Hey, I like that UI on ST50 
Anything else has been changed? (same driver, same everything?)
Great little light, Jake and I like the UI improvement. Glad to see you start carrying this brand. I have two questions for you:
1. Any chance on getting one of the smooth rings? I too do not like the tactical ring but bare threads aren't so great either.
2. Any chance you might carry the ST60 at some point down the road? I actually sprung for one earlier in the year but was informed it was OOS. I have not been able to locate one since.
I don’t have any spare smooth rings on me right now. ST60 is a maybe.
Thanks, Jake. Keep me in mind on both down the road. Hikelight has the ST60 and thinks very highly of it. I like the 1x or 2x 18650 versatility.
I got a NW version recently and whenever I switch modes from Hi to Lo, there’s a bright flash everytime before the light comes on Lo. I suspect a faulty contact issue in the switch. Does anyone else experience this problem?
Did you get yours from intl-outdoor? I got the same problem. I also got very annoying flickering when in Medium mode. Hank offered me a replacement driver with my next purchase, although I can’t solder so I’ll have to ask somebody to do it for me.
Not that I mean to offer bad rep (Since I’m new here this may seem off) but I had a similar situation with my ST50 from intl-outdoor, Hank offered a replacement driver but since the Pill appeared to be glued down (I saw some CA around it and didn’t seem to want to move) I went and asked for a exchange.
Light should be here at some point (It took a few weeks initially and it was supposedly sent out early this month so I’m not concerned for now) so with luck it’ll fix the issue. I did have to send the flickering light back, hopefully the new one won’t have issues either.
Check out this video: This is my issue with the light, it’s very pronounced flicker (Non PWM) in “High” although there is PWM in all modes except high (Direct drive?) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qd6aKiTBZHY&feature=youtu.be
I got the exact same problem as the video shows. It seems “somebody” knows about the faulty batch and doesn’t do anything about it.
By the way mine even stops working on Med/Low on random basis, and it has a mileage less than 10 minutes total working time.
Do you mean there is no way to change the driver? If it is like that I will ask for a replacement also.
P.S. Mine also came with a defected tail, appeared to been dropped on the floor. I got pictures if anybody is interested.
It does seem like there is an QC issue with the Nlight’s recently, (https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/11553#comment-254018) so I’d be wary of them in the future. Too late now, I still like the light but if I was to ‘rebuy’ I’d probably get a EDC18650 from intloutdoor, more proven driver setup there :/.
I think the driver can be changed but it would probably require heating up the head with a hear gun or soldering iron (Carefully to avoid damage) to break the bond that held the pill in place. It did appear to be a pretty solid Pill but I couldn’t remove it due to some CA that had been wept into the threads (I could see some on the sides) and I didn’t want to chance damaging it during removal.
I’d post up the pictures just to keep them public, see if you can contact Hank about this too. I’ll report back here once I get my replacement, likely later this week or the next.
It could be some kind of shipping damage too, my ST50 came in a padded envelope in a display box and seemed rather squished when it arrived; It could have gotten slammed around in transit although QC seems the more likely cause. Either way I’ve had other lights not have issues, I don’t see why this one would be an exception.
Well I revived my replacement from hank today and to be honest I’m not too impressed. There are more physical flaws (Small scratches in the ano, on the threads) with some machine residue on the switch retaining ring with a bit of the switch broken off :O. The Switching isn’t great either with the flash before low and inconsistent switching (when trying go from high to low it can take several tries unless you wait a second). Bezel was sightly scratched and dirty.
Dirt and residue was found all over the treads and the front of the head/driver spring contact area and even after cleaning it didn’t get much better. Threads were dry and un-lubed, somewhat rough and lacking a good polish. High is not flickering but seems to be a “Higher” high with a larger output, mode switching is less reliable. PWM on all modes except turbo, probably direct drive; is noticeable and slower than a Nanjing 105c driver.
I’m pretty much done with this light at this point, If yours has grieving physical flaws then I’d recommend a replacement but you may not receive any better in return. Nlight’s QC is pretty darn shoddy from what I’ve seen so my recommendation is just not to purchase them. Out of a 10 I give it a 3.5 for consistently bad quality, cost and performance. Not worth the effort :/.
Shipping could not have caused these issues, it must be either factory or dealer related… Not a switch issue either (Tested w/multimeter).
What a shame. I bought my ST50 about a year ago. A very solid performer and obvious high quality. Mine is still going strong, sorry to hear you all are having so many issues with yours.
I got the Pill out, needed to cut down some pliers to fit in the groves; Nice Brass sized insert that seemed to conduct heat away well, good since this light will be run a good amount on turbo (The only working mode). It’s CCW or to the left when looking down at the Led (Tailswitch is CW, or right when looking at the retaining ring).
The modes really don’t seem to be working well at all, low comes on normally if left for a minuet or two but when switching back between high and low it flashes. Sporadically it will refuse to switch modes, staying in either high or less frequently low.
Every once in a while it goes into a “medium” when attempting to switch between low and high. High flickers after a bit, occasionally to a drastic degree where it may even shut off for brief periods of time or switch into a “low mode” then come back at full brightness or die altogether. High seems to be higher or turbo lower, either way it’s not quite the same as the last one.
So I’m going to email Hank again and see if I can get driver sent, I’ll be grabbing something there soon so I’ll just let him know to bundle it. Anyone know how to remove it without destroying the driver? It seems to be press fit but there is no indentations where it could be pulled out; might need to be chipped a little bit removed, hopefully not killing it in the process.
The little gold ring seems to be integral to the switching function and while it may not all need to be intact I would still not like to damage it. Could just be faulty solder too, the stuff I can see on the driver spring looks pretty flimsy (Some of it actually flaked off during use) so if there’s another wire on the inside (To the outside of the Pill) it could just be a cold joint or something along those lines.
Edit: I did a tail cap reading to see what was up with the modes, .01 amps low, .43 amps high, .32 amps medium mode when it refuses to exit high, “Turbo” (Loosened head) .53 amps. I can measure more than 2.8amps with this multimeter (Even if it is not the best/most accurate) however this is just low without any question. The original flickering light drew more than this, now the replacement is looking worse than the original; no response from hank yet.
I’m about to rip apart the driver and see what’s up with the darn thing; sending it back again would end up costing me 1/3 the cost of the light, not worth it since I don’t know if I’ll even get anything working.
My recommendation is you post this in the Modding and DIY sub-forum along with some good pictures. There's some incredibly talented and experienced people on BLF (I'm not one of them) that are more than willing to offer up good advice. If nothing else, this is a well-build host - I'm holding mine in hand and it is solid and I think worthy of fixing. I did take the bezel and reflector out - looks like the emitter and driver will come out only from the top. Does yours look like this?:
