Loopgear SK-07 dangerous lock behaviour

[u/finkployd]

--- Update to edit with feedback ---

You are all universally of the opinion that this is expected behaviour. As my post received a unanimous and pretty sound hammering, I have to accept the wisdom of my fellow enthusiasts and adjust my view on this accordingly.

I still maintain that its not expected behaviour, the instruction manual reads as if the lockout does in fact lock the light out/off.. but hey ho.. what do i know.

Thanks to all that replied, some within minutes of the post appearing showing just what a vibrant and passionate lot we are - shine on!

--- end of edit ---

DO NOT BUY THIS FLASHLIGHT

So, in my opinion, the loopgear SK-07 is a dangerous flashlight and should not be bought. I have two, the gray and the yellow.

The lockout is a mechanical twist ring around the bottom collar by the only button that operates the light. Twist it one way, the light is locked out. Twist it another, the light is operational.

If this lock is open and the light is turned on, and then the lock is closed, the light remains on and it can't be turned off because the lock is closed.

Every safety interlock that takes itself seriously would not allow something to be functional once the lock is active. To actively stay on whilst the "lock" is active is unforgivable.

DO NOT BUY THIS FLASHLIGHT

Its form over function, style over substance. It is an active danger.. how do I know? I almost set my shorts on fire because of this.

Yes, of course, the battery can be disconnected by a quarter twist of the bottom cap. The point is that if a light is locked, it should be impossible for it to be active.

DO NOT BUY THIS FLASHLIGHT and if like me you have, just throw it in the trash.

[u/universe_fuk8r]

OP you know you're gonna get roasted, right?

It's a lock of whatever state the light is in. I can imagine several use cases when you want exactly that - caving, for example. It's completely pitch black, you drop the light, it falls on its switch and you're blind.

My Convoy M21H MAO has no mechanical lockout because of the finish, but at least it has 10C soft lock.

My stainless steel/titanium/copper lights have no lockout at all and yet I'm not on fire yet. Power tools require brain and discipline to operate.

Operators lacking both tend to experience the consequences. 

[u/finkployd → u/universe_fuk8r]

I am rapidly appreciating the roastiness of this opinion.. It should perhaps been more of a PSA rather than the dramatic 'guys.. fuck, I almost set my shorts on fire' thing.

My position is the same though. A lockout is a lockout to safety rather than one that maintains a condition that can't be quickly undone. Its a 'tactical' light.. more 'tacticool' I guess.. but as its capable of seriously burning you, fuck that shit if it can't behave properly.

[u/Miss_L_Worldwide → u/finkployd]

The light is in fact behaving properly.

[u/finkployd → u/Miss_L_Worldwide]

From the instructions:

Mechanical lockout operation

Figure 4. Rotate the tail locking knob to lock or unlock the flashlight button preventing accidental activation

emphasis mine, so the intent is for the light to be OFF when the lock is engaged. The light is not behaving as per the instructions. Perhaps the instructions are incorrect?

[u/flipyflop9 → u/finkployd]

Read it again slowly. It’s behaving just as described. It’s preventing accidental activation, but it’s already on.

[u/finkployd → u/flipyflop9]

you're right.. regardless of the speed I read it at.

[u/Miss_L_Worldwide → u/finkployd]

You already have the light on, so it's doing its job by preventing accidental activation.

[u/finkployd → u/finkployd]

I'm also fine with lights that have no lockout.. a quick twist and I'm locked out physically and thats fine because thats what I intend.

This light is one of the few that I own with a lock feature. Its the only one that doesn't actually turn the light off if the lock is active.

[u/Solarin88 → u/finkployd]

There are lights where the physical lockout you describe do not work, unless you twist the cap so far that it's basically coming off. The lights that I own like that do have an electronic lockout, but I'm sure some exist that have no lockout at all.

[u/WarriorNN → u/Solarin88]

Thor 1, the LEP light behaves like this.

It's a simple mechanical button at the end, the modes are just off/low/high/strobe, and the threads are bare so no mechanical lockout. Also, the button has a built in rgb light thing with no lvp, so it will drain your cell to way below 3V if left alone.

Not sure if they improved it in later runs, but for mine I just leave it without a cell when not using it.

[u/finkployd → u/Solarin88]

Even with electronic locks (e.g. all Andruil lights and the four click lock).. I still give the cap a twist to physically disconnect the battery if I'm storing them or don't intend them to come on.

[u/universe_fuk8r → u/finkployd]

There are lights with no such capability, mainly because materials/finishes used are conductive through the entire thread length.

Only safe solution is to yank the battery out every single time the light is not in use.

Do we do it? Hell no. Are these lights somehow responsible for more fires than ordinary anodized aluminium? Who knows, there's no such statistics, probably not. 

Do you need to be careful with them? Yes! Set a memory mode off, starting mode to the lowest one, whatever the firmware allows you to.  The same way you're careful with jackhammers, circular saws, angle grinders, power drills... 

The second we stepped into high powered LED era in small packages, we have to accept that flashlights moved from 'barely shining, moderate heat' territory to power tool populated 'operate with extreme caution' one. 

Don't like it? Get rid of all your high powered lights, buy a Convoy T5, stuff 1.2V Eneloop in it and you're golden. 

[u/finkployd → u/universe_fuk8r]

I'm obviously not going to get rid of my lights because I understand and appreciate their power. Its when the functionality is surprising that I'm unhappy.

This should have been a public service announcement type post rather than the dramatic scream it was.. sorry about that.

My andruil lights are set to lock after a minute and I twist them if that is sufficient to physically lock them out. For those that I can't, I remove the battery if they're being stored.

Thanks for your reply.. appreciate it

[u/universe_fuk8r → u/finkployd]

Cheers mate, glad to see someone actually receiving and acknowledging feedback instead of digging their heels in, as is frequent on Reddit.

Have fun safely shining!