Electronics, Lighting, & Gadgets - Magicshine Battery Recall - How long did it take for you to get your new battery?

Just got my letter today and mailed the battery. Post office said it had to go ground not air. Guess I'll be using my backup front strobe for a while ... :(

Last November, the company reported that the batteries were dangerous and should not be used. Most people already bought something else.

Last November, the company reported that the batteries were dangerous and should not be used. Most people already bought something else.

I've been using mine all along. I lived.

I've been using mine all along. I lived.

Same here...

I received the email notification that letters were going out on Friday, but I haven't gotten the letter yet.

I've been using and charging mine all along too- no issues. I really don't want to be without a light for a few weeks- I ride at 5am. I'd almost rather just buy a new battery and then send the old one back and have 2 batteries.

Mine continues to work fine. I just got the free recall notice in the mail but I am wondering if it's worth the hassle of pitching the current battery to get a new one.

Do any of the battery gurus know if the new "made in usa" battery is really any better than a functional chinese model that has worked fine with no problems??

Got the recall letter today. Is it common to have to return the old product to get the new one. That's a major hassle. I'm almost tempted just to keep using mine, which works fine.

Got the recall letter today. Is it common to have to return the old product to get the new one. That's a major hassle. I'm almost tempted just to keep using mine, which works fine.

That's what I am asking. I don't know enough about battery technology to know if it's worth the hassle to return the old one for a new one. I am hoping some of the battery brainiacs (and you know who you are!!) in here will be able to give a good answer of the pro's and con's.

I sent mine Priority Mail today. The Postal Clerk asked if there was anything hazardous in the package. I pointed to the label that I printed from the site that describes the contents as a Li-ion battery. The pack is a secondary Li-ion battery that is a mailable Class 9 hazardous material. He accepted the package.

If you prefer not to ship the battery, there is an option to take the battery to one of the recycling centers on a list, have someone there sign the form, and then mail the signed form back to the recall center.

BTW, I remember reading that they plan to ship the batteries to the people who have had them the longest because they are the ones that are most likely to be a problem.

Anyway, my battery pack was pretty much dead, so I have nothing to lose here.

That's what I am asking. I don't know enough about battery technology to know if it's worth the hassle to return the old one for a new one. I am hoping some of the battery brainiacs (and you know who you are!!) in here will be able to give a good answer of the pro's and con's.
I'm not a battery guru but I can give some pros and cons. Couple of things to keep in mind is the fact that LiIo battery pack will naturally diminsh in capacity over time even if they have no problems with mismatch. If you used your pack for a year now, most likely your pack performance will drop in the next two years. If you replace the pack from Geoman, you essentially will gain an extra year of service. One way to tell what is the condition your old pack is by running it down to see if you do indeed still get the 3hrs of runtime.

The danger of continuous use of your old pack is the possibility of getting the cell unbalance within time. If you happen to be some of the few who happen to got matched cell in your pack, then your pack may be ok. However this still does not mean they are balance after one year of service. Your mismatch cell might only be a small error but over time, it will become unbalance raising the chances of having one or more cell getting hot from overcharging and catching fire. The new pack has a sensor for temp to help prevent that. The only way to tell is taking a reading of each cell with a volt meter.

Why take that chance when you can get a replacement pack and reset the cycle counter back to zero? OTOH, the new pack is unproven and only time and field testing will tell. If they are a dud, then your old cell would have been better. I kinda doubt this though.

I've been using mine, but the runtime has been getting pretty short and mostly for the last couple of months I've been using my Tenergy 8 cell pack. I just got the letter yesterday and shipped it today.

That's what I am asking. I don't know enough about battery technology to know if it's worth the hassle to return the old one for a new one. I am hoping some of the battery brainiacs (and you know who you are!!) in here will be able to give a good answer of the pro's and con's. I'm no "brainiac" - but I play one on the bike forums....

I will offer these comments just as a "guess" - that's all just a guess about the "bad battery" situation.

