Surefire switch unreliable to non-flashaholics

I visited my parents recently, showed them the E2. They were impressed with its output/size of course.

That reminded them of a Surefire D3 (like a 9P) I gave them as a gift. So they said they keep it upstairs, but that "you have to get it just right" to get it to turn on, and stay on.

Hmmmmmmmmm.....

That doesn't sound right at all.

Can I see it?

I gave it to them new in box, of course they did not read the instructions (blasted non-flashaholics!).

Turns out that they figured out how to turn it on by tightening the tailcap switch.

To turn it off, they LOOSEN THE BEZEL, which leaves the light in an unstable state, you can shake the light and it blinks on/off.

To turn it back on, tighten the bezel. This ignores the position of the threaded tailcap switch, you can imagine that at some point it must have been unscrewed enough to disengage the switch so "it won't light no matter how hard you twist it on" (the bezel that is).

Drives home the lesson that no matter how good the tool you have, you gotta know how to use it.

Let me guess....They were ex Maglite users

Eric

Coherence,
that topic heading you chose startled me badly !!
A nicely told story though.

Trouble is, I don't know whether to laugh or cry about it ??

Hey, any chance that they want to exchange that troublesome D3 for a Legend LX ......

lightlover

I've got a box full of Mags that light EVERY time the bezel is twisted. Trade?

There are people that I seriously will not even consider getting a high-performance flashlight for. My mom is at the top of the list.