did the mod actually improved the performance?
damaged lights is ok when you do it for yourself, but when you charge good money for it, there is no excuse to not prevent scratches, or especially leave gaps, that throw waterproof ratings out the window. that is not acceptable, imo. it is no different than having your cars body work damaged, (not altered, or redone, damaged) and screw heads stripped, after installing an ecu chip.
**Just want to drop a line and say Hello to all. It’s welcoming to read all the comments. I 100% agree that if you pay for something, the value of the item better feel at least equivalent to the asking price if not better. Otherwise a refund/exchange is in order. Wouldn’t have it any other way personally. In this specific case the buyer did not get what he expect, demanded a refund, so I immediately sent a return label so the refund process can initiate.
Here is my exact quote to this buyer:
“I would not recommend purchasing from Sky Lumen in the future as almost all of our modded lights will have signs of cosmetic imperfections necessary for the mods. Thank you!”
This is as upfront as I can be. I hate wasting others people’s time so I am very upfront about what you can expect before a purchase if you just email and ask. This is permanently noted at the top of all Skylumen.com pages. I spend hours daily just relying to emails. Most with questions that likely will not equate to a transaction. I will always give you all the info that I can. In the event that I can’t I encourage customers to buy and see it for themselves. Return if it’s not for you. I don’t think anyone wants unnecessary drama.
For all my modded lights I prioritize performance and safety ahead of cosmetics. If you feel the performance improvements doesn’t justify the cosmetic alterations or imperfections necessary in the line of work then just ask for a refund. No hard feelings.
In the case of the E10vn Spec 3 I measured a gain of 540Lumen and 20Kcd gain over the stock E10. You get beam that is roughly twice as large with twice the output and a bit more throw. You also get DriverVNX2 user programmability and Sky Lumen warranty. Should the light needs service down the road you wont have to deal with China shipping/service. Stock light is $50. E10vn Spec 3 is $115. Is the $65 premium worth it? Who knows. Not worth it to this buyer but may be another person may feel otherwise. Regardless, you have options. Spec 1 for example is $4.55 over retail and you get a 100Lumen gain and 30Kcd with the same Sky Lumen Warranty. I think it’s a reasonable deal. But only you can decide.
E10vn : https://skylumen.com/collections/v54-lights/products/acebeam-e10vn-stubby-dedicated-thrower-r
$50 Stock E10 W1 6500K @2s = 460L, 130Kcd, 721m
$54.54 Spec 1 E10vn W1 6500K @2s = 560L, 160Kcd, 800m
$75 Spec 2 E10vn W2 5400K @2s= 730L, 120Kcd, 692m
$115 Spec 3 E10vn W2 5400K + DriverVNX2 @2s= 1000L, 150Kcd, 762m (Tuned to work with included 23650 cell)
I have not made a video in a long time but last night a light was interesting enough that it motivated me to do a ½ hour rave. If you don’t have anything better to do you can watch me talk about the E10vn, MC13vn and E14vn III.
MC13vn & E14vn: https://skylumen.com/products/manker-e14vn-iii-mc13vn-flooder-thrower-dream-pair-r
VIDEO: Manker E14vn III, MC13vn & Acebeam E10vn Review - YouTube
Please take care and stay safe during these crazy times. My dear condolence to those that lost a love one to Covid19. For now hang in there and love each other. Cheers!
Sky Lumen
This is on the skylumen purchase agreement page currently - don’t know if it was added recently or not.
I don’t think Vinh is being shady here, even if this was added in response to this case. He clearly wants to own this, has offered a refund, etc.
As for value, Vinh isn’t worth it for me. Because I’m a modder. I would be doing the mods he is, so it wouldn’t make sense for me to pay a premium for it. However, I support his pricing and have recommended him in the past. I understand what comes with mods as a service and he is even able to offer a warranty on his lights.
If I were modding a light for someone, I could probably do it cheaper (usually). Until I break something and have to replace it - or, to keep the customer happy, I might need to keep inventory on-hand so my customer doesn’t have to wait a month for the replacement parts to ship from China. And I definitely wouldn’t be able to afford returns or warranties.
I have opened sealed flashlights before and I know how hard it is to do, like I said it’s almost impossibe to not cause any damage.
What about the bezel gap? and is this typical for many light mods?
Yes this light and some others have bezel gaps.
