# Disappointed with my SolarForce L2P.....



## flame2000 (Jun 13, 2011)

I know it's a budget light but I was expecting better QC with their premium L2P series with the HAIII. When I received mine, there were a lot of nicks and scratches. :shakehead On some places, you can see the silver aluminium being exposed. Both the black & polished bezel also cannot screw down completely. Not sure if this happens to all L2P, I had to remove the black washer ring before it can screw it down more. Kind of defeat the purpose without the black washer ring as it was to protect the glass lens from being scratch by the bezel. The light arrived with just a plastic blister packing, with no paper backing. Seems like they just lego it, put it in the plastic packing and staple it.

I'm not trying to nitpick, but I have some budget lights like the Ultrafire C3, C2, Jetbeam BA20, and the anodizing were way better than the SolarForce L2P. I'll be contacting Solarforce-sales for a replacement for this. No way I'm gonna accept it.


----------



## mvyrmnd (Jun 14, 2011)

This seems unusual to me. Every light I've ever bought from solarforce-sales ( and there's been a few!) has been flawless. I'd send them a polite email with those photos attached, and see how you go.


----------



## march.brown (Jun 14, 2011)

mvyrmnd said:


> This seems unusual to me. Every light I've ever bought from solarforce-sales ( and there's been a few!) has been flawless. I'd send them a polite email with those photos attached, and see how you go.


Me too ... All five of mine are perfect ...

Email them and let us know what they say.
.


----------



## flame2000 (Jun 14, 2011)

I've sent them an email yesterday with the photos attached. I'll give them some time and wait for them to reply me. I've heard good things about their customer service, so I hope to get it resolved soon.


----------



## fishx65 (Jun 14, 2011)

Looks like they sent you a used torch. Maybe someone else's return.


----------



## flame2000 (Jun 14, 2011)

fishx65 said:


> Looks like they sent you a used torch. Maybe someone else's return.



I had the same thinking too. I hope they don't have this kind of practice over at SolarForce. Every one of us deserve a brand new light for the money we spent.


----------



## Zeruel (Jun 14, 2011)

mvyrmnd said:


> This seems unusual to me. Every light I've ever bought from solarforce-sales ( and there's been a few!) has been flawless. I'd send them a polite email with those photos attached, and see how you go.


 


march.brown said:


> Me too ... All five of mine are perfect ...


 

Same here. And I, too, experience good CS from them.


----------



## odd (Jun 14, 2011)

As for the gap:
Thats a problem of the newer L2P´s
Kick out the ring between the bezel and the lens and the problem should be gone.

BTW, I´m also quite unhappy with my newer L2P´s: the gap, the unclean threads, the brighter colour of the font, and the glossier HAIII finish.
Still a good host, but I like my old ones much more.

Lets hope they solve these issues in the next series.


----------



## EZO (Jun 14, 2011)

Count me in as another Solarforce customer (addict) who has had generally excellent experiences with the fit, finish and overall quality of their products. Recently, I received a light from them with a bad S7 switch and another with a bad spring but their customer service has always been friendly and responsive.


----------



## Erzengel (Jun 14, 2011)

Regarding these issues I'm curious, whether the next run of L2Ps (they are actually sold out at solarforce-sales) will be better like the first run.


----------



## richpalm (Jun 14, 2011)

flame2000 said:


> I've sent them an email yesterday with the photos attached. I'll give them some time and wait for them to reply me. I've heard good things about their customer service, so I hope to get it resolved soon.



Please keep us posted... all of my L2P's have been fine.

Rich


----------



## Tuikku (Jun 14, 2011)

My L2P had some flaws.
Tailcap had some ano missing, like your head. No knick in there but longer stripe of ano missing.
Packet was also opened, I think I got a used or returned one...


----------



## flame2000 (Jun 14, 2011)

Tuikku said:


> My L2P had some flaws.
> Tailcap had some ano missing, like your head. No knick in there but longer stripe of ano missing.
> Packet was also opened, I think I got a used or returned one...



I can understand how you feel. kind of disappointed when you received *a brand new light* with some cosmetic defects. 

@richpalm......I'll keep you guys posted. So far they have not reply back yet. I'll give them another day or two.
@Erzengel......I'll wait for the next batch just to be safe.


----------



## recDNA (Jun 14, 2011)

That's not even an L2P tailcap. L2p tailcap is a reverse clicky with no points although it does tailstand. Your tailcap looks like the forward clicky. 

I have 3 L2p. All are perfect. I can't wait for the L2T to become available in USA. Too bad it doesn't come with a clip.


----------



## mvyrmnd (Jun 14, 2011)

recDNA said:


> That's not even an L2P tailcap.