I think this is a case of possibly defective or damaged battery-cell "protection-circuit" boards. And there is no way of knowing if the boards are manufactured poorly, installed poorly or are being damaged by transportation mishandling or user error.

But the end result is the possibility that they will fail to regulate voltage when charging the battery pack. In most cases, even if the board fails, the charger would still limit the voltage and current to the battery pack and you would simply have a hot, smelly mass melted battery cells beside your hot (but not on fire) charger.

However, the battery cells can contain irregular or uneven concentrations of electrolyte. (cell jelly) If there is enough of an "air bubble" (or gas) trapped in the cell as it continues to heat over a long period of time the result could be an explosion. Along with the "pop" - the material ejected could be hot enough to start a fire or burn you.

For anyone who knows how to use a multi-meter it is a rather simple process to measure both the current and voltage of battery and charger as long as you are willing to splice up your own cables to insert the meter in and across the charging circuit. If you take the time to observe the current decreasing as the voltage nears its cutoff point - you pretty well know all is well.

Fully discharged batter packs will draw between 1.5A and 2.1A for a few minutes.

Within five minutes any very high reading should have fallen to near 1.5A (if not you have a poor charger regulator)

You should be able to "watch" the current decrease at about 10mA per minute for the several hours. This means you would see about .9A an hour later.

Three hours later you would see a nearly fully charged battery, drawing somewhere around 20-30mA. If you check terminal voltage- it should be approaching 8.1-8.4V.

That is all.






But I don't know, this is just my best guess. In any case, I treat my batteries gently and do not let them get bumped or dropped.

I've been using mine all along. I lived.

+1 I think the problem like many recalls is a small percentage of people.. My charger never even got warm to the touch and I have been using my 1st gen MS light and battery just fine.. I think I am going to get an extra battery from empowerment, his prices are good and he is a fellow Bfer..

Just curious, did anyone get a letter from MagicShine directly? I bought one directly from the mfg., not from GeoMan. I doubt they are notifying but would be curious to see if they did....

Just curious, did anyone get a letter from MagicShine directly? I bought one directly from the mfg., not from GeoMan. I doubt they are notifying but would be curious to see if they did....

I'm not aware of anyone but GeoMan doing a recall. Honestly, I think the GeoMan recall is more of a CYA/publicity move. I'd be absolutely amazed if MagicShine did a general recall. Actually, more than that. I'd check to make sure I'm still on the right planet.

I don't actually think that the battery "problems" were bad, or would have effected even 1% of users. But I'll still take a free new higher quality battery, now that I've pretty much used up the original battery anyway.

I am still looking for a good solution to the weak connectors on the MagicShine system. As it is I have to replace my Y connector about every 3 or 4 months. Luckily they're about $3 at DX so I don't care that much. I think that I will probably cut off the waterproofing ring on the battery connector to make the connectors slide apart easily, since I keep that connector inside a waterproof pannier anyway.

+1 I think the problem like many recalls is a small percentage of people.. My charger never even got warm to the touch and I have been using my 1st gen MS light and battery just fine.. I think I am going to get an extra battery from empowerment, his prices are good and he is a fellow Bfer..

The last time I really used the MS, it died after 1 1/2 hours on a 2 hour night ride. I charged it for 3 hours and it ran for 30 minutes. Charged it again for 3 hours, it ran for 15 minutes. After that, it would only run for 5 minutes, so I put it away. It never caught on fire, but it failed.

My choice to get a new battery through the recall was obvious. For those with a battery that still functions, the choice is not so obvious. Personally, I'd get a new battery while they're offered. YMMV.

For those with a battery that still functions, the choice is not so obvious. Personally, I'd get a new battery while they're offered. YMMV.

Me, too. Even if your battery is pretty functional, the new one is supposedly built with better quality components and is, well, new. No battery last forever, and the original battery almost certainly less so than the new one. It's a darn good bet that a replacement battery will be working for longer than the original. Especially since the recall didn't happen until most of us don't particularly need lighting, it's kind of a no-brainer to send it off now and get a new replacement.