Sometimes it is unavoidable due to changing tolerances in the light like thicker mcpcb, spacers, thicker driver boards, different optics or reflectors. Factory lights are designed for whatever is put in them from the factory. Adding a thicker mcpcb because of an emitter swap will put gaps in the reflector a head or bezel, etc. Plus cheap lights tolerances aren’t good to begin with so the reflector you swapped out might be a hair longer or shorter.
Thanks for the replies. It sounds like everyone has their own opinion on finish quality and appropriate costs. Maybe paying for modded lights isn’t for me.
I’d like to note that Vinh was easy to deal with regarding the return and promptly sent a return label.
Did you get a chance to compare performance of the MC13vn to the stock light? If yes your feedback would be interesting.
How much does this effect water proof rating?
I would hope this is something disclosed on website and when contacted.
Would suck to get it wet and because of mod be water damaged and then be out cost of light and mod.
For this light water resistant is unaffected. However there are some extreme mods that put max performance even ahead of water resistance. These lights are typically highly custom or more or less ONE-OFFs and the customer definitely know what they are getting.
It depends on the invasiveness of the mod. Sometimes it can make it more resistant due to potting etc. Otherwise breaking glue seals on the head or bezel can compromise the waterproofing. Some lights aren’t waterproof anyways though. You just need to know what you’re getting into.
When I open my lights, I put maximum effort in keeping the light undamaged. Also, I wouldn’t accept mods that require the bezel not fitting anymore as originally designed. E.g., I have had an EagTac D25A Ti (first version) for nearly two years until I could open it without traces. Took repeated attempts on freezing and heating and woodwork to get the right tools. Likewise, it took a long time (no one would pay for) to open an Olight S1RII to not scratch the anodization. And then, if the modded light shows any artifacts, even if there were some before, I’m mad about it. I guess this is because I enjoy lights not only for their functionality, but also for look and feel.
And then there are people actually needing features a stock like won’t have, like professionals and amateurs needing specific beams, candelas, lumens for their job or hobby, respectively. I imagine those wouldn’t mind their tools look different after a mod. Most important is improvement of light, UI, whatever. A matter of tool vs. collectors item. Of course, there are people wanting it all ;-).
Recently I bought a custom light. Couldn’t wait to get it since I had an idea of how the switch should feel, how the various mods would work, and how the bodywork was done. It was a huge relief when it finally arrived and was as perfect as I had thought. Not so much money spent, but still important to me. The magician was CRX, btw.
tl;dr: I feel your pain. But I have mixed feelings about this thread somehow. On the positive side, we learned something about preferences and expectations :-).
i have bought from Vinh before and a few other modders. As such, I never expect the light the light to return or come to me in a perfect condition. The imperfections kinda adds character to the light. I treat all my lights as tools and it just adds to the appeal. Heck, its not like I’m paying an extra 50% mark up for the work done.
I have 4 lights from Vinh and love them all. The customer service is fantastic and mods really improve the lights.
Fireflies EO7
Klarus HR1
Jetbeam RRT01
Acebeam TK16
Edit: and a 18650 mini fan w/led! Great for camping.
L16 VS E10vn VS MC13vn VS E14vn Night Beam Shot
I read the last posts. Thank you for all those infos, because i am asking myself if i buy the Maxtoch Owleye W Pro or not.
For the ones who got light problems with skylumen, was it easy to return it within 2 weeks? And were you well payed back?
Also does anybody know why Vinh opens the light? What’s the aim of that? Thank you.
Is that the one that is used and has the SBT 90.2 in it? I just checked. The one you are talking about is the LEP laser light.
The SBT 90.2 that I had, I had to return it to him Three times! He refunded me but I took $100 loss because I had engraving put on it. I agreed to that I just wanted most of my money back and done with him for good!
He has my old light for sale in the clearance section. I wouldn’t Buy it!
I could go on and on starting in 2012 when I first bought lights off him. He’s too rushed and sloppy. I wouldn’t worry about a little scratch on the bezel as mentioned earlier.
It’s the mechanical issues and the failures. Eventually he will take care of you but you give him any constructive criticism, he can’t handle it.
About 2 years ago Three lights in a row had issues and had to be sent back. Most of the times he rushes too much and he’s sloppy.
P.S. he opens the light because he has to modify it. Boosting the amps, changing the LED or doing bypasses and probably a few other things.
Thanks, this doesn’t make me want this light from skylumen anymore then… It’s a shame because this light looks incredible, and i can’t see it anywhere on a website which includes return policy AND international shipping :’(