Sorry to hear this Richard. Hopefully it will be made right after the CNY… Thanks again for your prompt and accurate services….
Hey,
Any idea when 46mm - SRK V2 FET + 7135 Driver be back in stock?
Thanks
Ouch! That sounds like they were drop-shipped directly from the host manufacturer and we know what the host manufacturers think is a host. Reminiscent of another host last year. (For those that do not know it was not a Convoy host that I was referring to, or anything to do with Simon)
On the other hand, if you purchased through Simon I would be willing to bet a body part that he would/will make it right.
I have to chime in here…
I can confirm that I’ve also had quite a few issues with the Convoy hosts. Wrong LED spacers, missing MCPCB screws, dusty reflectors, defects in the reflectors itself (almost as if a small object (sand grain size) is molded into the reflector), fine scratches on the host itself.
I’d have to say 1 out of 5-10 lights present some kind of ‘issue’ as mentioned above. That is, around 10-20% of the lights I build…
I did contact Simon (some time ago) about these plaguing issues, but, he did not seem to be too concerned - wanted to see photos etc etc.
If I’m correct, Richard is not the only one having issues with the L2s? I believe I’ve read of some other buyers also having issues, cannot pinpoint them immediately. Think they were mentioned in JDub’s L2 thread.
We all know the Convoys are very good value for money… I’m just wondering how much more effort it will be to just get the above mentioned issues sorted, before shipping them out? It can’t be much if you ask me? Its a pity that such a good quality product should present these types of issues to retailers and end users.
Its unnecessary
I’ve kept silent about my concerns mentioned above, but, I feel the need to speak up… I hope Simon can try to get these (unnecessary) defects out of the way. It will not just benefit the buyers of his product, but also himself - he will have much less complaints to handle and sort out. I can think that it must be a huge headache for him.
Convoy is obviously going through some serious growing pains. I've sat silent and dealt with the smaller issues as they've come along, but this time the issues are a really big deal. I have seen the defect rate increasing lately, but this order shot it up clear over and past the moon.
@bugsy36: They know exactly what a host includes, that isn't the issue. The issue is that the quality control on this entire order has been absolutely terrible. Dozens of hosts missing reflectors, dozens of severely (not just small scratches or nicks) damaged lights---damage that didn't occur due to shipping abuse, missing items, tons of lights that did not work out of the box, hosts that are useless because of essential missing parts, among others.
I have been buying from Convoy direct for some time now and although there have been some small issues, which are to be expected, this time they completely and utterly dropped the ball. They are on holiday now and moving facilities, but what my decision will ride on will depend on how things get fixed. If they aren't satisfactory then I will start to carry some different lights---there are some promising new up and comers out there that I am sure are hungry for the business and exposure.
I definitely understand the growing pains, being overworked, and making mistakes---as many of you know by now, we make mistakes all the time, but we try to make things right when we do and hopefully in a timely manner, even though sometimes we lose money in the short-term doing it.
I am not entering my judgment yet and I rarely make public all of the issues that go on behind the scenes here, but I needed to provide some explanation as to why a bunch of lights, hosts, etc. are out of stock, and why the much requested L2 host is absent.
Actually I’ve ordered from you many many times, everything from simple off-the-shelf parts to custom work like reflowing and dedoming. You’ve never made a mistake on one of my orders. I know I’m just one data point but I bet your error rate is remarkably low. Then again I’ve ordered directly from Convoy at least a dozen times and never had an issue either.
You’re not the only vendor having issues though. I have first-hand knowledge of another US-based seller who had quite a bit of problems with Convoy lights. In fact I bought some of their Convoy hosts for really cheap on blowout because they were almost unsellable. Its a shame and I really hope Convoy gets it together.
The market shake up over there in China has repercussions. From what I understand there is a devaluation of their currency going on, this is to spur exports as one dollar will buy more versus prior to a devaluation. The problem is, during the adjustment that occurred in early January, the vendors were suddenly stuck with inventory that is worth less than what they made it for, as they pay each other in their now devalued currency. Basically, you charge a dollar to make something, and have a 5% ($0.05) profit, then the currency devalues 25% ($0.25) and not only is your profit shot, it costs you $0.20 to sell it…
Perhaps this is a result of someone clearing their warehouse of parts that are now worth less to them, so they have no care of complaints… Not Simon directly, but whomever his actual manufacturer is…
Just my take on this, and hoping for a great resolution of this by Convoy… Thanks for maintaining your standards Richard, we know it costs you in the short term as well.
There have been mistakes on my Mountain Electronics orders, all made by me. 
That's really disappointing to hear about convoy. I hope they get their stuff together since it seemed like they really took many steps in the right direction in the last year.
That sucks, I’ve never purchased anything directly from Convoy but I’ve read how bad the quality control is on large orders. Whatever you decide to go with I’m sure it’ll still be a quality product.
This really sucks and i hate to hear you’re having so much trouble with them. I was really looking forward to getting some of the L2 hosts. I hope you’re able to get it all straightened out.
There’s no defending what happened here. I think Richard hit the nail on the head about “growing pains”. This order in particular happened as Simon was moving and was probably put together by someone who works with Simon, not Simon himself and obviously done in a hurry. For all I know it could have been a friend who was helping him move but there is no excuse for the careless way this was thrown together.
