Bummer about the (nearly) DOA arrival man... I'm no tech expert on the lights but I'd make sure the contacts are clean and all the other things like that, that might be causing a problem.
Any suggestions to what I should do specifically? I cleaned it thoroughly with alcohol. Ric already responded and asked if I could return the light for a replacement. I'm not going ship a $20 light back to China, especially during the holiday season.
weiser701 Use a paper clip to to make contact from the battery to the threads if it lights up then it's a problem with the tail-cap. Make sure that the pill is screwed in properly and the tail-cap is screwed tight.
You could just send back the pill, use the old packing to keep costs down.
I was just about to do this since I started thinking it's a switch issue as opposed to a driver issue. I'll report back.
Martin from Balder has already responded as well. He might send me a replacement.
UPDATE: Okay, Martin is sending me a replacement but I'm still trying to figure out what the problem is. I've tried the paper clip trick and it still won't come on. Sometimes it wants to work fine and the rest of the time it doesn't come on at all. For example, It'll be working fine and then I'll set it down. I'll pick it up a few minutes later, try it out and get nothing. Seriously, what could be the issue?
Possibly a contact issue ...
If its not the tailcap ....
Then it has to be something to do with the driver :
Does the battery tube screw down deep enough to make proper contact - neg path !
LED DRIVER wires , perhaps poor contact here / or a intermittent short ?
The tail cap certainly makes solid contact. I inspected the solder points on the led board but I can't see anything between it and the driver. It's all sealed within the pill. It just seems so strange how it decides when and when not to work.
In response to your review I can say that the pill is threaded into the body and not glued. I've had the pill completely removed from the body and the head. Actually, when I first unscrewed the head from the body the pill came with it and I originally thought it was glued into the head.
If you look at the last picture , something oozing out ... When I say glued - yes its threaded in , but mine seems to have some sort of compound ...[ To thread lock ? ]
Oh yeah, I didn't notice that. Mine didn't come like that at all. It was threaded in rather tight but certainly no glue or thread lock. I ended up using some vise grips to remove the pill from the head.
I'm still trying to figure out why this darn thing only works some of the time! 
Thanks for the link.
Can someone please let me know what version to buy or pro/cons of each...I dont understand the tech. specs...Honestly at this stage of my flashlight knowledge I buy based on shape and battery type. But I really like 1AA lights and this unit has a lot of great reviews including this review...Many thanks.
Balder SE-1 CREE XP-E R3 1xAA/14500 EDC Flashlight
Balder SE-1 CREE XM-L T6 CW/NW AA/14500 Flashlight
Different emitters ... The XP-E will throw a little better - push light further out [ generally speaking ]
While the XM-L is a newer generation LED [ more output per mAh ] and generally puts out more of a floody beam .
For such a small host , XM-L would probably be choice , though I do like the SE1 just fine with the XP-E emitter , would be nice to do a side by side comparison ..
Hi Old4570, thanks for the reply, I appreciate it.
Do you think I should pay the extra $3 for the XM-L in neutral? (I never used to worry about $3 but on the BLF its just made me compare lights differently LOL.)
Thanks again for the review. I hope the light I get has the black clips, looks so much nicer vs the silver clips.
Wow , only you can answer that , $3 , If one were hot for neutral or warm [ which many are ] , it might be worth while especially if tint will dictate whether you use a light or not .
I just got the R3 version several days ago.
Throw is pretty good, but not as good as the Xtar WK26. I love the H-M-L modes with no memory. Build quality is great. Hotspot is beautiful - no rings or whatsoever.
Do you guys think I could get more throw from a R5 or T6 diode? I know that R3 is supposed to throw better, or so I’ve read. I’m thinking of buying another one and I’m wondering between R5 or T6.
Any other suggestions for a “throwy” 14500 light with straight body? I mean the head should be no wider than the tail. Also it has to be better than Xtar WK26, otherwise there is no point. Thanks for any help.
Smaller die - better throw. So, from best to worst: XR-E -> XP-E -> XP-G -> XM-L (you have XP-C also, but… it’s not very good, IMO)
Don’t forget that SMO reflectors will help to throw better (than OP)
Well, I don’t have that XTAR light, but AFAIK, it’s a really good thrower (XP-E with SMO reflector 
). And it’s optimized for 14500.
Have you tried “zoomable” lights, i.e. Sipik SK68 (with 14500 support)?
Yes I did, however I don’t like the square hotspot.
The WK26 is pretty great as a thrower, yes. I especially like the forward clicky and the programmable modes. Build quality is also excellent, a pleasure to hold in hand.
I guess I could wait until they release a new model, it’s not a big deal.
Dunno you will find something more powerful in quite a long time :bigsmile: XP-E emitter is not very popular, and 14500 throwers neither :~
I guess you are right. How about a very compact 18650 thrower? Any thoughts?
@Weiser. Mine (Lighthound edition) was doing the same thing as yours. Checked everything. Sent it back & they said it was the emitter. they sent a replacement. I have the IO XPG & LH XML & both work perfect. Hope this helps.
Keith
Does anybody know where I could find some SE-1 with the old design of the head? I mean with no protruding parts right after the head?