Nitecore is absolutely ridiculous or am I just very unlucky...

I just received my Nitecore EC11 in the mail and the LED is horrendously off center. The main beam has this huge protrusion on one side and a fainter ring on the other side. It also has dull artifacts in the spill and corona. The red beam also has artifacts, but that's to be expected as its LED on the side of the reflector.

Here's a picture of the main beam and front veiw. The beam picture is quite blurry since I have no idea how to configure my phone camera to not auto adjust brightness to show the protrusion. The main idea is clear however.



My only other Nitecore is the MH20 which has a defective internal charger that I had posted on the forums here a few weeks earlier. They were both bought on ebay. I am absolutely disappointed with Nitecore's ridiculous quality control, especially as these aren't the cheapest lights. At these price points, I expect better quality.:tsk:

I also have a Fenix TK15, Xeno E03, Thrunite Archer 1C v2, Thrunite Archer 1A v2, Zebralight SC5, and numerous Ultrafire/Trustfire lights. None of these have any problems to speak of.

I believe this is normal as both my lights with the red Led feature this also but it's only noticeable if I'm extremely close to a wall. In normal use its not noticeable to me and I only see it when white wall hunting and at an extremely close distance. It's the trade off you get with the red LED it won't have a perfect beam pattern.

doesnt look THAT off center but the beam speaks for itself. Sucks about your MH20 my copy is stone cold perfect which is a first for any NC Ive bought lol....wow the reflector looks extremely rough orange peel thought the EC11 had a smooth reflector?

Also you mentioned buying these off eBay.. I buy mine through authorized dealers as you can usually get excellent prices and quicker turn around if any issues arise. Also, there were issues with counterfeit Nitecore chargers recently so it's possible some counterfeit Nitecore products are circulating on eBay and other similar sites. Not saying yours is but something to be wary of.

CelticCross74 said:

doesnt look THAT off center but the beam speaks for itself. Sucks about your MH20 my copy is stone cold perfect which is a first for any NC Ive bought lol....wow the reflector looks extremely rough orange peel thought the EC11 had a smooth reflector?

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It's not a very rough orange peel. The EC11 should be a smooth orange peel. I've compared it to other pictures of the EC11 and they are fairly similar. The marketing pictures from Nitecore however, does look much smoother. Not sure why. The LED is as off center as it can possibly be, while the picture doesn't show it well. The LED dome is flush against the hole of the reflector. Maybe snowlover91 is correct about the beam though, since the protrusion is on the opposite side of the red LED.

snowlover91 said:

Also you mentioned buying these off eBay.. I buy mine through authorized dealers as you can usually get excellent prices and quicker turn around if any issues arise. Also, there were issues with counterfeit Nitecore chargers recently so it's possible some counterfeit Nitecore products are circulating on eBay and other similar sites. Not saying yours is but something to be wary of.

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I didn't think there would be much of a difference since they both come from China but yeah, I'ld definitely consider other sources for lights in the future after this. You may be correct about the EC11's beam though, since I have noticed the protrusion is on the opposite side of the red LED but, it is very noticeable on the ceiling or across the room. I don't think the 2 Nitecore's I have are counterfeits. All the markings are correct, even on the inside positive terminal and not a single English mistake on the manual(telltale sign of fakes). Both packaging from 2 different sellers have the same texture

I have the EA11, which is the fraternal twin of the EC11. My main led is perfectly centered and without artifacts, so if that shot was of your main led it definitely needs to go back. You might be withing the guarantee time frame from Ebay if you just got it. If that was a shot of the red led, then yes, it would be lopsided like that, and there will be artifacts. It is a matter of where it is placed in the reflector, and even orange peel will not do much to correct the artifacts.

I have purchased at least a half dozen lights from Nitecore over the last three years, and have had absolutely no problems with any of them. I will be the first to admit that lemons get through. Even with five nines quality (99.999%) one in one hundred thousand will have a problem. Hope you can easily get things taken care of.

Shining a light directly at a wall will reveal imperfections. In typical everyday practical use, you would not notice these imperfections. Any imperfections in the reflector, even the red LED hole, will show up on a white wall test. When there are complaints about square beam pattern or donut holes in the beam, this pic helps visualize why.

Sorry to hear about your problem. I own ten Nitecore lights, from small CR2 to large 8xAA and 4x18650 lights and I've never had a problem so far.

