Manker U11 fail

LED Flashlights – General Info 18650 Flashlights
1

long story short - i dropped it - from about 3 feet high, normal arm height, on a regular asphalt street

the button cover popped out and got lost on the asphalt, it was wet and raining and it is the same color as the street

found it after 15 + minute search, though i knew where i had dropped the light
light was still working but hard to press button now, it is very recessed without the lost part

also not waterproof any more, naked circuit components are visible through the hole

after finding the cover, i thought well i can glue this back

E6000 glue did not stick, silicone glue did not stick, epoxy did not stick

then i noticed that the installation seemed to be from inside the light

i figured i can take it apart and put the button cover back

but the drop had also bent and ruined the threads to the outer steel ring holding glass, o ring and reflector on

had to cut 2 slots in the ring, with hack saw just to get it started, still very hard to get in and out

after all that, and removing an inner threaded ring, the innards still are glued in or something

i STILL can;t get to where the button cover would go back

put it all back together, try different glue
alumaweld, i think - meant for sealing trailers against rain or something, silicone stuff again but smells awful

now the light is sawed, dented, scratched, the ring won;t go back as far down as it was, not sure why

it has glue all over it

looks like $##$

it does still work_UPDATE - that glue didn;t stick either, i had to make another hole cover AND button pusher AND reglue the actual switch back together (the steel contact part had also come apart from the bottom where it makes the actual connection)
it is working again but looks worse and worse now as i go on
hack sawed slots in the front ring, jerry rigged button cover that might come off anyway, switch that may fall apart again rendering the whole light useless

but what a weak design
one drop makes button cover fall off, can;t glue back, needs to go inside but the inside is inaccessible, drop also damages threads, can;t even take reflector out easily, not sure it is waterproof any more [glued button cover], and not sure the current glue will hold…

so the astrolux s1 is the only survivor so far [but it’s the newest light i have]

of course it is bigger than the manker, which is bigger than the dqg tiny IV 18650, which the manker replaced after i had 2 of the tinys go bad

it starts to seem like none of this stuff is actually rugged, no matter what they claim

no i do not want to pay $90 for the latest nightcore or whatever, only to find they took similar design or manufacturing shortcuts this time

wle

2

That’s why they come with a lanyard. :wink:

3

That’s why in general all my lights are “disposable”.

My main EDC is a holstered WF502B that I built from scratch. Got plenty more hosts, pills, drivers, and LEDs that I can recreate it or make something completely different.

That, and a 3buk bobofett light that’s beat to Hell from my keys, moneyclip, coins, etc., in my pocket.

So in general, the switch busts, I replace it. Glass cracks, replace it. Can’t unscrew the front bezel, replace the whole head. Etc.

Got plenty of other hosts for EDCing: ’501, L2M, S-series, you name it.

Sure, I got mfr-built lights like Thorfires, Zanflares, Sofirns, Jetbeams, etc., but I don’t EDC them. I’m afraid of just something like that: drop it once, and it’s game over, man! Game over!

4

It’s nice to see that someone here is still keeping the true budget light spirit alive.

5

Wellp, as much as Manker might make a nice light, (looking up prices online) 40-50bux for a light is kinda pricey. And if glued throughout and meant to not be taken apart, no doubt for warranty reasons (to keep people from monkeying with the innards, breaking it, then returning it under warranty as “broken”), it also makes it impossible to fix if anything gets partially busted.

I just don’t like that. Don’t like the thought of shipping off a light to maybe be fixed, or maybe be told that it was abused and the warranty doesn’t apply, or maybe, “We can fix it, but it’ll cost you about the same as a whole new light”. I don’t like uncertainty.

Being able to roll my own is the way to go (for me).

6

right

(how did you know ? that was exactly what they did…
claim that fasttech.com was not an authorized manker dealer and they had no idea where fasttech.com got their lights (eyes rolling - sure…they also said aliexpress is not authorized)

(their web site says guaranteed for 5 years, not guaranteed if you buy from a certain place)

then it was ” we will send you a new 2 cent switch for $15 ”
(which i can;t surface mount, or get the STupid thing apart at all to even try)
or you can ship it back to us and for X dollars we will sell you a new one.
X being way more than i paid originally

)

then the ‘service’ guy JASON said he would post our correspondence on here
he has not

maybe others have gotten good service from manker but not me

##$@#$

rolling your own is fine but you lose the benefits of custom machining and things a factory can do
i tend to like small lights and they ]as far as i know] can not be mix and matched like say a generic 125mm long convoy
i have those too

wle

7

Dunno specifics about your case, as I don’t have any Manker lights, ’though I was looking for a Boney, but Amazon was out of stock.

Dunno what kind of “custom machining” you mean, but most lights-for-use-as-hosts come as-is, and I never had any need to machine them in any way.

It’d be nice if Manker were to sell parts, eg, a replacement head, tailcap, etc., but that’s up to them.

8

i just meant that the smallest edc lights usually have some non standard dimensions and shapes
the manker u11 for instance is quite swoopy and curved, i guess to add heat sinking or accomodate the internal usb charger
a tube light usually ends up being bigger

wle

9

So now, there’s sumpin to be said in favor of the rubber armored flashlights. I’ve never broken one yet even by dropping it on a ceramic tile floor.

I’ve also got the U11. Man, am I careful with aluminum housed lights and tile floors. Even asphalt has a little cushioning as opposed to ceramic tile.

Murphy’s Rule for dropping flashlights: 50/50.…either it breaks or it doesn’t!

Sorry for your loss. :cry:

(PS) I’ve yet to break a light by dropping on any surface so far. (KOW) Knock on Wood :star: