A while back, some mfr (forgot who, but it was a fairly big name) caused a big stink because warranties weren’t being honored, and they (the mfr) made it clear that it applied only to those lights bought from the mfr’s own website (or in the instant case, nitecore.com). Else they were “gray market” and you were on your own.
(Hmm, was it Lumintop?)
(Eh, might’ve been Klarus: KLARUS OFFICIAL DECLARATION .)
Whatever…