A friend recently asked me if I could help him fix his cheap flashlight. He doesn’t remember how much it originally cost, but thinks he bought it for a dollar or two a couple of months ago.
The flashlight only works intermittently, with a higher chance of success when it is jarred or violently shaken. To me it sounds like the problem is with the switch or battery contacts, but perhaps there is a short or broken lead in or near the LED.
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Here is my recommendation about how to fix a cheap flashlight… discard it and purchase another one, preferably a better one from a brand that stands behind its products.
My first thought is usually to recommend one of the 5 best LED flashlights under $20 that we discussed a week ago, but a 2AA or 3AA mini-Maglite would also be an excellent choice. Actually, a mini-Maglite would probably be the best recommendation since they’re solid performers and most homeowners and less sophisticated flashlight users are more likely to recognize the brand or styling.
For those that insist on lower priced flashlights, there are many inexpensive LED flashlights over at Amazon, and similar models pop up by the pallet-full at home improvement stores around Thanksgiving and Christmas.
To troubleshoot and fix a cheap flashlight often takes more time, effort and materials than it’s worth. Plus, when these cheap lights stop working properly, the defect is usually irreparable. I’m not one to recommend throw-away products, and often try to steer friends and family away from these cheaper lights.
Maglite 2AA LED Flashlight – this isn’t on our “best LED” roundup, but it is still a superb and highly recommended flashlight. Prices range from $20-$25, but they do drop below $15 every now and then, especially around major gift-giving holidays.
To sum it up, how do you fix a cheap LED flashlight? You don’t, you ditch it and upgrade to a non-disposable model.
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James
Sorry, you lost me at “Actually, a mini-Maglite would probably be the best recommendation since most homeowners and less sophisticated flashlight users are more likely to recognize the brand or styling.”
I’ve been appreciating your recent flashlight coverage, but I don’t see any benefit in putting brand (or form) over function.
Stuart
You’re right, something about that doesn’t sound right, so I tweaked that sentence just slightly.
What I meant to convey is my belief that Maglites are a great stepping point for homeowners and less in-the-know flashlight users to upgrade to from cheap non-branded dollar-store models.
If I try to recommend something like a Fenix or Steamlight to such a user, I am usually met with heavy resistance. If they’ve never heard of the brand, they are more likely to stick with no-name cheap imports of the type that failed on them in the first place.
However, many of these users have heard of Maglite, and if not, the flashlight style should be easily recognizable.
I have several LED Maglites around – 2AA, 3AA, 2D, 3D, and the newer 2AA, and find them to be very good quality flashlights. If something should go wrong, Maglite stands behind the product 100%. If Duracell, Eveready, or Rayovac batteries leak in the flashlight, Maglite will repair the damage.
So it’s not that I put brand or styling ahead of function. I definitely feel that Maglite flashlights are worth recommending, especially for the price. There are better flashlights, though, and certainly quite a few that I like more. BUT, convincing a $4 flashlight user to upgrade to a $40 one is not going to fly. Convincing the same user to upgrade to a solidly performing $15-25 Maglite is going to be an easier task.
James
Thanks for the clarification. I’ve been looking to purchase my first quality flashlight (aside from the 7-LED Streamlight I have, but that one isn’t very bright and “floods” too much for my needs). These recent flashlight posts have been helpful.
I agree, the average consumer is going to be swayed by price most of the time, at least and especially in the case of flashlights. If not price, then a well-known brand may get them to upgrade, and that would pretty much be Maglight.
I would suggest telling someone to check out some Youtube videos before they settle on the cheap one again. It’s hard to gauge real-world performance in a video, but it is great for comparison purposes.
Jason
There is something to be said for the free flashlights at Harbor Freight. They work for awhile and it’s cheaper to get another free one than to replace batteries in one. I have lost count as to how many I have given away to friends. They are always very much appreciated. It also helps to point out the Harbor Freight coupons in magazines to friends as well.
Now that being said, most of my lights I use are SureFire and Streamlight. So I do appreciate the high end lights. But the high end lights aren’t for everyone. I find that most people don’t even want to spend $5 on a light. That is why I say the free Harbor Freight lights are actually a good idea.
teicher
I disagree. The last thing we need to do is throw more stuff away because its “easier” than fixing it. Easier on who? Throwing it away means there is more stuff going to sit in the landfill, more raw materials that have to be mined, etc.. Why not try to fix it? This is a tool site, people who like tools usually like to fix things with the tools. The flashlight is already broken, what do you have to lose by trying to repair it? Time? That’s time you get to practice fixing a flashlight so that you won’t have to practice on your good one. Money? You are guaranteed to spend money on a new one, you might be able to fix the cheapie with w/o any parts or what you might already have on hand.
Me, I’d rather take a swing at fixing it. You don’t have to spend all day on it, but dismissing a repair out of hand in favor of shopping isn’t the kind of example I’d like to set. I like to build things and fix things. Tools are just a, well, tool to help me do that.
Bill Smith
I agree 110%.
