Broke my HDS Clicky lens

Gaffle

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My career happens to be that of a hairstylist. About 2 weeks ago we are working on a Friday afternoon during a thunder storm. I just finished my last client (was getting out early for my sons birthday party) when all of a sudden our power goes out. Now we have about 4 clients in our shop at this time. My sons party is delayed to I hang around the shop making sure everyone is ok. I decide to use my HDS High CRI Clicky as a candle in the bathroom. I walk into bathroom and unscrew my bezel. Bezel comes out and I notice something fall. I then realize that the top part of the bezel that hold the lens down is what was unscrewed, not the whole bezel piece. I really didn't want to ceiling bounce which is why I took it apart. The piece that fell from my light was, of course, the lens. The lens fell about 4 feet onto ceramic tile, and it just chipped on the outside edge. I get everything together and am relieved because the beam is not tainted with the chip. I can just barely notice it when I look into the reflector/lens.

I was very surprised that a short fall could break that glass. I mean I know it glass, just didn't know it was so fragile. I am curious if sapphire would break like that from that kind of fall. The chip isn't killing me, but a sapphire replacement will have to happen now.

I am super lazy about picture, but I will make a attempt a bit later.
 

nbp

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Yeah, it's meant to stay inside the bezel. :p

There really isn't a way to take the bezel off a Clicky without the lens falling out. Sometimes the reflector will get stuck in the bezel and come with it, holding the lens in there, but you can't count on that. The Clicky is not designed to have a candle function per se.
 

tolkaze

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On the plus side, now you can replace the glass with Saphire, or any aftermarket glass. I would give the saphire a miss, and order a genuine glass replacement first of all, just to make sure your clicky is as original as possible. But if you wanted to, a piece of UCL with light diffusion film on it would go great with the high CRI. replacement lenses can be pretty cheap
 

bansuri

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I make sure to tighten the bezel to reflector very tight before assembling and keep the reflector to head o-ring well lubed. Always comes off with the bezel/reflector intact for the occasional mule use.
 

Gaffle

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There really isn't a way to take the bezel off a Clicky without the lens falling out. Sometimes the reflector will get stuck in the bezel and come with it, holding the lens in there, but you can't count on that. The Clicky is not designed to have a candle function per se.

Typically my whole bezel assembly comes off so I just have the emitter hanging out. Only on maybe 2 occasions have I unscrewed the bezel and the top half, or reflector half, have come undone.

I know the Clicky doesn't candle so well due to the switch, but it still works for me.
 

shelm

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I would ask the manufacturer for a FREE replacement lens.
I would call this GREAT SERVICE for a GREAT PRODUCT. Then.
 

127.0.0.1

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what did it fall on ?

ceramic is extremely hard stuff

in fact most automotive breakins are with ninja-rocks. a ninja rock is a broken chunk of ceramic from
a spark plug, and when whipped at car glass,it shatters completely and almost silently, making break-in a breeze.

it only works because the ceramic is way higher on the hardness scale. glass is about a 6.5

mohs hardness: ceramic is 9 sapphire is 9, they will break each other.

in fact sapphire and most hard ceramic is the exact same stuff, aluminum oxide
 

nbp

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I would ask the manufacturer for a FREE replacement lens.
I would call this GREAT SERVICE for a GREAT PRODUCT. Then.



Henry would probably send a lens just because he's that kind of guy, but I wouldn't expect it as a customer. It wasn't really broken in the course of normal usage.
 

Gaffle

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Henry would probably send a lens just because he's that kind of guy, but I wouldn't expect it as a customer. It wasn't really broken in the course of normal usage.

Yeah, I'm not going to request a new lens from Henry. This situation is not the fault of his product. I just need to get me a sapphire lens.
 

nbp

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From my reading of a great many HDS posts over the years, it seems the consensus that the sapphire is marginally more scratchproof but not really more shatterproof.

Even Henry himself said it's basically for bragging rights and he wouldn't pay the extra for the sapphire window over the glass window if ordering one.

Just trying to save ya a couple bucks. :)
 

Jeff S.

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Dropping a glass lens foot feet without cracking it and only experiencing what sounds like a minor chip, to me, is an illustration of toughness, not fragility.
 

enomosiki

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The harder an object, the more brittle it is.

E.g. - stainless steel versus ceramic knives. Stainless steel will warp if subjected to brute force. With ceramic, however, the blade breaks off and goes airborne.

With that in mind, you are better off getting the glass UCL. Sapphire is a more scratch resistant, but since you aren't working in an environment where there is abrasive particles in the air, you won't need it.
 
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