 
It is. There was a reverse clicky option that had the flat tailcap, and a forward clicky option that looked just like that.


----------



## flame2000 (Jun 14, 2011)

Hi recDNA, As pointed out by mvyrmnd, the L2P is available with different tailcap, forward or reverse clicky in HAIII.


----------



## flame2000 (Jun 15, 2011)

I got a reply from them today and they requested for the affected parts to be ship back. Ship them out today, hope to get the replacement soon.


----------



## Augustus (Jun 15, 2011)

ordered a solarforce l2 grey a few days ago from itc shop. sadly, the l2 had some scratches on the bezel and the body. i wrote itc about it and they said, they would add a spare lense and o rings to my next order. i hope my l2p, which should arrive in a few days is flawless ...


----------



## flame2000 (Jun 16, 2011)

Augustus said:


> ordered a solarforce l2 grey a few days ago from itc shop. sadly, the l2 had some scratches on the bezel and the body. i wrote itc about it and they said, they would add a spare lense and o rings to my next order. i hope my l2p, which should arrive in a few days is flawless ...



Kinda suckee feeling when you purchased a new light, waited patiently for it to arrived and when you open it up.........dang, what's with all the scratch marks! Makes you think really hard about getting a new light from them again.  The L2P was my first SolarForce light! 
Hope your incoming L2P will be as good as new!


----------



## Tuikku (Jun 16, 2011)

flame2000 said:


> I can understand how you feel. kind of disappointed when you received *a brand new light* with some cosmetic defects.


 
Actually I did not mind that much... I´m not very strict collector 
Somehow I expected L2P to be better, ano is nice though but I don´t like the tailcap. Hard to explain, L2i and L2m with bezelrings are better for me. I only have a R2 dropin in L2P, gets very little use from me.


----------



## Cypher_Aod (Jun 16, 2011)

My most recent L2P (one of the most recent batch of grey bodies) had that same gap on the bezel, i removed the unnecessary plastic washer between the bezel and the lens and now it fits perfectly.


----------



## mvyrmnd (Jun 16, 2011)

My new L2p arrived this morning. both the ano and stainless bezels screwed down perfectly with the plastic washer installed. No flaws whatsoever.

It did, however, ship in a plain plastic bubble, no cardboard backing. Not that that bothers me, but it would appear to be how the L2p's ship.


----------



## flame2000 (Jun 16, 2011)

You guys had more luck than me!  I just wish they are more consistent with their product quality. They told me all L2P had the gap in the bezel, but u were able to screw it down completely even with the plastic washer. I wonder why so much inconsistency with their product. I'm ok as long as no water seeped in if I remove the bezel washer and it screws down completely. But the nicks n dents is a no no!


----------



## AaronG (Jun 16, 2011)

Sounds like the crappy packaging might be to blame for lights getting beat up in transport. I just ordered one this week so fingers crossed.


----------



## lps (Jun 17, 2011)

Hope this was only a one time problem, cause I ordered an L2 sand color for collecting, so I don't want any nicks or scratches on it.

Good luck to you for receiving flawless replacements!


----------



## Augustus (Jun 18, 2011)

got my l2p yesterday, unfortunately the bezel ring and the switch have some flaws. theres a spot on the bezel ring, where the coating is completely chipped off. the switch has one scratch as well. its not much but if i buy a new flashlight, i expect to get a new and undamaged product. im gonna write itc/solarforce-sales, lets see what they will answer


----------



## mvyrmnd (Jun 18, 2011)

AaronG said:


> Sounds like the crappy packaging might be to blame for lights getting beat up in transport. I just ordered one this week so fingers crossed.


 
The plastic bubble it shipped in is identical to the ones used for every other solarforce light, it's just that there's no cardboard sheet in it like the others. It won't be the cause of this kind of damage.


----------



## flame2000 (Jun 19, 2011)

Augustus said:


> got my l2p yesterday, unfortunately the bezel ring and the switch have some flaws. theres a spot on the bezel ring, where the coating is completely chipped off. the switch has one scratch as well. its not much but if i buy a new flashlight, i expect to get a new and undamaged product. im gonna write itc/solarforce-sales, lets see what they will answer



That looks like a rather long scratch on the tailcap and they still sent it out to you. :shakehead
I'll return it to them.


----------



## nerrad (Jun 20, 2011)

I got a natural finish L2P around Christmas time and it flawless. Got it from a dealer here in the USA.
It was my first Solarforce. 
When I ordered a AA L2R, I recieved a cosmetic flawed host...but for $11 it is still a good deal!


