I got a defective Romisen RC-N3... what is your best recommendation?

L_Darklighter · Jan 29, 2009

I discovered this forum after witnessing the awesome power of a friend's Surefire. I wanted an LED version because I don't like the idea of burning out bulbs, and but I wasn't sure LED's had come far enough along. Imagine my surprise discovering the Cree emitters!

So I bought an RC-N3 from DealsExtreme and it gets stuck on "strobe" and won't come off it, no matter what I do.

So my question is what is the best LED flashlight for relatively low cost?

I know, it's a big question and I have used the search quite a bit. There's a literal sea of opinions and I need to narrow it down. My preferences are

-Can take either a special battery (i.e. A123 and others) but also take 2AA's when I need it.

-I'll use it for everything, including packing it around in my motorcycle saddlebag. For that reason, I want it to be reliable and use standard batteries in case I find myself needing a flashlight in a remote location

-lower cost (not necessarily bargain bottom prices, just good value)
-Bright (not the brightest you can get, but impressively bright. Which my RC-N3 was until it got stuck on strobe)
-good battery life. I'm thinking 2-3+ hours on high, certainly not 45 minutes. Is that possible?

Thanks, all.

MrGman · Jan 29, 2009

Fenix LD20 (the 2 AA) model or the Eagletac P10A2 (2 AA model), if I have those right.

Outdoors Fanatic · Jan 29, 2009

1st step: Throw it out

2nd step: Log off from DX

3rd step: Buy a decent brand from a reputable vendor.

Following these simple steps it's guaranteed that you'll never end up with a defective product.

Cheers

yellow · Jan 29, 2009

Fenix,
Jetbeam
... might seem "too expensive" for You at 1st glance, but believe me: that pricing is a give-away
(just a few years ago, we built lights from hosts like the Romisen, and the end product was nowhere near the Fenix'/Jetbeams/others models AND more expensive)

elugelab · Jan 29, 2009

Get Fenix E20. It's a simple and bright(ish) (109 lumens) 2xAA light with a good, 3+ hour runtime.
You can get it from 4sevens for $38+free shipping.
Use the CPF8 code to get 8% discount.

Sure, the brightness probably won't impress anyone, but it definitely won't let you down, and it has the 3+ hours runtime.

datiLED · Jan 29, 2009

Outdoors Fanatic said:
1st step: Throw it out

2nd step: Log off from DX

3rd step: Buy a decent brand from a reputable vendor.

Following these simple steps it's guaranteed that you'll never end up with a defective product.

Cheers

If you do end up with a defective light, the reputable dealer will take care of it quickly, and painlessly.

With Deal eXtreme or KaiDomain, you will experience a long wait and it will take many e-mails with much miscommunication/misunderstanding on their part.

Cheap can be expensive;

Buy quality the first time. It is cheaper than buying inferior quality lights and experiencing disappointment. You will end up buying the quality lights that you should have bought in the first place.

waddup · Jan 29, 2009

L_Darklighter said:
I discovered this forum after witnessing the awesome power of a friend's Surefire. I wanted an LED version because I don't like the idea of burning out bulbs, and but I wasn't sure LED's had come far enough along. Imagine my surprise discovering the Cree emitters!

So I bought an RC-N3 from DealsExtreme and it gets stuck on "strobe" and won't come off it, no matter what I do.

So my question is what is the best LED flashlight for relatively low cost?

I know, it's a big question and I have used the search quite a bit. There's a literal sea of opinions and I need to narrow it down. My preferences are

-Can take either a special battery (i.e. A123 and others) but also take 2AA's when I need it.

-I'll use it for everything, including packing it around in my motorcycle saddlebag. For that reason, I want it to be reliable and use standard batteries in case I find myself needing a flashlight in a remote location

-lower cost (not necessarily bargain bottom prices, just good value)
-Bright (not the brightest you can get, but impressively bright. Which my RC-N3 was until it got stuck on strobe)
-good battery life. I'm thinking 2-3+ hours on high, certainly not 45 minutes. Is that possible?

Thanks, all.

clean it with,

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?partnumber=341-202

i bet it will work perfectly. :party:

TONY M · Jan 29, 2009

Its a pity that Romisen changed the RC-N3 as it was such a good light for the money and I really liked mine.

The Fenix LD20 will take 2xAAs but if you buy the PD20 body and tailcap you can use a single cr123 cell. This may be within your price range.

sol-leks · Jan 29, 2009

there aren't many lights that take multiple battery types like the rc-n3. The only other one I can think of is the gerber omnivore which isn't terribly bright. Thats a bummer about your rc-n3 when you don't get a defective one they are quite a good light. You probably don't want to risk buying another one but you could trying getting another romisen but from shiningbeam instead of DX. They deal from within the U.S. and from what I've heard have very good customer service and inspect all their lights before shipping. You would also have the option of buying an upgraded version of the rc-n3 with a q5 led. If you do want to go for a higher quality brand then I also recommend the fenix e20, I really love mine, but it takes AA's nothing else.

kramer5150 · Jan 29, 2009

If you want multi-cell capabilities, just get the same light in Q5 version from Shiningbeam.com. They a north american retailer and ship out of NY, Bryan is a CPF member, frequents these boards often and stands by his products. you also get an 8% CPF discount.

Ask Bryan for the SINGLE mode version (hopefully he has some left), Romisen messed up this wonderful light by gaving it multi modes, flashing strobes and "next mode" memory....:thumbsdow My understanding is that the DX version is multi-mode.

Its an extremely durable little light that I EDC often.

Gunner12 · Jan 29, 2009

L_Darklighter said:
... RC-N3 from DealsExtreme and it gets stuck on "strobe" and won't come off it, no matter what I do...

Wait! Strobe?

I thought the RC-N3 was a single more light? When did that change?

What price range?

:welcome:

kramer5150 · Jan 29, 2009

Gunner12 said:
Wait! Strobe?

I thought the RC-N3 was a single more light? When did that change?

What price range?

:welcome:

Romisen / DX made the change fairly recently there was a thread on it a couple weeks ago. iirc A multi mode is not a bad thing for this light... but doing it with poor reliability and next mode operation that forces you to plow through flashy strobes and an SOS was just plain stupid!! Attempting a DIY repair or driver swap would be difficult on the RC-N3, it uses a ~15mm diameter pill (odd-ball size).

I don't understand why manufacturers continue to design DC-DC circuits this way. Implementing a 2 mode high-low is nothing more than an EPROM program. They clone all the good companies in every way, except those that really matter.... LOL.

Anyways, am not sure what shiningbeam is selling... I hope its still the single mode-Q5.

Gunner12 · Jan 29, 2009

Shiningbeam can always be contacted to see which version he has.

I think the lower priced companies think that multimode sounds nicer to people and that's why many of them have multimode.

Greatwhite · Jan 29, 2009

I just picked up two of these in q5 single mode from Shiningbeam last week. Fast shipping and great service. Ed.

Badbeams3 · Jan 29, 2009

Here is s low priced 2 level light http://www.brightguy.com/products/TerraLux_LightStar_220_EX_TLF3C2AAEX.php

The Fenix E20 as the other poster said is a great light...I love mine...but it`s a single level light. If you just want one bright level I`d go with it.

I got a defective Romisen RC-N3... what is your best recommendation?

L_Darklighter

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MrGman

Flashlight Enthusiast

Outdoors Fanatic

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yellow

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elugelab

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datiLED

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waddup

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TONY M

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sol-leks

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kramer5150

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Gunner12

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kramer5150

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Gunner12

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Greatwhite

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Badbeams3

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