your lights that have NEVER failed?

[turbodog]

There's plenty to go wrong. It's got a momentary/clickie switch like a surefire. It's also got a sliding contact strip/spring assembly in the focusing mechanism. Then there's the tail spring to tailcap contact.

ok for maglights there is nothing to go wrong. its a battery tube if you dont count bulbs and batteries. how does that sound impressive? "i had that minimag and the body didnt lose the ability to conduct electricity. amazing"

 

[turbodog]

No particular pattern. I do replace batteries when they start to yellow significantly.

The 4g mag rode in a vehicle for ~10 years also.

I did buy, and still do, the official mag bulbs. I still have some of my original bulbs from back in the day.

TurboDog how do you mostly use your lights to keep the bulbs intact for such a long time?....I am curious if you most often have them on for short periods of time or do you run them longer....also is there any difference in the bulbs offered 20 years ago VS the ones of today?....those are some truly amazing figures on those Mags you have.

 

[search_and_rescue]

Powerful story, Search_and_Rescue.

Glad that you managed OK during that difficult time.


Thank you for sharing this. Would like to hear more, if you wouldn't mind.

(probably best if you started another thread, however)

Thank you Burgess. I had long forgotten about the '94 Northridge Quake. Those were Chuck Yeager days for flashlights. On a wing and a prayer. :candle:

 

[Well-Lit]

All my HDS EDC's. All my Surefires with twisty tailcaps.

 

[search_and_rescue]

my a2 has never fialed me and i dont expect it to either. my m3t only fialed me once and that was surefires bulbs problem. my u2 never fialed me and i abused it hard and it never fialed. either has my 8nx drop it many times and it has never fialed. the only light i have ever had problems with was bulbs keep blowing in my G2, but that is my only real issue so far.

My Surefire A2 Aviator with White LED's have never failed me either. I have used it many times on tough solo hikes in cold weather. The main beam always lit up the trail ahead, never once dimming or failing as long as the batteries were strong enough to sustain the 50 lumens.

 

[kevinm]

My Triton P1 and my moded Fenix E1 have never failed in any way.

Kevin

 

[hktome]

my most trusted lights that have NEVER failed :streamlight twin task (2 cell 123), scorpion (2 cell 123) lights that HAVE failed:HK UTL MK. 1 streamlight M3 gunlight ,AA mag light, mag charger

 

[chesterqw]

all

except for a tec 40 which i over drive a 3cell bulb in...

it was so white....well, it lasted a few mins

lithium cells rocks

 

[tenfour]

mine are a bunch of lapdogs they get an easy life, well fed, never see harsh conditions.

But in the past I have put some pelicans through some major abuse. I have had stealthlites break on me - the battery contact in the bottom of the tube can break off if you drop batteries in too hard. A really fatal problem; the light is useless after that. I believe newer stealthlites have better battery contacts that don't have this problem. Same with the sabrelite, they started using a battery carrier that helped minimize abuse to the battery contacts.

Another Pelican king lite failed on me - the switches on those are so horribly designed i don't know what they were thinking. the lite is a huge 8D dive light, with a really rugged housing, and this puny flimsy switch that breaks off (rendering the light completely unusable) under the lightest force. I haven't seen any of the newer "Aqua king" models, but hopefully they have fixed this ridiculous flaw.

Now, though, I have a surefire U2, wiseled tactical, some headlamps, huntlight ft-01, and some others which rarely get abused more than just a minor drop in the mud or cement. All work great.

 

[mossyoak]

There's plenty to go wrong. It's got a momentary/clickie switch like a surefire. It's also got a sliding contact strip/spring assembly in the focusing mechanism. Then there's the tail spring to tailcap contact.

i was talking aobut the minimag. the mag has more to go wrong and they do have aobut the most durable switch in the business.

 

[Xenon]

It'll be great if anyone can post pics of your tried & tested lights, i just love to see beat up lights that continue serving their owners all these years

 

[ringzero]

But in the past I have put some pelicans through some major abuse. I have had stealthlites break on me...Same with the sabrelite, they started using a battery carrier that helped minimize abuse to the battery contacts...Pelican king lite failed on me - the switches on those are so horribly designed i don't know what they were thinking.

I think Pelican has had some major Quality issues with their plastic lights, but that their newer plastic lights are way better.

During the 1980s, I had terrible luck with their Sabrelight lineup of lights, including the Super Sabrelight. Also had bad luck with their small, waterproof Mightylight lineup.

Granted, some of these lights failed during caving, which can test flashlights to destruction in short order. But, other Pelican lights failed for me in relatively benign environments.

Pelican had a great reputation back then. People swore they were great lights with a great warranty, so I kept buying and trying them out, but was never that impressed with the ones I got.

In fact, after the total failure of a nearly new Sabrelight on a backpacking trip, I swore I'd never again buy a Pelican light.

Sorry Pelican fans, but those were my experiences.

 

[Nereus]

ok for maglights there is nothing to go wrong. its a battery tube if you dont count bulbs and batteries. how does that sound impressive? "i had that minimag and the body didnt lose the ability to conduct electricity. amazing"

Maglight body (actually *any* aluminium flashlight body) can lose its ability to conduct electricity through oxidisation.

-N

 

[voodoogreg]

peak mattie lug/shasta pocket both ultra hi power

SF KL-1/VG FB-1 rig. (till i lost it )

SF E1e and E2d though both need lamps(and I am broke)

photon freedom's.

CMG sonics and IU's

Magcharger (need's batt pack but too broke to get one)

so leaves my trusty HDS B-60 on batt station li ions (but they seem a little runtime short now after 2, 2 1/2 yr's, need some new RCR123's but i'm broke story of my life lately :mecry: ) VDG

 

[h2xblive]

Surefire G2 (except for a broken lamp or faulty batteries, I can't imagine how it could fail on me.)
AA MiniMag (the original, not LED)
My ARC-P AAA (but it will fail on me eventually...)