I recently received a new flashlight and upon inspection I noticed there are 2 dark spots right on the emitter (CULPM1.TG). It also seems to affect the beam. There are artefacts in the hotspot that make it look slightly like a tight cashew nut. Tried to take photo, lowest setting, white wall, but those just ended up being massively overexposed. I’ve contacted the seller and they say it’s no problem. But I’m not so sure about that (apart from that it should not be like this in the 1st place!) and would like some input on what these spots could be and whether or not it’s likely to affect performance/durability of the LED.
My guess would be stray solder, but that’s just speculation. Unfortunately the bezel seems to be glued, so can’t get a closer look at this point in time.
if the spots are on the surface of the flat dome - It might be dirt you can wipe off with an alcohol lens wipe fixing the problem. If it doesn’t come off because it’s burnt into the surface of the dome, then it might need to be replaced (I had this happen when a soldering iron tip slipped and touched the dome during a reflow attempt).
if the spots are below the silicone dome and actually on the yellow phosphor - the emitter is toast and needs to be replaced. Likely too much voltage or inadequate heatsinking roasted the LED.
Of course, none of this matters if you can’t actually get to the LED due to the bezel being glued. If you’re uncomfortable or unable to mod it, perhaps the light has a warranty? That’s a clear defect.
That’s a defect. Most likely some flux from the soldering, but I do hate it when sellers say it’s normal.
If the seller refuses to help out, unscrew the head slightly and record a video showing the light now doesn’t function. Had to do this with banggood a couple years ago as their customer service can be quite terrible. If I get something that is clearly faulty, but next to impossible to show in a video, I disconnect something and show it completely dead lol
Possibility 2 (e.g. roasting) seems unlikely since it’s new out of the box. But this also touches upon the warranty thing you brought up. I’m considering this a manufacturing defect, but the seller (one of the main Chinese flashlight manufactures) is stonewalling me and in reality this means I’ll be stuck with it. Recently started modding flashlights, so this would be an option. IF I can get into the thing
As far as possibility 1 goes, isopropanol would probably work right? Need to get my hands on some, but apparently this is not so easy these days. New EU rules and apparently anything related to cleaning/disinfecting is hard to get. But definitely going to attempt this. The spots seem to be on top of the emitter, not in. If so, I might be able to wipe/clean it off without adverse effect. But hard to see from the outside due to the deep reflector.
Unfortunately I already mentioned to them it is producing light, so too late for that trick.
Btw, I completely stopped buying from BG due to their horrible service (and packaging). Trying my luck on AE these days and so far so good, not counting this issue.
Maybe open a dispute and say there’s black spots and now it doesn’t work! then add a video lol
I don’t like to lie and avoid it at all costs, but some sellers do their absolute best to screw you over on Ali
Yes, I ditched BG years ago since my bulk orders of flashlight boxes were all taped together and no foam whatsoever. All boxes arrived entirely ruined and that’s not ideal when they were to sell
Looks like flux spatter which is usually easy-ish enough to clean off but unfortunately here it looks like the rosin has bled into the silicone and/or phosphor below, so the emitter is going to stay like that. When it’s cleaned off immediately and/or the emitter hasn’t been driven at higher output then it’s often fine. One you get it hot then the debris and such can permanently burn or stain. I would certainly be asking for a refund or replacement. If they do the partial refund thing - only accept that if you’re willing/able to repair the light yourself - and shoot them the highest price you can find for an equivalent emitter (maybe one mounted to an mcpcb to minimize your repair time) and don’t accept less on a refund. I had to do that with them over a driver and they accepted my offer (better than their offer)…hassle but monetarily it came out even for me. If they still balk or refuse, go the paypal dispute route, but save that for a last resort.
Isopropanol is on the way, but that’ll take a few days to arrive. Still have the issue of not being able to open it. Thought of leaving it on turbo to heat up to see if that softens the bezel glue, but at the same time that might cause burn in of the solder/flux. My suggestion has been a replacement MCPCB (don’t want to mess with reflowing just the emitter), but they never responded to that. Otherwise it’ll probably escalate to a dispute and a partial refund request.
Thanks for all the replies so far. It has helped identify better what I’m dealing with here. To be continued…
Yeah a strap wrench look very useful, not just for this light, but modding in general. Will look into that. Never seen or heard of those before this week
Which light are we talking about here? If it’s one that has a somewhat standard mcpcb size/shape then that’s easy enough if you can open the light. If it’s unique then that would probably need to come from the manufacturer unless a standard one can be modded/shaped to fit, and BG likely cannot do parts for you like that (hence the partial refund offers). Some manufacturers can’t or won’t provide those parts anyway.
If BG doesn’t come through for you and assuming it’s not an Astrolux house brand of theirs, sometimes you can contact the manufacturer directly for help. The Chinese way is generally to expect (or require) the retailer to handle all warranty issues so the manufacturer is not involved at all, but some of our better ones will still work with customers if the retailer cannot or will not take care of you. This is certainly an assembly defect, though, not normal.
Years ago BG sent a Convoy L6 that had the ring missing where the tactical ring sits, explained that I only needed this part and they sent me a new L6. I contacted Convoy and Simon sent me the ring for free lol.
Took 6 emails to BG though and them continuously telling me that it’s meant to be like that
The stain can be easy to clean off but if it’s burnt on these flat dome-less emitters you can wipe enough to remove the spot but also the phosphor layer making the led emit blue light.
It’s a Sofirn SF47T. I suspect it’s not a standard size. I seem to remember reading somewhere the mcpcb is 23/24 mm or so.
To avoid confusion, I never said I bought it from BG. I stopped being their customer long ago. Although they’ve worked hard to deserve a bad reputation, this time they are not to blame. I prefer not to point fingers until the issue is resolved, it has reached the point where I don’t mind naming them without feeling bad. In this case it’s Sofirn’s official AE store.
Had some contact with Simon and he’s been wonderful. My next light will be a another Convoy. He just needs to finish up his Chinese new year and open his store again What some stores don’t seem to realise, is that service still matters these days. It makes you feel appreciated and come back for more.
Oh, ok…well, very good chance that Sofirn will take care of you. I’ve mostly dealt with them on AE and they’ve been great although a few times communication was a little difficult I think. If you can’t get it resolved there for some reason, try to contact Barry or one of their others here on the forum. The reps on AE sometimes seem to not be very savvy about the tech parts of the lights. Sorry about the BG mixup…reading comprehension error.
Very kind not to name them right away but on the other hand, since they do have a good reputation it can be good for others to see issues that may have popped up, things to look out for when they get a new light.
Not great from them to say that’s normal, but I would second Correllux suggestion. Try to contact them through the forum, it might wield better results.
If it were a Luminus SFT40, I’d say don’t touch it. But these Osrams have sintered phosphor layers and are very robust. I’ve never chipped or abraded the phosphor on a single one yet. With some 90% IPA on a cotton swab and some elbow grease, these will likely go away and not return.
What some stores don’t seem to realise, is that service still matters these days. It makes you feel appreciated and come back for more.