Romisen lights are junk.

snewbie

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Mar 6, 2008
Messages
16
Ok after hearing how great Romisen lights are on here and other forum websites, I decided to buy a few from deals extreme.
I bought an RC-G2, 2 RC-F4s(one turned out to have a forward clicky), and one other (1 AA like the RC-G2, but with a reverse clicky)that ended up in my wifes purse. All but the reverse clicky RC-F4 have ended up very quickly with the same problem, but I havent played much with the reverse clicky rc-f4, so it may end up that way also. I have only had these lights for a few months. In fact I am still using the first batterries. I am using energizer Lithium photo 123 which says they replace cr123 and cr123a type batterries among others. For the AA lights, I am using regular ole Duracells.

The problem is that they do not turn on reliably. They are possessed. The only way to fix it is to spin the tail cap off, and twist the spring, then put the cap back on. Sometimes I have to do this 2 or 3 times. Why such great reviews about a bunch of lights that arent at all reliable?
Is there a fix other than just spending real money on less lights?
Thanks.
 

sweetlight

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Aug 27, 2008
Messages
112
I don't know about the reviews you read but the ones I read were mixed at best. So I decided to stay away. I got the impression they were a little better than toys but not the real deal.
 

deusexaethera

Banned
Joined
Jan 21, 2009
Messages
504
If there is a specific position the spring needs to be turned to, I would put a drop of superglue on it to hold it in place, then let it dry overnight.

People's expectations of mass-production are too high these days. Some devices are so complex that it's impossible to test all of them on every single unit, and other devices simply don't get enough wear during testing to show problems. (Did you know the wiring diagrams used to make computer CPUs have as many lines on them as a map of the Metro New York Area? For each of 8-20 layers?) Your flashlights were most likely just good enough to pass QC; if the loose machining tolerance that's letting your spring rotate causes a problem that a drop of superglue can't fix, call the manufacturer and tell them your tailcaps are defective. They'll send you new ones, because they don't want you crapping on their name online.
 
Last edited:

FlashlightsNgear.com

→Formerly d1live←, Flashaholic
Joined
Feb 22, 2009
Messages
282
Location
West Virginia
I have 5 Fenixes and none of them are junk. Which one did you get, and have you called them yet?
Ive actually called and sent it back once already for the lense being loose, now it doesnt seem to get a good connection and if I unscrew the cap it works again for awhile. I have had this light (Fenix L2D-CE) for awhile now and it doesnt get used much but I keep fresh Duracell 2650's in it, fully charged its sweet in low mode when the electric is off, it stands nicely on its end and lights up whatever room its in. I may send it back soon and have it fixed again. BTW I have regular Duracells in it now and it did work the last time I used it. Thanks
 

bk737

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Nov 14, 2008
Messages
76
Location
oahu, hawaii
It really depends on where you buy your lights from.I have not purchased from deal extreme or kaidomain myself , but many here have and had problems which makes me hesitant to do so. However, i have nothing but praise for Bryan over at shiningbeam who i purchased a rc-n3 from just last week and now i'll have to order a few more for friends as well.Excellent service,fast shipping,and better products than other places.PLUS he is aCPF member.lovecpf
 

Outdoors Fanatic

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Sep 24, 2005
Messages
4,865
Location
Land of Spiders
Who the heck here said Romisen lights were "great"?

They are cheap 'thrown-out' pieces of crap, only good to lend to non-flashaholics...
 

FlashlightsNgear.com

→Formerly d1live←, Flashaholic
Joined
Feb 22, 2009
Messages
282
Location
West Virginia
I can say thats the first time I've seen Fenix bad mouthed. I have a few and have had no probs. No company is perfect.
Sorry guys, theirs always a dud in the bunch, I got mine off the Fenix site a few years back, their custmerservice was great, based in Atlanta I think is were I sent it back to for repair, Ill ease up on Fenix until I get all these Elcheapos Ive ordered from DX this week, maybe Ill have higher praises for Fenix then lol.
 
Last edited:

Onuris

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Jan 31, 2009
Messages
157
Location
NW Indiana
I have 5 Fenixes and none of them are junk. Which one did you get, and have you called them yet?

We have many Fenix lights as well and I have yet to find one of them that is junk as well, but have had a few minor issues with a couple, for example one would not work at all, sent it back and was promptly sent a replacement which worked fine. For mid-cost lights, so far Fenix is one of my favorites.