----------



## 2100 (Jun 20, 2011)

My last purchase was a big one of about 13 items and they missed out on one RCR123A. And one of the RCR123A was 0.0v, they are saying the protection tripped.

Update on my case, they made good by offering to send 2 pcs of replacement RCR123A to me, anyway I made a new order today for a L2 and 2pcs of 18650 so they can tag along the shipment. Good cust service! Will continue to shop with confidence.

Anyway my last shipment had 2 L2. 1 silver and 1 golden sand. Both are flawless and the finishing surprised me as its not very far off from L2P (ie its worth more than the $11.90 asking price), just arrived last Thur.


----------



## Tuikku (Jun 20, 2011)

You can see the flaws in my L2P in Marketplace, L2P is now for sale since it gets no use :|


----------



## flame2000 (Jun 25, 2011)

I'm still waiting for my L2P replacement parts. 

Tracking shows package reached Hong Kong Postal Admin on 18-Jun. An attempted delivery was made on 20-Jun (refer pic) to SolarForce but no one was around to receive it. So I drop them a reminder email on the 22-Jun to inform them of the package and was told they would send their staff to collect it from the Post office within a day or two.








Today is 25-Jun and the status on both Singapore and Hong Kong Post tracking still shows undelivered. 

Recently saw a notification being put up on the SolarForce sales website indicating the L2P will be out of stock for 2~3 weeks. Guess it’s gonna be a long wait. It’s been a very bad buying experience for me. :shakehead


----------



## march.brown (Jun 28, 2011)

I would go straight to Paypal now ... Get a refund and then reorder (possibly with another dealer) ... But definitely get onto Paypal and copy them the e-mails ... Dealers don't like it when Paypal get onto them ... In view of all the hassle, I would give the dealer negative feedback too.
.


----------



## flame2000 (Jun 28, 2011)

They replied today and said they will pick up the package. I'll give them one final chance and see how things go before I bring it up to PayPal. 

The problem is, the SingPost tracking site today shows the package as "unsuccessful delivery (To Hong Kong)" because SolarForce did not bother to pick it up after repeated reminder from me. What concerns me now is whether the package will be return to sender due to unsuccessful delivery. If the package returns to me, I'll definitely bring it up to PayPal.


----------



## richpalm (Jun 28, 2011)

Go to Paypal now-escalate it right to a claim. I had to do this a couple months ago and got a refund. You have a limited time to do it also, so hurry!

Same seller BTW. I stick to U.S. dealers now.

Rich


----------



## march.brown (Jun 28, 2011)

flame2000 said:


> They replied today and said they will pick up the package. I'll give them one final chance and see how things go before I bring it up to PayPal.
> 
> The problem is, the SingPost tracking site today shows the package as "unsuccessful delivery (To Hong Kong)" because SolarForce did not bother to pick it up after repeated reminder from me. What concerns me now is whether the package will be return to sender due to unsuccessful delivery. If the package returns to me, I'll definitely bring it up to PayPal.


 You are far more tolerant than me ... I would have (and have) involved Paypal much earlier ... Get in quick , don't mess about , get a full refund ... 
It must be nice to be as tolerant as you are ... At my age , I don't have time to be tolerant.




.


----------



## mccririck (Jun 28, 2011)

Are these actually anodised? Doesn't look like it from the scratches.

Also, I would not have returned the affected parts to them, I'd have demanded a refund or a replacement.


----------



## flame2000 (Jun 28, 2011)

Hi guys, thanks for the advices. I guess I have enough reasons to bring it up to PayPal.


----------



## flame2000 (Jul 6, 2011)

PayPal is reviewing my case now. After repeated reminders informing SolarForce to pick up the package, they now claimed they failed to pick up from Post Office. 
They also have problems replacing my L2P and offered me the L2T which I am not interested in. I'll just leave it to PayPal to settle it for me.


----------



## 2100 (Jul 7, 2011)

Sorry to hear about your experience bro. Well they shipped me I had problems with 2 of the 16340 and they shipped 2 new ones to me FOC, supposed to tag on another of my orders. I guess another mistake was made because that order contained the 2 x 16340s but none of the ordered items. LOL! So 1 x L2 and 2 x 18650 were missing. 
Quick check made, 2 days later shipped out another package with the L2 and 2 x 18650, along with some small freebies. So far good customer service.

You could have just asked them to ship the a L2X to you and perhaps a XP-G FOC for the trouble and shipping fee back.  Both parties win-win.

Note that you are probably supposed to ship back the body to them (I assume you shipped the head/bezel and tailcap), should paypal determine that you are eligible for a full refund.


----------



## 2100 (Jul 7, 2011)

Bro, pls don't misunderstand me that i am siding with anyone, I think everybody makes mistakes....just that for every mistake there is always a solution, and some solutions make both parties happier and its easier to settle the dispute.


