Hi,
I've been following the forum for quite a while but this will be my first post
.
So I purchased an L3 Illumination L10 with a Nichia 219 (with firefly) last April after looking for a 1 x AA backup light. Reviews seemed positive and being that all my lights where of the cool white variety I was also interested in trying something with a warmer tint. I received the light and it seemed (almost) perfect for my needs. It's small, lightweight, good spacing, takes standard cells, great beam pattern, and the tint of the 219 just blew me away. The first light I compared it to was my SC52, and although I knew that light had a less than ideal greenish tint, after seeing it side by side with the L3, it starting spending way more time in the drawer than out.
Anyhow, after less than two months of light use I knock the light over, it proceeds to roll off my nightstand and falls onto the hardwood floor. I pick up the light and to my surprise the light won't activate. I figured it might have had a defect since I owned over a dozen lights which have all seen more use and have been dropped or fallen numerous times without issue. I emailed the retailer (SBFlashlights) describing my situation and asked how to proceed with getting a replacement. They responded after a week telling me that drops were not covered under warranty and that they would replace the light for a $5 fee plus $3.50 shipping. I emailed them saying that I would consider a light falling less than 15" should be considered normal usage, and that 99 times out of 100 that should not cause a light to fail. I would consider any light which could not pass that test as utterly useless.
I received no response after almost three weeks and sent a follow up email shortly thereafter. They finally responded saying any light up to $200 can fail if it gets bumped in the wrong place, although they did admit that the L10 did have a higher than standard failure rate and that the heads were now potted for extra protection. Being that I had better things to do than continue to argue and I really liked the light (I'd since purchased an L10C), I sent the $8.50 and mailed back the light.
I got the replacement fairly quickly and took it with me on a weekend trip. Used the light getting to and from the car, looking for things in my bag, while grilling meat at night (the high CRI of the Nichia really shines when trying to tell medium rare from well done), etc. All was good until I got home yesterday and while unpacking my back the light again falls onto the floor, almost from the same distance. I thought to myself there's no way two lights could fail from such a small drop, especially since my new light was now "potted for extra protection". But of course the light was dead. So has anyone else had similar failures with this model, or am I just unlucky and received two lights that came from the same poorly constructed batch?
I would also love to hear replacement suggestions as I am definitely done with this brand and seller. I was planning on using this light as a backup / headlamp with a fenix headband on an upcoming camping trip with my SC62w as my primary. I'd love to stick with the 1 x AA / Nichia 219 combo, but as far as I can tell the D25A clicky Ti is my only option and I don't want to spend $75 on a backup AA light.
Thanks!
I've been following the forum for quite a while but this will be my first post
.So I purchased an L3 Illumination L10 with a Nichia 219 (with firefly) last April after looking for a 1 x AA backup light. Reviews seemed positive and being that all my lights where of the cool white variety I was also interested in trying something with a warmer tint. I received the light and it seemed (almost) perfect for my needs. It's small, lightweight, good spacing, takes standard cells, great beam pattern, and the tint of the 219 just blew me away. The first light I compared it to was my SC52, and although I knew that light had a less than ideal greenish tint, after seeing it side by side with the L3, it starting spending way more time in the drawer than out.
Anyhow, after less than two months of light use I knock the light over, it proceeds to roll off my nightstand and falls onto the hardwood floor. I pick up the light and to my surprise the light won't activate. I figured it might have had a defect since I owned over a dozen lights which have all seen more use and have been dropped or fallen numerous times without issue. I emailed the retailer (SBFlashlights) describing my situation and asked how to proceed with getting a replacement. They responded after a week telling me that drops were not covered under warranty and that they would replace the light for a $5 fee plus $3.50 shipping. I emailed them saying that I would consider a light falling less than 15" should be considered normal usage, and that 99 times out of 100 that should not cause a light to fail. I would consider any light which could not pass that test as utterly useless.
I received no response after almost three weeks and sent a follow up email shortly thereafter. They finally responded saying any light up to $200 can fail if it gets bumped in the wrong place, although they did admit that the L10 did have a higher than standard failure rate and that the heads were now potted for extra protection. Being that I had better things to do than continue to argue and I really liked the light (I'd since purchased an L10C), I sent the $8.50 and mailed back the light.
I got the replacement fairly quickly and took it with me on a weekend trip. Used the light getting to and from the car, looking for things in my bag, while grilling meat at night (the high CRI of the Nichia really shines when trying to tell medium rare from well done), etc. All was good until I got home yesterday and while unpacking my back the light again falls onto the floor, almost from the same distance. I thought to myself there's no way two lights could fail from such a small drop, especially since my new light was now "potted for extra protection". But of course the light was dead. So has anyone else had similar failures with this model, or am I just unlucky and received two lights that came from the same poorly constructed batch?
I would also love to hear replacement suggestions as I am definitely done with this brand and seller. I was planning on using this light as a backup / headlamp with a fenix headband on an upcoming camping trip with my SC62w as my primary. I'd love to stick with the 1 x AA / Nichia 219 combo, but as far as I can tell the D25A clicky Ti is my only option and I don't want to spend $75 on a backup AA light.
Thanks!
