ArmyTek's response on: How do you remove a ArmyTek Barracuda bezel.

Just got a ArmyTek Barracuda and want to clean the inside of the lens since i see some dust in there. I can get the bezel off by hand and I have yet to find a tool to help remove it. How do I remove it without F’ing up the ano on the bezel?

Incase you dont know what the bezel looks like:

EDIT: DRUM ROLL……………….

Dear Sean.

You can not remove this bezel by yourself without damaging. A special tool is not available for sale.
Small dust particles are allowed on the reflector. They do not affect on the work of the flashlight. Turn on the low mode - you can see dust in the flashlights of many brands.

Can you send me some pictures of your flashlight?

Sincerely yours, Sandra.

And the winner is……….well not this response. I read this and literally scratched my head and thought, did she really just say that? “you can see dust in the flashlights of many brands” yeah thanks for that info but what you are missing is those brands have REMOVABLE BEZELS to allow access to clean the reflector and lens as well as do a lens swap if you wanted! Even the SureFire G2 even has a way to remove the bezel! Thats alot harder to remove than this light! So based off this response I am also assuming that the tailcap cant be taken apart so if the switch ever dies im SOL thanks to the genius design. For being a high quality light, their development team sure isnt the brightest. None the less I still love the light, just not the R&D team at ArmyTek. BTW i will prevail and remove the bezel without damaging it. then i will sell the tool or share my tricks. Even if ArmyTek sold a $5 plastic tool, that would be freakin amazing but nope.

Never managed to open up the head on it, not that I tried aside from just twisting off the bezel.

I'd imagine the factory has a spanner tool that fits the 6 notches in the bezel.

On smaller lights I have used copper tubing as a cushion and then clamped with vise-grips. On something bigger you could try aluminum jaws in a bench vise (or make your own with pieces of aluminum angle). The trick is it depends on luck for getting enough grip to loosen it without clamping so tight that it deforms the bezel and cracks the lens.

i suggest asking them, it may have loctite or similar holding it in place

perhaps putting the tip of the head in boiling water for a few minutes may help if its loctite?

Have you tried wrapping a leather belt around the bezel to give you extra grip? I have used this method on an Olight S10 and Shadow SL3.

I have some cut off pieces of rubber cushion, the kind that is placed as a matt to stand on. It’s about 1/2” thick and almost foamy in texture. I press this against the bezel and twist. Always worked so far.

I will contact ArmyTek and no I havent used a leather belt but I have tried the “jar opener” grippy things. I havent tried putting it on the counter and twisting the head though so Ill go try that

OP updated with genius response from ArmyTek :expressionless:

the hardcore at BLF accept unremovable as a challenge, just like the mythbusters say about impossible

Oh trust me, I FULLY plan on removing it WITHOUT damaging the bezel and sending them a photo like “nana screw your challenge! Look what I did and you said it couldnt be done!” :stuck_out_tongue:

Then I will post how to do it here for fellow BLF members to enjoy!

They have a 10 year warranty. I think they don't want you screwing up the light and filing a warranty claim.

So...let them fix it.

That’s hardly the BLF way, now is it? lol

I wonder, what if you spread a layer of JB Weld on wax paper or whatever, even a solid surface that it could remain on. Smear silicone on the bezel and lens, anywhere the JB Weld might contact, then press the bezel down onto the JB Weld, let it press into those tool points and fully inside the bezel, outside too wouldn’t hurt…as long as everything was coated so the JB Weld wouldn’t stick. I don’t think I’d press it down real hard, let the weight of the light settle it into the epoxy.

Let it set for an hour, then twist the bezel right off. With the silicone on everything, it SHOULD release easily enough. And you would have just made a tool to do the impossible.

They have a 10 year warranty if you buy it direct through them. Now since I got this off a great BLF/LPF member, IE, I dont think they will help me out. Plus Why would I spend $20 to sent it back to CANADA just to have my lens and reflector cleaned then pay $20 to ship it back

If you ever want to, or need to take advantage of the warranty, I'll help out... purchased it from Illumination Supply a long while back, and they are an authorized dealer. You would just have to cover the shipping costs.

IE, you are a great man! Im waiting to hear back from ArmyTek again but I dont think its worth sending it back for just a cleaning. If anything ever goes wrong with it I will def let you know but dont think anything will need replacing

Illumination Supply services warranties up to 30 days from purchase, after that you may have to go to the manufacturer. Is it within 30 days? Hopefully it is or they'll make an exception for you if it isn't. I'm not as lucky. They haven't refused, but they're ignoring me.

JB is a bit overkill, IMO, personally I’d try something a little easier to work with like Bondo, or even regular epoxy if that didn’t do it. Epoxy should give you a nice reusable tool.

Well, I think the way it works, is maybe the manufacturer will only work with you if you used an authorized dealer, as opposed to gray market?

IIRC the Illumination Supply has either a two week, or 30 day warranty, after that manufacturer warranty kicks in. My experiences have varied though. In some cases you send your product direct the the dealer, even after 30 days, and they deal with the manufacturer. In other cases you send direct to manufacturer and hope for the best.

Personally, with flashlights, the one time I needed to take advantage of warranty, either dealer, or manufacturer, both dropped the ball.

Dealer AltaTac told me talk to manufacturer.

Manufacturer, Jetbeam, told me work with the dealer.

Eventually Jetbeam offered to fix the light, but only if I covered the shipping both to and FROM them in China. Shipping both ways tracked is more expensive than the freaking light!

Not to mention AltaTac blatantly lied. The flashlight (Jetbeam M2S) was advertised as new. When I got it, I saw a bit of dust in the reflector, nothing major, and what looked like some signs of use.

I contacted AltaTac to confirm the lights were new. AltaTac said "lights were purchased as new". I figured it's working, why worry about, and put the light away.

Unfortunately 2 months later when I went to use it, the damn thing wouldn't change modes properly, or even turn on most of the time.

My attempts at getting either of them to honor the warranty went nowhere, with getting a complete run around.

Just bear this in mind when buying a flashlight under $100 USD from china. If you use a local (same country) dealer, you can at least test the light out a lot, and get anything taken care within 30 days. After 30 days you're still screwed in most cases, since shipping to china and back will run nearly as much as the light itself. Might as well just save yourself the headache and buy a new light from a more reliable source and manufacturer.

Both Jetbeam and AltaTac have lost a customer... will never buy from them again.

[/rant]

^This is why you buy from Vinh :wink:

Ah, the lamentations of the budget minded. “You get what you pay for.” That old saying is still around for a reason.