Customer Reviews

Neiko Super-Bright 9 LED Heavy-Duty Compact Aluminum Flashlight - Gunmetal Silver

5 star:		(107)
4 star:		(56)
3 star:		(23)
2 star:		(22)
1 star:		(40)

 

 

(Edit, addendum 10/13/07)

Now after several months of extended use, it's time to add to the review in light of experience. There is a downside and that is in the (electrical) contact on the back of the LED PCB (printed circuit board). The solder paths create a single lead/tin "button" in the center of the PCB. The positive terminal of the battery holder contacts this "button." This solder "button" tends to oxidize as time goes on, and that makes the passage of current from the battery holder either absent or intermittant. In most cases, whacking the flashlight against the palm of your hand lengthwise will bounce the battery housing enough to break the oxidation layer and everything goes back to normal function.

On the (now many) lights we've purchased and distributed, I took the time to removed the LED pcb and solder multple strands of copper acrosse the end of the button, or, simply solder a small copper circle to the button. In EVERY case, the problem vanished and hasn't returned.

While this is a minor problem, the pricing is such that it can pretty much be ignored. If one is so inclined, the time and effort necessary to effect a permanent repair is minimal and well worth the small effort involved.
geoff

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Through an Amazon special, I grabbed two of these along with two of the same company's 21 LED lights (also three AAA's). As another reviewer mentioned, these are "field" units and are susceptible to getting lost or damaged. Fundamentally, that requires that they be of a "disposable" prices.

After receiving the initial order, I ordered another 6, one for each car, one for each child, one for the wife's purse and a couple of spares for me, etc, etc.

Good quality, good light, good design for the prices. VERY good.

The future will tell if the longevity matches the other qualities.
geoff beneze

Nice idea for a cheap, light weight flashlight, but very poorly made. The light flashes on/off randomly. It will turn on sometime with the switch, at other times it must be lightly tapped or shaken, and sometimes nothing. It is essentially useless. It is most definitely NOT "Heavy Duty" as the description says. I liked the size and price, but this is just a piece of junk. I am returning it. Save yourself some aggravation, pay a few bucks more, get a name brand.

Bought 3 of these flashlights in different colors. One of the units, the cool blue one, first started showing intermittent lighting, then died. After pushing on the glass face of the flashlight, the light came back on, but soon went away. After a few more tries pushing on the glass face, the light came back on, hopefully to stay. To ensure that it stays operational, I've added superglue to make sure the glass does not shift out the millimeter or two that seems to kill the flashlight. Still decided to give it 4 stars because for the price it does give out decent light to use on camping trips, and battery life has been good though I have not timed it. Also, to be fair, it did take some abuse from my son, and I don't really expect a low priced flashlight to handle too much abuse.

The first flashlight I purchased did not work at all after repeated trials and examination. Amazon very promptly send me a replacement after I returned the defective unit. Unfortunately the second unit did not function either at first but then after rearranging and replacing the batteries it would work intermittently. I finally gave up!

We own many flashlights, and this one looked great, but within a month it no longer worked, and no amount of battering fiddling made it better. Maybe it was just a bad light, but I would not recommend this.

I bought several of these b/c the price was so good and the light so bright. Most of the lights I bought flicker a lot, with the light sometimes going out. Seems to be due to the wiring in the switch area, since tapping and turning it on & off temporarily resolves the problem (for about a minute).

I thought I would take a chance and get one that doesn't have the spotty on/off problem so many others have reported. No such luck. It doesn't turn on when you click it. If you reseat the battery, or jiggle it around, it will eventually turn on and work, but when you need a flashlight, you need a flashlight, not one five minutes later.

A consistent design flaw or poor construction process.

On the plus side, it looks great, and when it works, it works well. I gave it to my 4-year old and bought a Smith and Wesson 28 light LED flashlight.

Excellent construction and brightness. Fits easily in a tool bag or glove box. I am a field service engineer and have lost several expensive flashlights so I decided to go cheap just in case I lost another one. I bought 4 of these, and there's nothing cheap about them except the price.

The flashlight was delivered in a timely fashon but didn't work. The included batteries worked fine but no light. Amazon won't replace the light because they are not the seller. All I get is a refund. When that comes through I'll decide if it's worth the hassle to try again.

The brightness of the light is okay. Everything else isn't. It is in a brittle casing and will not take the punishment of flashlights that this one is made to look like. Also, the one I got turns off when it is pointed at an upward angle. Also, this thing reeks the scent of grease/oil, should you happen to like that sort of thing. These duds are going for 2.50 at Fry's.