LOD Keeps Falling Apart!

I came home today and saw an object on the ground right outside the front door. It was the head from my daughter's LOD-CE. I texted her at work and asked if she was missing something from her flashlight. She said that the head was missing for a couple of days. "It has happened about seven times already; the head keeps falling off!"
Any suggestions? A pouch kind of defeats the purpose and utility of a keyring flashlight, which is kind of dissappointment if necessary! This never happened to my wife's Maglight Solitaire, though in all other respects there is no comparison in terms of durability or brightness. I guess that there is a tradeoff between ease of use of a twisty and the potential for the head to fall off. The only solution I can think of is for Fenix to decrease the thread pitch and/or increase the number of threads.
Anyone else with this problem?

Get a thicker o-ring for the head?
Squeeze the head slightly off round?

I noticed that my LOD CE head was very easy to turn and was concerned about it working its way off. I switched the o-ring from another spare fenix model which was thicker and now the head has much more resistance. I can't remember what o-ring the spare came from. Maybe the LOP SE or E1.

If you can get a thicker o-ring use it or maybe even some teflon tape to make the threads tighter.

Hasn't happened with mine. I'd say try to get the dealer to exchange it.

I carried one regularly for months and never had that problem. Even If I unscrewed the bezel enough that it was impossible to "squeeze" the light on, it was still quite a long ways away from unscrewing itself. Using teflon tape on the threads as suggested earlier is a worthwhile idea. I have done that on some crappier twisty lights (that were prone to having the heads fall off) with good results.

I guess that there is a tradeoff between ease of use of a twisty and the potential for the head to fall off. The only solution I can think of is for Fenix to decrease the thread pitch and/or increase the number of threads.
Anyone else with this problem?

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Actually, the current light I am EDCing now, a Liteflux LF2, is actually desigend so that the light is off when the bezel is tightened, solving both the problems of the head falling off, or accidentally coming on due to pressure on the head. (a more common problem in my case)

I had the LOP SE and now the LOD CE for my key chain, and have never had that happen to either one. I even keep it well lubed so it's easy to turn, and it is always in the same position that I left it. All I can say is try some of the suggestions above. Maybe tell your daughter that it only needs a slight turn from the on position to turn it off.

Consider installing a ball bearing swivel between the light and key ring. You can buy them in the fishing supply section of a sporting goods store.

I use them on pill safes and Maglite Solitaires to prevent those items from coming apart due to pocket friction.

I think the head on this one has defective threads. If I screw the head down tight, then back off just one full turn only, the head can be pulled off of the body with a pop. No wonder the head kept coming off. I will send this one back to the Fenix-Store for evaluation and repair/replacement. Thanks for the suggestions.

sounds like a faulty unit. definitely replace it.

jki said:

I think the head on this one has defective threads. If I screw the head down tight, then back off just one full turn only, the head can be pulled off of the body with a pop. No wonder the head kept coming off. I will send this one back to the Fenix-Store for evaluation and repair/replacement. Thanks for the suggestions.

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Definitely faulty. Mine would require several full turns before coming off, and it could not be forced off as you described. The only problem I might have would be if I unscrewed it by too little, it might come on due to pressure in my pocket and drain the battery.

Consider installing a ball bearing swivel between the light and key ring. You can buy them in the fishing supply section of a sporting goods store.

I use them on pill safes and Maglite Solitaires to prevent those items from coming apart due to pocket friction.

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A bigger deal is that if there is not enough play between the light and other things like keys, pressure in the pocket can cause significant torque, and lead to breakage of the split ring, which might cause the entire light to be lost. Either installing a "chain" or rings, or a swivel as you mentioned is a wise idea.

What I am actually doing is I have several rings with only a few items on each -- one with my car keys, one with a set of my most commonly used keys, one with my LF2, one with my thumbdrive. I then clip each of these rings separately into a small carabiner. That way, I can remove items like the thumbdrive, or flashlight easily.

2xTrinity said:

What I am actually doing is I have several rings with only a few items on each -- one with my car keys, one with a set of my most commonly used keys, one with my LF2, one with my thumbdrive. I then clip each of these rings separately into a small carabiner. That way, I can remove items like the thumbdrive, or flashlight easily.

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That is what I do. The Honda key and remote on one split ring, the Toyota key and remote on another split ring, the house keys on their own split ring, and the LOD CE on its own swivel/quick release. This set up works very well for me, as it just keeps things nice and organized.

BTW 2xTrinity....Thanks alot. I guess I don't already have enough stuff on my key chain....Apparently I need to put a thumb drive on there also?:ironic:

I would return it if possible

Just checked my L0D-CE, it's not possible to pop the head off, as others have said yours is definately faulty. Good luck, I know Fenix-Store/4sevens will make it right for you, their customer service is excellent.

I'm allways a little concerned that my head (well, that of my flashlight of course ) might get lost, too!
That's why I like the LiteFlux LF2 so much: There you have to fasten the head to switch it off!