I have an Acebeam K60 that I absolutely love. It’s perfect for me and shines across the pastures well enough so I can keep all the monsters in check…
It quit on me so I had to send it back to Acebeam. They are being great about it so far, but I had to send it to China which cost me $45 plus I had to drive to another town to mail it…. I’m in the boonies, lol
I was hoping for a more local brand. I think Thrunite (sp) is based in the US but I haven’t gotten any response from them.
Are there any other good brands so if I have problems I don’t have to send it so far? Sorry if this is rude or out of line.
I was hoping for a replacement/backup for my K60 but that doesn’t cost as much, maybe $75-125…
Thanks,
Cheers
Thanks very much. I’ve seen several reviews on the Olight brand and I think a couple on Malkoff, will look at them some more. I really appreciate it.
Not sure on my Acebeam…. It just decided it didn’t want to come on. No flicker or nothing. Springs look good, cells are all still good, if I had half a brain I would have gotten my multi meter out and checked it, but I didn’t think abt that until too late…
Most flashlights can be fixed with basic tools. And I am not saying an entire driver has to be assembled, but drivers are also available on the market. I don’t know this specific light, but BLF is an excellent resource for any issue on flashlights. There are so many helpful people on here.
edit: Not a brand we talk about very often, but to complete the list, Maglite is California based.
After selling that business, David developed a relationship with Olight, and they built his 47s models. iirc Both Olight and 47s have/had brick and mortar locations in Marietta, Georgia (USA).
so yes, “anybody” with the energy and resources to partner with a chinese manufacturer to obtain distribution rights, can try their hand at making a go of it in the flashlight business.
another option is to buy Special Factory Orders, which is a MOQ of a light financed by the vendor. Maratac is an example of that, as was also ReyLight, when he first offered the Copper Tool with Nichia… until then, Lumintop had not built a copper Tool, nor used a Nichia… but I digress
bottom line is the flashlight industry is multi layered and includes posers, who give the impression of being an official factory outlet, when actually they are just dealers…
another couple examples of stores that give the appearance of being factory sites, but are actually independent vendors:
I always get a special feeling when someone repeats the old Armytek mantra.
Armytek is a Canadian based manufacturer who happens to own some factories in China.
Fact is that Armytek is a Chinese manufacturer with a pro forma Canadian HQ.
Their current address is in an office building, before that it was a regular house in a residential area.
Thanks again for all the tips/suggestions, I honestly do appreciate it.
Zebralight.com is no longer active so don’t know of they are still in business.
Maglite was mentioned. I just went by their site recently doesn’t seem like they’ve kept up w the times. I got my old ones out and was really surprised at how less bright they are than the Acebeam. I remember being soooo proud of those when I got them. They are also a terrific company to deal with. I have a 6D light and the batteries corroded up and ruined the light. They replaced it for free. I was impressed that they helped out w my stupidity.
Plus it’s just interesting to find out about other good brands. I hadn’t heard of Olight or Malkoff before my recent search.
While “Have to” is a bit strong, I would like to get out in the fields as far as possible with good hot spot and floodie. The furthest point, I think, is about 3000ft but it’s also ‘forest’ all around me.
This is so true, and you even put it in perspective for me. And also to the OP, I understand the wanting the extra convenience but for $45, a company will give you great customer service and you “absolutely love” their product, I don’t know if there is something better out there. That’s not too bad. Not bad at all…
Thank you for letting me know. Turns out firefox had some kind of a bug and was redirecting me to a different site that said zebralight.com was no longer active.
When I tried a different browser, I went right to it. Other links seemed to work fine so I wouldn’t have known if you hadn’t said something. Disabled addons, ran malwarebytes and bitdefender but didn’t help so just reset firefox and good to go again……
I realize it’s not that bad, and I mean no offense.
I’m just thinking that sending it back in, hearing stories of shipping times of a 2 or more months, and things simply not making it to their destination when shipping to China. That’s nothing against the company, in fact, Acebeam seems to be one of the very best out there.
So, having to drive to a different town to mail it, not being able to track my light, and the rest, it just seems like there might be better options out there for me.
I was also thinking my initial subject line might even be offensive to some and I should have said something like reputable companies with a presence in the US….