CLICKY SWITCHES - HARDEST REPLACEMENT PART TO FIND???

this is something that has always bugged me so i'm hoping some of you folks may have already learned the where, who and how of finding such a simple yet highly varied replacment part...the clicky switch.

I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT REPLACMENT PARTS FOR SUREFIRE OR ANY OTHER PARTICULARLY WELL KNOWN BRAND. i've had no trouble finding and installing switches from McClicky or Judco when i needed to.

what i would like to know is if there are any suppliers that have a huge assortment of switches. i could always go back to the manufacturer but it is a slow and tedious process when you're looking for switches for lights by Ultrafire or Romisen or TLS or Tank or Akoray etc.... i might just be happy buying a "grab bag" of random switches and seeing what i could do w/ those.

i like forward clickies far more than i do reverse clickies and in most cases have been able to take FC's from lights that i don't use or were included as extra parts and adapt them to other lights that i use frequently but originally came w/ a reverse clicky. i also have a friend who has been buying up a ton of these bargin lights, mostly from DX, and then selling them to people at our company for general use in the factory & at home. he is having a problem w/ switches failing and has been taking those lights back and giving out brand new ones. now he has a desk full of perfectly good flashlights w/out working switches. its to the point where now I'M aggravated for his situation.

any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I have a couple of bags with clickies laying around, some high, some low in profile and both forward and reverse. I bought them at KD and DX along with some rubber boots and between those parts there's not a flashlight i have been unable to set up with a new switch! It does take some fiddling, swapping fit-rings and soldering tricks from time to time but itll work.

so was this a large "kit" of sorts or where you buying different ones in the smaller quantities of like 1 to 5?

I've replaced several switches in the last couple of years with switches from Shiningbeam.com, KD, and DX. I ordered small quantities of as many different switches as each place sold. Then one by one I rebuilt the broken clicky with either direct replacement or a little help from washers, o-rings, etc. The trick is getting a variety of sizes in your parts box. I try to keep at least one Oveready clicky kit for Surefire & clones, but have had none fail. None of these switches will stand up to high power incandescent lights, but from your post I don't think you're looking for that. Those little switches don't cost much, but are worth a million bucks when you need them. All of the lights I've repaired are still working. :candle:

I bought a bag of reverse clickies from DX. They are all the same size but they fit many lights. You may need to clip the contact spring (they are long) or make small adjustments.

I also bought some forward clickies for Rominsen lights from Shiningbeam. I don't use them in Rominsen lights but they work in many other lights if you use the retaining ring from that light. The forward clicky housing is smaller than my usual reverse clickies so they still work with the retaining rings. Sometimes you have to trim the little piece of plastic on the inside of the rubber tailcap cover or make other adjustments.

If the switch that needs replacing is smaller or larger than "standard" then I'd have to do something else. I haven't found a bag of assorted switches yet.