Me, too. Even if your battery is pretty functional, the new one is supposedly built with better quality components and is, well, new. No battery last forever, and the original battery almost certainly less so than the new one. It's a darn good bet that a replacement battery will be working for longer than the original. Especially since the recall didn't happen until most of us don't particularly need lighting, it's kind of a no-brainer to send it off now and get a new replacement.

Yeah, it's beginning to get lighter out for my 6am commute, so I may go ahead and take the battery to the recycler at some point over the next couple of weeks and use my old Stella while I wait for the replacement.

+1 I think the problem like many recalls is a small percentage of people.. My charger never even got warm to the touch and I have been using my 1st gen MS light and battery just fine.. I think I am going to get an extra battery from empowerment, his prices are good and he is a fellow Bfer..
A day after I received the letter and logged into the recall website I received an offer from Geoman for a 4.5 "GEOMAN" Brand battery (not the German make) at 20% off which came to $49 or so. The only down sides were
a) I had to buy it within 2 days and b) Shipping was about $13.90.
Sounds to me a bit hight especially since USPS costs $6.00 or so for Priority Mail. I "think" the battery could be mailed since all the others ship that way.
Oh yeah, the sale offer never stated when I would receive it and with that in mind, I passed

A day after I received the letter and logged into the recall website I received an offer from Geoman for a 4.5 "GEOMAN" Brand battery (not the German make) at 20% off which came to $49 or so. The only down sides were
a) I had to buy it within 2 days and b) Shipping was about $13.90.
Sounds to me a bit hight especially since USPS costs $6.00 or so for Priority Mail. I "think" the battery could be mailed since all the others ship that way.
Oh yeah, the sale offer never stated when I would receive it and with that in mind, I passed

I used my 20% LOYALTY coupon for a MS900 with a Geoman batterry along with some other stuff to get that $100 minium. The shipping was around $15 or something close to that. It seem that shipping is same for small or larger quanity order. The lights and battery shall be here Monday. It will not be my light but for my partners bike.

My battery/charger was working fine. I got the letter last week, with the earlier sunrise I decided to take care of it right away. I registered online, had my local batteries plus sign the form, and sent it in Mon or Tues. I don't know when I'll see the actual new battery.

The letter that I received from GeoManGear is dated April 15, 2011. I'm hoping that the battery replacement is not based on the PIN number assigned to me on the letter.

That letter says the recall size is about 19,500 battery packs and my PIN last 5 digits is in the 18,000 range.

I ordered my MS light set in 11/09 and my recall PIN was over 32000. I guess those are just random.

Anyway I read in the FAQ that they will send the new batteries to those who have had the old batteries the longest.

I'll be sending in my batteries - I have three - in the next day or two. I may use them once or twice, then Summer will arrive in Alaska and it will be light enough to ride 24/7 for a few months before darkness returns. My recollection for best battery life is to put them away 2/3 charged. If correct that's something of a pain in the butt, but that's what I understand is the best practice. Corrections/comments?

Not that anyone will actually get any answers about other MS battery recalls/defects - you can be sure that Geoman is using first rate legal help in covering their own collective ******. My two-cent detective work took me to these sites.

Geoman's Battery recall law group - Rust Consulting, (http://www.rustconsulting.com/portals/0//pdf/Rust_Practice_Area/Rust_PracticeArea_Consumer.pdf)Inc (http://www.rustconsulting.com/portals/0//pdf/Rust_Practice_Area/Rust_PracticeArea_Consumer.pdf)

Geoman's Law firm's public relations fulfillment group Kinsella Media (http://www.kinsellamedia.com/Experience/Consumer_Product_Liability.aspx)

My recall request letter came back "unknown address" no such po number..........

I sent it to PO 328 Minne MN 55440--328 - anyone else have a clue?

