Zanflare F10 light/pen can write? FAKE/ALTERED REVIEWS

duramax · 2018-07-31T09:36:44.000Z

honestly, I have given up on most reviews. This isn’t because there are paid reviewers who are real (that is an issue as well), there must be some kind of robot or AI system that fakes entire populations of reviews across languages and products.

edit: Also, these “reviewers” refer to TSA procedures and that they didn’t have any issues. Depending on the airport TSA will most likely have an issue with a tactical pen as it can and will be classified as a weapon. Especially if it doesn’t look like a pen and, in this case, doesn’t even include a pen function.

https://www.abptactical.com/blogs/news/tactical-pens-and-airport-security-everything-you-need-to-know

Zulumoose · 2018-07-31T09:42:22.000Z

Well until now I took non-forum reviews with a huge pinch of salt, but that was because I believed many users wrote stunning reviews for points and only the best were published.

Now I know it is completely fake, there is no reason to believe reviewers have even seen the product, or that the honest reviews are left intact.

From now on only forum reviews and selected photo/video evidence does it for me, everything else must be ignored.

MascaratumB · 2018-07-31T09:55:53.000Z

duramax:

honestly, I have given up on most reviews. This isn’t because there are paid reviewers who are real (that is an issue as well), there must be some kind of robot or AI system that fakes entire populations of reviews across languages and products.

edit: Also, these “reviewers” refer to TSA procedures and that they didn’t have any issues. Depending on the airport TSA will most likely have an issue with a tactical pen as it can and will be classified as a weapon. Especially if it doesn’t look like a pen and, in this case, doesn’t even include a pen function.

https://www.abptactical.com/blogs/news/tactical-pens-and-airport-security-everything-you-need-to-know

Funny you mentioned this! I have tactical pen that I recently took with me to England. When leaving Portugal, nothing was asked about the pen (it was on my backpack) nor about the multitool card I had (without blade).

When leaving England (Manchester airport), my card stayed there while nothing was asked about my pen. So those rules probably vary a lot among different countries…

About this Zanflare tactical “pen”, I read those same reviews mentioned here on GB site and all seemed quite fake…from the names of reviewers to the way reviews are written… I may be very picky about it, but here and there for some products, those reviews sound extremely “fake”!

Zulumoose, some weeks ago Wuben had a promotion on their tactical pens. I am not sure if they’re still on, but try to seek it. The member was kingsley2018, a rep from Wuben. Hope it helps. :+1:

firedome · 2018-07-31T10:03:50.000Z

Scummy companies have been known to hire fake reviewers to praise products and boost sales, meaning you never know for certain that a review can be trusted. Excessively positive language and inflated features is considered a red flag. While many people are willing to compliment a good product in a review, they rarely pile on positive adjectives the way fake reviewers will. Just approach reviews with a healthy sense of skepticism, instead of assuming everything is coming from a well-intentioned user like yourself.

duramax · 2018-07-31T10:08:15.000Z

That is a huge issue as well. But I think we have reached a level of fake reviews that doesn’t even include actual reviewers and accounts. The ones linked are clearly done by a robot or some fake review automation system.

This is a complete new level of scamming consumers.

Zulumoose · 2018-07-31T10:09:22.000Z

When leaving England (Manchester airport), my card stayed there while nothing was asked about my pen. So those rules probably vary a lot among different countries…

Interesting, did they explain why something without a blade was a problem? I almost had a Krone Tool confiscated once, and it is almost entirely plastic, with no blade.

Zulumoose, some weeks ago Wuben had a promotion on their tactical pens. I am not sure if they’re still on, but try to seek it. The member was kingsley2018, a rep from Wuben. Hope it helps. Thumbs Up

I’m actually not in the market for a tactical pen as such, but a pen with a light might interest me. Thanks for the tip.
I remember about 1983 there was a nice stainless steel slim pen on the market with a digital lcd clock and a cigarette lighter built in, now that was impressive 35 years ago! Everyone at school seemed to have one, but they weren’t built to last.

MascaratumB · 2018-07-31T10:30:28.000Z

Zulumoose:

Interesting, did they explain why something without a blade was a problem? I almost had a Krone Tool confiscated once, and it is almost entirely plastic, with no blade.

Nop, they didn’t! They only said that it was a rule from Manchester airport. I even explained them it had no blade and that I had travelled with the card to other countries, even in flights to / within Brasil; they only replied “In flights from Manchester airport we don’t allow it”…

The card was similar to this one: https://www.sender.asia/showproduct_17-In-1-Multi-purpose-Credit-Card-Size-Pocket-Multi-Tool_1001561.html
It has no blades only “tool” tips for screws and things…
I was upset cause I bought in a local store it awhile ago and ’cause I never had any issue before, but that’s OK, I will buy 2 or 3 then…

Zulumoose:

I’m actually not in the market for a tactical pen as such, but a pen with a light might interest me. Thanks for the tip.
I remember about 1983 there was a nice stainless steel slim pen on the market with a digital lcd clock and a cigarette lighter built in, now that was impressive 35 years ago! Everyone at school seemed to have one, but they weren’t built to last.

