Nitecore Tip: SEVERE Parasitic Drain in Lock-Out Mode !!

Dammit… I did not know about this lockout problem.

My TIP CRI was bought in December 2018 from Andrew & Amanda. Color is black, and no other color options were available (only the standard TIP was offered in colors). It did not come with a clip and did not say 2017 on the package. So it must be OLD STOCK.

1st TIP CRI - It would charge, but no light. I sent it back for a replacement.
2nd TIP CRI - Worked fine.

Mine does not behave according to the manual on the Nitecore site. I do not have a “Daily” mode. If I lock it out, it’s off. No single button presses do anything. But if I press and hold both buttons again for 1 full second, the light turns on. This is actually how I prefer it. I don’t like this “Daily” concept they documented.

Anyway, after a couple weeks, I noticed a peculiar behavior happen. After coming out of lockout, light would be on brightest setting. I’d turn it off, and then… nothing. Would not turn back on. Mind you, I had checked the battery level and got 3 red flashes (means above 50%) just prior to this happening. So battery was NOT dead… unless, the indicator was giving me a false reading. I had NOT been using the light extensively, just a few moments here and there for a few tasks. Anyway, I plugged it into the USB port and within a few moments, the light was working again. Somehow the plug-in reset it. Power level? 3 red flashes.

So… this happened once again about a week later. Same procedure. Worked again.

TODAY… different story. Took it out of lockout, was on bright, pressed mode to step down and OFF. DEAD. Would not come back on, even after plugging it in. Let it charge for 30 mins, then unplugged. Still NOTHING.

I ’think’ they fixed the “lockout problem” a long time ago, this is an old thread.

Not sure what is going on with yours though.

It seems that I got an old stock version. I went to Nitecore’s site and sure enough… I see they’ve expanded it and even included a clip. Mine did not come with a clip. So, mine must be from an earlier, problematic release. I created a video to demonstrate the issue and forwarded to Nitecore. I’m hoping that if they have any semblance of good customer service, they will send me a Nitecore 2017 replacement. I will not accept another V1… this is my 2nd one in a row with problems.

Could very well be. Where did you get it, if I might ask?

I bought it from Andrew & Amanda. First one was DOA… charge indication lights worked, but it would not turn on or show battery charge level. I had to send it back at my own cost to get a replacement. And that worked for a few weeks until now. I double-checked their site and they’ve got plenty of Nitecore stuff there, but it seems all the TIP lights are pre-2017. I’ve notified them and asked for a refund. I do not want to get a 3rd light and go through this crap again. I’ve also contacted Nitecore. Now, if they’ll authorize a 2017 replacement, I’d be OK with that, except I do not want to be obligated to pay shipping — that’s just not right. I’ve already wasted too much time on this situation…

Thanks for the info, hope it works out in your favor. :+1:

Have you tried removing battery from light? Carry alone and put battery back in when needed. That would help drain. I remove batteries and only put them in when ready for use.

The battery in TIP is non removable. Or at least not easily removable.

A’n’A has long had quite a presence here at BLF. Surely they’ll make good on this.

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=site%3Abudgetlightforum.com+andrew+amanda

WOW!!! Surprised of the Engineering for this light. How do you repair or service if you can not take apart light? Come on Nitecore !!!

It can be taken apart mmalive. 4 screws does it. It would just not be practical to take it apart & remove the battery daily, as you suggested somewhere above. :wink:

Cool, thanks teacher. I do not own light. I am giving background from engineering stand point for OP. True NOT practical and you wear out screws attaching/removing on constant basis.

/\……… My pleasure my friend!! . :+1:

To follow-up, Nitecore “piddled” with me… sent me a photo of their “samples” and really didn’t say much of anything.

Their samples actually look better. They didn’t say if they felt a sharp edge or not… fail. But this all pales in comparison with the complete and utter functional failure of my light. A&A is taking my light back, but they claimed the behavior is because of the documented parasitic drain. But that’s just flat out wrong. I took a video showing the light fully charged, I take it off the charger, and the light will not come on. No way, no how. Tried all the documented button press commands.

So I’m mailing it back… AGAIN. And again, out of my own pocket. So now, I’m $8 in the hole from this and no flashlight. $8 “rent” for 3 weeks of use, I guess. That’s expensive.

While the TIP is a budget light, it’s still not their cheapest model. Should receive adequate customer support. Maybe it varies depending upon the person. I just received another email and they’re saying “well see what we can do—send your proof of purchase.” So I did… hopefully I’ll get some satisfaction.

What’s the deal with sharp edges? I don’t recall you mentioned anything about this before. Sorry if I missed it.

Mine isn’t exactly smooth either.

Because this light has a 2-piece body with a lateral seam, there’s a challenge in designing it so that they fit together seamlessly. Nitecore compromised with a kind of “lip” that slightly overhangs the front. However, there appears to be enough variation in part production such that in some cases, a top half doesn’t match up well with the bottom half. In my case, it’s exaggerated enough that I can feel the edge when I hold the light. At the corners, it’s actually a little sharp… not enough to cut, but enough to scrape skin.


I can see in their photo, the two pieces line up better, so it probably doesn’t have a roughness/sharpness to it.

Thanks. Yeah, that looks like a poor fit.

For comparison, this is my TIP Winter Edition. The fit seems slightly better than yours, or at least I don’t feel any sharp edges.

^ Yes, that’s exactly how it should look. I think there’s some variance in the machine stamping of the parts. When that happens, it means that another step in assembly is involved, where parts have to be matched based on size before assembly. Otherwise, you can end up with some units where the greatest variances (smallest and largest) parts are put together, resulting in what happened with mine. QC may be spotty, so some sneak through.

The QC is spotty on the over hang issue/sharp edges issues… Nitecore lights are not cheap priced. One should expect very good at least Engineering Design with QC/QA follow up. BEFORE releasing light for sale.

UPDATE — heard back from Nitecore: “All our TIPS are covered under warranty for 24 months as long as your product was purchased. Should anything covered under warranty occurs, you may return the product to the seller. Or you can also return it back to us China for replace. Any further question please let me know.”

Yeah, I’ve got a question for them: How do you stay in business?

This isn’t some rare defect. I ran into TWO in a row… Mailing back to CHINA is a large expense, more than what I paid for the light. But… sending back to the retailer of purchase means a replacement would be a “lottery” chance for getting a proper one. I’m abandoning hope and sending it back, eating the return shipping costs.

DONE with Nitecore.