knucklegary
Flashlight Enthusiast
Surefire has always, in the past, been great sending replacement parts that wear out like clips, grip rings, switch boots
What flashlight company has the best warranty
- Thread starter mpett1
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mpett1
Newly Enlightened
Thanks Guys
Most of American companies have excellent warranty.
Streamlight is included in list of what others mentioned.
Streamlight is included in list of what others mentioned.
While not quite answering the original question, I might suggest that The Home Depot, has an excellent exchange policy. I had a Rayovac indestructible fail, and they just swapped it out. Just as Craftsman hand tools were/are known for lifetime replacement guarantee, any of their husky brand name tools are treated in the same way.
A friend had a Husky ratchet wrench fail, I took it apart and noted that one of the internal palls snaped. I returned it to a nearby HD, and although they didn't have the exact model in stock, they swapped it out with another which was as good or better.
Just as @3_gun mentioned, how difficult it is to meet the requirements of qualifying for warrantee service, is as important as the strength of warrantee. I had a handle snap off of a stainless steel pot. It would have cost me more to send it back than the pot was worth. I currently have three or four headlamps by the same company that have become unreliable. I won't mention their name at this time because I have not attempted to contact the company. Now I am tempted to do so. The company is in China, and if required to ship them back to China, the cost may be prohibitive.
A friend had a Husky ratchet wrench fail, I took it apart and noted that one of the internal palls snaped. I returned it to a nearby HD, and although they didn't have the exact model in stock, they swapped it out with another which was as good or better.
Just as @3_gun mentioned, how difficult it is to meet the requirements of qualifying for warrantee service, is as important as the strength of warrantee. I had a handle snap off of a stainless steel pot. It would have cost me more to send it back than the pot was worth. I currently have three or four headlamps by the same company that have become unreliable. I won't mention their name at this time because I have not attempted to contact the company. Now I am tempted to do so. The company is in China, and if required to ship them back to China, the cost may be prohibitive.
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I'll take the best light over the best warranty any day. Malkoff is one of the most robust. Zebralight is extremely reliable for all of the features it provides.
Here are my experiences so far:
Pelican- Excellent warranty but you will need it. Almost every light from them I own has had a switch failure. Those with twist switches have the belt clips break off. The 3310's always crack around the lenses which is a shame because it is the only light with a useful strobe function. Pelican has always replaced the light however you might not get the same style back, which may or may not work out in your favour. They have replaced lights that have been "abused". In all fairness there is a warranty center in the city, I have no knowledge if you must mail the light in.
Mag-lite - Switch on a 2D LED failed after a week of purchase. No warranty center in Canada. Mail it back to the US for more than you paid for the light. IF deemed to be a manufactures defect they would replace the light. Didn't bother to send it back. Canadian Tire refused to return or refund the light. Parts can no longer be mailed to Canada, only select items can be purchased from authorized retailers.
Streamlight - Switch on my Polytac got stuck in the on position. They wanted me to mail it back but when I explained the costs involved they just mailed me a new one.
Surefire - Switch on my 6PD never worked from new. Same as maglite, mail it in and if deemed a manufactures defect they would replace it. Too cost prohibitive to mail so I just ordered a switch kit from Lighthound and fixed it myself.
- The red filter for 6P ( forget part number) broke on first install. Called and they said the part was discontinued so you are SOL. I wont bother with Surefire anymore because of extremely high costs and no warranty center in Canada
Acebeam - Switch failure. The switch was extremely sensitive right out of the box. It would change modes and turn on with the slightest bump to the light body. Even bumps in the road would cause the light to turn on if I left it in the center console with the switch covered. The dealer Warrriors and Wonders in Canada replaced the light no problem.
Fenix - The switch on a 2AA model broke off. Tried emailing them but they told me the light was discontinued there were no parts available. They did offer to sell me one for almost the same cost of the light. Basically lost all confidence in them as it was clear they were just out to scam me. Ended up super-gluing it back together
Pelican- Excellent warranty but you will need it. Almost every light from them I own has had a switch failure. Those with twist switches have the belt clips break off. The 3310's always crack around the lenses which is a shame because it is the only light with a useful strobe function. Pelican has always replaced the light however you might not get the same style back, which may or may not work out in your favour. They have replaced lights that have been "abused". In all fairness there is a warranty center in the city, I have no knowledge if you must mail the light in.
