BLF Kronos X6/X5 GB - Group Buy now closed.

BLF Special Edition Products
5101

Seriously? Can you draw a fine line in what is a nit and what is an elephant for every recipient?

Hint: everyone has their own individual tolerance for blemishes on new acquisitions. Every consumer has the right to receive what they have been promised. If this is not what they received, or if the item is broken or damaged to no fault of the consumer, then they have the right to be made whole. This can be achieved with negotiation. Only two people have a right to come up with an agreement that satisfies both. Entering into this conversation with cause is a personal choice and right.

People who are gaming the system know they are. Chastisement isn’t going to change their ways.

If this was a non-profit proposition for all involved (including Manker and BG), then a “best effort” disclaimer could limit the acceptable gripes to DOA or non-functional.

5102

It’s probably the overall social dynamic, positive and negative both, nitpicking and defending… among other things. I usually just glance over it quickly because it seems like noise. It doesn’t bother me and I don’t take any of it personally, but it can sometimes drown out other discussion.

5103

I hope you’re right. :slight_smile:

Some studies show an inverse correlation between level of education and number of children, which would suggest a dim future like in Idiocracy. However, other studies show no correlation. And others show a slowly but steadily increasing IQ level. And yet others show that the world’s complexity may be growing faster than human ability to understand it. So the jury is out. I hope it will end well. :slight_smile:

In any case, BLF has been growing and it seems like the overall level of friction requires a bit more oil than before.

5104

I haven’t seen anybody posting many (any?) performance numbers lately, but I measured the throw on mine this evening:

  • Stock X6 with Samsung 30Q - 58,600 cd or 484m throw
  • Stock X5 with red Efest IMR - 31,000 cd or 352m throw
  • X6 with both springs bypassed - 65,800 cd or 513m throw
5105

That statement alone, perfectly illustrates my point. What were people like Gunga, unknown00101, myhken and a few others, having received damaged lights, as well as the many others who received damaged boxes supposed to do? (yes, I do agree Ken gave up his spot and shouldn’t have gotten a set anyway, however, that set could have just as easily gone to someone else.) Are they expected to keep quiet about their defective product and “eat” the $11 cost of the box for the greater good of the GB? I have a perfect solution; maybe you and the handful of others who feel as you do, could simply trade your nice lights for theirs and reimburse them the $11, you know, for the good of the GB and all :wink: .

Listen, I have no “iron in the fire” here as I received my serialized set today in perfect condition including the box! Considering the incredibly flimsy factory box the serialized set comes in (it is barely thicker than paper), as well as the fact that the ends of the box were not wrapped and it was sent in a non-padded mailer, this borders on miraculous! Nonetheless, I still empathize with those who got defective merchandise, no matter how much you attempt to minimize the defects. I can understand how they went into this as equal participants in the GB and they view posts from those who have gotten non-defective lights, only to receive responses like yours as to how they are “nitpicking on these minor flaws” when they bring forth the defects of their own sets.

I am aware of the issues bugsy36 mentioned regarding those trying to take advantage of BG. Obviously, this is very wrong and I am in no way defending these individuals. However, I believe bugsy36 also stated that those individuals did not post any of their damage to this thread. So, I am talking specifically of those who have brought forth their defects here, only to seemingly be criticized for doing so. Furthermore, I don’t believe these people’s concerns in ANY way diminish or detract from the laborious efforts put out by the entire Kronos team. Rather, I would argue it is more an issue of hypersensitivity from you and a select few others.

5106

Thanks Dale! the reason I asked is because I ordered those cells from GG and this is what I actually received (I showed one of the 10440’s for comparison):

http://postimg.org/image/9972r7o8d/

http://postimg.org/image/9972r7o8d/

This appears to be the dark purple, correct?

5107

Well, I haven't been around here in a long time,these lights are really awesome and it's a shame I missed out on them. Great job to all involved and I have quite a few threads to read over and a lot of dust to shake off!

5108

Darcangel - If interested, add your name to the list.

Brett - Just to blunt..some claims are legit yet some are frivolous and more like "jumping on the train". No more, no less than that. Everything will just be handled and decided on a case by case basis ..... after CNY.

5109

Yep, I have been reading your posts and I am aware of what is going on behind the scenes, by those who want to scam BG. I also, understand that microscopic scratches and things of that nature are not in most cases a very legitimate claim. Case by case handling is definitely the best way to ensure that those with legitimate claims are not lumped in with those who are looking for a handout. As I stated, I in no way condone those individuals and I also understand that it jeopardizes future GBs. Unfortunately, I am not certain as to how this could be prevented in future GBs. You have probably been involved in several other GB’s; is this a normal occurrence, or is this GB an exception?

5110

Thanks,and just so I get it right,all are/will be available?

5111

Personally I’m grateful that there hasn’t been a food fight on the forum for some time now. Maybe it’s just pent up frustrations from either that lack or stresses completely unrelated to the forum. I think it’s ok to bring stuff up so we know how common it is. Admittedly some posts come across as whiny to me and others come across as overly defensive. This is nothing new. Maybe we should try channeling some SB and try under reacting a bit. Ommm.

Cone, I enjoyed your posts. They were refreshingly non confrontational.

Bugsy36 et al, you guys did an awesome job.

5112

Brett - There is always something ;) This is a bit extraordinary because it is the first time that copper has been used. We know now that extra handling is required as well as disclaimers.

