SRT7 reliability

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ChrisEdu said:
I'm just concerned about reliability. As I'm new to what might be termed as 'fancy' torches, I was hoping to get something solid and reliable, with lots of toys on top! I like stuff that works and keeps on working.
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Ah, the "reliability" question. That's always a fun one. For every person who claims that his favorite flashlight is reliable, somebody else will soon come along with his own tale of woe about how that exact light failed him. But on the whole, I think every reputable brand could reasonably be considered reliable, including the unfairly maligned Maglite. Of course some brands like HDS and Surefire can take more abuse than others, but I think that's different from reliability.

Ultimately, only you can decide if a flashlight is truly reliable. Carry it with you, use it, love it, and if it still works after a year then it's a reliable flashlight.
 
relax. enjoy. if it dont work your unlucky, just get it replaced. done. i have had 4 DOA's all from different companies all replaced and now all 100% reliable - that was VERY unlucky !
i have an earlier nitecore IFE1, its been abused but still works great .
 
Well, my SRT7 arrived today and so far so good! My boys, and I, are enjoying playing cops and robbers with the flashing lights! I really like the variable light output and the red light will be useful for when using my telescopes.

Now, if only I could decide between an Armytek Viking Pro or Predator Pro to keep the SRT7 company! (Ihave started another thread on this tricky issue in the Recommend me a light section!)
 
I've been using mine for about a year... No issues here! Great light, nice throw/flood. I have the srt7, p12, tm26 (3800lm), and the sens mini from nitecore. All work flawlessly. Gotta love nitecore! :thumbsup:
 
haven't really dropped mine yet, but for the last couple months mine has seen a lot of use every night, and over here in NY its been like 6 degrees most nights on the water with the wind and all. I heard some bad things about this light in the cold weather, but I will now say this light is great in the cold and snow, and I love the different color LED lights at night with the snow, just plain cool. I will say though, I mostly use the red and regular led, not so much the blue and green. I love this light.
 
Well, it's still going strong! I changed the batteries over to one of my Cytac 3400mAh vells last night, as the light seemed dimmer than my Light and Motion Seca 700 Ultra and bam! it was back to being brighter than the Seca.

I'm glad that I bought the diffuser for it, too, as I'm tending to use that quite a lot for general use in the house, especially at night when checking on the children.
 
Hello, again! Glad to report my SRT7 is still going strong and providing sterling service. :) I'm hopefully going to get an Armytek Wizard Pro to keep it company in the not too distant future.
 
Glad to hear your SRT7 is working out for you. And now you're bringing the Armytek in house as well. Looks like you have the fever!

edit: I just now noticed you were reporting in after one year with this light. Great to see she's running well after an extended period.
 
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Welcome to CPF! ahh yes..the never ending SRT7 saga continues. I bought my SRT7 over 2 years ago when they were first released and I will give you the straight up truth about the light as I have used it heavily over that time. First off I will let you know that yes, the SRT7 is very reliable. Even after 2+ years of use and abuse the smart ring only got smoother to use all the functions of the light still work flawlessly. What you need to know about this supposed 960 lumen, RGB smart ring "super" light is that in terms of actual output it is a woeful underperformer. Running on any 18650 the light only actually puts out 780 lumens out the front which is a very far cry from Nitecores specs. After much research here on CPF and with the help of the incredible reviews section I learned that in order to get the best performance out of the SRT7 you need to use 2x RCR123 (16340) cells specifically. Using RCR123 cells the jump in overall performance to my eyes has been pretty drastic. The 2x RCR boost is 80+ lumens for an as tested 860 out the front lumens. Throw increases as well.

I am very thankful for CPF. Until I discovered this forum my SRT7 had been shelved in favor of much better performing lights. Now with the knowledge I have attained here the SRT7 has been pulled off the shelf dusted off and brought back to life with a pair of Orbtronic 700mah RCR123 cells. It is like a totally different light running off the RCR's and is as far as I know the only way to get the max performance out of the light without having it modified. I greatly wish Nitecore would revamp the heavily hyped SRT line it has been 2+ years now it would be the wisest move they can make.

What would I suggest as an alternative to the SRT7 that has color options? Easy..Eagletac G25C2 MkII kit version in cool white. Yes you actually have to change the bezel out with a flip top adapter and choose either the diffuser or one of the RGBY lenses to put in it but if you truly need a color option that works and is superior to anything the SRT7 can put out then you just cannot go wrong.

The kit version Eagletac is expensive but it is more than worth it. Build quality is superior to Nitecore and you get 900+ lumens out the front as has been independently tested here on the forum. Even comes with an extender tube set so you can use 2x18650 and even 4x123. My current G25C2 MkII set up is with the excellent aluminum flip top adapter attached yellow lens installed and with the long extender tube for my 2x Orbtronic 3600mah 18650 set up. It is AWESOME! It is funky being that long now but boy does it crank for a loooong time and the yellow filter I have installed in the flip top adapter makes for a beam that penetrates overcast conditions like nothing else Ive seen outside of dedicated fog lights.

Of course there are many other excellent options nowadays in the higher end tactical light market as opposed to the SRT7. All of them are better performers than the SRT7 and usually cost a bit less. Admittedly the SRT7 is the only current "tactical" light with a control ring set up all the competition have their own differing types of user interface. I do admit that as much of a performance disappointment my SRT7 has been up until my recent discovery of the 2x RCR upgrade, the control ring on my SRT7 is absolutely outstanding. It is the only thing about the SRT7 (and SRT6) that is a stand out well done feature that hasnt been matched by the competition yet which is of course because Nitecore patented their system. On the Eagletac you have to get used to a head twist user interface which is pretty basic user interface compared to the smart ring but at least with the head twist UI you can choose your setting before you turn on the light.

Olight M22 is another good one that actually performs it just isnt as unique as the Eagletac and doesnt have many accessory options whereas the kit version of the G25C2 MkII comes with everything you could want. Props to Olights excellent build quality. The M22 is a simple straightforward light but its very well done. Good luck.
 
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My SRT7 works great! I learned how useful the red/blue strobe feature can be during a vehicle breakdown. I now carry the CG6 simply because of the available secondary colors on demand. mine is green. I would like to get the UV version next ;-)
 
I think the problem with reliability of LED flashlights is that you never know when it will break. Drop it once and the circuit breaks and you have no idea how to fix it. Or maybe it was the led that broke? With an incandescent you could be quite sure it was the lamp that broke and you were able to replace it.

So, if your task depends on the flashlight, carry a backup.

LED flashlight reliability might be an interesting topic. I could start a new thread and gather some information about how many lights that people have bought have broken. Mine are around 3/10.
 
D6859 said:
So, if your task depends on the flashlight, carry a backup. /QUOTE]

I recall hearing one of "Uncle Sam's (finest) Misguided Children" say "ONE IS NONE", meaning always carry a back up or spare light. .
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I had to use my SRT7 to warn traffic when my Mercedes broke-down on a busy road, just off from a roundabout. Having a range of functions to hand, and easily accessible, makes it so versatile. Yes, it's not perfect - light output might not be a high as claimed; the colour lighting isn't great, but I find it suitable for my needs, especially with the light diffuser attached; and build quality might not be as high as some other brands, but then I've not yet had the chance to compare against others of a similar price point.

All-in-all, I've been pretty pleased with it. Yes, I think it is probably expensive compared to some other lights, but then I do really like the ring system for ease of use.

Here's to getting some andswers about the Armytek Wizard Pro. (I want to know whether the guarantee is 10yrs in the UK, as several websites say that it's only 2yrs?)
 
Great commentaries on the SRT7 and other lights as well! Am keeping an eye on this thread and will be subscribing. Cheers.


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LeafSamurai said:
Great commentaries on the SRT7 and other lights as well! Am keeping an eye on this thread and will be subscribing. Cheers.


Sent from my iPhone using Candlepowerforums
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Glad you find it useful. I'll link to a thread on the Wizard Pro, once it arrives.
 
100% reliability here so far. 2 complaints I have tho are the plastic tactical ring (the grip, not the control ring) which is all ridiculous and loose now, and the brightness control ring detent choices. It needs a min. level detent, and also I'd argue the strobe should be moved so you have easiest max. level selection.
 
Just to add to the chorus of approval, I bought my SRT7 as soon as they became available and it has performed flawlessly since then - I had it on my bike as front light for about a year - running at 50-100% output, generally. It is the first light slung in the bag when I go out without my bike too.

No problems to report. But I am intrigued to try it on two RCR123A cells.

Enjoy your light.
 
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