----------



## Magx (Jul 27, 2011)

So, do you actually use your lights ? Do they not get nicked, dinged and banged about ? 

I'm only asking because it seems that if you were to actually use your lights they would show that type of wear and possibly more in a short amount of time.


----------



## EZO (Jul 28, 2011)

Magx said:


> So, do you actually use your lights ? Do they not get nicked, dinged and banged about ?
> 
> I'm only asking because it seems that if you were to actually use your lights they would show that type of wear and possibly more in a short amount of time.



I couldn't agree with you more. On the other hand, as we all know, the first ding is the hardest. It was that way when I bought a new truck a few years ago and came back to where I had parked it at the supermarket to find its first ding but now I don't sweat it when it gets a scratch. After all, I actually USE the truck and it's the same with my flashlights.


----------



## Magx (Jul 28, 2011)

Know all about the "car dings" thing.. Had my 2004 VW since Oct 04 and got my first ding about a year ago.. Was very, very mad. But we are talking many thousands of dollars compared to a 17 dollar flashlight body.
My most used light is a Terralux aaa twisty and you can barely tell what color it was. Yes, I have my shelf queens and yes they are less than $100 invested, but they do get used around the house just no daily wear and tear..


----------



## EZO (Jul 28, 2011)

It is hard to see any new possession get its first damage of any kind, whatever the cost.

While you can't really compare the cost of a new car to a flashlight many lights ain't exactly cheap and we appreciate a nice ano job as much as we appreciate a nice clear coat finish. At least I do.

My best "record time to first ding" was when I dropped a new Quark on the tarmac about 40 minutes after it arrived and put a nice ding on the edge of the bezel. I rationalized that I had "broken it in", which I guess I had.

By the way, a very effective fix-it for many flaws and dings on a black anodized flashlight finish is to simply touch up the dinged or scratched spot with a permanent marker such as a Sharpie. I did that on two of my lights recently and now I have to looking really hard to see where the nicks were in the ano.


----------



## 2100 (Jul 28, 2011)

Seriously, without the dents/dings and scratched ano, there is always dust to help you break in. No way any light can be good looking after being 2 weeks on the shelf even untouched. 

Yes, I use permanent markers too. Somebody already scratched his TK70 within the first day, due to the strap rubbing at the tailcap. LOL!


----------



## DutchCanuc (Feb 5, 2013)

Bringing an old post to life.

I was searching for the post regarding the Solarforce L2P needing machining to fit the 18650 battery but I couldn't find it. So I settled on this post. If I am in the wrong please move this post for me. (Thanks in advance...new to CPF still learning to navigate)

Anyways,

I have purchased approximately 15 or so L2P's over the last year for co-workers that were looking for a decent reasonably priced flashlight. My dissapointment with them has been the machining tolerances with the main body tube. I have had at least 5 that would not fit an 18650. I followed the instructions that I found somewhere on these forums and took a drill bit with sand paper to bore them out larger to fit. Anyone else having problems with batteries fitting? I exchanged my last set of batteries for Solarforce batteries as the distributer thought they would fit better. But still no luck. I feel like this is really bad quality control.... about 1/3 of all flashlights I have recieved didn't fit an 18650. Just looking to see if this is the trend or if I am just having terrible luck.


----------



## speedsix (Feb 7, 2013)

There are a lot of fake Solarforce lights. I've seen them on EBay and some Chinese vendors sell them. My guess is most complaints about Solarforce stem from people who buy the fakes. 

Purchase from Solarforcesales and you get the real thing. Buy one somewhere else and take your chances.


----------



## DellSuperman (Feb 7, 2013)

speedsix said:


> There are a lot of fake Solarforce lights. I've seen them on EBay and some Chinese vendors sell them. My guess is most complaints about Solarforce stem from people who buy the fakes.
> 
> Purchase from Solarforcesales and you get the real thing. Buy one somewhere else and take your chances.



Any ways to know if they are fakes?
I bought all my SolarForce host from reputable eBay sellers & the last 2 pieces (1 x L2T & 1 x L2N) both came with some scratches on the inner side of the bezel.
I did not send any complaints to them because I am more interested in the functionality and so far, I must say that both have been working pretty well for me.


----------



## mvyrmnd (Feb 7, 2013)

Solarforce-sales.com.

Don't bother with ebay.


----------



## DellSuperman (Feb 7, 2013)

mvyrmnd said:


> Solarforce-sales.com.
> 
> Don't bother with ebay.



Gosh, their pricings are way lower than all the eBay sellers that I found.
Thank you!


----------

