happyness and sadness...

Crashking · Jan 16, 2007

well after having my gladius for about 2 months... i decided to order the fm34 beamshaper to see what it was all about since everyone seems to recomend it... well it came today.. i put it on and try twisting it a little to position it better.... the head of the gladius turns a little which has my slightly worried but i turned it to the right to make sure it is sealed down all the way... i had read about installing the fm34 and that you gotta be quick in flipping the latch over... i did that and all went well... but i wanted a bit better placement... and that's where i went wrong... as soon as i lifted up the latch it snapped :awman:

not even 2 mins with having it and i broke it

would surefire cover this under their warranty?

Lee1959 · Jan 16, 2007

Just one question? Is the part you ordered a Surefire part that should fit the Gladius? Or did you mean would Gladius cover it?

Crashking · Jan 16, 2007

it's a surefire fm34 beamshaper... surefire part... many people on here have installed them on gladius's.... i'm looking to see if surefire would replace it... it's supposed to fit the gladius... and it did..... it's just a very close fit.... i put it on ok but when i went to take it off (Pushing the latch up) it broke

surefire themeselves do not state that it would fit, but like i have said... many people on here have had them on their gladius

Sigman · Jan 17, 2007

Let's put it this way, Surefire has no responsibility to provide a warranty on a part that wasn't used as they intended it...now whether or not they would go ahead and do that for you is between you and them.

Ethically - I'd say no.

TigerhawkT3 · Jan 17, 2007

This is the first case I've come across where an FM34 actually broke on a Gladius.

I'm surprised you had the guts to try to reopen the latch once you had closed it already. I've closed mine once, and haven't reopened it at all. It's way too tight for me to be at all comfortable about messing with it.

In theory, the Gladius is supposed to have a 1.25" bezel and the FM34 is supposed to fit 1.25" bezels. In theory, they should work perfectly together.

Of course, they're made by different manufacturers, so "of course" NO's 1.25 will be different from SF's 1.25.

If you didn't know about the tight fit and had simply purchased both products expecting that they would fit (1.25" and all that), then you would be totally justified in getting either SF or NO to pay for the damage.

However, since you knew it was a tight fit before you bought, the situation is pretty cloudy.

Well, I couldn't help myself. In the middle of writing this post, I went ahead and measured the Gladius bezel with my micrometer. It's 1.27" in diameter. If you're going to contact a manufacturer on this, contact Night-Ops.

Crashking · Jan 17, 2007

TigerhawkT3 said:
This is the first case I've come across where an FM34 actually broke on a Gladius.

I'm surprised you had the guts to try to reopen the latch once you had closed it already. I've closed mine once, and haven't reopened it at all. It's way too tight for me to be at all comfortable about messing with it.

In theory, the Gladius is supposed to have a 1.25" bezel and the FM34 is supposed to fit 1.25" bezels. In theory, they should work perfectly together.

Of course, they're made by different manufacturers, so "of course" NO's 1.25 will be different from SF's 1.25.

If you didn't know about the tight fit and had simply purchased both products expecting that they would fit (1.25" and all that), then you would be totally justified in getting either SF or NO to pay for the damage.

However, since you knew it was a tight fit before you bought, the situation is pretty cloudy.

Well, I couldn't help myself. In the middle of writing this post, I went ahead and measured the Gladius bezel with my micrometer. It's 1.27" in diameter. If you're going to contact a manufacturer on this, contact Night-Ops.

yeah i knew better.... should have left it alone once i got it on there... was hesitant about removing it... but decided to try it anyways

even if i didn't know about the tight fit, it would still be a cloudy situation.... the surefire part was designed for surefires... not the night ops

sigman... yeah i know ethically it's not right... but it sucks having just paid for it and already have it broke

i actually think i might leave it as is.... it's still got a nice tight fit on it.... but i can still remove it if i wish to do so...

how easy is it to open the fm34 for ya'll? it's a two handed operation for me because the lip on the clip for the cover is just a little to long and i gotta use another finger to pry it up a little more to flip the cover out of the way

leukos · Jan 17, 2007

I had an FM34 snap on a G2 (tight fit). SF replaced it for me.

beezaur · Jan 17, 2007

I think a Dremmel and a suitable abrasive tool head goes a long way to correcting the problem.

I tried the same with a red SureFire Filter and my Gladius. It was really tight.

It seems to me that the only way to get a good fit with the Galdius and the SureFire covers is to Dremmel them so they fit. Voids the warranty, but that's the price you pay for making a part fit where it isn't designed to be.

Basically, if you made and sold a product to someone, would you care if they modified it to fit something slightly off-size? Probably not. Would you want to pay for their forcing the part where it wasn't supposed to go? Probably not.

Scott

TigerhawkT3 · Jan 17, 2007

Crashking said:
yeah i knew better.... should have left it alone once i got it on there... was hesitant about removing it... but decided to try it anyways

even if i didn't know about the tight fit, it would still be a cloudy situation.... the surefire part was designed for surefires... not the night ops

sigman... yeah i know ethically it's not right... but it sucks having just paid for it and already have it broke

i actually think i might leave it as is.... it's still got a nice tight fit on it.... but i can still remove it if i wish to do so...

how easy is it to open the fm34 for ya'll? it's a two handed operation for me because the lip on the clip for the cover is just a little to long and i gotta use another finger to pry it up a little more to flip the cover out of the way

So it's secure on your light, and it's still removable?

Sounds like you're good.

As I said, I've never removed the FM34 from my Gladius because the latch is really tight, and I don't want to force it because I'm worried about breaking it. I figure that since it's doing such a good job where it is, I don't really care whether or not it's easily removable.

Sigman · Jan 17, 2007

Call them, be honest & explain it...maybe they'll be nice back?

jumpstat · Jan 17, 2007

IMO a replacement is in order as long as:-

1) you have just recently bought it. Bought last year, installed today then forget about proceeding with claims.
2) the items does not show any wear and tear except at the broken parts. Shows that the item is unused prior to 'mechanical failure'.
3) SF did state it can be used on bezels having 1.25" diameter. This is interpreted as this item is not solely designed for surefire lites but including all otherlites having same diameter bevel.
4) Due to manufacturing, exact diameter may not be achievable. So there is always a tolerance, maybe too thick anodising etc. But this should not an excuse for a manufacturer/supplier.
5) Brand is Surefire........goes without saying. Most probably need to fork out logistic fees....

All the best...........

happyness and sadness...

Crashking

Newly Enlightened

Lee1959

Flashlight Enthusiast

Crashking

Newly Enlightened

Sigman

* The Arctic Moderator *

TigerhawkT3

Flashlight Enthusiast

Crashking

Newly Enlightened

leukos

Flashlight Enthusiast

beezaur

Flashlight Enthusiast

TigerhawkT3

Flashlight Enthusiast

Sigman

* The Arctic Moderator *

jumpstat

Flashlight Enthusiast

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