Most of you know I’ve been heavily involved with Convoy for many months now helping Simon develop new products and acting as his voice here on BLF.
Simon is aware that there are issues to be worked out. We’ve discussed it several times over the last few months. The move to a bigger factory and hiring more people to spread the workload is part of the corrective action. These steps were decided moths ago with the intention of bettering the company, increased emphasis on QC, etc. I’m doing what I can in the “advisor” role but with the move and CNY my recent communications with Simon have been few and brief.
If it’s any consolation I am taking this case head on in the hopes that the recent slip in QC will be addressed and Convoy will return to its former quality level with an expanding variety of products. Quality Control comes first though. I’m holding off on development/discussion of any new products until the quality control is back where it should be. I’m also doing my best to make sure that everything wrong with this large order to Richard is corrected. In the next week I should be in regular communication with Simon again. I’ll do everything I can to make sure that my favorite flashlight brand can still be purchased at my favorite flashlight store. I’m glad Simon shut down the store for a few weeks but it looks like he should have taken it down a week sooner. If all goes as I hope, things should be on a better path and these issues will be resolved in the next few weeks. Don’t give up yet Richard. Simon will make this right.
J-Dub74 
I have to say I’m glad you’re helping Simon.
I really love Convoy and Mtn Electronics. I know many others do too.
If richard sells convoys I'll buy convoys...if he sells saturdaynightfeverfire i'll buy saturdaynightfeverfire. Hope Convoy straightens its' stuff out. I'm tired of buying hosts with dents and bad threads. Haven't complained about it because I am the kinda guy that can make anyhing work, and it's not richards fault obviously, but it's bad when I have to order 2 or 3 to have one that is unscathed...but that is something I've come to expect with anything chinese. Wether it's from Harbor Freight, Northern Tool or .... Still worth it in the long run.
Richard, have you considered any Thorfire lights? The one I recently recieved shows comparable quality to convoy
The S2+ is in a class of it’s own. The metal switch boot is simply amazing. It’s easy to work with and looks nice too. I hope it all gets straightened out.
+1
Do you have a link to the saturdaynightfeverfire ? Cant seam to find any info on it.
It ain’t just China. I’ve tried buys from India and Massachusetts recently, and have been trying to spread orders around the world to see what else is available.
I’ve gotten some good things and still find I get errors and bad work from pretty much everywhere.
I’m afraid beancounters rule most of the world, locally and far away.
Seems to me we’re hoping to do something like reinventing the old Grange or IWW home-made pride in work, but among people physically far apart, over the Net.
I hope it can happen. But beancounters got banks and guns and lawyers and stomp what they can’t parasitize
http://search.tacomapubliclibrary.org/unsettling/unsettled.asp?load=IWW+1918&f=labor\iww.18
Let’s hope.
Groups like this can really do design, QA, and QC, given the chance — but we aren’t physically near neighbors with the people doing the hands-on crafting and building and assembly.
We need to be in better touch with the people doing that work — and share the pride in doing better work.
Imagine a tip jar set up for the people doing the metalwork and assembly of the lights we get.
The’d benefit directly, if we knew how to reach them as individuals.
Maybe a “fortune cookie” tag — bullt by, assembled by, tested by ….
I feel like Simon had that feeling, but whoever he’s getting work done by didn’t get connected and got no sense of pride, and did poor work accordingly.
“You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.”
That is precisely why I reached out to Simon a little less than a year ago. I was baffled by the lack of new products coming from Convoy and as much as his brand was highly regarded here I saw no communication from him. Once we started communicating regularly and I made it clear how much his work was appreciated and that his fans wanted more, the flood gates opened. There was an obvious renewed pride in his work and we finally saw the Blue S2, then the new L2, then the green S2, the promise of the L6, then a nice new clip for the S series, etc.
Unfortunately this expansion created a need for more manufacturers added to the mix. People who I’m sure told Simon “Sure we can make that for you with the same quality” then didn’t live up to their end. I know for a fact that it happened with his reflector maker. Simon was working with a group of trusted people for a long time and that worked beautifully for the last few years. This growth however has created the need to find additional suppliers or push the limits of what could be done with existing suppliers. Now Simon has to start weeding out the problems. I wish I could do more to assist but the fact that he is in China and I’m in the US limits my role to that of e-idea man and e-advisor. I do think Simon will bring things back where they belong with QC but it’s going to take a bit. By the time this problem was seen it was big enough that it’s going to take a bit of time to repair. I don’t mean any of this to sound like I’m making excuses. Obviously mistakes were made and Simon needs to fix them. I believe he will, yet he is there and I am here. This whole thing has made me want to start firing off more emails but I don’t think anything will bee seen today so I’ll give him a chance to respond to the messages I’ve already sent. When I have a better grasp of the situation and what he is doing to resolve it I’ll pass on whatever info I can.
I like the idea of passing the pride down to the little man using a tag type system. Not just for the added accountability but the opportunity to reward good work and encourage more.
Hank, you may be a dreamer but you’re in good company here. 
Takes one to know one.
i would give simon a lot of time. it sounds like a big mess for him. we know what kind of business he wants to do. give him time. it’s most probably not his fault, and a big pain for him.