Maxfire LX Reliability Question

Hondo

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Oct 26, 2005
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SE Michigan
Short answer to question: My reliability has been perfect, but I like others don't run these a lot due to battery consumption, but I love the output, switch function, durability, and of course the price.

Long answer:

I have been in contact with Quickbeam and Brinkmann as well after I saw his discovery of unwelded bulb leads, as I have 3 of these. The bulb leads are intended to be (per rep. at Brinkmann) and are on all of mine welded by resistance weld ("spot weld") to the metal plates of the lamp assembly. So were Quickbeam's first sample leads, and he will be evaluating a third soon. His second sample had no evidence of a weld, so it was not a "bad weld", but a "missing weld" situation. Still, if you see the welds, and you can if they are there, I would give the leads a good pry to make sure they are fused well to the plates. I was grateful for the warning that at least one such assembly snuck through the process so I could check the integrity of this critical feature of all of mine at a non-critical time. Quickbeam toned back the update to more of an appropriate heads up pending further review. I would say anyone finding unwelded bulb leads on these should contact Brinkmann for a replacement, they seem fairly cooporative. I ordered a few spares, as they only charged $4.95 each on the phone, as opposed to the $6.95 in the web page. Warning if you do need service, the rep to whom I spoke after a 40 minute hold said this is their busiest time of year, so have a window with CPF up when you call so you have something to do while holding :whistle: .
 
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C4LED

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Jun 30, 2005
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Thanks Hondo and Everyone. I purchased one of these for the car before reading Quickbeam's update. It looked like a great light--close to a G2 for around 1/2 the price! The performance is excellent.

However, after seeing that review I was wondering if I should keep it in the car for an emergency. I'll check for the welds and also wait for the final update to that review.
 

mykall

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Jan 29, 2005
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Williamsburg, Va.
I'd like to know just how many people have had this
problem. It's starting to sound like the exception
rather than the rule.

I have flashlight redundancy in my car so I'm not worried.
Besides, I believe Brink will make good if this happens.

MB
 

C4LED

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Jun 30, 2005
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East Coast, USA
mykall said:
I'd like to know just how many people have had this
problem. It's starting to sound like the exception
rather than the rule.

I have flashlight redundancy in my car so I'm not worried.
Besides, I believe Brink will make good if this happens.

MB

I agree completely and have the same set up.
 

kennyj

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Jun 22, 2005
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Orlando, FL
It's probably worth noting that the issue was with the Maxfire lamp assembly, not the flashlight itself... this is important because the Maxfire LX will accomodate nearly any P60-compatible lamp assembly, as Quickbeam pointed out in his review. So, you can get the nice, perfectly-centered P60 assembly from Surefire and stick it in the Maxfire LX, or use the BOG 3W LED drop-in (something I'm thinking about doing) if you don't like Maxfire's bulbs. There might even be other lesser-known options as well; it's entirely possible that other comparable 6V Lithium-powered lamp assemblies might fit.

One credit to Maxfire's LA, however, is its low price. For $5 per LA, anyone who uses the light enough to replace the LA regularly, or who simply wants spares, can afford to stock up easily. Surefire's P60 LA, for comparison, is listed at $17 on the SF website - over 3 times the price, nearly as expensive as the Maxfire itself, and almost half as expensive as the G2 you'd otherwise be putting it in. That's a lot of money for a single, breakable component with a limited lifespan. So, the value-conscious Flashaholic (if you bought a Maxfire instead of a G2, you're probably value-conscious) could order 3 of the Maxfire LAs for the price of one SF LA, test them all, and get the faulty ones replaced. When you do the math, from a value standpoint, the Maxfire's LA is still an attractive option as long as you remember to evaluate them before putting them to work (as you probably should be doing anyway.)
 

asdalton

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Dec 12, 2002
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Northeast Oklahoma
I have been using my Maxfire LX as a host for the BugOutGear module, so I can't comment on the reliability of the stock lamp. (I did check its lamp wires, however, and they don't wiggle around.) But the clicky tail switch is just as crisp and reliable as when I bought it. :)
 

kennyj

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Jun 22, 2005
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Orlando, FL
Ooh, here's an idea to help with reliability concerns.

Take advantage of the low price (relative to the G2) of the Maxfire by getting two, a bunch of extra LAs, and test them all... and when one stops working for whatever reason, do a New York City Reload and you're back in business.
 

lightlust

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Oct 15, 2005
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[Another data point on the graph follows] I've beat on one pretty well for about four weeks, and it has held up so far.
 

mykall

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Jan 29, 2005
Messages
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Location
Williamsburg, Va.
I've taken mine out and they seem to be soldered on.
Even if they weren't it woudlnt' be difficult to fix.
A drop of solder or some solder glue would hold it
in place and even for a soldering novice would be
easier than sending it back to Brink.

The top contact looks like this:

maxbulb11ug.jpg


And the side one like this:

maxbulb22fl.jpg



The good part is that on this design you've obviously got a lot of room to
work with.

MB
 
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