Mag-lite - Switch on a 2D LED failed after a week of purchase. No warranty center in Canada. Mail it back to the US for more than you paid for the light. IF deemed to be a manufactures defect they would replace the light. Didn't bother to send it back. Canadian Tire refused to return or refund the light. Parts can no longer be mailed to Canada, only select items can be purchased from authorized retailers.
Streamlight - Switch on my Polytac got stuck in the on position. They wanted me to mail it back but when I explained the costs involved they just mailed me a new one.
Surefire - Switch on my 6PD never worked from new. Same as maglite, mail it in and if deemed a manufactures defect they would replace it. Too cost prohibitive to mail so I just ordered a switch kit from Lighthound and fixed it myself.
- The red filter for 6P ( forget part number) broke on first install. Called and they said the part was discontinued so you are SOL. I wont bother with Surefire anymore because of extremely high costs and no warranty center in Canada
Acebeam - Switch failure. The switch was extremely sensitive right out of the box. It would change modes and turn on with the slightest bump to the light body. Even bumps in the road would cause the light to turn on if I left it in the center console with the switch covered. The dealer Warrriors and Wonders in Canada replaced the light no problem.
Fenix - The switch on a 2AA model broke off. Tried emailing them but they told me the light was discontinued there were no parts available. They did offer to sell me one for almost the same cost of the light. Basically lost all confidence in them as it was clear they were just out to scam me. Ended up super-gluing it back together
That's good to hear about pelican. I've got two that I need to have replaced.
They both flicker on low mode, and the bigger one has some type of Burr on the threads from new but I just deal with it.
3_gun
Enlightened
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Guess my luck must be good because I've not had that many failures / claims on new products in my life (IsawElvisonEdSullivan old)
darcyh
Newly Enlightened
ArmyTek. I have three headlamps. They replaced one light a couple of years ago.
Currently, I am waiting for a replacement Wizard Pro. Armytek claims to have sent it and have provided a tracking number and I have no reason to doubt them.
They have a "ten year warranty" but you need to jump through some hoops. 1) Make initial contact through email. They quickly replied asking for purchase receipt and a video of the problem. 2) You need to send it to China and provide a postal receipt. The cost to mail it was about $12 expect it to take at least two months to get there. 3) Once received they will look at it and decide if it will be replaced. If so they will email you back and confirm your shipping address and will also include a freebie of some sort (18650 power bank, filter etc.) to compensate for your postal expenses. If you skip any of these steps you will probably not receive a replacement.
Expect the process to take four to six months. Sure it could be faster but for a $100 light I jumped through their hoops.
Currently, I am waiting for a replacement Wizard Pro. Armytek claims to have sent it and have provided a tracking number and I have no reason to doubt them.
They have a "ten year warranty" but you need to jump through some hoops. 1) Make initial contact through email. They quickly replied asking for purchase receipt and a video of the problem. 2) You need to send it to China and provide a postal receipt. The cost to mail it was about $12 expect it to take at least two months to get there. 3) Once received they will look at it and decide if it will be replaced. If so they will email you back and confirm your shipping address and will also include a freebie of some sort (18650 power bank, filter etc.) to compensate for your postal expenses. If you skip any of these steps you will probably not receive a replacement.
Expect the process to take four to six months. Sure it could be faster but for a $100 light I jumped through their hoops.
Ya it's tough up here. Maglite warranty is useless to us. Streamlight on the other hand, I'm lucky to be close to a registered repair center. I had an issue with a switch and a scratched lens. Both were replaced under warranty. Surefire, I had to mail it to their repair center in California. It cost $22. But they did the repair and sent it back. Took about 12 days total. I guess it depends on the worth of the item. The surefire was worth at least $100. So it was worth the shipping price to me. The maglite was cheaper to buy a new one than to ship. So I guess that's not their fault? But I specifically knew what the problem was. It was a switch. I expected them to send me a new one. They would. For $2.99 plus $18 shipping. That doesn't sound like a warranty to me
I bought a Coast light a few years ago that failed.
