Copper FW3C poor quality

You could enlarge the bottom of the hole to have more clearance around the head of the screw while keeping it to avoid the MCPCB to rotate.

Or use a slightly longer flat head screw and a shim around the MCPCB, GITD tape maybe.

Maybe use a small needle file and make the screw hole slightly oval to allow the board to be shifted center and still torqued in place.

Key word?

Just checked my FW3A and all three of the ones I have exhibit the same off-center issue between the LED emitter base and the inner diameter of the flashlight's tube as shown in the first post of this thread for the FW3C. I can even see the misalignments with the flashlights assembled as the three LEDs and the optic are slightly closer to one side.

But it does not create any issues with the beam quality on my particular FW3A lights because the three legs on the optic that fit into the three holes on the LED emitter base allow the optic to line up correctly with the LED emitter board because the optic is smaller in diameter and does not touch the flashlight's tube. When I screw the lens back on it seems to hold everything together firmly and keep the parts aligned correctly.

I know, but you can hope lol!

Yeah mate there are a few options, but to be honest it seems to be fine now, I suppose the only worry is the board not sitting flat on the shelf, but it wasn’t an issue in my original one which had no screw. I’ll see how it goes though.
Only been open a few hours and a patina is already starting!

Normally there is enough room in the bezel area for the optic to accommodate when the MCPCB is off center, but it wouldn’t be an issue in the first place if they machined these parts with tighter tolarences.

Well just to update, BG offered me a £12 refund, which I think is fair considering - I’d rather not return the whole light over it and not be able to get another, it would end up costing more.
It seems to ok without the screw, so I will accept.

Hence your copper FW3A will from this moment on be formally addressed as: Screwless Nick.

Lol!

Surprise surprise, no refund has been credited……. :person_facepalming:
Escalated to Paypal now.

“We gave you refund. Please go post office and check.”

“Can you send pictures of not getting refund?”

“Maybe video, too?”

Typical Banggood :person_facepalming:

‘Banggood will do what we have promised to our customers. When you receive this email, we have already arranged a refund 11.63GBP to your payment account.’ :person_facepalming:

Maybe it’s like an arranged marriage and will happen in like 20yrs or so…

Nice!

Agree with rooster, optics is centered by holes in pcb so pcb misalignment should not influence beam.
I would rather believe that beam problems are cased my misaligned leds, and this is caused by bad pcb designers (no room for extra solder).

Ok, update on this………
After a lengthy phone call with Paypal and a couple of really lovely American reps/manager I got paypal to pay me £10 back. NOTHING to do with BG who never refunded the £11.63.
They changed their stance after opening the Paypal dispute and wanted me to return it in original untouched (right, it’s copper and they know I have taken the screw out etc) condition.
The cost of Parcel force insured tracked to China was, wait for it , £47.50. I got the light for £41 :person_facepalming: The stupid thing is it NEVER came from China!!! it’s in a BG bag, and was dispatched from the Uk, now if it came from outside the UK it WOULD have had a customs declaration, which it didn’t.
They however would not let me return it to the UK address which is printed on my package, and insisted it had to go back to China!
Paypal saw what was going on and offered me £10 from them as a goodwill gesture, which I accepted because the guy and lady were so nice, we literally talked about the south coast of the UK for like 25 min!
Really nice call. So I get to keep the light, I got £10 back and I’m happy. NOT with BG though, who I STILL think were selling those ‘6’ special offer ones off as they were seconds.

2nd update - Banggood followed through and refunded my £11.63 today as promised - credit where credit is eventually due.