Very sorry to hear that issue. But as we all know, ideally, all hotspots should be on the center of the beam. Have you contacted Nitecore CS regarding your issue?

Nitecore is notorious for bouts of spotty QC. Recently I have read it has gotten much better, not so much in the past. Im coming from the day of the D10....the ones that worked usually were rock solid the ones that didn't everything from DOA, suddenly pooping out to literally breaking in half.

They have some very cool stuff but a checkered past in several areas, but as mentioned QC as a whole, does appear to be better than it has been.

Sorry about your issues.

PandaLight said:

My only other Nitecore is the MH20 which has a defective internal charger that I had posted on the forums here a few weeks earlier. They were both bought on ebay. I am absolutely disappointed with Nitecore's ridiculous quality control, especially as these aren't the cheapest lights. At these price points, I expect better quality.:tsk:

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Contact the owner of the shop you bought the Nitecore lights thru. My bet, they're counterfeit lights. I could be wrong on this point but check to make sure and at the same time, what does the shop owner have to say about warranty work.

I've never seen a center piece looking so skewed as the one you posted an image of. The skewed nature of the center piece makes me wonder about if it's a Nitecore light or a knockoff light.

Timothybil said:

I have the EA11, which is the fraternal twin of the EC11. My main led is perfectly centered and without artifacts, so if that shot was of your main led it definitely needs to go back. You might be withing the guarantee time frame from Ebay if you just got it. If that was a shot of the red led, then yes, it would be lopsided like that, and there will be artifacts. It is a matter of where it is placed in the reflector, and even orange peel will not do much to correct the artifacts.

I have purchased at least a half dozen lights from Nitecore over the last three years, and have had absolutely no problems with any of them. I will be the first to admit that lemons get through. Even with five nines quality (99.999%) one in one hundred thousand will have a problem. Hope you can easily get things taken care of.

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It is a picture of the main beam. Could you please confirm that your EA11 does not have a large protrusion in the main beam on the opposite side of the red LED and has no artifacts? From analyzing my light further, the lopsided protrusion seems to be coming from the small half-cone of the red LED, which would actually be normal. It is very bright however and can be seen pretty much anywhere I shine the light on. The artifacts I speak of are in the spill and corona of the beam which can't be seen on the picture. They aren't very apparent and is something I can only see when shining on a wall. The artifacts are dull and sort of blend together, unlike artifacts of the red LED.

GordoJones88 said:

Shining a light directly at a wall will reveal imperfections. In typical everyday practical use, you would not notice these imperfections. Any imperfections in the reflector, even the red LED hole, will show up on a white wall test. When there are complaints about square beam pattern or donut holes in the beam, this pic helps visualize why.

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The protrusion from the spill of the main beam is very apparent in usage. The artifacts are something I can only see on a wall test.

magellan said:

Sorry to hear about your problem. I own ten Nitecore lights, from small CR2 to large 8xAA and 4x18650 lights and I've never had a problem so far.

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I guess I'm just unlucky with my purchases

UnderPar said:

Very sorry to hear that issue. But as we all know, ideally, all hotspots should be on the center of the beam. Have you contacted Nitecore CS regarding your issue?

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The hotspot is pretty much at the center of the beam, disregarding the protrusion from the beam. The beamshot might be a little misleading due to the spill and hotspot being washed out. No I have not contacted Nitecore and I don't know if I should. Ebay has refunded the MH20 on the count of the seller completely ignoring me and my multiple inquiries.

ForrestChump said:

Nitecore is notorious for bouts of spotty QC. Recently I have read it has gotten much better, not so much in the past. Im coming from the day of the D10....the ones that worked usually were rock solid the ones that didn't everything from DOA, suddenly pooping out to literally breaking in half.

They have some very cool stuff but a checkered past in several areas, but as mentioned QC as a whole, does appear to be better than it has been.

Sorry about your issues.

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I was under the impression Nitecore was suppose to have good QC being one of the larger and more well known high output(supposedly high quality) flashlight manufacturers

Parrot Quack said:

Contact the owner of the shop you bought the Nitecore lights thru. My bet, they're counterfeit lights. I could be wrong on this point but check to make sure and at the same time, what does the shop owner have to say about warranty work.

I've never seen a center piece looking so skewed as the one you posted an image of. The skewed nature of the center piece makes me wonder about if it's a Nitecore light or a knockoff light.