I didn't expect much, but took a chance and filled out the online warranty form, submitted a picture. Received a confirmation email 2 days after. Received a new similar light the following week.
No fuss. No shipping costs for me. Did not have to return the old light. I was actually impressed.
I didn't expect much, but took a chance and filled out the online warranty form, submitted a picture. Received a confirmation email 2 days after. Received a new similar light the following week.
No fuss. No shipping costs for me. Did not have to return the old light. I was actually impressed.
I think you two are on to something...
That's the best type of warranty, and very inexpensive public relations.
Years ago, I had an issue with a Brita water filter, the valve snapped. I asked them to send me the part, and I would replace it myself. To my surprise, they just sent me a whole new unit.
Over the years, I have recommended their product, simply because of how they handled the situation.
OTOH, I had a spot weld snap, that held the handle on a stainless steel pot made by Farberware. I wrote or called them, and they wanted me to send them the pot at my expense. I threw it away. Postage was more than the pot was worth.
I am stunned that it could cost us $40 to send something a few states away, yet it can be shipped from China, for pennies.
Steve1
Newly Enlightened
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Steve1
Newly Enlightened
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They used to be fantastic with sending parts out. Could be depending which lights maybe their stocks are low. I asked them for a combat tailcap that had USA on it, they sent a plain one instead. Better off surfing eBay instead! Maybe Surefire customer service got to big for their britches 🤦🏻♂️
I've be shopping Malkoff for many years now! Look on their reviews pages! Their endless and all positive!
turbodog
Flashaholic
I've had good warranty experiences w/ various mfgs, but the BEST experience ever was with maglite.
Had a 3d light with leaking/swollen/stuck batteries. Sent it to mag. They send back a letter asking what brand batteries we used (had checkboxes for the major brands). We checked the selection, sent it back, and they sent a new light.
I'd say they 100% billed the light to ray-o-vac.
Any other mfg would say to file a claim w/ the battery mfg ourselves.
Had a 3d light with leaking/swollen/stuck batteries. Sent it to mag. They send back a letter asking what brand batteries we used (had checkboxes for the major brands). We checked the selection, sent it back, and they sent a new light.
I'd say they 100% billed the light to ray-o-vac.
Any other mfg would say to file a claim w/ the battery mfg ourselves.
My only experiences have been with Maglite and pelican.
The LED came loose on my minimag 2 AA light and they sent me a new style replacent switch. I had used and abused that light for years. I think it was ok.
Pelican Super Sabre Lite light I bought 20-25? years ago at a garage sale or someplace used. It was a light I carried as a secondary light source in the pocket of my bunker (firefighting gear ) pants for years and years. At some point I stopped carry it and replaced it with a smaller LED 300 lumen cheap LuxPro from Lowes. The Pelican hung in my locker. One day I dug it out and the Xenon bulb was still good but inside the plastic battery holder was broken. Lense had a crack. So I email Pelican to see if I could get parts and they said send it to them-lifetime warranty. They sent me back a nice LED light. Maybe $10 shipping?
The LED came loose on my minimag 2 AA light and they sent me a new style replacent switch. I had used and abused that light for years. I think it was ok.
Pelican Super Sabre Lite light I bought 20-25? years ago at a garage sale or someplace used. It was a light I carried as a secondary light source in the pocket of my bunker (firefighting gear ) pants for years and years. At some point I stopped carry it and replaced it with a smaller LED 300 lumen cheap LuxPro from Lowes. The Pelican hung in my locker. One day I dug it out and the Xenon bulb was still good but inside the plastic battery holder was broken. Lense had a crack. So I email Pelican to see if I could get parts and they said send it to them-lifetime warranty. They sent me back a nice LED light. Maybe $10 shipping?
On paper tons of companies state awesome warranty. It's in practice where the rubber meets the road.
I've gotten good service from Coast, Maglite and Pelican regarding warranty claims.
I've gotten good service from Coast, Maglite and Pelican regarding warranty claims.
