HighlanderNorth
Flashlight Enthusiast
Last weekend I went with my mother to her community pool. I removed my 4 year old Spark SL5 from its holster as I was changing into a bathing suit, and I thought of the brilliant idea of taking the light into the pool with me to check it's waterproof-ness.
Now....there are 2 possible reasons that the aforementioned "brilliant idea" was a failure: (A). I'd somehow managed to forget that I always back the tailcap off by approx. 1/3 to 1/2 turns, to prevent accidental activation(on a tailcap that tightens fully in just 1.5 full turns). (B). The o-rings were slightly worn and compressed.
One or both of those issues led to a few drops of water finding its way into the battery compartment, and some immediate malfunctioning of the light, which was easily dealt with by drying it out with my t-shirt.
When I first bought the SL5-210cw(XP-G), it's side switch was easier to activate than its identical rear switch, so I called Goinggear and he told me to return just the light to him for warranty or replacement. When he received it, he said he could just send me a new SL5-220cw(XM-L U2 version), with a ZL SC52 type beam profile. I agreed, but instead of just sending the physical light, he sent an entire new box with all the identical accessories I already had from the SL5-210cw, such as another nice holster, another diffuser lens, and all o-rings etc.
So after the pool incident, I decided to clean the threads and swap out all o-rings for new ones. When finished, it became obvious that the threads needed lube badly, but I had nothing aside from glycerin and a tube of -bearing- grease(correction). I opted for choice #2. I haven't done the water test again yet.
Where can you get extra o-rings that fit properly, aside from the manufacturer of the light? How often do you clean, lube your light's threads or replace o-rings? What common household lubricants can be used safely without damaging o-rings? What non-household lube is longest lasting and non damaging to o-rings?
Now....there are 2 possible reasons that the aforementioned "brilliant idea" was a failure: (A). I'd somehow managed to forget that I always back the tailcap off by approx. 1/3 to 1/2 turns, to prevent accidental activation(on a tailcap that tightens fully in just 1.5 full turns). (B). The o-rings were slightly worn and compressed.
One or both of those issues led to a few drops of water finding its way into the battery compartment, and some immediate malfunctioning of the light, which was easily dealt with by drying it out with my t-shirt.
When I first bought the SL5-210cw(XP-G), it's side switch was easier to activate than its identical rear switch, so I called Goinggear and he told me to return just the light to him for warranty or replacement. When he received it, he said he could just send me a new SL5-220cw(XM-L U2 version), with a ZL SC52 type beam profile. I agreed, but instead of just sending the physical light, he sent an entire new box with all the identical accessories I already had from the SL5-210cw, such as another nice holster, another diffuser lens, and all o-rings etc.
So after the pool incident, I decided to clean the threads and swap out all o-rings for new ones. When finished, it became obvious that the threads needed lube badly, but I had nothing aside from glycerin and a tube of -bearing- grease(correction). I opted for choice #2. I haven't done the water test again yet.
Where can you get extra o-rings that fit properly, aside from the manufacturer of the light? How often do you clean, lube your light's threads or replace o-rings? What common household lubricants can be used safely without damaging o-rings? What non-household lube is longest lasting and non damaging to o-rings?
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