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The 2 lights are from different sellers. I haven't messaged the EC11 seller but the MH20 seller has absolutely ignored all my messages after I proved the problem to them with a video indicating the problem. Ebay has refunded for the defective MH20 though, so I am at ease finally.

Nothing about both the lights has indicated to me that it is a counterfeit. Both being fairly new and uniquely small for the output, I doubt there is a counterfeit.

You can contact Nitecore. They replaced my MH20, even though I bought it from an unauthorised dealer. It costs you the shipping costs to China. But that is probably less then the purchase price.

On your picture I don't see a off-centered LED.
All lights with red led inside the reflector if you are next the wall shows this external artifact.

I think the photo of your light is what is to be expected due to the red LED in the reflector. Mine looks the exact same way if I hold the light 6 inches from the wall or less, it's due to the cutout for the red LED which causes slight distortion at very close distances. This isn't noticeable at distances more than 1 foot away unless shining on a wall and looking for it sometimes I can faintly see it but not always. In real world usage though this seems to disappear and it's the trade off for having the red led. It's not a defect but part of the light. There was a thread about this very thing when it first was released and the conclusion was the same; it's not a defect and only noticeable on a wall at very close distances.

However I would recommend in the future purchasing your lights through an authorized dealer of Nitecore and to stay away from eBay for things like this. While your lights don't look like counterfeits there are a lot of people on eBay who will sell you a defective, broken or grey market light and it's not worth the risk.

Your light is completely normal.

They are not meant to be used from 6" away.

I have enjoyed my EC21 for the last 9 months and the beam is exactly like yours.

Thanks,
-Chuck

PandaLight said:

Nothing about both the lights has indicated to me that it is a counterfeit. Both being fairly new and uniquely small for the output, I doubt there is a counterfeit.

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The center of the cone where the LED is located tells me your above, quite possibly, is in error and the fact the seller wouldn't write you sort of confirms what I asked about.

There's a lot of flaky stuff going on with Ebay sellers and this point should receive some consideration. Congratulations are in order regarding Ebay dealing with the MH20 refund issue.

For future purchases, a recommendation, consider Amazon.

PandaLight said:

I guess I'm just unlucky with my purchases

I was under the impression Nitecore was suppose to have good QC being one of the larger and more well known high output(supposedly high quality) flashlight manufacturers.

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It seems to have come and go in waves, recently I've learned by others posts the QC is likely the best it's ever been, but I wouldn't be surprised of a bad batch here or some fluctuations. There are several relatively recent posts similar to yours of multiple bad samples. Beyond that others are likely more qualified to answer, as I don't purchase them anymore. I would however stay far away from their chargers despite their popularity. Multiple reports of safety concerns with them. If purchasing a light, I would also stay away from ebay and use one of the many CPF friendly dealers in case of a problem. ( Just gathering what I've read. )

ForrestChump said:

( Just gathering what I've read. )

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As a Nitecore fanboy I ask, what do you have to write that's based on personal Nitecore experience? And I also notice that based on the images posted and the behavior of the supplier, nobody is commenting on the possibility of the lights being fraudulent.

Everybody has an opinion, which is perfectly fine but what do the suppliers and the manufacture have to say on the matter?

FWIW, I'm currently charging a pair of Orbtronic 18650s in a Nitecore D4 battery charger.

All I'm suggesting, check with Nitecore and see what they have to say.

Parrot Quack said:

As a Nitecore fanboy I ask, what do you have to write that's based on personal Nitecore experience? And I also notice that based on the images posted and the behavior of the supplier, nobody is commenting on the possibility of the lights being fraudulent.

Everybody has an opinion, which is perfectly fine but what do the suppliers and the manufacture have to say on the matter?

FWIW, I'm currently charging a pair of Orbtronic 18650s in a Nitecore D4 battery charger.

All I'm suggesting, check with Nitecore and see what they have to say.

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Agreed. I know Nitecore posted about counterfeit chargers being produced and distributed. I wouldn't buy any flashlight off eBay due to the grey market and risk of receiving a dud. When buying from an authorized dealer you're at least going to get the actual product straight from the factory. If it has a problem from there then that's on Nitecore but if purchased through eBay or elsewhere there are a number of reasons that could explain any problems that arise. No issues with any of my lights from them and my 2 chargers work great I've had the first one for 2 years now and use it frequently and the second one also works great.