*Resolved* Problem with Drake chrome finish

All-
I've had my chrome Drake a year or two now and the finish is wearing off already. I've contacted Jonathan via PM three times in four weeks and he won't write me back! I've asked for a replacement, I offered to go halvsies on a replacement, I've even asked for any ideas to get this problem fixed. Nada, zip, zero he won't write me back.

I love my Drake. It's my EDC neck light and always with me. Problem is the chrome wearing off has exposed the bare aluminum. That bare metal reacts with my skin and causes me a rash. So now my favorite neck light is useless to me. That's alot of money to waste.

I've always thought Jonathan to be a stand up guy. When I purchased my light, along with enough batteries, lenses, o-rings and chargers to last me a lifetime he offered great service. But now that I need him to stand behind his product he can't be reached.

Any thoughts on how I should proceed?

Re: Problem with Drake chrome finish

I'm sure Jonathan does stand by his products & keep in mind we all have lives outside of CPF which is most important. He just moved not too long ago so I'm sure he is very busy at the moment.

However in my honest opinion I wouldn't consider wear & tear as qualifying for a flat out replacement. If it was a few weeks or a month old I would understand more under certain circumstances but 1 -2 years is a long time. As with any product, the maker can not be responsible for the environment in which the product is used in as they have no control over it. Wear & tear should not be covered unless that product is guaranteed not to wear as covered by the maker.

I can understand how you feel but should Jonathan choose not to cover the light for this reason I would not think of him any different. Even though these were produced in large quantities I still consider it a custom light & with any product that has this type of finish that is used daily or often I would not expect the finish to last years.

Re: Problem with Drake chrome finish

For the best wear you should have gone for the AlTiN

I've had mine on the keychain for a couple years now and is still as good as new.

The chrome would have been scrap metal in it's place by now.

Cheers
Dom

Re: Problem with Drake chrome finish

Sed I must say I agree with others here in saying if it were a few months I would understand however you say a year or two? I do not see a problem with asking for suggestions on how to repair or solve your finish problem however some of your post sounds as if it should be in the jeers section.

If you have followed the proper procedure to remedy this and you feel as if a jeer is in order then by all means do so in the proper forum. I would ask however to first consider the nature of such jeer....does it really apply in this case? It does sound as if you have enjoyed the light without other problems for a long time now however again not my place to decide if you feel a jeer is necessary.

Maybe you can try a normal e-mail address if the maker has one posted as I can easily see how some members do not check their PMs very much. It is a nice light and as a last resort maybe someone will offer you something just as nice in the B/S/T section on a trade if you simply can not carry this light anymore.

Good luck with whatever you choose and again if you wish to post a jeer do so in the jeer section (if you truly feel it really does apply). So to sum it up I wish you luck and ask all involved to try and keep the jeer undertones out of this thread please.

Re: Problem with Drake chrome finish

The chrome finish isn't magical and resistant to wear. It is a decent coating for aluminum, but will show wear over time. Especially after a "year or two."

My first Draco in 2006 was chrome. I had it on my keychain and within 1 month the finish was flaking off near the metal attachment point. I sold it on CPF and bought an AlTiN. This light has been riding on my keychain since then and it honestly still looks good as new. Even the attachment point, which is constantly being rubbed by a stainless steel split ring, shows no signs of wear. It is unfortunate he is out of this finish as it is truly spectacular.

I think he has some bare Ti available...this probably won't give you a skin reaction.

Re: Problem with Drake chrome finish

I read in another thread that Jonathan is out of the country until next week.

Re: Problem with Drake chrome finish

I just typed a big long response and then proof read it and then deleted it. I don't want this to become a jeer, and it's not a jeer, not yet.

I appreciate the responses so far. For the record I don't think I'm expecting too much from a $175 hard chrome plated light exposed only to my skin, but maybe I am.

Jonathan's had ample opportunity to respond and besides PM I don't know how else to reach him. I'd much rather be having this discussion with him than with anyone here.

Re: Problem with Drake chrome finish

Did it wear out the chrome and the nickel or just the chrome, it might be the nickel thats giving you the rash.

Re: Problem with Drake chrome finish

FWIW, perspiration can be quite hard on anything metalic due to the salt. If something is going to contact my bare skin I prefer it to be plastic, stainless, titanium, etc. And considering we pretty much sweat constantly it pays to get a finish that'll stand such a harsh environment.

Re: Problem with Drake chrome finish

It is amazing what can be accomplished with a bit of communication. I think Scott's complaint is only partially related to the chrome wearing off, and had Jonathan responded, the rest of us would most likely never have heard about any of this.

Sounds to me like he's more disappointed at the lack of response than the condition of the light.

Randy

Re: Problem with Drake chrome finish

I do believe that many of us have lives away from CPF and as such it is not hard to imagine members not responding to PMs simply because they have not checked them, or even been online, for weeks. I myself have logged on after weeks away to find PMs that were a month old.

Sed you have a nice light there and I hope you can solve this problem and I do appreciate your civil responses. Maybe you can simply keep trying by way of PM as it may appear the maker is out of the country according to member roadster.