I am an unhappy camper - will go "postal" on geoman.... unless I goofed somehow....

well your address zip code is zip + 4, you only have 3 numbers after the zip, here is how the add should read

PO BOX 328
MINNEAPOLIS MN 55440-0328

yes the post office could screw it up by leaving off 1 number..

only have 3 numbers after the zip, here is how the add should read
PO BOX 328
MINNEAPOLIS MN 55440-0328

Yeah I posted that last night - I checked the actual letter and it is indeed addressed using 55440-0328.

I'm assuming this is some kind of "fluke." The "return to sender" appears "automated. (no such number cannot forward)

I mailed my battery to the street address. I found out the next day that I was supposed to mail it to the P.O. Box and the street address was supposed to be used for UPS shipments.

Anyway, according to the delivery confirmation, they got it.

I've got two Magicshine lights and both of the batteries are defective, so I went ahead and bought a new light system over the winter because I couldn't wait. However, I will be participating in the recall as soon as I get around to it. If nothing else, it should make it easier to sell my old MS lights if they have new batteries, or I may just keep one of the units.

I've got two Magicshine lights and both of the batteries are defective, so I went ahead and bought a new light system over the winter because I couldn't wait. However, I will be participating in the recall as soon as I get around to it. If nothing else, it should make it easier to sell my old MS lights if they have new batteries, or I may just keep one of the units.

I also bought another light over the winter, so I was just waiting for the recall to return the battery which was pretty much dead. I had no reason to delay, but I also figured that getting my old battery back to them as soon as possible increased my chances of getting a new battery sooner. The recall notice doesn't mention a deadline, but I just see no reason to wait.

I had an email exchange with the "recall officials" - at least they are attending to inquiries. This indicates that an effective policy will be carried forward. No telling how promptly, since some things have been lees than perfect already.

So far I have not seen where anyone has gotten the new batteries. I sent mine in on 4/19/2011 and still waiting. Anybody received the new ones yet??

The website says they began shipping on 5/3.

They JUST started shipping. People should start getting their batteries next week. I'm OK with the time frame.

I would guess the batteries being supplied will be sourced from the newest cells manufactured. My Dinotte batteries have yet to show any real power loss and I've owned them for 18 months. Too bad there isn't an industry standard that would tell consumers exactly what is used and when a battery pack is manufactured.

I guess the users that had problems with batteries were commuting and using them every single day.

Got mine today! I have yet to charge or use it, but it's here. Looks much nicer than the old one.

i am still waiting......not happy at all.

mailed it 4/20/11 and got the new one yesterday 7/5/11 so just over 2 months. I'm happy to have it back. While I never lost faith in the company I admit I was worried, especially since I didn't mail it with any kind of delivery confirmation. DOH!

some observations:
- the new battery doesn't fit into my old water bottle (that's how I carried the original)
- when I plugged the battery into my charger the charge light first lit red then green
- when I attached my extension wire the ready light lit red and stayed red (so I left it plugged in overnight)
- when I plugged the head in the next morning the indicator light on the head lit red but then changed to green when I cycled through the settings
- despite the initial indicator and charge light weirdness the battery and light seem to work properly

Guess I gotta go ride my bike now huh?

Wow, I forgot about this; I mailed mine around mid-April as well. The website doesn't give a warm fuzzy about the Geo's ability to survive:
"The recall will take time as the claims have greatly exceeded our expectations and costs have soared to over $750,000. Also, we now have a supply delay on our custom U.S. made battery pack orders for the remainder of this year due to the dual Japan disasters. ....... But Geomangear is a small family owned company and must continue to generate sales to pay for the recall. The recall will take some time; how much time before each person gets their battery claims fulfilled is not exactly known. This is massive financial burden for our company. It will require a superhuman effort to complete and we ask for your understanding and support as we work diligently to get successfully to the other side of this recall.

So, they're having supply continuity and financial issues .. might spell the end of Geo?

Now that we're on the other side of the solstice, I hope I get my battery before I have to start using my lights again. It's not like I don't have my P7 or Stella to use, but it's the principal of the thing. I was having no problems with my battery, but went ahead and trusted them that a problem existed and that they would make it good.

I got mine about a month ago. It's a nice looking unit, much higher quality construction than the original. I've been using it to power my Magicshine taillight and so far no complaints.