Stuart
That’s exactly my point, though. Taking a close look at cheap flashlights, you will often see that most are not designed to be fixed. They’re not designed to be serviced or troubleshot, they’re designed to be disposable and as cheap to manufacture as possible. If the LED module overheats or suffers an electrical failure, there’s no replacement option and few repair options.
Simple mechanical failures in the flashlight body should be easy to rectify, but anything beyond that usually signals that the entire thing is toasted and beyond repair.
My recommendation is not that cheap flashlight users buy a new one each and every time they fail, but to upgrade to a quality brand after or even before the first failure.
What fueled this post was the frustration at having too many colleagues and friends come to me when their cheap flashlights bite the dust. The flashlights can only be partially disassembled, and there are no tell-tale signs of what’s wrong. I can usually determine if the problem is with the batteries, battery contacts, or switch. If the problem’s not with one of those things, then it’s most likely related to the LED module, in which case there’s nothing that can reasonably be done.
I’m not saying that you shouldn’t try to fix these cheap flashlights, but that you often cannot.
Kevin
ah, the 6 Led flashlight from Home Depot, yeah mine have the some problems, they flicker, dim and work when they want to. It’s a shame cause the body is pretty decent aluminum.
Maikeru
Personally those cheap flashlights are at least good for parting out via desoldering the LEDs. If you can’t fix them in their original config you can at least use their parts for a few fun projects—like Halloween costumes.
Art Schow
Hi Stuart, How do you fix a Woodcraft, WoodRiver LED Dual Power Shop Light. It has a 7 LED head ? Woodcraft # 149727. they are not ( CHEAP ). Art
Stuart
Consider contacting Woodcraft for a replacement. Even if past the 90-day guarantee, WoodRiver is their house-brand, so they might be willing to exchange it for you without needing much convincing.
John
This is not about LED flashlights, but brand, and as this maker (Maglite) also makes and warranties LED units I can imagine the customer service is comperable. After my father passed away I found an inoperative 3 cell Maglite among his things, paint chipped and obviously LONG out of warranty. I contacted Maglite for an address to have it repaired, agreeing beforehand to pay any cahrges. There were no charges other than the shipping to the repair facility; Maglite covered the repair completely and return shipping. The repairman also added that Eveready and Duracell pay for repairs if their batteries fail and leak acid onto the Maglite components. Batteries die, but great customer service is worth an extra dollar in my opinion.
Bob schleimer
Cleaned corrosion off contact flash lite works now.
Peter O
I no longer consider any Eveready battery to be of suitable quality.
Amongst the failed (generally leaking) batteries I have come across Eveready is the main culprit. Duracell not much better.
My experience covers button cells to AA, AAA, C & D.
I have once had Eveready refund repair costs. But I have also received promises to refund & then mysteriously (on invoice presentation) no none knows anything -left me out of pocket $60 once but never again.
J Swan
Hey Stuart, about the cheesy, freebie 9 LED, 3 AA aluminum flashlights that you get as give-aways at Harbor Freight (and for cheap everywhere else). I have done a ‘fix’ on them that may last a while. The 9 LEDs are mounted on a round circuit board that gets pressed into the aluminum body. The intermittent operation is due to the pressed-in LED circuit board, usually not the switch. The design counts on the circuit board to be pressed in tightly to make the negative connection. But the circuit board loosens after some use, hence the intermittent operation. Press in on the LEDs and it works.
On a couple flashlights I pushed the circuit board out with a socket, then placed a small piece of folded aluminum foil on one of the 3 negative connections that are supposed to make connection with the aluminum body. Then I pressed the LEDs and the circuit board back into the aluminum body. The thinking was, if I got the aluminum foil to press into the side of the circuit board the connection would effectively be permanent. The flashlight worked great! 🙂 For maybe a year or so if that long. 🙁
Now I am thinking of soldering a thin piece of wire onto negative connection area of the circuit board (the area already has solder) and folding that over the edge of the circuit board to reliably press against the aluminum body as I press it into the aluminum flashlight body.
Is it worth fixing? Hardly. But is Mount Everest worth climbing? For some people. 🙂
DaBobski
My God – its a flashlight! How many things could go wring with it? It seems almost all handheld flashlights just stop working for no apparent reason – but I would think anyone with half an electrical engineering brain could explain the main point of failure in these simple devices. Stuart? Anybody? . . .
Stuart
There are lots of possible reasons. Burnt out LEDs (especially on cheaper flashlights), mechanical wear, dirty contacts, shock damage, water damage, etc.
Cheap flashlights are tubes with battery contacts, LED emitters, and lenses.
Pricier flashlights are often more thoughtfully designed and tested, and built with higher quality materials.
I’ve had more expensive flashlights fail (although it’s much more rare), but in those cases, the brand will repair or replace the flashlight, and will hopefully strive to make improvements based on what they learned.
DaBobski
Another question, since there is a consensus that flashlights just stop working for no clear reason: Stuart and others are suggesting that expensive flashlights are worth buying, but I’ve not heard any claims that they will outlast the cheaper ones.
What say you?
joe
Nice and well said. I was struggling with the feeling that you put into words. Thx!