My 1st LED flashlight not good

I been reading up and getting lots of info from this great forum.

I bought a Fenix L2D Rebel 100 Premium a few days ago. Received it
yesterday, and the USPS priority mail box was smashed good on one
side and stamped "received in damaged condition" in red. Hmm.
The lights carton was moderately smashed, but the light seemed alright.
Called USPS and they said 'no insurance, to bad.'

The light flickers (almost on and off looking it's so bad) in medium mode,
and a slight flicker in the other modes. I tried the usual new light trouble
shooting: new batteries, tighten inside tail cap, cleaned all contact points
with alcohol. But it's still the same. Hardly works in "candle mode" either
cause the button sticks out to far and it falls over real easy.

It is very bluish beam, not at all like the beamshots from the Rebel model
I've seen. I got the rebel cause I thought it was supposed to be more
yellowish. I don't like the classic LED bluish look at all.

I wanted a surefire 6P incan, but won't take a chance on those 123
batteries exploding or causing a house fire I've heard so much about.

That's too bad. Where did you get your rebel 100 from? I think there was a recall on the rebel LEDs which is why Fenix-store stopped carrying them.

It also could be due to the rough handling by the postal carrier as well.

The L2D Q5 I have from Fenix Store is awesome.

Paul520 said:

I wanted a surefire 6P incan, but won't take a chance on those 123 batteries exploding or causing a house fire I've heard so much about.

Click to expand...

If you want a 6P, get one. Don't worry about CR123A batteries. They are reliable and safe so long as you stick to USA made batteries, don't try to recharge them or mix different brands.

As long as you use decent CR123 batteries(no no-name batteries), they should be safe.

As for the L2D, if you're in the US, send it to Fenix Store and see if you can get a replacement. Or try contacting the seller.

:welcome:

One other trouble shooting tip. I have had a similar problem with my P2D (flickering). Look inside the tailcap and you will see a metal plate with two dimples on it (wish I had pictures). Take tip of a pen or a paper clip and screw the metal plate in clockwise. Sometimes it comes loose when you take the tailcap off.

DesertFox said:

One other trouble shooting tip. I have had a similar problem with my P2D (flickering). Look inside the tailcap and you will see a metal plate with two dimples on it (wish I had pictures). Take tip of a pen or a paper clip and screw the metal plate in clockwise. Sometimes it comes loose when you take the tailcap off.

Click to expand...

Thanks. I tried that too. It did turn maybe 2 mm but didn't help. Used a
needle nose pliers that fit perfect. Got it at lighthound and there sending
another one. Really hope the 2nd one is better. Would have got the Q5 at
first, but wanted a less bluish tint one. PS- this board is the best!

Paul520 said:

I wanted a surefire 6P incan, but won't take a chance on those 123
batteries exploding or causing a house fire I've heard so much about.

Click to expand...

I supposed that your also stay away from cellphones and labtop computers for the same reason.

If not, then scratch that reason and get some CR123A lights (The 6P is an ok light, but not my favorite CR123A light).

I hope the replacement is OK as it is a superb light! I had not realized that lighthound still had R100s left.

Are the batteries you are using fresh?

:welcome:

Yes, I tried fresh alkalines, and eneloops too.

ps- don't have a cell phone or laptop but not for that reason,
didn't know they take 123's also.

Paul520 said:

Thanks. I tried that too. It did turn maybe 2 mm but didn't help. Used a
needle nose pliers that fit perfect. Got it at lighthound and there sending
another one. Really hope the 2nd one is better. Would have got the Q5 at
first, but wanted a less bluish tint one. PS- this board is the best!

Click to expand...

FYI, the flux bin has absolute nothing to do with the tint bin. They are completely separate. You are just as likely to get a warm Q5 and cool P4 as you are a cool Q5 and warm P4

Paul520 said:

I wanted a surefire 6P incan, but won't take a chance on those 123
batteries exploding or causing a house fire I've heard so much about.

Click to expand...

Ditch the chinalight and get the surefire 6P. It is a real flashlight. As long as you stick to quality lithium cells like Surefire, Duracell and Energizer and don't mix new batteries with old you will be fine.

To me it sounds like you got a defective light.
Good to hear you got it from Lighthound, you'll be taken care of. :thumbsup:

Only inferior quality, bargain or ebay CR123 batteries should be worried about exploding. If you use a good quality brand (not necessarily expensive mind you) you have zero to worry about.

