Must be our culture I completely agree, clearance is normal products sold at discount to clear room for new stock. Seconds are sold at discount due to imperfections (slight and don't affect operation at that). Clearance and seconds are two different categories that others here have failed to grasp
Yes I think you are right. But I think if they are seconds they are bad value.
Marc.
right. but here's the thing. Solarforce never used the words clearance and seconds. i'm the one who used the word "clearance" first and other posters then picked up on it. and i used the word only as a reflection of the old L2's status as a discontinued item (See post #32) and didn't mean anything else by it.
when you use the word "clearance" you seem to have a different idea of what that should mean and you're applying your expectations of how a seller should behave regarding those items to a seller who may or may not agree with those expectations.
i think you would have been happier with the new L2. i have not yet heard of anyone getting a bad 2011 L2. the one i have is just about flawless and is really pretty amazing for the price.
regarding reviews of the old L2, i think one thing you're missing is that reviewers generally say that the hosts are amazing quality FOR THE PRICE (it's a caveat worth noting when the original Surefire 6P typically cost $60, five times the cost of a L2) and that although many old L2 units exhibit quality on par with more expensive hosts, the quality can vary from unit to unit. reviews of the sand colored model in particular have been keen to note that the color can be inconsistent and rarely seems to be a true sand color.
i hope SF sends you a proper replacement for the grey L2, and hopefully the process won't be too much of a bother to you. but sometimes, with even the best of budget lights and budget light dealers, spending time dealing with customer service is the hidden of cost of paying less up front.
Yeah I see your point and I must point out for the price they are not bad, maybe apart from the grey one. But when I read reviews they always say that they are as good as surefire and when I see pictures they do look very nice. I don't want to come across like a bit of a dick, but I feel they, the ones I have got, feel a bit like the cheap torches you get at the supermarket and to make the point again, when you buy a complete torch they can be as expensive as much higher quality torches.
But I don't want to turn this into a 'have a go at Solarforce' thread, They make some nice stuff and their CS and delivery times are amazing. As for the new L2, I completely agree with you, they do look a lot nicer. If he Jo offers me a replacement, I will ask for the new one and pay the extra few dollars.
Thanks for all the input by the way, everyone, I'm sure It will be sorted, Marc.
always? as good as surefire? i think you're misattributing reviewer comments made about the superior L2P or the 2011 L2 to the old L2. the old L2 has long managed to dissatisfy some.
It's Foy's review I'm referring to as well as many other reviews https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/1838 This is not the New L2, but the same one I have. But looking at what I received I have no doubt that there have been dissatisfied customers.
Marc.
yeah, even in Mr. Foy's review, you can see bad machine marks on the grey L2.
I just got my grey solarforce L2's in the mail, both of them had these horrible machine marks on them and look identical to the ones in your picture.
I'm still opening them up and inspecting them. I'll post more about this later.
I got 2 grey and 2 sand L2 hosts. The grey seems to have a lot of bad machining.
Do you mean my picture, with the threads showing through?
This is not good, It's poor quality and I would hazard a guess that not all Solarforces are made by the same people or at the same factories.
Marc.
OK, I have a question. If Jo does offer me a replacement what should I get? The new L2 or L2t? What would you go for people?
Thanks in advance, Marc.
I have just received a 2011 black L2, and although I've not scrutinized it fully (still awaiting drop-in and flames), there were definitely no poor machining marks as illustrated in this thread.
I did think that the body and tailcap finish looked slightly different though... I'll have to check.
Yes exactly like you photo. Standby, I'm going to try and post some pictures, but they may be crappy quality (iphone 4)
Sorry for the bad photos, it looks much worse in real life. Those photos were taken on a iphone 4 in low-light conditions.
I bought 2 of each (2 sand, and 2 gray) total cost = 37.96
I couldn't believe the quality of the machining on this batch of L2's. Sure they were discounted a few bucks, but DAMN!!! I would rather pay full price than receive this crap! The gray AND the sand colored hosts both had machining flaws (although the gray had the most).
The body of the grey looked like they had some kind of pitting, and of course the sides had the same thread machining problem as the original poster had. The strike bezels on my L2's were poorly machined, and I ended up cutting my hand twisting the bezel off one of the sand colored hosts because the tips were knife-like sharp.
This is not my on par with my previous experiences with solarforce and it really is a huge disappointment. I intended on giving these away as gifts but I'll probably end up keeping them all now.
I hope solar-force will refund me (or replace the hosts) , and if they don't, well... I can't say I will have much trust in them in the future.
Overall a huge disappointment.
Well looks like I'm not the only one. That's shite! they could be my pictures, exactly the same. I would imagine that everyone that has just ordered a grey L2 will end up with one like this. Very poor.
Marc.
Did you contact solarforce, Any word yet?
Well looks like I'm not the only one. That's shite! they could be my pictures, exactly the same. I would imagine that everyone that has just ordered a grey L2 will end up with one like this. Very poor.
Marc.
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Did you contact solarforce, Any word yet?
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Yes I sent them an email yesterday, but no reply yet.
Marc.
I just sent them a email also.
Hopefully they will replace/refund the hosts.
I told him if he didn't have the (high quality without machining problems) L2 Gray/sand hosts in stock, he could replace the order with a P1 host and L2P host... Wouldn't that be great?! (doubt that will happen though)
We shall see how good the customer service is at solarforce, and if they back up their products.
marcl -
Up until about the last six months or so, everyone's high regard for the L2 (and all Solarforce products, for that matter) was well earned. Counting my own and those bought for others, I've ordered several dozen L2s, L2Ps and L2is and until recently, every single one arrived completely flawless and in spectacular condition. I routinely made fun of people playing the xxxFire/502x lottery when a clearly superior alternative could be had at reasonable cost. I defended Solarforce quality at every opportunity because their consistency was second to none.
At first, I thought the random stinker was just that. Then more people reported issues. Then, I received a sand L2 with aluminum curlys still wrapped around the rear threads. I carefully cleaned all of them out and the cap would go on but the threads felt worse than any Fandyfail I've ever seen. Right now, the cap will not come off. It's like it is welded on.
What a tragedy if Solarforce becomes just another cheap host but you must know that it was not always this way. I hope it still isn't but I begining to be concerned.
Also, every 6P I've ever seen has router marks in the flat name-brand area.
worriedFoy
You should change the topic title to "Defective solarforce hosts"