In today’s (NPR radio) news, Jack Ma of Ali Baba is being quoted as saying the fake products coming out of China today are of better quality than the brand name products, come from the same factory, and use the same raw materials.
I guess he didn’t get the memo.
More proof the chinese government not only looks the other way when it comes to international intellectual property theft, but endorses it.
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mine works fine but it’s not the one I paid for. I would at least like their repair kit. Would prefer a whole new pill, but will take the repair kit to make as safe as possible.
I did do all suggested repairs and spent $8 for kapton tape.
I escalated my dispute to a PP Claim. I hope Neal has good results in correcting this and I would wait longer to file a claim but I only have until tomorrow to do it. Better safe than sorry.
Neal, if you are able to resolve this please PM me and I will gladly cancel my PP claim. Thank you for trying to do what you can for all involved. :+1:
Budda, thank you for being involved. :+1:
PS, if I had the ability to confidently “re-work” the safety issues with these lights, I would. However, I don’t and would never feel comfortable using one myself or “giving one as a gift” as was my purchasing intentions.
Also, why isn’t BG offering to have U.S.A. customers return the lights to the a U.S.A. BG affiliated warehouse? That way they have the lights back and a big savings in their return shipping expense vs. returning to China. Just a thought. Thanks
I also filed a Paypal claim after they rejected my first request for refund. Got a new email from GB today:
So just BS, sent them a new mail with the link to this thread (fot second time).
Ok, let us stop beating around the bush.
This picture was taken from Post 582 about the Final Sample.
Notice the anodized disc. It is nothing at all like the Jaxman Z1. It is the Cometa we received.
In this group buy we got what was, for whatever reason; presented to us as the ‘Final Sample’ in Post 582.
That is what we received.
In my opinion it does not excuse the loose zoom threads, battery shorting on pill, extremely sloppy oversize driver pocket, poor quality glass that a few have experienced, nor the fact that this was advertised as a Jaxman Z1 host from the very outset…… as well as anything I may have overlooked.
PLEASE Take Note of the Next Sentence
In fact it is still stated in ORIGINAL POST it is a Jaxman Z1 host. :person_facepalming:
As far as I am concerned the 8 links below I posted originally a month ago sum up the Cometa disaster in a nut shell.
Like it or not however……. it is what it is.
YMMV = Y our M ileage M ay V ary
Exhibit 1 / Post 1-Totally Convoluted
Exhibit 2 / It Begins
Exhibit 3 / It Thickens, With Misunderstanding Starting
Exhibit 4 / It Was A Collaboration
Exhibit 5 / Final Specs with Pics Posted By Cyberescudo
Exhibit 6 / Cyberescudo says You decide.
Exhibit 7 / Contradictions hiding in plain sight
Exhibit 8 / At The End Of The Day It Turns Out ‘hank’ Had It Pegged After All
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edit: to add ‘was’ in second sentence
Which variety of “Super Lube” works to tighten up the Cometa zoom threads?
I’m guessing it’s not this one: Nuclear Grade Synthetic Grease
I have used THIS ONE and THIS ONE because I had them both on hand. I can’t tell a dimes worth of difference between them on the Cometa. They both seem to “”tighten up”” the sloppy Cometa zoom threads a teeny tiny bit.
I am sure the one you mentioned would also work well.
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edit: To change ‘tiny’ into ‘teeny tiny’
‘teeny tiny’ = Barely perceivable
I don’t know, but the picture of the final release looks like the focus head threads are much more squared off like the Jax Z1, than the Cometa threads. The Cometa threads are very triangular, at least on my sample.
But look at the anodized disc they are totally different. On the Jaxman the threads are on the outside of the disc and it screws down into the tube. It does not stick out above the tube like the Cometa.
I purchased mine within a day of when it was released for sale. Luckily, I had been monitoring this forum and knew to create a washer for the battery and cover the soldered connections under the reflector before trying it. So far it works, but I’m not happy as it is not the light I thought I purchased, and I will not let anyone else use it given all the known issues.
I’d be happy if I could get a new pill (redesigned, with no shorting), with new drivers, new emitters, and the bigger cables… all assembled and tested. I could live with the inferior lens and the rattles in the zoom thread, and my tailcap seems to be fine. I realize that is not a likely outcome.
At a minimum, I think I should receive the repair kit and a lens cap. Then I would consider it overpriced, but usable.
Clearly customer service is not part of BG’s business model (among lots of other shortcomings…)
Thanks to Budda for trying to help out.
Here are some pics of the anodized disc that will show the difference between the Jaxman Z1 & the Cometa. The difference is plainly evident.
The Jaxman Z1 is on the left & the Cometa is on the right.
Yeah, I know; the pictures are pretty crappy…. no, very crappy… but I think/hope they are plain enough to see what I am referring to about the differences… 
Could you please, keep us a bit closely to your movement in this case?
A week later from your post, no new information “from the kitchen”.
Obviously Manker and Cyberscudo dont know about this topic…
Pill and washer arrived
Washer is good size
It needs a little pressure and stays nicely in place when changing cells, good.
Pill
Looked good
A manker ledboard instead of Kronos
All well centered
Driver ring good tight
Put it in, works
Turn it off and on, no light
Really? Yes tail lights but nothing in the front
Is was careful so unscrewed tail
No hot spring
Again same situation
Argh!!!
Get driver out and when pushing the led up via the wires….
A cleanly cut red wire exactly where it goes through the the pill
OH FLIPPING NO!
The holes are too small.
Took some pics and am kind of lost now.
I need to widen the holes, something else then some simple wire soldering.
No time for it now so this is a winter project.
A real bummer this because without this metal work it cannot be used reliable 
Interesting there was a little plate tiny over the red wire on the driver, looked like a protection against shorts with the pill
Try to make pics of it but very small
Upload them later.
sigh
Hmmmm, imagine that. 
:person_facepalming: . :person_facepalming:
Here the pics
the cut
good amount of thermal grease seems arctic silver in how it behaves and looks
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Interesting addition to the driver; a little tiny plate on the driver I do not remember on the first one
That doesn’t look right what is it attached too?
i think they are ignoring the case at all i sent a message about this order in their system and since 4 days no response at all. on monday i will open a paypal dispute.
The Cometa I received from Rusty Joe had the same exact cut on the red LED+ wire. I think that was the cause of the ground out on his, not the driver spring. It's just the insulation, but enough to cause a ground out. I believe it's the twisting pressure on the MCPCB of that re-designed black centering piece when tightening it up, that, along with sharp edges in the pill top hole, or the MCPCB. I use a small exacto knife to take the sharp edges off. Works well with aluminum and brass, makes a huge difference.
Bad though the replacement came that way...