Marduke:
I think he manes he's trying to get that nice tint that rebels usually to give versus the lottery that you get when buying a cree for tint. Conventional wisdom right now says LumiLEDs have better tints than Cree/ SCC in general so I don't blame him.

Paul520 said:

...... the USPS priority mail box was smashed good on one side and stamped "received in damaged condition" in red. Hmm.

Click to expand...

I hate that. I've had stuff arrive this way that was shipped in good condition. 'Received in damaged condition' is a half-truth, it did arrive to your local post office that way but somewhere along the line the Post Office damaged the package.

I wonder if certain merchants could test the light first before mailing?
(to check tint and function) I'm not at all rich and cannot buy 10 of em
and then keep the one with best desirable tint. Is this really as hit
and miss as I've read here? (The same model, etc. all over the chart
in respect to tint)

You've convinced me 123's are safe, but now I gotta save for quite
a while to get the 6P I really wanted. The different modes of fenix are
nice, but after playing with them one day, to me seem unnecessary.
I would get the 6PD cause the switch click on/off. (vs twist)
Then get a nice LED drop in for it too.

I know, they should have stamped the box "Damaged in transit by USPS",
instead of the truly misleading statement they used. Just like the
government to never admit fault though.

Paul520 said:

...
ps- don't have a cell phone or laptop but not for that reason,
didn't know they take 123's also.

Click to expand...

They don't take CR123s, but they do use rechargeable batteries with lithium in them. Either Lithium polymer or Lithium-ion batteries. Unless you try to puncture the cells or overcharge them, they will be fine.

As for CR123s, just buy from respectable companies.

I don't mean to be a total deal killer here or anything, but comparing CR123 primary lithium cells to the lithium-ion cells found in many consumer devices is very misleading. They have very different track records for reliability and safety, with CR123s having a much higher occurrence of violent failures than rechargeable li-ions in consumer devices. In both cases, the track record is overall very good, the odds of having a good quality name brand cell explode on you is very low.

mdocod said:

I don't mean to be a total deal killer here or anything, but comparing CR123 primary lithium cells to the lithium-ion cells found in many consumer devices is very misleading. They have very different track records for reliability and safety, with CR123s having a much higher occurrence of violent failures than rechargeable li-ions in consumer devices. In both cases, the track record is overall very good, the odds of having a good quality name brand cell explode on you is very low.

Click to expand...

Likely only because with rechargeable lithiums in consumer devices come matched to the device with a matching charger and matching over voltage/undervoltage/overdischarge protection. It's a 'system'.

CR123A's for photography use I'm sure the failures are nil. It's all the other high current, multi cell usages that are riskier.

There was a Webinar on this past week on aftermarket battery packs that I 'sat' in on - showed counterfeit lipo and lithium ion cell construction. Interesting that there are 3rd party/counterfeit primary and secondary packs being made for medical devices!

Paul520 said:

I would get the 6PD cause the switch click on/off. (vs twist)
Then get a nice LED drop in for it too.

Click to expand...

The 6P is a twistie, your must twist the tail to turn it permanently on. The switch will only turn it on, while depressed.

HKJ said:

The 6P is a twistie, your must twist the tail to turn it permanently on. The switch will only turn it on, while depressed.

Click to expand...

6P Defenders have clickie switches...it's the 6P Original that has the "tactical" tailcap.

Paul520 said:

I wonder if certain merchants could test the light first before mailing?
(to check tint and function) I'm not at all rich and cannot buy 10 of em
and then keep the one with best desirable tint. Is this really as hit
and miss as I've read here? (The same model, etc. all over the chart
in respect to tint)

You've convinced me 123's are safe, but now I gotta save for quite
a while to get the 6P I really wanted. The different modes of fenix are
nice, but after playing with them one day, to me seem unnecessary.
I would get the 6PD cause the switch click on/off. (vs twist)
Then get a nice LED drop in for it too.

I know, they should have stamped the box "Damaged in transit by USPS",
instead of the truly misleading statement they used. Just like the
government to never admit fault though.

Click to expand...

If your looking for a single stage light with a warm tint check out the the 2008 INOVA T-series.Both the T1 and T2 are in the same price range as the 6P and are brighter with longer run times.The 5 T-series lights I have are all warm tinted and three of those lights have very warm tints.The T-series lights use the TFFC K2 LED that offers considerable improvement over the old K2s and LUX IIIs.