Like Dale says, we are learning as we go. Except for the egregious, forget about it and lets make more lights ;)

Rufus (and others) - The thanks needs to go to the others...they did the heavy lifting. As you probably have already noticed, I am sure that you have figured out what one of my primary functions has been behind the scenes :)

5113

I went on a short periode of time on holiday. The link/code that was sent to me doesnt work. How van i still order the one that i requested ?

5114

One of the best things I ever did around here was choose "KeepingItLight" as my handle. I love its double meaning. More than once it has reminded me not to overreact to something I read in the forums.

Helps me keep my food on my plate.

5115

Same situation here.

5116

Thanks, Rufus, I’ve been trying to be better overall. Besides, I’m already heavily involved in and all out revolt someplace else and don’t have the energy to engage on two fronts.

I’d also like to say that Brett’s last couple of posts probably more accurately articulated my personal feelings. It was well said, Brett.

5117

I should have added in that last post some impressions about the lights. I know it’s been only 24 hours, but as an experienced flashlight guy, some things are already obvious.

First, the moon mode is perfect. I have a dark house and a Maine Coon who likes to sneak if front of you and flop down in your path. I get up at 2:30 AM and need to find clothes and make my way back down stairs all without waking up the family. Because of these conditions, I need moon for nocturnal navigation.

Second, the tail cap is very bright. I had to put it on the floor under the bed just to go to sleep. That said, everyone that’s seen it, including people who don’t care a wit about flashlights- like my MIL- have all been extremely impressed by this one feature.

And, finally, after playing with them outside their performance will indeed make you giggle. To me, being somewhat jaded, this is pretty much the ultimate test. When you can’t help but laugh and say, “This thing is ridiculous.”, then you know you have a winner.

5118

What about those Kronos battery wrappers?

5119

I must be losing my mind or something, so many things that don’t make sense anymore.

I worked with Stainless Steel on guns from the late 80’s with a gunsmith. I DO know a little something about galling. It takes wear to produce a galling effect. And pressure. Wear, especially on a flashlight, takes hundreds if not thousands of uses in typical normal situations. It could be possible for a thread to be manufactured too snugly, in which case galling would occur quicker. But in 10 uses? Seriously? I call bs.

And I’ve personally built over 30 of the X6 lights, I have 14 sitting right here. I’ve done all sorts of things with them. I have yet to see a reflector cloud up. Not at 17Amps with an SBT-70, not at 7Amps with an XM-L2, not with a de-domed XP-G2 making 103Kcd. Sure is surprising to me that I’ve never heard of these things happening, and they all seem to happen to one particular person in the UK. I’m not trying to be hateful or blameful or anything like that, I’m just astounded at what you keep reporting Sharpie. Maybe you’re some kind of Anti-Flashaholic bad-things-happen-to-me-magnet or something. I don’t know what it is. Thousands of the EEX6 and this reflector have been put out there in BLF Group Buys. Thousands. And right away, within the first dozen uses, you get all the bad stuff. Essence F or something, there’s a common denominator somewhere there. Just trying to figure it out, is all. After years of researching and finding answers, you come along and try to debunk everything in a couple of weeks. From O-rings to centering rings, emitters to reflectors. Doesn’t add up to me, but I don’t understand women either and I’ve spent 29 years married…

Blue light is not conducive to sleep? Really? Man, I must be doing something wrong. I always close my eyes to sleep and I sleep quite well that way. (FWIW, I have a background illumination multi-color LED light on my wall, ready to grab for a shoot, and it’s been acting as my before bedtime nightlight for about a year now. I keep it set to a deep blue that’s dang near a blacklight, making colors fluoresce. This is usually on for 30 minutes to an hour before I got to bed EVERY night. Sleep just fine. Why such a deep blue? It is so low key it doesn’t disturb my 8 yr old son, sleeping in the next room.) Yet another thing for me to not understand. Seems to me that I spent every daylight hour out in the sunshine, blue light, for about 18 years, and slept like a rock. (why do people say “slept like a baby”? Babies are notorious for not sleeping through the night.) A slight blue glow from a miniscule LED under a rubber boot can damage sleep rythms? My wife has French origins, amongst others, and she’s hyper sensitive to power-on lights as well. Hmmmmm…. maybe there’s a certain allocation of rods and cones that are distributed slightly different in some people, making this blue light an issue. I think my wife’s eyelids are transparent, she seems to be able to see the slightest amount of light as a disturbance, even with her eyes closed. For real, I had to put 5% limo tint on our bedroom windows and buy special room darkening blinds as well. (these are cut to a more exacting standard, eliminating the gaps that allow light through) I have to turn lights on in here to read anything in broad daylight on an outstandingly beautiful blue sky day, even with the blinds open!

To each his/her own, there is a good assortment of colors of LED’s available for very little monies if an evil red or putrid green is required to make one feel better. I just bought an assorted kit for $13 with 8 colors and 20 of each. And a neat little book of assorted resistors to fine tune their output, 4250 resistors for $29. (really! 170 values, 25 of each value.) Fine tuning and tweaking should be relatively easy to accomplish.

The bigger the pond, the wider the assortment of fish within it. As BLF grows, in part because of some outstanding group buys, the disparity amongst our members shows brighter all the time. Such is life, I suppose.

5120

Thanks cone, I was just about to tell you how much I liked your posts :slight_smile: I did detect that we were likely on the same page here.