No more nitecore for me.

[WarRaven]

This thread sounds disheartening. I just placed an order for a Nitecore MH20. Here's to hoping it performs and lasts like a champ!

I agree with Mark, it ought to be just great.
I ordered same light, expecting it today as a matter of fact.
There's some from each OEM I'm not into or would touch, even from my favored OEM.

 

[Bizill]

Thanks guys. Hopefully I will not be revisting this thread...:wave:

 

[snowlover91]

This thread sounds disheartening. I just placed an order for a Nitecore MH20. Here's to hoping it performs and lasts like a champ!

Wouldnt worry too much I've never had a problem with them and their QC is much better.

 

[Parrot Quack]

Some people have all the luck and some people have no luck. Me? I have excellent luck with stuff that I buy. OTOH, my father-in-law has zero luck with anything that has a cord or batteries. Who should you listen to?

 

[snowlover91]

Thanks guys. Hopefully I will not be revisting this thread...:wave:

We hope to see you post how it works out for you and how well the light works!

 

[ForrestChump]

Omitted.

 

[chaosdsm]

This is disconcerting. I'm using an MH20 as my EDC and a TM16 and tube light are on their way. I'm hoping I'll have better luck than some of you guys.....

Those who have problems, are always (rightfully) the most vocal, and are often referred to as the "vocal minority", but that does not make a bad product. There's always a minimum failure rate no matter who makes what. Be it cars, televisions, phones, computers, flashlights, et.al. there are lemons in all technologies. Ferrari's that break down months after purchase, a friends 4 month old Surefire that stopped working after a 2 foot drop (kitchen table onto ceramic tile), computers that don't turn on when you get them home / finish build or develop BSOD's within days or weeks of purchase / build.

One of the most popular computer hardware manufacturers has about a "20%+ failure rate".... IF you were to believe the submitted ratings available at dozens of online shops to be accurately indicative of their failure rate. In actuality, when compared to the actual sales numbers, the real failure rate is only about 1 out of every 2,500 sold products over the life of the warranty period, even though I personally have experienced 5 failures out of 28 products from that manufacturer. That's what we're seeing here in this thread for Nitecore a perceived failure rate instead of an actual failure rate. I seriously doubt that any flashlight manufacturer can boast a failure rate as low as 1 in 2,500 & I would be surprised if even Surefire could beat 1 in 1,500. I've seen just as many complaints for Fenix and ThruNite as I've seen for Nitecore, far fewer from Zebralight, 4Sevens, & Surefire, but no flashlight manufacturer is failure free.

I'M NOT SAYING TO IGNORE THE COMPLAINTS, MANY OF THEM ARE PROBABLY ACCURATE, AND DEFINITELY SHOULD BE TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION BEFORE PURCHASE. What I am saying, is that ALL high production rate products ARE subject to the same failure probability. I would also say that you should look for failure patterns in specific models you're interested in which may be indicative of a problem at the plant that model is manufactured/assembled in.

 

[18650]

Those who have problems, are always (rightfully) the most vocal, and are often referred to as the "vocal minority", but that does not make a bad product. There's always a minimum failure rate no matter who makes what. Be it cars, televisions, phones, computers, flashlights, et.al. there are lemons in all technologies. Ferrari's that break down months after purchase, a friends 4 month old Surefire that stopped working after a 2 foot drop (kitchen table onto ceramic tile), computers that don't turn on when you get them home / finish build or develop BSOD's within days or weeks of purchase / build. One of the most popular computer hardware manufacturers has about a "20%+ failure rate".... IF you were to believe the submitted ratings available at dozens of online shops to be accurately indicative of their failure rate. In actuality, when compared to the actual sales numbers, the real failure rate is only about 1 out of every 2,500 sold products over the life of the warranty period, even though I personally have experienced 5 failures out of 28 products from that manufacturer. That's what we're seeing here in this thread for Nitecore a perceived failure rate instead of an actual failure rate. I seriously doubt that any flashlight manufacturer can boast a failure rate as low as 1 in 2,500 & I would be surprised if even Surefire could beat 1 in 1,500. I've seen just as many complaints for Fenix and ThruNite as I've seen for Nitecore, far fewer from Zebralight, 4Sevens, & Surefire, but no flashlight manufacturer is failure free. I'M NOT SAYING TO IGNORE THE COMPLAINTS, MANY OF THEM ARE PROBABLY ACCURATE, AND DEFINITELY SHOULD BE TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION BEFORE PURCHASE. What I am saying, is that ALL high production rate products ARE subject to the same failure probability. I would also say that you should look for failure patterns in specific models you're interested in which may be indicative of a problem at the plant that model is manufactured/assembled in.

Failure patterns is right. Many lights across lines failing in a similar manner is certainly more worrying than hearing about say a lens letting in water, usb port coming loose, or switch failing even if those are of the same maker.

 

[100eyes]

look for failure patterns in specific models you're interested in

Failure patterns is right. Many lights across lines failing in a similar manner is certainly more worrying than hearing about say a lens letting in water, usb port coming loose, or switch failing even if those are of the same maker.