Hum, the pen from Wuben and from Klarus, they both have lights incorporated. AliExpress has others, but I can’t be sure if they are good or not :zipper_mouth_face:
Damn, that was even before I was born “Old-advanced” technology was so nice!!

I normally carry the tactical pen and then an AAA flashlight! It’s complementary

SKV89 · 2018-07-31T15:23:33.000Z

Where are the reviews? Amazon, Aliexpresz, BG?

duramax · 2018-07-31T15:27:15.000Z

If you look for the quoted comments above, there is some kind of bot that rates Gearbest and Amazon products:

Google search

Man_Without_Shadow · 2018-07-31T15:36:49.000Z

Gearbest has reviews about the pen writing. I emailed Zanflare and asked about the pen being able to write…never received a reply.

The Wuben tactical pen DOES write, has a 130lm light and is very nice!

SKV89 · 2018-07-31T19:50:58.000Z

duramax:

If you look for the quoted comments above, there is some kind of bot that rates Gearbest and Amazon products:

Google search

I clicked on your search and it popped up a pen that DOES write but it’s not a Zanflare
Are you sure you are looking at the right pen?
https://www.amazon.com/Tactical-Self-Defense-Flashlight-Everyday-Responders/dp/B0747YWWG6

MascaratumB · 2018-07-31T19:56:15.000Z

SKV89:

duramax:

If you look for the quoted comments above, there is some kind of bot that rates Gearbest and Amazon products:

Google search

I clicked on your search and it popped up a pen that DOES write but it’s not a Zanflare
Are you sure you are looking at the right pen?
Amazon.com

The Zanflare reviews at GB:
https://www.gearbest.com/chargers/pp_009137536824.html?wid=1214279

EDIT: Please note that on GB site, it is never said that the “pen” writes! It has, and I quote:

●4 tools integrated, including flashlight, safety hammer, pressure point, whistle

Hence, the reviews are even more stupid looking from this perspective :person_facepalming: Or maybe…it was a kind of magic and the buyers started drawing lines in the sand :student:
LOL

jon_slider · 2018-08-01T02:51:37.000Z

well, at least the Pin (its not a Pen) has a whistle,

Zulumoose:

which leads me to believe that even the honest reviews are being edited to remove the cons.

Disgusting, isn’t it?

yes, marketing can be disgusting, deceptive, ludicrous, or hilarious, depending on my perspective

I think its hilarious that the reviews I found (you should have provided a link cause now people are confused ;-)) describe how well the Zanflare “Pen” writes when it is not a writing instrument.

fwiw
I was contacted by some of the flashlight manufacturers that sell through Amazon. They wanted me to write reviews for their lights with certain conditions.

1. I had to buy the light first
2. I had to submit a review for approval
3. When my review was approved, I would be given a refund.

the result is the seller can claim it is a Verified Purchase Review.
Yes, they are completely manipulated.
No, I am not a reviewer on Amazon

MascaratumB:

Zulumoose:

Interesting, did they explain why something without a blade was a problem? I almost had a Krone Tool confiscated once, and it is almost entirely plastic, with no blade.

Nop, they didn’t! They only said that it was a rule from Manchester airport. I even explained them it had no blade and that I had travelled with the card to other countries, even in flights to / within Brasil; they only replied “In flights from Manchester airport we don’t allow it”…

It has a letter opener, and a serrated edge… :person_facepalming:

Now to the question of reviews, good, bad, fake, real, sincere etc

ALL REVIEWS are a source of ADVERTISING (Propaganda). It is up to the consumer to buy whatever they decide they want. We also have the right to return for refund when we have buyers remorse, for any reason, and without argument from the vendor.

I recently started getting some review samples, thats reviewerspeak for free lights. It has made me extremely willing to post pics and words of appreciation for my gifts. Ive spent as much as 5 hours on a single review. Even so, I hesitate to point out negatives, although I give hints, and post photos that clearly show things like green tint, which I personally dislike. But hey, if nobody brings it up, Im very tempted to keep my mouth shut.

And I think of myself as an honest type. Just sayin, getting free samples has a powerful sedative effect on my desire to criticize… I want more free stuff!

otoh, ask me how I really feel, any time

the thing is, flashlights are bling, and none of them hits all the same features in a combination that works for all applications… result, we buy lots more lights than we need… its Fun!

What light will you buy today?

