Stinger failed me last night

Solve the bulb gripping problem by removing the nylon bushing. The bushing is supposed to keep the bulb centered by really is a hazzard, making the light potentially unreliable. Centering the bulb will take a little work, with the bushing but in the end will be worth it.

Bill

While that will solve the problem of it getting "pulled" out, I suspect it is there also for other reasons for it being there.

For example, if you drop the light, it dampens the shock on the bulb. Without it, the bulb might shift sideways with a little 'whack'. It also probably helps keep the bulb in place due to vibrations.

On the Scorpion, I suspect the bulb might come out via inertia when dropped on it's nose much easier without the ring vs with it.

Actually, it is a fairly clever design - it just gets negated by 1) the adjustable feature and 2) lack of ability to unscrew the bezel in order to fish out the bulb if it gets lost (at least on the Scorpion).

-john

I carried a Stinger in two different trucks for more than a year with no trouble. I'm not one to be playing with the focus much though, so I guess I don't count!

jimmybrown2 said:

So Repair Gary admitted this was a common problem. Interesting. Do you suppose that it's just cheaper to repair the few lights that people acually complain about than it is to make a permanant fix for the problem? I will be watching to see how this all plays out.

Also, I was told that one of the advantages to buying one from a local dealer/supply as opposed to paying a bit less for an online purchase was to establish a relationship for repair services and support.

Click to expand...

Well, Gary was nice on phone, and I certainly am not looking to pimp him out by implying he said it was "common", he did not.

He agreed when I said "So this is not an uncommon problem...", with the clear meaning that this particular problem occurs with some regularity, but without divulging the actual frequency ... is it 0.01% of production units sold? 2%? 8%? His tone of voice made it clear that he wasn't going to say. His "Yes!" was a quite tense compared to the rest of the casual conversation, and had that staccato "Next topic!" sound to it. (I got the impression that this question had been answered many times before, and in the lawerly manner the company wanted it answered.)

It seems to me that most every product experiences some degree of error in production that slips past Quality Assurance. I want to see what the results will be in this case. Will the problem be solved in the light I get back, etc., etc.

On the other hand, I did buy my light from a local dealer, but frankly, I wouldn't go back there for service, even if they did manage to dig up someone whom they claimed could fix it. :thumbsdow In my case, it's factory or bust!

It was jimmybrown2's post asking if anyone had contacted Streamlight service on this issue that prompted me to try this little service & repair experiment. I felt I shouldn't complain so much until I had tried to remedy the problem through the manufacturer, and not simply assume as much that there was potentially an inherent design deficiency involved.

Here in the Streamlight Theater, I'm reserving judgement until this film is over.

Me too.

** UPDATE ** UPDATE ** UPDATE **

Flash: Stinger returns! Now working flawlessly!

Details:

• Stinger received by Streamlight on 1/23/2006.
• Stinger repaired on 1/30/2006 by Gary: New face cap & switch.
• Stinger mailed back to me on 1/31/2006.
• Stinger received by my post office on 2/2/2006.

I just opened the box after picking it up earlier today ... the Poly Stinger works great, I focused it fully in and out over 30 times without any displacement of the bulb.

I am pleased the problem has been satisfactorily resolved. It appears I just got a bad one that slipped past whatever Quality Assurance measures Streamlight has in place.

Of course, I never waived my right to complain about the inconvenience of it all ... but I remain nontheless happy that my flashlight can be returned to service, and that Streamlight fixed it up proper.

All said, this episode of Streamlight Theater is over. I rate it three and half stars out of five.

I just wish the Strion had a SF type of lamp assembly. Then it would be almost perfect.

lightlust,

congrats, and the interesting question is: was it the o-ring (everybody calls it either rubber or nylon; my guess is it's teflon), or was it the bulb? In other words: will the problem re-occur with your next bulb change?

I myself have never had the problem with my Stinger, but my TL2 lifts out the (TL3)bulb. So the choice is: leave the focus alone, or remove the o-ring. No point in shipping the light from Europe for repairs

Kees

DoubleDutch said:

lightlust,

congrats, and the interesting question is: was it the o-ring (everybody calls it either rubber or nylon; my guess is it's teflon), or was it the bulb? In other words: will the problem re-occur with your next bulb change?....

Click to expand...

Streamlight may have replaced the original and the spare bulbs, but it is not noted on the repair sheet.

I changed the bulb with the spare from the tailcap and there was no problem.

I can't answer your question defintively, because this was not a controlled experiment (I didn't keep track of the bulbs). However, I did notice two things: 1) The bulbs I have now are MUCH harder to pull in and out of their sockets, 2) It appears that the spare bulb in the tailcap was replaced with a new one, taped into place for shipping.

The evidence appears to point towards the o-ring as the most likely culprit, but the fact that the switch was replaced (listed on the repair sheet) may also mean that the bulb socket was replaced (they appear to be one assembly).

Alas, the time for experiments is over for me: My errant sample has become the experiment control. :laughing:

Well, there's one thing left to do: enjoy the light to the fullest.

Kees

For me, the Stinger is a real quandry of a light... based on its Scorpion bulb type similarities.

Shortly after I got my Scorpion, I used it (quite effectively) to stop an on-the-loose pit bull dog that attacked during a night walk. The Scorpion's intense hot spot blinded that critter and bought me a few seconds to fish-out my Fox OC and blast him into submission.

However, a few weeks later, when I changed the batteries, the bulb popped out. And it repeatedly did so over the next few weeks. I could never bring myself to rely on this nifty bargain of a torch again. In my mind, I just see those snapping fangs 2 feet away -- with a "dead" flashlight to get the dog's attention.

So now, this bargain rides in my car. It'll be OK for changing a flat tire, set on wide beam. While I've seriously considered getting a Stinger, I'm reluctant to entrust my butt to a light with a similar (bulb) design flaw.

Well, at least with a Stinger you can hold the head and smack the dog good. Admittedly the Scorpion would only work with chihuahua's.
Seriously, reliability is an important issue, and a light that has failed you once has a good chance of moving down the line fast, and getting used less often.

Kees