Yeah - I saw this coming - see ya later Geoman - I already bought a battery from empower - - talk about buyer beware.......

How is telling people their batteries are dangerous - tricking them into recycling them and then preserving battery inventory for "sales only" a "recall program?"

I had intended to buy extra batteries from Geoman - but after the silly double talk when I inquired regarding the battery recall status - well - I guess I'm in the dark.....

Yeah - I saw this coming - see ya later Geoman - I already bought a battery from empower - - talk about buyer beware.......

How is telling people their batteries are dangerous - tricking them into recycling them and then preserving battery inventory for "sales only" a "recall program?"


Yeah, I have to agree - I think they're saying they don't have enough money to buy the new units to replace the recalls. But, they want to bad units off the street. So, customers are stuck waiting and hoping that they can afford to get the money together. That's about as shady as it gets; I sympathize with small businesses that are really trying but not reserving costs or costing-in an epidemic failure warranty is really a grab-the-money-and-run approach to business. The fact that they are communicating the cost (750k) indicates they might be in cash-ration mode, it'll be interesting to see if they survive this.

Anyway, a real question: what is empower?

Anyway, a real question: what is empower?

I think he talking about Bikeempowerment? (http://bikeempowerment.com/Magicshine.html)

I'm getting LiIon withdraw symptoms from being deprive of my lumens ;)

I sent out two batteries during the Memorial weekend holiday with hopes of getting the new ones by end of July. Since the Japan earthquake, I'm looking maybe until Veteran day. How Ironic that will be? Ha ha.

Luckily, I am getting by with the two 5.2 amp hr pack from my Gemini Titan and Bikeray IV, and the extra MS lighthead I bought several months ago, otherwise there is no light at the end of the tunnel.

I got mine a few days ago. I don't remember when I sent the old one back, though.

i am still waiting......not happy at all.
Ditto, I'm all set but plan a 3 day trip with night riding this summer and would like the extra
battery option

Ditto, I'm all set but plan a 3 day trip with night riding this summer and would like the extra
battery option
Lucky me or NOT, Th ebattery arrived on Saturday. I was able to get a very good buy on a Dinnotte 4 cell w/charger so that will arrive this week.
I plan to use the Dinnotte battery and keep the geoman as a spare or maybe just sell it.

FYI, I did send 2 emails just to follow up and I received no answers from Geoman. I guess like some I should have kept my old battery. I do not
fault Geo on that end. However an online system that would let us know that a) our recall info was received b) When our battery may ship c) Date battery actually shipped
"may" have created less stress for everyone.
just my 2 cents

Rob

I think he talking about Bikeempowerment? (http://bikeempowerment.com/Magicshine.html)

I'm getting LiIon withdraw symptoms from being deprive of my lumens ;)

I sent out two batteries during the Memorial weekend holiday with hopes of getting the new ones by end of July. Since the Japan earthquake, I'm looking maybe until Veteran day. How Ironic that will be? Ha ha.

Luckily, I am getting by with the two 5.2 amp hr pack from my Gemini Titan and Bikeray IV, and the extra MS lighthead I bought several months ago, otherwise there is no light at the end of the tunnel.

It's going to take a lot for you to go through lumen withdrawal! I mailed mine in right after I got it, and got the replacement battery in a couple of weeks or so.

Lucky me or NOT, Th ebattery arrived on Saturday. I was able to get a very good buy on a Dinnotte 4 cell w/charger so that will arrive this week.
I plan to use the Dinnotte battery and keep the geoman as a spare or maybe just sell it.

FYI, I did send 2 emails just to follow up and I received no answers from Geoman. I guess like some I should have kept my old battery. I do not
fault Geo on that end. However an online system that would let us know that a) our recall info was received b) When our battery may ship c) Date battery actually shipped
"may" have created less stress for everyone.
just my 2 cents

Rob



If you haven't yet used the replacement battery, there's a deal to upgrade to a higher capacity battery. http://www.geomangear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=284