:shrug:

 

[delus]

Excuse me while I get off the floor from laughing at this thread's title.
A pair of Nitecore failures in three months is what first brought me to this forum, searching for reliability. They just can't take an impact. or a drop of water, or being overdriven by their own electronics, or just about anything. You get what you pay for. I'm sure their most expensive lights have higher build quality, but I never got past their midrange.

I got extremely lucky to reach this forum at the exact moment Elzetta was releasing the AVS Head. I didn't even know it was "The New Thing" until after I ordered.
Now it's the exact opposite. Every single aspect has been designed for extreme ruggedness. It's hard to imagine any normal-use situation that would kill one of my El-Z's.
I started buying cell tubes from OverReady, shaved to fit an 18650 battery, and now I could not imagine a more perfect light for the rigors of the construction biz.
I have one for home, one for work, and one for the car.

Occasionally I'll throw one as far as i can down the street just to show off. I've done that at least twenty times with the El-Z I use at work. Concrete marks the anodizing worse than asphalt, but only once did I need to file off a burr. Try that with your nitecores, I dare ya.

 

[Parrot Quack]

Occasionally I'll throw one as far as i can down the street just to show off. I've done that at least twenty times with the El-Z I use at work. Concrete marks the anodizing worse than asphalt, but only once did I need to file off a burr. Try that with your nitecores, I dare ya.

Well, at least Pittsburgh has the Steelers.

 

[Sherbona]

--- snip ---
Occasionally I'll throw one as far as i can down the street just to show off. I've done that at least twenty times with the El-Z I use at work. Concrete marks the anodizing worse than asphalt, but only once did I need to file off a burr. Try that with your nitecores, I dare ya.
--- /snip ---

I have Nitecores that have gone through the equivalent many times, without any problem (except for marks of course). I typically ride my bike with two nitecores, SRT7s or two from their chameleon line, using handlebar flashlight mounts. I had accidentally stretched out my mounts with some 26650 lights and when going back to 18650 lights they were on a little looser. During that time the lights 'jumped for their freedom' many times when going over bumps at speed. All still work perfectly. I noticed the same thing, concrete does indeed scratch/mark worse then asphalt.

 

[Parrot Quack]

I don't know about flashlights and purposely skittering them across the concrete. Going back into the 50's, I never found need to throw my flashlights across the room, let alone shoot them with a shotgun, drop them out of a high flying helicopter or like a stone on a frozen lake, purposely skitter them across concrete.

More power to those who find need to do so. Me? I don't understand, nothing more.

I'm the kinda guy who washes dust off his shovels and breaks a handle only when the shovel handle has become old and I'm tired of looking at it getting older and less useful.

It's a good thing I don't apply these same standards to me.

 

[ForrestChump]

Those who have problems, are always (rightfully) the most vocal, and are often referred to as the "vocal minority", but that does not make a bad product. There's always a minimum failure rate no matter who makes what. Be it cars, televisions, phones, computers, flashlights, et.al. there are lemons in all technologies. Ferrari's that break down months after purchase, a friends 4 month old Surefire that stopped working after a 2 foot drop (kitchen table onto ceramic tile), computers that don't turn on when you get them home / finish build or develop BSOD's within days or weeks of purchase / build.

One of the most popular computer hardware manufacturers has about a "20%+ failure rate".... IF you were to believe the submitted ratings available at dozens of online shops to be accurately indicative of their failure rate. In actuality, when compared to the actual sales numbers, the real failure rate is only about 1 out of every 2,500 sold products over the life of the warranty period, even though I personally have experienced 5 failures out of 28 products from that manufacturer. That's what we're seeing here in this thread for Nitecore a perceived failure rate instead of an actual failure rate. I seriously doubt that any flashlight manufacturer can boast a failure rate as low as 1 in 2,500 & I would be surprised if even Surefire could beat 1 in 1,500. I've seen just as many complaints for Fenix and ThruNite as I've seen for Nitecore, far fewer from Zebralight, 4Sevens, & Surefire, but no flashlight manufacturer is failure free.

I'M NOT SAYING TO IGNORE THE COMPLAINTS, MANY OF THEM ARE PROBABLY ACCURATE, AND DEFINITELY SHOULD BE TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION BEFORE PURCHASE. What I am saying, is that ALL high production rate products ARE subject to the same failure probability. I would also say that you should look for failure patterns in specific models you're interested in which may be indicative of a problem at the plant that model is manufactured/assembled in.

If they sell more lights to the public, thats fine. But there are plenty of CPF members that have just as many Nitecores as they have Fenixes for example. I bet you the failure rates are significantly higher for Nitecores. This isn't a "perception" problem. The "vocal minority" thing is fine. Everything you said is dandy.


The fact of the matter is Nitecore has been churning out hit or miss lights for the past 8 years I've been reading CPF going all the way back to the D10. They also have essentially a crap / non existent warranty unless you have a fantastic dealer. if your purchasing a name brand light for reliability, Nitecore should be dead last on your list.

 

[L.N.]

I'm don't agree that Nitecore has bad warranty. I bought my MH20 from a Chinese vendor, which wasn't an authorised dealer. The light has a malfunctioning switch and they agreed to replacing or repairing it without charge. Of course I had to pay for the delivery to China, but I had to pay that anyway if I would sent it back to the seller.