Now back to the possible solutions to help you....is stripping the chrome possible?....and if so is it indeed nickle underneath? I have no idea as to the makings of the drake light so I have no idea what you are working with there.

Maybe there is a way to polish and seal the light yourself. Again I am not too educated on finishes so my replies are simply guess work. I do remember reading an old thread talking about some type of bake on coating that members were having excellent results with.....not sure but I think it was some type of spray on gun coating.

From what I remember the color was an olive drab so if you want to stay with the mirror look of chrome I do not think you would be happy with that idea. Maybe you could use a small section of shrink tubing to cover the area that is irritating your skin. It would give you a little more grip and may look a little weird however at least you could still carry your light.

The only experience I have had with chrome finishes was on wheels. I once worked at a tire shop that also sold wheels. (20 years ago now) The single biggest complaint of customers buying chrome plated wheels was the flaking and erosion of the chrome. It was a pretty finish however to me just did not seem to be very sturdy.

Good luck to you and again thanks to all for keeping this thread on topic.

Re: Problem with Drake chrome finish

You know looking at your photo it seems as if the worn area has a rough texture to it. Maybe it is this rougher texture that is irritating your skin. It may be possible to lightly smooth out that small area and apply some type of coating to seal it. Maybe a clear nail polish or something like that and if you lightly wet sand the area polish should stick pretty good......you can always go back and touch up the area if it wears again.

Again just reaching for suggestions here as it is a nice light. It would be a shame to see you not able to use it. If I can ask what kind of emitter and reflector does yours have? Has it been modded from the original set up?

Re: Problem with Drake chrome finish

you might be able to get it re-chromed locally for cheap since it's such a small item.

Re: Problem with Drake chrome finish

rc- regarding the reflector and emitter I have no idea, it's whatever came with the light. I can ask j...oh wait, no I can't.

I appreciate the other finishing ideas. If indeed there is nickel under the chrome, and I believe there is, that's likely the problem. I read that many or most people have allergic reactions to nickel. Here again it'd be nice to hear from the maker.

The heat shrink and the nail polish are also good ideas. I just tried polishing it last night. I found in the polishing lights thread a suggestion by donn I think to try the 3M abrasive disks. I ordered several and started with the 400 grit and ended with the 1 micron grit. It worked very well at removing the rough texture that is evident in the picture.

But I don't think its the texture, I think its the material under the chrome that's causing the problem. But it looks better which will help if I sell it and I'll use the proceeds to help finance it's replacement cause it's looking more and more like I'm on my own here.

Re: Problem with Drake chrome finish

Scott,

First off I'm sorry for taking so long to respond to your inquiries.
This is definitely worth a Jeers on Me. No one should wait 2 months for a simple question that have been repeatedly asked.

[size=-2]When I read the first PM, I didn't quite know how to take it and I just sat on it. While in preparation for a response your second PM came in. I wrote reply using notepad with explanation of everything but never sent it out. During this period I went on a little 4 week trip to Germany (yes was there with Obama). Most of the duration the net access was horrible, so I didn't even bother reaching CPF. So it leaves us where we are now[/size]

Now back to the problem at hand. Chrome is a very slick substance, they have problem sticking to the base metal aluminum. So normally, Nickel is used to act as an adhesion layer between chrome/al. Sometime the nickel will not do a very good job which causes the chrome to flake, peels and bubble.

As a user, I could care less why it fails, but it does.
When I made these Draco/Drake lights, I wanted to fulfill my personal quest which happens to be similar to a few other here on the forum. The last thing I want is a product that cause unhappiness.

So with that in mind. I can and will send you a new Drake battery tube to replace the damaged one. I really do want all CPFers to be happy especially if they are carrying one of my babies.
You don't have to send me the original. I have plenty in Ti

I dropped you my number, give me a call and we can discuss more about the entire light. Light fabrication is a great conversation piece.

Re: Problem with Drake chrome finish

Well done Jonathan -that will be one happy customer there for sure

Re: Problem with Drake chrome finish

nice going jonathan.

i've been considering upgrading my chrome Draco to a Ti version so i'm glad to know you're behind your products 100%.

Well, let me say that I was suprised when I checked my email this am and found three message notifications from Johnathan and a shipping notification from USPS. In his messages to me he verified my address, gave me his phone number and invited me to check his reply here.

Clearly Jonathan is the stand up guy we thought, and no I won't be giving him a jeer! His resolution, a replacement chrome body, is exactly what I had hoped and asked for and per him it's in the mail to me now. Sure it took longer than I would have liked but as was pointed out to me here and in several PM's we all do have lives outside CPF, well most of us anyway.

So Cheers to Jonathan for his commitment to his product and to everyone here for their help and advice. lovecpf

good to hear sed.

all is now well in CPF-land!

My drake has gone thru the exact same thing except it is in 10x worse condition than yours and its from the head all the way to the tail. I posted another thread about it some time back.

I just moved it to my keychain instead (although I do miss having it around my neck)

I might get a Ti one instead and that should hold up better. Jon is a real stand up guy, as you can see from above. Good job!! :thumbsup: