My EX10 - Erratic operation

Hi all
I started this as a new thread because I think that what I´m about to tell you is a little bit different from what I´ve read so far in all the reviews and impressions concerning the EX10 light. I´ve received mine about a week ago after a long wait because the Post here was on strike. Pitty because 4sevens was so kind in sending it per First Class International Post at no charge. But anyway, that means, my light is one from the first pre-order batch. It came with the known operational problems due to the thick layer of viscous lubricant on the piston. Knowing that, I cleaned up the piston, lubed it with a fluid silicon based lubricant and put it to work. It worked a little better but still with some erratic behavior. Then I looked at the contact ring and saw that it didn´t travel smoothly back and forth (this has been already discussed in another thread). So I disassembled the head and lubed the spring underneath it but even after that I noticed that the ring occasionally didn´t moved freely and got stuck in the middle of the travel in a tilted position. Put it again to work and it was a little better than the last time but still far from satisfactory. Then, last night when I was outside in my darkened backyard testing the light and trying to make some rough comparisons with my Novatac and HDS, it happened what shouldn´t never happen, that is the light when turned on wouldn´t stay on after releasing the switch. It started to act in a momentary mode although the head was tightly screwed. I opened it up, pressed the contact ring a few times closed it and it worked again. This problem happened again twice afterwards and I think this could be a serious issue in a real emergency use! It is important to note that I could not reproduce this defect again, which means, it happens randomly.
I´ll list down the issues that I still have with the light in decreasing order of importance:
1 - Goes to momentary mode as discussed above
2 - With the light on, I frequently fail to switch to max (two clicks and hold) or switch to min (two clicks). I succeed only after trying several times with different frequencies between clicks. It appears to me as if the tolerance for the variation of this frequency were very tight. A little faster or a little slower than the prescribed value and the MP won´t register the command. Just want to note that as an HDS and Novatac owner I´m very much used to this type of UI.
3 - Even with the lubrication described above, the piston is very stiff and the travel appears to be very short. Sometimes it seems to have no travel at all; it goes on and off apparently without any noticeable movement! Due to this stiffness, an operation which demands changing levels between extremes or ramping for a certain time duration can be very unconfortable; it makes your finger ache.

So that´s it. Needless to say I´m a little disapointed that such an otherwise excellent product has those characteristics (I don´t want to name them flaws).
What I would like to know from you guys is: Am I being to picky? Did I miss something or is there anything else to be done in order to correct these problems?
Thanks in advance for your advice.
Bob

You are not being picky. What kind of battery are you using? If it is a rechargable, that could be your problem. Some off brand rechargables, are a bit too long and will give short travel, erratic operation. Try a regular lithium cell and see if it operates any better. If not, send the light back to 4Sevens and try another. Most people seem to be happy with their EX10's although there are people, even with primaries, who complain about the short travel and stiffness of the PD mechanism. There seem to be fewer complaints regarding the D10. That also may be an alternative for you.

I had the exact same symptoms with ultrafire RCR123 they are too long.
Primary cells work perfectly, and my Ultralast RCRs work perfectly as well.

My Cells measured out as follows:

energizer primary = 34.0 mm
Ultralast RCR = 33.8 mm
UltraFire RCR = 35.6 mm

I just put the Ultrafire cells in my Surefire 6P / M60, it doesn't care about the cell length.

Thanks for the comments. I´m using a Panasonic primary which measures 34mm.

Hi Bobcol,

my EX10 behaved similarly but to cure it I opened the diameter of the sliding ring switch slightly (with a narrow bladed screwdriver as recommended by four-sevens) and then rotated it around until I found the position in which it moved most freely. After that I lubricated the inner 'race' of the switch and reassembled, I haven't had any problems since.

I hope this helps but I am sure that four-sevens will sort you out otherwise.

Andrew

You said you cleaned the lube and put silicone lube back on. In my experience most silicone lubes are not thin enough for this light. I'd try some of (hate to recommend this place but... ) Radio Shacks PTFE needle tip oiler lube (selfbuilt mentioned this in his review too). It's what I put on mine right away and it made quite a difference. I know the battery length is also an issue - I got some AW RCR123's for mine - not sure of the length but they are shorter than most. I do think most primaries are short enough. Have you tried adjusting the brass ring in the head using a small flathead screwdriver? If nothing else works I'd say have them send you a replacement. A pain I know as it sounds like it would take a while but no use having this problem if you can't fix it yourself. Good luck.

