We could do a groupbuy of replacement switches
I would say 2$ with shipping possible, I repaired 2 that work now perfect and got one switch in my part box just in case
Just got my second. Didn’t work at all when first put in NiMH. Reinserted and works fine. Much different tint though both nw.
yeah new ones are reported 4000K tint not 5000K 3D
Seems right very warm. Brighter too. Nice. Will try the programming on old one.
My new one showed problem after changing battery again. Took tailcap off one that never had problem and switched and the problem switched from new light to old one. So tailcap has to be culprit.
you have to be sure the tail cap makes contact, some batteries are too long
a fix is remove the tail board and sand it down glue in again
Used same batteries just switched tailcaps and problem moved from one light to other.
Put wire at bottom of tailcap as in other thread and fixed. Also got it to programming mode with help of video on blf.
44% failure rate (for those who take the time to surf here). Thats ugly… the failure rate is, not those who surf BLF.
But what if I have 3 that work and I can only vote once? And this is my situation.
Also if someone buys 2, one works one don’t and they voted yes?
Hardly a way to track the percentages.
I’m quite certain the failure rate is actually less than 44%, as most people who have good ones probably ignore the poll. Personally I have four, of which one is less than perfect, but still in daily service as I try to figure out its occasional quirks. I’ve thoroughly run the other three through their paces, and they work as advertised. These were acquired in three separate orders across a month or so, so I doubt there was a ‘good batch / bad batch’ effect.
All the same, the failure rate is obviously very high and undoubtedly why the price is $9 instead of $23. I think they’ve chosen to unload them at fire sale prices rather than scrap them - and that is probably the wrong choice for the sake of the brand. The name “UTORCH” will at least be suspect from here on in and it wouldn’t surprise me to see the trademark disappear altogether, as the owners might decide to continue business under another banner.
Frankly, I like them so much that if I thought I could keep my ‘batting average’ up, I’d order four more……but I think I’d better not push my luck.
I’d take a chance at $10 and try cw.
So, after about a month of ownership and fairly light use, the switch has become somewhat flaky on my UT01, but it’s not the issue described in the OP/poll. Basically the switch will randomly not respond to the press like it used to, regardless if the light is on or off.
However, when I push up on the switch while pressing it, I can get it to respond most of the time.
Doh!! I didn’t think of it that way.
So the 2 faulty ones out of the 4 that has the “turned off won’t turn on” issue are both NW 4000K The other 2 CW 6500k are working fine for now. Does tint has to do with anything? Or is it just a coincidence. What tint do you guys have that has the issue?
I don’t think the tint has a direct correlation. But FWIW, with my December 2016 unit is neutral white.
No problems here. At $10 from Gearbest, it’s been a solid little light. Works fine on Eneloops or alkalines. Based on the recommendations here, I picked up some Efest 650 (purple, high drain) that fit perfectly.
I’ve got four of them lined up for Christmas gifts. All loaded with alka and they seem to work fine, but with all the above comments i’m worried i’ll be gifting lemons… and it’s too late to order four other lights. :person_facepalming:
I have a bunch of new SK68 clones i could give away, but that’s not a fair replacement for the nice UT01… But since i’ve also planned to gift four Eagle Eye X2R with them, it could be considered as an extra. 
My failure rate just jumped to 100%.
I tried swapping end caps between my two NW UT01 lights. Before I did, one only switched on once with a 14500 until being “power cycled” but it worked fine with an NiMH cell. The other one worked properly with a any cell.
Well, now, neither of them switch on more than once without being power cycled, no matter what tailcap I’m using.
It’s infuriating. It does make me think there is something mechanical involved.
Before you give up, try the ‘copper wire loop inside the tailcap’ trick. I cured one that way. I’ve measured a few, and some tail caps are a hair too long - the ano on the lip contacts the tube before the circuit can be completed.
Some of mine have enough gap between tailcap and the tube flange to run my thumbnail through, others have no gap at all.