Horrible flashlight design

Yesterday I was asked to look at my Grandmother's utility torch - a Panasonic 2D. It was not coming on.

Well, after she handed it to me I had quite a shock - the shattered remnants of the bulb was rattling around in the reflector. I have never seen the like of it before. Well, when I took the light apart, I found that it was designed so that to save some money, the bulb had no holder - the positive stub of the battery was bearing directly against the bulb base. With the constant stress of the negative spring and the tumble onto the carpet, the light had failed. How can a light be designed in such a horrible way?

I have given her my ProPoly 4AA luxeon so she is good to go - but the Panasonic is in the trash!

I suppose I have become spoiled with all the good lights from Surefire, Arc and the like, but the rotten apples are still out there.

Anyone else had a bulb killed by cheap fitting methods - or perhaps some other similar nastiness in design?

Ian, UK

A lot of the older and very cheap lights were like that. One drop or impact lengthwise and the bulb was crushed by the "D" sized batts slamming into it. Sometimes I wonder if that isn't a good part of the reason older incans got such a reputation for fragility. Mag was one of the innovators by introducing a design where you had something between the batts and the bulb which seriously improved durability.

zespectre said:

One drop or impact lengthwise and the bulb was crushed by the "D" sized batts slamming into it.

Click to expand...

One drop or impact sideways and the the torch will snap in 2.

I seem to have to bend the strip of copper from the switch to the head back into position after every battery change.

While most lights now have bulb holders, the little spring inside is now missing in the cheap ones. Just a piece of soft copper bent so 1 side touches the battery, the other the bulb.....hopefully. The stock bulb always works, any replacement bulb probably will not until the strip of copper is pulled forward a bit with an awl.