I like to play catch and release, my most recent is this Copper Maratac. note that is not what I call a Review (free sample), I call it First Impressions (purchased sample)

oh, and, speaking of shills, dont believe everyone you see on the internet, there are a lot of fanboys and cheerleaders not worthy of respect, they typically chime in with me too, yay… and say little of substance to the original topic

or when they do say something on topic, they just use it to get your attention and then they ramble off on some tangent or personal vendetta

beware PWMWarriors and SoldiersForGods, and dont believe everything you read on the Internet, there is a lot of disinformation and illiteracy too.

dont worry, this is not PWM

Zulumoose · 2018-08-01T06:03:41.000Z

SKV89:

Where are the reviews? Amazon, Aliexpresz, BG?

I picked a few from the Gearbest sales page, then googled “Zanflare F10 review” and surfed around at random.
There are very few reviews, and not one I could find that explicitly says it does not have a writing function.
Probably 50% of reviews mention that it writes, or writes well.

It wouldn’t surprise me at all if some of the reviews were cut and pastes from other products, but I found them specifically used for the F10.

MascaratumB · 2018-08-01T10:13:04.000Z

jon_slider, I agree with you in some points, of course, these in particular:

ALL REVIEWS are a source of ADVERTISING (Propaganda).

It is up to the consumer to buy whatever they decide they want.

We also have the right to return for refund when we have buyers remorse, for any reason, and without argument from the vendor.

I can even consider that, a person who is given something to review may skip the “negative” aspects: the review is personal, so it’s up to each one to decide what to focus or not.

Personally, I try to focus the goods and the not so goods, specially when it is a free flashlight for review! Even if reviewing “free flashlights” can be seen as “free advertisement” for sellers/manufacturers, with the goods and the bads, people can more obviously make an informed choice!

The only thing I cannot conceive - but unfortunately happens more and more, and this Zanflare “pen” is just an example - is the vendors making false profiles, making false statements (or allowing them), or eventually edit the comments to remove the “Cons” pointed out by the real buyers.

It is more than “disinformation or illiteracy” (despite those are more and more frequent as well, when it should be otherwise…), it is falsehood!!

But these are just my morning thoughts These are some of the reasons why sometimes I take months to buy something, trying to check all the reviews to avoid disinformation. And still, I make mistakes… :person_facepalming:

jon_slider · 2018-08-01T17:26:25.000Z

MascaratumB:

Even if reviewing “free flashlights” can be seen as “free advertisement” for sellers/manufacturers, with the goods and the bads, people can more obviously make an informed choice!

The only thing I cannot conceive - but unfortunately happens more and more, and this Zanflare “pen” is just an example - is the vendors making false profiles, making false statements (or allowing them), or eventually edit the comments to remove the “Cons” pointed out by the real buyers.

Excellent distinctions!
I agree that outright deception, such as a review describing writing with a spike, when we all know there is no writing instrument in a spike, would make it very easy for me to avoid the Vendor as a dishonest lying SOB.

I certainly do not take Amazon reviews seriously.

Now about reviews of free samples, by me, and other members. There is still a strong inherent bias built into the system. The Reviewer definitely does not want to Lie, but there are forces at play that will reduce the tendency to say negative things, and will increase the tendency to focus on the positives.

I spent a lot of time focusing on negatives when I first started shopping for flashlights… BTW, everyone here is a Shopper! Hopefully an educated shopper, that is not shocked by any lies when they receive a product, but still, we are all here making Buying decisions, lets not forget that.

People have different priorities, what might be a bug for me, could be a feature for someone else. For example, I can point out that an S Mini has an electronic lockout, whose feature is to flash moonlight only, if the locked button is pressed. To me that is a bug, but I know several people that consider that a feature.

fwiw, in the S1 Mini, electronic lockout does NOT cause moonlight to flash when pressing the button. I like that MUCH better, but I did not mention it in my review. otoh, as soon as someone else mentioned it, I was happy to speak to the topic, and share my personal opinion.

So, I do think a Review on BLF is still potentially biased, by the design of the free sample system, but it is not likely to be outright dishonest and lying. And, the good part about a Review on a Forum, is that readers can ask the Reviewer questions, and get more information, and more of the Reviewers opinions.

Just because I did not mention something in a review, that I may consider negative, does not make it dishonest, imho. For example, I have been on an Anti-PWM Crusade for most of my FlashAccumulation affliction. But I get a lot of hate, and arguments for sharing that opinion, so now I try not to spend time on the subject. otoh, I still post photos showing the different amounts of photo interference from different flashlight circuits.

For example, look at this Impressions post I made about a Maratac CR123 light. and note the photos comparing the Maratac and the S Mini:

Neither light has PWM btw, the distortion is from Constant Current. This is a deep and controversial subject, and I intentionally try to avoid conflict and controversy (I know its not working very well).

So, if nobody cares, or takes the hint, and nobody asks about the difference in the photographed distortion, I might not get into more detail about how I personally feel about the Constant Current Ripple.

