The delay and lack of information makes one wonder if there is a similar issue with the driver of the SC26 as there was with the MT09R.
I’d like to know clearly if there is any clear information about the shipment and the single SC26 that he received.
Post 415 Terry said it would cost $300.00 for 5 day shipping, but chose not to pay due to cost.
Ok, so this is what we know then. Terry said he didn’t ship the lights express and he told BlueSwordM that he should have the lights in sometime next week say around Monday (5/21) or Tuesday (5/22). I’m assuming this, since BlueSwordM posted that Terry told him the lights should arrive in about 5 days on 5/16. Also, as Terry said that the lights had been shipped out as of 5/6 (it could’ve shipped out earlier but at least we have a “no later than date”.). So that’s about an estimated 2 weeks shipping time. Hopefully, Terry is telling it to us “straight” this time (actually Terry didn’t specifically tell us this but we are piecing it together from what we know). I used the word straight in quotations because I don’t want to use the word “truth” because we know how Terry gets when he’s called a liar.
I personally think that Terry is not in error here.
Haikelite seem to be in a bind these days. The MT09R regulated driver problems, incompatibility with NarsilM, and having to change the driver completely means something is wrong.
I think there might be a misunderstanding here. I don’t know about everybody else, but I’m not faulting Terry for the delays in shipping. I am faulting him for his nonresponsiveness and lack of transparency, which gives way to mistrust. Which is horrible for a vendor in these parts or anywhere else for that matter.
Oh I understand now.
I’ll just wait until Wednesday next week to kick up a fuss.
I certainly understand why you cancelled your order. I realize he is just starting his business, dealing with Chinese/overseas company (language, customs, and practices differences), and having issues with his supplier. I think personality issues have crept up as well. I haven’t seen any issues of fraud, but mistakes have been made. Kicking when down seems unfair, but bringing issues/concerns to light is clearly justified.
Group buys are tough. Rey is really good with them, other’s not so much, I do understand your valid position.
Yet, now with Texas_Ace involvement, what a wonderful serendipitous opportunity for BLF member’s. What a professional/gem TA has PROVED himself to be.
So, I will wait awhile and be hopeful.
And secretly waiting to see what TA can do with the SC26 
I never said or even implied I spoke for anyone but myself.
This has nothing to do with HL’s business practices and this is not kicking Terry when he’s down. This is about Terry’s business practices and Terry’s lack of honesty and transparency. Terry at best is overly optimistic, at worst he misrepresents what he knows to sell more lights. If you have followed along with either GB’s, you would see that there are a lot of frustrated buyers (we could be in the minority but I have feeling that the majority of us are frustrated). I believe when there are so many people frustrated, there must be a good reason. And the people are not frustrated with HL but with Terry, the individual.
I’m not going to go into how many promises Terry’s broken, his lame excuses, or how he’s lost control of his temper and gotten into spats with customers on BLF. I think regardless of a language barrier, it’s pretty easy to ask, understand, and get a response to: “have the lights shipped?” (prompting a yes or no answer) and “if the lights have shipped what is the tracking number?”. Call me overly sensitive if none of this makes any sense.
I agree, justifiably very frustrated, wouldn’t say overly sensitive.
105 Days. This is like a BLF project at this point
It is. Let’s hope it is worth the wait.
If not this is a reputation destroying event for Haiklight
… and Haikelite too!
Hahahaha yah got me
Well this escalated quickly! I haven’t been following the GB from the start, so I can’t comment on missed deadlines. I purchased a MT09R from Terry a few weeks ago and he was very prompt on shipping. Albeit, he was having to take care of family business so he was out-of-pocket for a few days prior to responding to my inquiry about the 09R.
I think a contributing factor is he’s just 1 guy that probably does this as a side hobby/extra income. With all of these different light projects, massive threads to read, probably 100 messages each time he logs into his 2 accounts… I’m not sure how he does it. And on top of that, it sounds like his family is having issues so I understand him needing to take care of that first, and us second.
I remember working with Kronos on the BLF X6 and he said he’d never head up a massive GB again because it’s a full time job. And that project took a year! Maybe Haikelite didn’t have the SC26’s ready… We all know how manufacturers like to say something shipped yet all they do is create a tracking label and then wait a week to actually put it in the mail. I don’t know…
After playing with using my MT09R, I’d like to buy a blue SC26 for sure. The quality is worth the wait. If someone wants to give up their spot for a blue one, I’ll step in and take it if Terry OK’s it.
Very well said Yourrid. I love my MT09R both 70.2 and 35Hi modded by TA and cant be happier with them. These are true marvels in the flashlight world and I own about 100 flashlights. I also love my MT03 with its great design and perfectly smooth floody beam. I also had TA Mod it for super performance. The SC02 with the MTG2 also doesnt disappoint but I dont use it much because I have smaller 26650 flashlights.
I was also one of the first to preorder the SC26 and am not concerned at all as Ive done GBs myself in the past and know how time consuming, difficult, and full of unforeseen surprises, so therefore Im sure we will eventually get it.
That’s all well and nice, just don’t promise false deadlines. I feel we are all willing to wait. But enough BS dates. Just say it will be in by July if that’s the case. And we will shut up until July.
Like Jake said above, it’s not the date, it’s not having any idea and no clear answer to some simple questions. Goodness knows I’ve grown accustomed to waiting for flashlights in the past!
I’d like to know definitively if there was a sample sent to Terry.
I’d like to see it in action. Even seeing it in hand, a simple switching it on, working through the ramping and maybe a few modes would suffice. It would let us get an idea of how the ramping works compared to a D4 or Q8. A 30-second clip would be great.
I’d like to hear if there is a tracking number after all these weeks and if customs held it up like it was mentioned by Terry above.
I understand that Haikelite may be giving Terry the run-around or is acting flaky, especially with the way that the MT09R failed in its first go-around. It’s the fact that Terry mentioned certain things and then didn’t clarify them that ruffles some feathers.
Personally I feel for Terry. I’ve been in positions where I’ve had pressure to complete a project and certain things (obtaining parts, parts changing spec without warning, personal obligations…) have caused delays. I found that clear and simple communication went a long way toward calming fears and soothing tempers (neither of which I have in the case of this group buy, by the way.)
I am so happy that I got my refund instead of going through this frustration. I admit you guys have a lot more patience than I have waiting for a flashlight. Good Luck!!!
Well, seeing that the first two videos (one Thai, one Vietnamese) have just been posted this month, and transit times to the US, I see no reason to be concerned at this point. As far as GBs go (as well as Kickstarter projects), this is still within the average 2-3 month delays I’ve experienced. Just about all of the delays have been on the manufacturing side.