Anodizing is a process which increases the thickness of the protective oxide layer on the top of the aluminum. Dyes are then added into this oxide layer. This is what you see on the surface of most aluminum flashlights.
Most budget flashlights use Type II anodizing. It’s relatively thin and will scuff easily. When it scuffs, the oxide and dye layer is scraped off revealing the bare metal beneath. As the anodizing is usually a different color from bare aluminum these scuffs can make a new flashlight look like an antique pretty fast.
Type III hard anodizing (HA-III) produces a thicker oxide layer than Type II. As such, it is more resistant to scratches and scuffs. Type III anodizing is considered higher quality than Type II. Most of the non-budget high-end flashlights have Type III.
I got my email notice for one of them, with tracking # yesterday, but the tracking # is still not working on USPS.com…. I know that it sometimes take a couple of days to be visible at USPS.com.
Do you know approx. when you bought it? If so, they include the dates on that list on the page where they show the people who bought, so maybe check there to confirm that you’re on there. I was on there twice, because I bought twice, at two different times. Earlier, RIC said they shipped the 1st 100, and one of mine was in the 1st 100, but then I also got the 2nd email, so they must be almost done shipping (or at least shipped more than the 1st 100).
At this point, I’m not 100% sure if even getting the shipping notice is accurate. I got my two tracking #s via email, but neither is working on USPS.com, and it’s been several days already, so I’m wondering if they just sent the notices out as “pacifiers”.
Has anyone gotten a tracking # in the U.S. that works yet?
I’m using USPS.com, but, FYI, I’ve noticed in the past that it might take awhile before the non-USPS tracking #s start working on usps.com. Someone mentioned “about a week”, but my experience is less than that. The 2 tracking #s I have for this are still not working on usps.com.
The reason that I use usps.com is that in the past, I’ve tried sites like HK Post, but they never worked for me, even when usps.com would work. I guess YMMV.
The tracking numbers I got were formatted “RF………SG”.
Shouldn’t the tracking number(s) received from them be working by now?
I got my first tracking number this past Monday (April 15), but it’s still not working at USPS.com. I also tried it at singpost.com, but it doesn’t work there either.
I believe they use SING post but not the “usual” way - they (might) get Singapore vouchers, send the parcels “someway” to a Logistics center and afterwards through the usual system…
That’s the reason I believe they say “You can track it on your local post system after 1 week”…!
Ahh. So it sounds like they bundle up all of the lights (probably for one country), and ship them all to someone (some company) in Singapore and then the latter breaks open the bundle and ships the individual lights out to the end customer via SingPost?
Is SingPost shipping that much cheaper than HKPost that it’d be worth doing that?
FYI, I tried the 17track.net, and that said “not found” for the tracking #s I have, so I guess that the lights haven’t gotten to Singapore yet, or whoever handles the lights in Singapore hasn’t sent them out to us yet?
Edit: Given the choice, I would have been willing to pay a nominal add’l amount to avoid all of that, if I had known :(…
