the replacement, though.

 

[zed]

Quick update; While reading your comments I thought maybe the reason it isn't working is because the battery is so tight it isn't making contact, so I just pressed firmly on the battery and it went further into the light by approx 3mm - and it worked!!

In my excitement I started typing this reply, then I thought let me just try it again - and it didn't work! I made sure the battery was pressed in as far as it'll go and tried again - still nothing. I then placed some pressure with my thumb on the lens and the light fired up.

So now it's working intermittently - when it doesn't fire up straight from the clicky, I need to press the lense slightly and it then works.

The other problem is, how to get the battery out??

When I first inserted the battery this morning I noticed a lip in the battery chamber half way down. So when I dropped the battery into the chamber it went in half way without a problem, then I had to exert some pressure to get it all the way in.

I've tried removing the top half of the light, but it doesn't seem to move at all.

Any tips for disassembly?

 

[bspofford]

I have a number of these lights, and a few have a rim of metal at tail end of the battery tube that juts into the cavity. It suggests that the tubing of the body may have been cut with a tubing cutter. It is also possible that cutting the threads caused the aluminum to bend inward. If you can unthread the body from the head, you can remove the battery for repair of the tube. About a third of my lights unthread rather easily. If not, you need to persistently shake the tube like a thermometer or maybe rap the tail end against your open hand. Once you have the battery out, get a small piece of 400 grit silicone carbide sandpaper and remove the metal rim jutting into the battery tube at the tail. Batteries insert more easily if there is a slight chamfer at the back opening of the tube. If this doesn't work, send it back to the UltraFire Shop. They gave me good after-sale support when I had problems.

 

[zed]

Thanks for your advice.

I've tried unthreading the head, but it won't move. The tail end of the light doesn't appear to be the problem as the battery initially inserted very easily. I only had to put some pressure on the battery when it was already 3/4 of the way in, so I guess the problem is at the head end of the tube.

I've tried pulling the battery out by gripping the plastic covering of the battery from the tail end with a pair of tweezers. I can rotate the battery around, but won't pull out at all.

My other idea was to drive a screw into the base of the battery then pull the battery out by the screw using some pliers. However I think this will be a last resort.

I emailed Ultrafire shop/Newexcite (from where I purchased the light) this morning and will see what they say.

Thanks again
Z

 

[Norm]

You could try glueing something to the base of the battery with super glue or epoxy then use that to pull the cell out.
Norm

 

[zed]

Fantastic idea Norm, I have some epoxy resin somewhere!!

I'll give that a ago :thumbsup: