IanJ
Newly Enlightened
I realize this will come as a surprise to fairly few of you, but figured I'd throw it out as a data point. I picked up an Archer 1A in the beginning of August, 2014 for use as an EDC light, replacing a Fenix E11. I liked the 10 lumen level of the Archer, and the price was certainly decent -- $30ish. Then in December I started noticing hints of the switch not quite working the instant I hit it, and now (late January/early February, 2015) I have to jiggle the switch more often than not to get the light to turn on. Unfortunately, that's a death knell for me, so I've got my first Foursevens light on its way as a replacement.
I'm sure I could make or find a pin spanner to take the switch apart, and I may still, but I figured the light would last more than six months. I only operate the switch 2-3 times a day typically, so that's only about 500 actuations before it's nearly useless as a functional daily-carry light. Obviously this is only one light, and maybe it was made on the day they had the apprentice switch-grease guy on the line. I'm underwhelmed, though.
FWIW, my points of comparison are an HDS EDC Basic 42 (how's that for old?) that lasted about 5 years before the switch started to get a little iffy, followed by a series of cheaper 1xAA lights like the Fenix E11 and Archer 1A. The Archer is the first one that died of switch failure instead of being put aside due to Flashlight Acquisition Syndrome. I noted that the Foursevens has a 10 year warranty, so hopefully a switch failure will not be the end of it.
I'm sure I could make or find a pin spanner to take the switch apart, and I may still, but I figured the light would last more than six months. I only operate the switch 2-3 times a day typically, so that's only about 500 actuations before it's nearly useless as a functional daily-carry light. Obviously this is only one light, and maybe it was made on the day they had the apprentice switch-grease guy on the line. I'm underwhelmed, though.
FWIW, my points of comparison are an HDS EDC Basic 42 (how's that for old?) that lasted about 5 years before the switch started to get a little iffy, followed by a series of cheaper 1xAA lights like the Fenix E11 and Archer 1A. The Archer is the first one that died of switch failure instead of being put aside due to Flashlight Acquisition Syndrome. I noted that the Foursevens has a 10 year warranty, so hopefully a switch failure will not be the end of it.