 

[ForrestChump]

I'm don't agree that Nitecore has bad warranty. I bought my MH20 from a Chinese vendor, which wasn't an authorised dealer. The light has a malfunctioning switch and they agreed to replacing or repairing it without charge. Of course I had to pay for the delivery to China, but I had to pay that anyway if I would sent it back to the seller.

If they sell more lights to the public, thats fine. But there are plenty of CPF members that have just as many Nitecores as they have Fenixes for example. I bet you the failure rates are significantly higher for Nitecores. This isn't a "perception" problem. The "vocal minority" thing is fine. Everything you said is dandy.


The fact of the matter is Nitecore has been churning out hit or miss lights for the past 8 years I've been reading CPF going all the way back to the D10. They also have essentially a crap / non existent warranty unless you have a fantastic dealer. if your purchasing a name brand light for reliability, Nitecore should be dead last on your list.

 

[Parrot Quack]

Just saying, when any of my lights have crapped out in the past, I went into the hardware store and bought new flashlights. Since dealing with LED lights, I've never had to buy a replacement light. Well, except for the one I crushed in the workings of a recliner chair. And that was because I couldn't handle the crushed bezel look that didn't affect the performance, one bit.

Now, being fair, I have had to replace a few televisions and I have had to turn an AVR back over to Marantz for replacement and because I dropped a statue and a LCD computer monitor, I have had to learn to ignore man made flaws that I was responsible for. I have had bushings wear out on auto related water pumps, under-sink garbage disposals and after many years, washing machines. The point, things wear out and sometimes it's the user's fault.

I love my lights for what they do, not what they are.

Let's see, a delivered rechargeable Nitecore MH20 that was purchased on Amazon, costs $88.00 (USD). It falls out of my pocket and into a wood chipping machine, somebody steals it or worse, I lose it. A new replacement light, runs me $88.00 and when compared to other high priced lights, I still have money left over.

How much do I have left over if my high priced light falls into a chipper, gets stolen or heaven forbid, gets lost or forgotten on a store counter after paying for some gas?

 

[ForrestChump]

Just saying, when any of my lights have crapped out in the past, I went into the hardware store and bought new flashlights. Since dealing with LED lights, I've never had to buy a replacement light. Well, except for the one I crushed in the workings of a recliner chair. And that was because I couldn't handle the crushed bezel look that didn't affect the performance, one bit.

Now, being fair, I have had to replace a few televisions and I have had to turn an AVR back over to Marantz for replacement and because I dropped a statue and a LCD computer monitor, I have had to learn to ignore man made flaws that I was responsible for. I have had bushings wear out on auto related water pumps, under-sink garbage disposals and after many years, washing machines. The point, things wear out and sometimes it's the user's fault.

I love my lights for what they do, not what they are.

Im not into abusing lights either. Honestly, I don't even own most of them long enough to show wear. However, I am a shovel breaker on a bad day...

What I do do though is compulsively read. 8-10 hours a day easy, you would think I would have better typing skillz. I also have a wickd case of OCD. I noticed this quite young, when I had a Ninja turtle named Raphael.... I was playing with him on a wooden deck, one of his dagger things fell between a crack. Complete dread.....Raphael has 2 daggers not 1! I went into a frenzy, and ultimately he was no longer a whole turtle without his other dagger.... The same day he was buried at the beach as I just couldn't bare the fact that he was half the turtle he used to be.... This has morphed into a compulsive habit of evaluating every detail of of objects of interest or the information I can gather. Im not always 100% correct and thats often because I get an initial impression and fail to inquire further on said brand, sometimes for years. Recently to my surprise stood corrected on Zebralights gains in reliability...


Now, LED lights are leaps and bounds more reliable then past generations of portable lighting. But with my compulsive reading, lack of tolerance of all things whole and my other hobby, data gathering, it is abundantly clear not all lights are created equal and not all companies are interested in manufacturing reliable lights in the interest of quantity over quality. I would say after 8 years of reading, looking at members that have been around awhile, what they like, what they own, and sometimes what they are willing to overlook to stay loyal, gives an excellent picture on respective light brands and how they perform. Not to mention my own hands on experience.

That said, there is also Google: n-i-t-e-c-o-r-e

 

[Parrot Quack]

I went into a frenzy, and ultimately he was no longer a whole turtle without his other dagger....

I do hope you had the good sense to keep the half of the turtle that did have a dagger. :naughty:

Google "Nitecore."

 

[ForrestChump]

I do hope you had the good sense to keep the half of the turtle that did have a dagger. :naughty:

Google "Nitecore."

HAHA^^^ cheater!

Nitecore Charger

Nitecore Flashlight

2 quick and dirties for you......there are a multitude of posts dating back a decade with different search terms. YES I do understand these 2 links are not the be all end all, but they are a good start. Gathering good data takes LOTS of time.


I guess it all boils down to what you want to do?

Want a potential house fire? Buy a charger.

Want a light to poof out randomly? Buy a flashlight.

This really isn't a debate.....it's all out there.