TM26 has a broken lens. Best course of action?

HerbalRemedies

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Jun 29, 2011
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Hello CPF, Ive been a lurker here for a while now but this is my first post. After months of saving I finally bought a tm26 but unfortunately one of the lenses broke. Is there any way I could repair it myself? After much searching, I was unable to find any articles/posts about disassembly of the tm26 head unit. Is the only avenue of repair to send it into nitecore to have the lens replaced? Any advice would be greatly appreciated! http://i.imgur.com/G4PGpz3.jpg
 

RCTPAVUK

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Try to get a replacement. Otherwise, get your money back...
Who is the dealer of the light you got?

If you broke the lens, try to contact dealer and/or manufacturer. Ask for spare parts and tools to replace them. If they won`t help you, I don`t know if there`s a way.
Maybe try contact some modders (you can find them in different branches of the forum.)
 
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TEEJ

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Hello CPF, Ive been a lurker here for a while now but this is my first post. After months of saving I finally bought a tm26 but unfortunately one of the lenses broke. Is there any way I could repair it myself? After much searching, I was unable to find any articles/posts about disassembly of the tm26 head unit. Is the only avenue of repair to send it into nitecore to have the lens replaced? Any advice would be greatly appreciated! http://i.imgur.com/G4PGpz3.jpg

The bezel unscrews, so you could take the broken lens off and replace it if you knew the size, etc.

I would try the place you got it from first, and they will either help you directly, or, help you get in touch with nitecore about a replacement lens. Given how easy it would be to do the swap (Confirm by removing the bezel, etc, before calling the dealer...), sending you a new lens is probably the easiest solution.

BTW, how did you manage to break it? (Mine's been dropped - on the lens side, and nothing's broken so far at least, so you must have really whacked it.)
 
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BFT

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Forum member riccardo has taken his bezels, lenses, and reflectors out with the intention of changing out the LED's in his TM26. I believe he is waiting on the new LED's to arrive. I would ask him how hard it was to remove the bezels and what tools he used.
 

BFT

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Hello CPF, Ive been a lurker here for a while now but this is my first post. After months of saving I finally bought a tm26 but unfortunately one of the lenses broke. Is there any way I could repair it myself? After much searching, I was unable to find any articles/posts about disassembly of the tm26 head unit. Is the only avenue of repair to send it into nitecore to have the lens replaced? Any advice would be greatly appreciated! http://i.imgur.com/G4PGpz3.jpg


Did you manage to get a replacement lens? How did it get broken? I can only imagine it was dropped onto a hard pointed object.
 

RCTPAVUK

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Dropped my light, got broken lens too.

Did you get another one? How did you manage to unscrew the bezel?
 
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RCTPAVUK

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Just to add some details...
Mine was dropped from approx. 1m on a hard surface (a tile, I believe it's called.)
Just one drop, and it's broke. I feel extremely unlucky...

I have written a letter to Ill.Supply regarding sending me a tool and 4 spare lenses (If I were to unfortunately drop it again...)
Awaiting response...
 

Etsu

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I have written a letter to Ill.Supply regarding sending me a tool and 4 spare lenses (If I were to unfortunately drop it again...)
Awaiting response...

You might want to try contacting the manufacturer. Dropping a light doesn't seem like something a dealer would cover.
 

RCTPAVUK

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You might want to try contacting the manufacturer. Dropping a light doesn't seem like something a dealer would cover.

It's better to ask a dealer first... Even Nitecore says that first try to get your dealer contacted...
I'll see what IllSupply says, and if they don't have what I need, I'll ask Nitecore...
 

SirMack

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I look forward to seeing how this is resolved and how the dealer and manufacturer handle the situation. The light seems to be advertised as incredibly durable (Dropped on hard ground, frozen, thrown into somewhat deep water, kicked down rocky hills, banged against rock and trees, etc), so i would think they would handle ANY damage sustained from what could be billed as typical average use of this flashlight within their niche market.
 

Etsu

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I suspect it will be covered by the manufacturer. Although, ceramic tile is extremely hard, and probably beyond their design limits. Kicking it around on hard ground is nowhere near as damaging as a drop on ceramic tile. The tile won't give at all, and all the force of the drop will be directed at whatever point of the light that hits it.
 

RCTPAVUK

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So, I've asked ILLSUPPLY... They are sending a new lens for free. As per tools to open the bezel, they don't have any... But, I've been instructed to use a shoe rubber to do so...

Since I have a 220v adapter, I decided to try... It works...









More photos... The purpose of that hole remains a mystery...







 
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chinchala

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Mar 29, 2014
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Hi everyone! I'm so glad i found this post and see that someone was able to get replacement parts! I have ever worse case. Dropped in on a flat concrete floor in my garage from about 1 meter. I have the same broken 1 lens but plus what i can see is that reflector inside that lens is also broken........ Not as durable as Nitecore markets it...

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE send me the link or contact info of a person/company who sent you replacement parts. I bought mine of from ebay, so no dealer i can contact. Sent email to Nitecore but understanding they operate from China it may take a while to get an answer as well as parts from them.

Any help you can provide will be highly appreciated!

Thanks in advance!
 

JoeAsheville

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I have a TM26 with a failed emitter. I wrote Riccardo about his technique and he stated he used an adjustable tool to turn the bezel ring. However, he did say that the reflector was a light press fit and his were a royal pain to remove.

I see the reflector sitting there without any obvious damage...how was it removed? Owing to production tolerances, RCTPAVUK's unit may have been looser than Riccardo's and allowed for easier extraction.

In other news, I have purchased some machining stock (Delrin) and, if all goes well, should be able to custom make a bezel removal tool for the TM26. This tool should preclude damage upon removal. However, I am unsure of what type of tool would make reflector removal simpler/easier as I haven't been that far into the project yet.
 

Fireclaw18

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Mar 16, 2011
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Other suggestions for opening this kind of bezel:

1. Use one of the rubber pads sold at grocery stores for opening stuck jars.

2. Get grey indoor stairway grip tape. cut off a small piece big enough to cover the bezel and use the tape's adhesive to stick it to the bezel. Then press the bezel into the palm of your hand and turn. Make sure to get INDOOR stairway grip stuff. The indoor stuff is pure rubber. The outdoor stairway grip tape is made with crushed glass.
 
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