Dr. Lecter
Contributor
I'd post this in the Manufacturer's Forums, but LM doesn't seem to have a spot there and the service and support Corey has given me merits (at a minimum) that they get some good press.
A while ago my old Salvo 21W HID 14.4V developed a small cut in the cord during a dive here in HI, and while the can didn't flood the lid itself did. I emailed LM with my problem and they told me to send it in, so I boxed it up and dropped it in the mail to FL. Maybe a week or so later I got a call from LM, who took the time to explain everything that had gone wrong due to the flooding.
Rather than just replacing the switch, boot, and cord, though, they did a complete tear-down and clean up of the light's seals, etc. -- even machined a groove into the back of the light head so I could add a loop for not blinding buddies when clipping the light off. The price for all this was a whopping $35 or so in parts, plus a small cost to ship the light back to me. All that labor? No charge.
The one thing they noted was they they couldn't do a burn test: my ancient battery wouldn't even take a charge. So, they suggested replacing it with a newer 11.1V LiPo battery and charger. They offered me a great deal on the battery and charger and noted that the new battery would be easier on the bulb and ballast than the older one; or, if I needed to scrimp, they could offer a NiMH battery and charger for somewhat less. Because my battery had been good for 4+ hours of burn time before the cord and lid flooded, and the battery didn't seem to have suffered any damage, I decided to hold off on spending several hundred bucks on a new battery and see how it fared on my own charger.
The light arrived and sure enough, battery wouldn't take a charge. So I called LM back and paid an excellent price for a new 11.1V LiPo battery and charger, which arrived in due course. When I got it, the light burn tested for 4.25 hours before I got bored, shut it off, charged it back up, and went diving.
The light worked great on my first dive, but wouldn't ignite at all after turning it off and then jumping back in for the second dive. I went home and dropped in a new 21W HID bulb, but no change. Emailed LM again, who asked that I send the whole thing back for them to get it properly sorted. So I did.
And they did. Boy did they ever... the light arrived yesterday. Nobody had called to tell me what was broken or what it would cost, just a tracking number email and then it showed up fixed with a new ballast. I can't wait to take it diving again this weekend
Light Monkey, you guys rock. For the same reason guys like Atomic Aquatics and Shearwater rock: you make some of the very best gear and give your customers the best, easiest to use, most personalized support. And I know that whenever I need a new light (I'm eying a 35W or 50W for wrecks), it's going to be from Light Monkey. When anyone I dive with needs a light, you guys are going to be who I suggest.
A while ago my old Salvo 21W HID 14.4V developed a small cut in the cord during a dive here in HI, and while the can didn't flood the lid itself did. I emailed LM with my problem and they told me to send it in, so I boxed it up and dropped it in the mail to FL. Maybe a week or so later I got a call from LM, who took the time to explain everything that had gone wrong due to the flooding.
Rather than just replacing the switch, boot, and cord, though, they did a complete tear-down and clean up of the light's seals, etc. -- even machined a groove into the back of the light head so I could add a loop for not blinding buddies when clipping the light off. The price for all this was a whopping $35 or so in parts, plus a small cost to ship the light back to me. All that labor? No charge.
The one thing they noted was they they couldn't do a burn test: my ancient battery wouldn't even take a charge. So, they suggested replacing it with a newer 11.1V LiPo battery and charger. They offered me a great deal on the battery and charger and noted that the new battery would be easier on the bulb and ballast than the older one; or, if I needed to scrimp, they could offer a NiMH battery and charger for somewhat less. Because my battery had been good for 4+ hours of burn time before the cord and lid flooded, and the battery didn't seem to have suffered any damage, I decided to hold off on spending several hundred bucks on a new battery and see how it fared on my own charger.
The light arrived and sure enough, battery wouldn't take a charge. So I called LM back and paid an excellent price for a new 11.1V LiPo battery and charger, which arrived in due course. When I got it, the light burn tested for 4.25 hours before I got bored, shut it off, charged it back up, and went diving.
The light worked great on my first dive, but wouldn't ignite at all after turning it off and then jumping back in for the second dive. I went home and dropped in a new 21W HID bulb, but no change. Emailed LM again, who asked that I send the whole thing back for them to get it properly sorted. So I did.
And they did. Boy did they ever... the light arrived yesterday. Nobody had called to tell me what was broken or what it would cost, just a tracking number email and then it showed up fixed with a new ballast. I can't wait to take it diving again this weekend
Light Monkey, you guys rock. For the same reason guys like Atomic Aquatics and Shearwater rock: you make some of the very best gear and give your customers the best, easiest to use, most personalized support. And I know that whenever I need a new light (I'm eying a 35W or 50W for wrecks), it's going to be from Light Monkey. When anyone I dive with needs a light, you guys are going to be who I suggest.