Bob
What an excellent post! I am waiting to buy an EX-10 and have ben getting mixed:thinking: signals here at CPF regarding "issues". Like others here at CPF, your ability to use mechanical aptitude is superb. What seems like a simple cleaing lube operarion is far more complicated to the novice.
I know 4 Sevens can appreciate having customers who understandand , appreciate and respect the product and those folks behind it:thumbsup:.

From what your post says I think I'll hold off on the EX-10 (I definitely like the size and adjustability). That Infinity is growing on me (It seems to run at same power on Alks and 14500s). I saw some very good comments on the Extreme being larger but no more powerful than the Infinity. My first instinct was to get the cool looking Extreme, with the EX-10. IF I traveled by air, I'd much rather go through TSA securuty with an EX-10 as opposed to that stainless crenelated bezel on the Extreme!

That Silver Infinity looks good and I still can't stop admiring that Nitecore Extreme SS Crenelated bezel! This is a pleasant point to ponder.:laughing:

OP, I know exactly what you mean about the tilted brass ring and the contact issues it causes. My first EX10 had that same problem. In fact, sometimes when I unscrewed the head the ring would actually fall out. This looseness could have been due to the adjustments I made in trying to fix it, but who knows. Sometimes you just get a bad egg. I'd RMA it and see how you like the replacement. That's what I did, and I've been happy with EX10 #2. Good luck!

Thak you again guys for the helpful comments. I think somehow I´ve missed that recomendation from 4-sevens concerning the opening of the contact ring. I have done that and in my judgment it brought a slight improvement, but the piston didn´t loose any of the previous stiffness. In the meantime I think I´ve figured out the issue with the "frequency" of the clicks. The clicks have to be performed in a very fast pace in order to be "understood" by the MP, and that, in connection with the stiffness, I think causes the issues I´m talking about. Anyway I´m gonna use it a little longer and see how it goes before I take any further decision, because since I live very far from the US the process of sending it back for a replacement is a little complicated and costly.
Nevertheless, I want to point out here that by no means I regret having bought this light. It is a great product with a great quality and a superb UI and as an engineer I think that these issues can be easily ironed out by the manufacturer.

Bob

tsask said:

...From what your post says I think I'll hold off on the EX-10 (I definitely like the size and adjustability)....

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I'll never understand this mentality.

If you want something go and buy it!! Life is way too short.

By the time version 2.0 comes out, and all the little concerns you have are corrected, there'll be another uber cool and nifty light that you'll be lusting over, and again you'll be waiting for all the little things to be improved / fixed with that uber light. It will be a never ending game of waiting for fixes for stuff that may not even be that relevant to begin with!

With a great vendor like 4sevens standing behind the product, there is NO reason to wait on the EX10 if you REALLY want it!!

If you don't really want it, I can understand waiting. But if you do want it, do yourself a favor and order it already!! :santa::santa:

Hi again Bob,

the stiffness was a problem with mine too (after sorting out the switch ring), as indicated by MatrixShamen, you will need a very thin lubricant. Where are you based? In the UK I have bought some thin oil containing PTFE (made by Servisol - Super 200) that seems to have sorted the problem for me as previously I was using silicone grease. I have also swapped the o-ring on the piston for the spare one supplied with the torch and that made a difference. The torch is far more usable and apparently does bed in a little more with use.

Andrew

cdosrun said:

Hi again Bob,

the stiffness was a problem with mine too (after sorting out the switch ring), as indicated by MatrixShamen, you will need a very thin lubricant. Where are you based? In the UK I have bought some thin oil containing PTFE (made by Servisol - Super 200) that seems to have sorted the problem for me as previously I was using silicone grease. I have also swapped the o-ring on the piston for the spare one supplied with the torch and that made a difference. The torch is far more usable and apparently does bed in a little more with use.

Andrew

Click to expand...

Thanks Andrew. I swapped the piston o-ring with the spare one and I must say it brought a substantial improvement. I think that, as you said, it will bed in with some more use.
BTW I live in Brazil.

Bob

LED-holic said:

I'll never understand this mentality.

If you want something go and buy it!! Life is way too short.
With a great vendor like 4sevens standing behind the product, there is NO reason to wait on the EX10 if you REALLY want it!!

If you don't really want it, I can understand waiting. But if you do want it, do yourself a favor and order it already!! :santa::santa:

Click to expand...

Understand that I am seeking to avoid a hassle with a light not ready for EDC use.

I agree wholeheartedly with the idea "If you want it buy it, life's too short"
(an upcoming purchase is another Al RAW with 4-5 trint locators:devil

Of course I want the light and have known 4 Sevens for a few years.

My point was if there is a glob/ sticky switch issue, I'd rather wait until I can get a "cleaner light".