We also do have a lot of inexpensive lights, e.g. Romisen, Ultrafire, Saik, MX, etc. and while some are good/decent for the price, many seem to have been assembled by monkeys on crack. I'll either fix them, or in worse cases just return/exchange them. These usually go to my kids, as we do a lot of camping, geocaching, etc, and they go throught lights more often than they change their underwear it seems.

For the most part, you really do get what you pay for when it comes to lights, but there are a few inexpensive gems out there, and as with anything man-made, even the best products can have flaws or defects.
 

seaside

Enlightened
Joined
Feb 2, 2009
Messages
280
Romisens by no means are state of art lights, but are ok for household lights. I think it really depends on where you got it from, and on how lucky you are. To me, it looks like those El cheapo dealers are heavily rely on the mercy of their suppliers, and there is no quality control if supplier don't do that. If you're lucky, you got fine one, otherwise you got half dud. Well... that's the risk of getting lights cheap from dealers abroad. If you got yours from reputable US dealers, your chance of getting dud is not that high, and they will take care of the problem with warranty.
 

snewbie

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Mar 6, 2008
Messages
16
Well I purchased a Fenix L1TV2 to replace my Romisen RC-G2, and I just disassembled my Forward clicky RC-F4. I got the switch out of the tailcap body, and put a drop of superglue where the spring is held in place after making sure it would turn on the light. Im wondering if I could have gotten a bit of solder (with a soldering iron)in there instead, but I doubt it.
 

optodoofus

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Jan 9, 2008
Messages
93
The problem is that they do not turn on reliably. They are possessed. The only way to fix it is to spin the tail cap off, and twist the spring, then put the cap back on. Sometimes I have to do this 2 or 3 times. Why such great reviews about a bunch of lights that arent at all reliable?
Is there a fix other than just spending real money on less lights?
Thanks.

I have six Romisen's (four RC-G2s and two RC-B3s) and none of them are junk . For the price, they're actually pretty well-made. They are not Fenix quality and certainly not Surefire quality.

I think the problem you are having is that the switch retaining rings are loose. Turning the spring is making it a little better, but not solving the real problem. What I think you need to do is to take off the tail, insert a pair of tweezers or needlenose pliers into the two dimples of the retaining ring inside the tail and turn clockwise to tighten the retaining ring. That should tighten the switch retaining rings down and solve your problem for good. When you twist the spring, it is probably tightening the retaining ring, but not enough since it is not providing enough torque on the retaining ring.

If you want to make sure you get the best Romisen's I would echo the recommendation on buying through Shiningbeam rather than KD/DX. As someone else above mentioned, they are a first rate vendor and I have never had an issue with a flashlight from that site.

optodoofus
 

Federal LG

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Nov 8, 2007
Messages
1,606
Location
Brazil
I can say thats the first time I've seen Fenix bad mouthed. I have a few and have had no probs. No company is perfect.

+1 :nana:

Maybe it´s a bad luck case... I have a lot of Fenix lights, and all are perfect!

:twothumbs
 

smopoim86

Enlightened
Joined
Apr 2, 2008
Messages
327
Location
Knoxville, TN
Hey, i got a pile of rc-g2s and had the same issue. The problem was flux on the positive battery contact. I pulled them apart and cleaned them and haven't had a problem yet.
All the people i gave them to for christmas love them.

I hope this helps.
 

Outdoors Fanatic

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Sep 24, 2005
Messages
4,865
Location
Land of Spiders
+1 :nana:

Maybe it´s a bad luck case... I have a lot of Fenix lights, and all are perfect!

:twothumbs
Fenix had shitloads of QC problems and reliability issues in the beginning... My P1 (Luxeon III) was the worst power LED light I've ever got, hands down. The latest models were all good though.
 

deranged_coder

Enlightened
Joined
Dec 22, 2004
Messages
860
Location
Silicon Valley, CA, USA
I can say thats the first time I've seen Fenix bad mouthed. I have a few and have had no probs. No company is perfect.

Ditto, my own personal experience with Fenix lights are that they are tough lights that can take quite a bit of abuse. We have one forum member who abused a P3D quite a bit and it came out ok:

Fenix P3D Premium 100 abuse.

Back to the original topic, my impression from reading lots of threads on CPF is that the Romisen lights seem to be hit-or-miss in terms of quality. Reviews of them have always been mixed with the general sentiment being, "you get what you pay for." :shrug:
 

snewbie

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Mar 6, 2008
Messages
16
Ok so which part inside do I tighten? The black plastic thing that the spring is attached to via a rivet looking thing or the larger metal thing that is threaded that fits inside the tail cap?
If I can fix these things, great.
 
Top