That is because so many respected members here, have different opinions and standards than I do. I got so tired of the arguments, and being told that “it is not visible in actual use and therefore does not matter”, that I just gave up and changed sides. Now you will see I include similar statements… “not noticeable in actual use”

Now to me, that is a very low standard, and I may choose to avoid lights that have Constant Current Ripple that my iPhone can see, even if my eyes cannot. But do I put all that into a Review, nah, it would just be a way to create a pointless conflict, not unlike Don Quixote tilting at windmills. It does not change hearts and minds, and even I will use a light that has defects in the circuit, if there are other features that interest me.

For example, my RRT-01 has terrible distortion, on video, but I still use the light, and find the rotary ring fun.

There is no perfect light. Would I tell someone not to buy a Maratac or an RRT-01, NOT to buy them, well, no. That would be up to them to decide. Do I show the photos, yes, but do I explain that would be a reason I would not buy the light, no…

so, the best thing about Reviewers on flashlight forums, is that we can ask them questions, about things that are important to us, but may not have been mentioned, or discussed in detail.

If I only bought perfect lights, I would not have any. There are no perfect lights for all applications. Soooo, we are just a bunch of consumers, being marketed to by a bunch of Vendors… All reviews are advertising (Pro pAgenda). Propaganda comes in all flavors, hopefully not allways filled with outright lies, but as zulumoose has discovered, the reviews on Amazon are completely manipulate, falsified, AND dishonest.

I think we are doing the right thing by NOT buying from Dishonest Vendors.

I do think people “trust” reviews too much. Even when not intentional, I get very offended if a review does not inform me about PWM, or Flicker. I get even more offended if the Reviewer claims there is NoPWM when there IS. BUT, technically there is Constant Current that flickers too, so that is just marketing Spin, to deflect accusations of PWM.

People dont even agree whether PWM matters, is good, or is bad. Its hard to know what a Consumer will focus on, when shopping for a light.

In fact, consumers sometimes focus on details prepurchase, such as tailstanding ability, that later end up being ridiculously irrelevant. I used to think tailstanding was an important factor to consider. But now, I do not. I have changed my opinions about that. I actually now dislike tailstanding… for reasons I do not want to argue about.

sooo… I think you are wise to ask for more details from a reviewer, if you have questions. And I think it is wise to ask owners of a light for opinions too. However, there are plenty of owners who are imho, rather clueless, when it comes to some of the subtle distinctions that matter to “me”. Only I can decide whether to keep a light or not, because, I notice things that I like, or bother me, differently than other people.

Bottom line, I will not lie, and Zanflare clearly does… Sooo… I have no plans to buy Zanflares…

I hope my longwinded opinion is not offensive to anyone. Sometimes I have strong opinions. They are mine, and do not have to be the same opinion of other users, with different priorities. And I tend to state my opinions in strong terms, such as “All Reviews are Propaganda”. FWIW, Propaganda is just spanish for Advertising. It has a negative spin, because it has been used to disinform, and even lie, but that is the nature of the speaker, not of the term. In no way am I accusing other Reviewers of intentionally lying, when I point out that Reviews are Advertisement. I think we all know that is true.

I for one, enjoy looking at photos of lights, and sometimes I buy lights based on repetition… we see others posting about their light, it sounds fun to us, and we buy it. Then we realize the light has a feature that bugs us… were we lied to, no. We just have different opinions about certain features, and to some of us, a feature can be a bug.

Im really glad Olight changed the Lockout feature in the S1 Mini to NOT flash moonlight, on the S Mini that feature really Bugs Me!

jon_slider · 2018-08-03T03:53:38.000Z

Speaking of fake reviews, or maybe confused review links, or sleazy sellers, not sure

I just ordered this light, have a laugh at me!
(no, I did not read the reviews first, it was an after thought)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000PHX4P6/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

SKV89 · 2018-08-03T05:21:46.000Z

For those not aware, there’s a website called fakespot.com that rates Amazon product reviews from A to F. It’s pretty good but not the most accurate. I find it makes a lot of assumptions and sometimes think honest reviews are fake for being overly positive. But for the most part, it is very useful and the best tool we got for filtering out potentially dishonest companies.

jon_slider · 2018-08-03T06:44:46.000Z

SKV89:

fakespot.com

thanks
tried it, and it got fooled

it quotes reviews about porn dvds as legit for the light

Im starting to figure out that I just got scammed by buying this Novatac on Amazon… will let you know how it plays out…

I think I fell for one of these before, had to dispute it with paypal, and got my money back… we shall see…

Blackbeard · 2018-08-03T07:15:02.000Z

I wonder if this is a translation error and it should be called a penlight…but then the bots misread it as well and automated responses/reviews were generated with the sketchy info, very weird situation.