Surefire L1 Switch Stuck

Hi,

I have a Surefire L1, and today I noticed that the tailcap switch is stuck. The part in the tailcap that moves back and forth when you press the rubber cover on the back of the light no longer moves freely. You have to push it fairly hard to get it to move back to the "off" position - stronger than the spring mounted in the tailcap that presses against the battery is able push. The light now only works in the "twistie mode".

Has anybody else had such a problem before? What do you recommend I should do?

Thank you,
Gerhard

Call Surefire. Get a new one.

Do not send an E-mail, they MIGHT get back to you in a month.
CALL THEM and they will shoot one out to your house ASAP, no charge, no sending in the dead part. One the perks of buying a Surefire is the customer service policy. Same goes if you ever crack the glass too. Ditto for bent or broken clips.
:twothumbs

Definitely Give Surefire A Call.

Surefire Contact Page

Sgt. LED said:

Call Surefire. Get a new one.

Do not send an E-mail, they MIGHT get back to you in a month.
CALL THEM and they will shoot one out to your house ASAP, no charge, no sending in the dead part. One the perks of buying a Surefire is the customer service policy. Same goes if you ever crack the glass too. Ditto for bent or broken clips.
:twothumbs

Click to expand...

+1 You can always try to fix the old one too. Make sure you call, no emails.

Thanks for your help - I'll call them up tomorrow morning.

I tried unscrewing the plastic part that holds the rubber boot in, but either I wasn't twisting hard enough or in the wrong direction (doubt it, but maybe it's a counter-clockwise thread). Does that thing even come lose, or has it been glued (thread-locked) in place?

The reason I want to take it apart is to see what caused it to fail and whether or not it's repairable. Do you know what causes these twisties to "get stuck"?

Try a little light machine-oil.

I tried oiling it - It didn't help

It was worth a try - sorry it didn't work. It sounds as if you do need a new one, unless someone else has a bright idea...

Two or Three Drops Of Deoxit and Progold should do the trick.

Curious-what Gen is the L1, and how old it its--how many switching cycles would you say you have on it? Thanks..

It's a bit over a year old (one of the first cree L1's). It lived in my right pocket and was used daily.

It seems to be built so simple, however, that I don't see why it stopped working. From what I can see, there is nothing in that switch that could get worn out...

I'm sorry...but it's absolutely impossible for you to be having any type of problem with the world renown "bulletproof" tailcap of the L1. They simply don't fail. Only clicky tailcaps are subject to problems. :naughty: .

(Sorry. I Couldn't resist a little sarcastic jab from a true Surefire clicky fan. With all sincerity, best of luck resolving the problem. Surefire has always been excellent in backing their products. I'm sure they'll take good care of you. )

H2Orower said:

I Couldn't resist a little sarcastic jab

Click to expand...

... and I can't resist warning members that "sarcastic little jabs" are quite likely to lead to suspensions.

My bad. And my apologies to Gerhard. As I said, I'm sure Surefire will fix you up as good as new. :wave:

I called Surefire this morning - great service, indeed. I didn't even have to wait in a phone queue; they called me back. They said they'd send me a new one

After you have the new one, try cleaning out the internals of the old one to see if it can be fixed. Might just be a dirty contact somewhere. Good luck!

Glad you are getting a new switch. Does it have a retaining ring that perhaps came loose?

I can't see any sort of retaining ring or similar thing that could be taken apart.

I believe that the switch is inserted into the aluminum cap trough the rear and then prevented from falling out with the same plastic retainer that holds the rubber boot in place.

There is positively no dirt in there. It's completely clean.

Is there a commonly available tool that allows you to take out the screw-ring that holds the rubber boot in?

How long does it usually take for surefire to ship to CA (San Diego)? Does anybody know? I'm feeling naked and like I'm missing something without my L1 .

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&sad....105347,-117.147217&spn=3.841693,4.828491&z=8

SF isn't far from you. When I had a broken tailcap a few months ago, it took 3-4 days to get from CA to TX