I just received my K1 in dark brown... but it doesn't really look brown, it's just a warm-ish dark gray. Very subtle, not at all like the photos on the website (I have a calibrated monitor). The box says "gray", too... is that normal? It's definitely not black, that's for sure. Could someone chime in who also received a dark brown one and confirm it's marked as "gray" on the box instead of "other"?
Also, is it normal for a large reflector like this to have lots of small pits in it? Like, they're really small, but they look like someone took a dull needle and poked the reflector randomly 10 to 20 times. Very hard to take photos of, as you ideally need some kind of moving pattern reflected in the reflector to clearly see the pits and how they bend the reflection around them. Largest reflectors I otherwise own would be the Nightwatch NI40 and the GTmini, and those don't have a single pit in it. I realize this is probably mostly a cosmetic issue, but is this something I should worry about? It certainly makes me less happy about the light overall, and we all know most of us don't buy lights just as tools but to appreciate their beauty and design.
It’s a dark grayish-brown in my opinion. I have three K1s (one in each color) and it looks brownish when I compare it side by side with my black one. The brown color is more evident if you view it under natural sunlight. Unfortunately, I don’t have the box anymore to see what it was marked as.
I don’t think that’s normal. I just checked my K1s and two of them have flawless reflectors while the other one has one tiny pit that looks like a needle poked it, which I never even noticed before until reading your post. 10-20 sounds like an awful lot though. I think that would bug me even though I doubt it has any significant effect on the beam. Maybe contact Hank and see if he can offer a replacement.
I’ve tried taking a few photos, a video probably would’ve been easier but hey. I guess this is pretty close to what it looks like in person I think. Size reference: I got the W2.
The corona around the spot is also kinda lopsided, looks a bit like a four-leaf clover, but with one leaf missing. I think a few people have posted pictures of what their W1 spot looks like, are those comparable with the W2?
Also the tint isn't great. Especially on turbo it's really purple. Compared to that my D4Sv2 with 1A XP-L HI looks green-ish. I really hoped for a purer white, especially after a few people said how happy they are with the tint of the Osram LEDs, despite them being cool white (I do in fact prefer warmer and a bit greener tints... I don't really see why everyone wants "rosy", which to me just either looks purple or pink/salmon, depending on CCT).
That’s something you see on real cheap lights like C8 clones or plastic reflectors, not on a $100 light. I know reflectors are hard to make and expensive when they get this big, but I think quality control should have snagged this one. I’d see if they’d send a replacemen reflector at the minimum.
My “dark brown” K1 looks exactly as you describe. I actually like it.
My K1 has a couple of small blemishes on the reflector but not nearly as many as yours. I don’t think it really affects performance, but in a light at this price point it’s unexpected.
Hank replied to my email, he’s always quite fast with his replies which I appreciate. He said this about the reflector:
Sorry for the refelctor issue, can we send the reflector with the future order? The shipping fee would be high to send the refelctor alone.
Not quite sure what to do now. I realize that’s unfortunate, and I don’t wanna be an a**hole, but frankly that should be his problem and not mine, right? I wasn’t planning on ordering anything from intl-outdoor in the weeks to come... maybe if I got a considerable discount on a KR4 E21A...
The current shipping situation in China is unfortunate for lots of sellers, but I do think it is fair that you receive a good reflector, depending on how much it affects the performance or visuals of the light. For people like Hank, most of the times the line between profit or loss is very thin… but business is business, and this is why the K1 saw a price increase.
I asked Hank how much of a discount he can give me on a KR4 E21A + SS bezel + trit. Will see. But yes, otherwise I agree that the reflector shouldn’t have passed QC. At the same time I’m feeling kinda bad about it because I don’t think it affects performance too much if at all. Lopsided corona couldn’t be caused by those pits, right?
That can often be fixed simply by loosening and tightening the bezel. Very slight changes in focus or pressure can have a visible effect on the beam, especially in the corona area. Would probably be worth a try.
Thanks TK, I already tried that unfortunately, I even took the bezel off completely and carefully spun the reflector around but there wasn’t really any visible change :c I haven’t really put that much time into it yet tho. It’s the first throwy light I own where I actually notice a slight asymmetry, the GTmini looks perfect in that regard but obviously has much wider, softer corona.
It’s a bit of a sticky situation especially as most of us want to support people like Hank. If it doesn’t have any/much impact on the beam and you’re not planning on ordering anything I would maybe consider asking for a small refund? Or get a replacement reflector sent, I don’t think it’s unreasonable but agree I wouldn’t feel 100% comfortable. I think your option of asking for a future discount is also good. These are much better options than a PP dispute!
He’s definitely a good guy, at no point I even considered a paypal dispute ;) but I think I also need to remind myself he’s also doing business, it’s not like he personally polished that reflector to his best abilities for me as a friend. Shipping cost would (should?) probably just be considered business expenses.
Hank offered me free 18350 tube and SS bezel for the KR4, but no real discount. Unfortunately not enough to make me want to buy it right now. So we agreed on him sending out a replacement reflector next week.
Does anyone have an estimation of how much such a reflector costs him? I have absolutely no clue if that’s the most expensive part of the whole light or if they’re relatively cheap or...
On lights with lots of LEDs, like the D18, the MCPCB with emitters would be the most expensive part. But that’s not usually anywhere near as much of a factor for single-emitter lights like the K1.
The exception is the SBT90.2 version, where the LED is probably the most expensive part. Those things are strangely pricey. He also had to make a new reflector and new MCPCB to fit it.
Otherwise, I don’t have any numbers, but the reflector is most likely in the top two most expensive parts. For relatively large polished metal reflectors like this, it can get pretty pricey. The other big expense is probably the driver, especially on the versions which have a boost chip.
So when he sends me dev hosts, no reflectors are included. It’s a way to keep the costs down, and he also is usually still working on fine-tuning the reflector while I’m working on the code. It takes extra work to design, and costs extra to manufacture.
My K1 SBT90.2 came with a couple of obvious scratches on the reflector, and I asked Hank cost of a new one (didn’t want to spend the time tussling with free replacement etc, considering likely low cost), he quoted $8 but offered it for $5. So I bought 3 - one for SBT90.2 and two more for my W1 and W2. They came promptly in good condition in sealed bags.
Next project is to try polishing the damaged one to optical grade using diamond suspension grades then India ink - something tells me that’l be a journey of learning!
Always thought that the delicate and totally unmaintainable finish on reflectors in these otherwise nicely engineered flashlights are a real Achilles Heal in terms of design…
