lights you regret buying? why?

[Stockhouse13]

A Quark Pro. Superb Quality, UI, etc. Just hate the bluish tint. Not so bad on high, but the low and mid are too angry.

 

[pblanch]

[h=1]Quark Turbo QB2A The Pre-flash just kills it for the light. Lower levels are useless for me when I get a 100lm flash.[/h]Really disappointed and cannot see myself buying another 4sevens. Didn't find out until after that it is a common occurrence with this light. It was from an older thread so looked like they didnt bother to fix it.

 

[pblanch]

Sorry about the editing on the last post. I have not idea how to change it.

 

[buds224]

Jetbeam JetIII ST. Having owned and loving the Jetbeam ST Cycler, I saw a JetIII ST in the marketplace at a very, very, very bargain price. Without reading up on the light, and assuming it would be somewhere close the the ST Cycler, I purchased it only to find out that it's not even close. Completely my fault for jumping the gun without researching. Chalk it up to experience and lesson learned.

Decided to pocket the JetIII ST around the house for a couple of days now. I've now grown to like it for what it is. It's got a very low low (useful around the house) and a pretty decent high. I no longer regret purchasing the light. Surprisingly, with the OP reflector, it throws pretty darned well too.

 

[DAN92]

Crelant V11A, horrible tint, my Xeno E03 V3 is much more bright, I have resold.

 

[Charles L.]

Jetbeam TCR-3 titanium. Not a bad light, but I bought it because it was pretty -- and it is, but I never used it for fear I'd ding it. I don't really need a shelf queen. I used it so infrequently I realized recently it's missing! Now I really regret buying it.

Budds224, my ST Cycler is the only "older" light I have that can still hold its own against my 2014 lights. Of course it's not that old

 

[JedSmith]

I haven't been around high powered flashlights very long. The first one I bought was a Fenix TK-21. While I don't exactly 'regret' buying it, I see now that it has characteristics that don't work as well for me as other options. For a light of this size (1x18650) with a larger head, now I prefer a good tactical user interface that can be used with a pistol. The TK-21 has a very small side button (not very prominent) to access lo-med-high-turbo and this is too difficult to quickly use when a pistol is in my other hand. But I've accidently bumped the small side switch to change light level when I didn't want to do so. I like its flood, throw, and tint - - - but for me this is more of a general than tactical flashlight. In general, since one never knows when an emergency situation may arise - I tend to look for flashlights with a tactical interface that works for me.
The light is still worth more to me than I would likely get for it if I sold it. (Time moves on and more powerful lights are on the market that get more attention from buyers.) Its still a good back up and loaner.

 

[TMedina]

The light I regret buying...would have to be the Surefire C2 just before Iraq.

It was the gateway drug that resulted in, at last count, 4 Z2s, with another on the way. To say nothing of the Malkoffs, the two Elzettas, and so on.

 

[fridgemagnet]

I regret the LED Lenser Police Tech that was my first led light - the lens came loose and rattled around, and the battery carrier was poorly designed, and soon stopped making contact with the batteries. Plus, for what it did, it was too large - and too expensive.
Now I have an Olight S15 2xAA - it's great.
(SC52w-L2 on back order, coming soon - I hope)

 

[buds224]

Budds224, my ST Cycler is the only "older" light I have that can still hold its own against my 2014 lights. Of course it's not that old

Sorry to hear about your TCR3.

Yes, the ST Cycler is one of the most underrated lights in my collection. The only thing I would have changed on the UI is mode memory, then I'd definitely have it on me more often.

 

[Zeek]

I have never regretted any light at the time of purchase. However, as I look at my collection, I can safely say that my D-Cell maglite will never be used as a flashlight ever again...,

 

[Monocrom]

I have never regretted any light at the time of purchase. However, as I look at my collection, I can safely say that my D-Cell maglite will never be used as a flashlight ever again...,

+1

I put mine away into an upper kitchen cabinet quite awhile back. On the top shelf.... Where it shares space with a bag of flour. Less than useless.

Converted my two, 2C M@glites into LED lights several years ago.

 

[ER1C]

Ok - So I received this light 1 day later than the USPS said it would be delivered, but I think that was the post offices fault. The light and all the accessories came in 1 package that had no damage. Everything was well protected.
Pros:
1. The flashlight itself seems to be of really decent quality.
2. Glass, (not plastic) lens (window), with no dust or dirt present.
3. The fit and finish seem to be pretty good.
4. The light functions properly with no discernible PWM.
5. The rotating mode selector on the head works beautifully. This is the main feature for which I bought this light.
6. The head separates into several sections, and allows access to the battery tube from the top.
7. The rear mounted switch has a momentary function as well as being clicky. It also is crenelated somewhat to allow for more comfortable thumb engagement. The surface of the switch is knurled rubber.

Cons:
1. This light is NOWHERE NEAR the advertised 1100 lumen max output advertised. My 20.00 Defiant 650 lumen club from Home Depot blows this thing away. I realize that the head of the Defiant light is massive which contributes to the throw, but the intensity of the beam shouldn't blow an 1100 lumen light away.
2. The color of the beam is slightly blue with a purple tinge around the edges of the hotspot. (this is with the smooth reflector I purchased in addition to the orange peel that comes standard with this light.
3. The hotspot is not tight enough with the smooth reflector to allow a decent throw. There is a "hole" in the hotspot past 40 yards. I'll be returning the smooth reflector and just sticking with the OP original.
4. The crenelated bezel on the head looks great, but the thread engagement is poor. Only about 1 full turn on the threads.
5. The O-rings' seem very small and thin, and don't look like they'll last too long. I wouldn't even consider submerging this thing.
6. The "digital" battery charger, (whatever that means) seems pretty cheesy. It has a dedicated light for each battery (2) and they change from red to green when the battery is fully charged. I'll be looking for a better replacement charger soon.

Conclusion: Although this light looks very nice, I don't think it measures up to the more well known brands in terms of quality. I think the asking price of 119.00 is too high. Having said that, Gander Mountain sells their brand of LED flashlights at prices approaching this and they don't have near the features this one has. If I was a guessing man, I'd say that the max output of this light (not 1100 lm) is more in the neighborhood of 400-500 lumens. This puts it at more of a fair price point of about 60-80 bucks, given it's form factor and the selector switch. I would not pay what I paid again, but I'll use this light as an EDC for awhile and see how it holds up. I'm a firefighter and an aircraft inspector. I use flashlights on a daily basis. Time will tell if this one was worth the $119.00 I paid. I got absolutely ripped on the charger and batteries though. I hope this review helps anyone looking at this brand to make a decision.

I recently bought this exact same light and... well.... pretty disappointed! Bottom line, DON'T buy this light!! This light does NOT put out anything more than 550 lumens and the hue of the light is very purple. I'd say about 8000k. I like warmer lights and this one is just way too cool in color temp. My boss' 640 lumen Streamlight whoops this flashlight pretty good lol. Also, my stainless steel selector ring is a bit loose. I have the same problem with the crenulated attack bezel having bad threads. I already emailed the company and explained to them the issues I have with the light. They were quick to respond and said it was no problem to send back. The batteries I have had no issues with though. The life on them is as advertised. I will be keeping them. Shipping the light back tomorrow. Will let you all know what they say!

 

[grfd702]

ER1C, thanks for the feedback. I actually kept mine and have used it every day since January. Its actually a pretty good light with zero problems. The price was way over the top though and I won't be ordering from him again unless he slashes prices drastically. I bought this light for its selector ring and still love that aspect.

 

[Berneck1]

Regret is a strong word. While I like the idea of the Nitecore SRT 3, it turned out to be quite large for a single AA light. Even in the CR123 configuration it's barely pocketable (pants pocket). It's nearly as large as some 18650 lights I have. The functionality is great, but it's just too large to be what I consider to be a true EDC light.

Additionally, the red led is just not bright enough, aside from very close up work. And, I find the "police strobe" to be a bit gimmicky. I could also see a police officer coming up with some sort reason to arrest someone if this was used in certain situations....

If the light wasn't as pricey I would have been less annoyed at myself for buying it. It's really all my fault because I didn't research it enough.

All that being said, it's a well built light, with a lot of good functionality. It just turned out to not be what I was looking for. If they could narrow it down, and take off an inch or so in the AA configuration, it would have been awesome.


Sent from my iPad using Candlepowerforums

 

[Valpo Hawkeye]

The Fenix E05SS. It's a nice enough light, it was supposed to replace my LD01SS on my keys. However, the drill for the split ring is WAY too close to the end of the metal leaving me with a light I don't trust to not fall off my keys. Without a clip this light is now totally useless.

 

[SunOfAtom]

I had been carrying a Fenix LD10 for a while and when I saw the LD12 with the additional side mode button, I thought it would be a nice improvement. Once I got it and started using the LD12, I found it nearly impossible to find the side button if I had gloves on, and even had a hard time finding it without gloves. They also switched from a back-clicky to a front clicky tail switch, which I also do not find to be an improvement. I don't know that I would say I regret the purchase as it has made a fine back-up light for the car, but it definitely did not end up being the upgrade I had hoped for.

Dave

 

[blah9]

I had been carrying a Fenix LD10 for a while and when I saw the LD12 with the additional side mode button, I thought it would be a nice improvement. Once I got it and started using the LD12, I found it nearly impossible to find the side button if I had gloves on, and even had a hard time finding it without gloves. They also switched from a back-clicky to a front clicky tail switch, which I also do not find to be an improvement. I don't know that I would say I regret the purchase as it has made a fine back-up light for the car, but it definitely did not end up being the upgrade I had hoped for.

Dave

Something that helps me out with lights like this is to point the pocket clip toward the switch. It still doesn't make it perfect, but it helped me out a lot.

 

[SunOfAtom]

Something that helps me out with lights like this is to point the pocket clip toward the switch. It still doesn't make it perfect, but it helped me out a lot.

I don't know why that never occurred to me, but that is an excellent idea. Thanks!

 

[blah9]

I don't know why that never occurred to me, but that is an excellent idea. Thanks!

You're welcome! I heard it from someone else on here (sorry, I don't remember whose idea it was first), and at that point I never thought of it either!