Magicshine Batteries to be Recalled by Geoman
11-15-10, 04:02 PM
#1
Clyde that Rides
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Magicshine Batteries to be Recalled by Geoman
This kinda stinks, I just got my Magicshine and have really enjoyed being able to see when I commute, but I've also noticed that the battery doesn't seem to hold a charge particularly well... Then, just a couple minutes ago, I received this:
I guess I gotta come up with another lighting solution while I wait for the situation to be resolved...
To Our Valued Geomangear Customers,
Geomangear temporarily has stopped selling Magicshine lightsets due to our
concerns regarding the safety, quality, and performance of Magicshine's
lithium-ion battery packs sold by Geomangear between July 2009 and November
2010. We have determined that these Magicshine battery packs do not meet
Geomangear's high expectations regarding product safety, quality, and
performance. We have notified both the manufacturer of Magicshine lightsets
and the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission that Geomangear
intends to voluntarily recall all Magicshine battery packs sold by
Geomangear.
We are actively working with the Safety Commission, outside engineering
consultants, and a new battery pack supplier to evaluate product recall
options for our customers. Geomangear will provide recall information and
instructions directly to our affected customers after our final corrective
action plan has been approved by the Safety Commission.
If you bought a Magicshine lightset from us between June 2009 and November
2010, please discontinue using your lightset until we are able to provide
you with an upgraded replacement battery pack. Despite our best efforts,
this process will take some time, and we ask for your patience. You can
rest assured that Geomangear has taken, and will continue to take,
appropriate steps to protect the safety of our customers, and we will stand
behind our products. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may
cause you and appreciate your continued loyalty and support during this
unprecedented situation our company is facing.
Thanks!!
Geoman
This email address was given to us by you or by one of our customers. If you
feel that you have received this email in error, please send an email to
geoman@geomangear.com
This e-mail is sent in accordance with the US CAN-SPAM Law in effect
01/01/2004. Removal requests can be sent to this address and will be honored
and respected.
Geomangear temporarily has stopped selling Magicshine lightsets due to our
concerns regarding the safety, quality, and performance of Magicshine's
lithium-ion battery packs sold by Geomangear between July 2009 and November
2010. We have determined that these Magicshine battery packs do not meet
Geomangear's high expectations regarding product safety, quality, and
performance. We have notified both the manufacturer of Magicshine lightsets
and the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission that Geomangear
intends to voluntarily recall all Magicshine battery packs sold by
Geomangear.
We are actively working with the Safety Commission, outside engineering
consultants, and a new battery pack supplier to evaluate product recall
options for our customers. Geomangear will provide recall information and
instructions directly to our affected customers after our final corrective
action plan has been approved by the Safety Commission.
If you bought a Magicshine lightset from us between June 2009 and November
2010, please discontinue using your lightset until we are able to provide
you with an upgraded replacement battery pack. Despite our best efforts,
this process will take some time, and we ask for your patience. You can
rest assured that Geomangear has taken, and will continue to take,
appropriate steps to protect the safety of our customers, and we will stand
behind our products. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may
cause you and appreciate your continued loyalty and support during this
unprecedented situation our company is facing.
Thanks!!
Geoman
This email address was given to us by you or by one of our customers. If you
feel that you have received this email in error, please send an email to
geoman@geomangear.com
This e-mail is sent in accordance with the US CAN-SPAM Law in effect
01/01/2004. Removal requests can be sent to this address and will be honored
and respected.
11-15-10, 04:15 PM
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Beat me to posting this - much as it's not what we wanted to read it's great they're doing something look out for their customers.
11-15-10, 04:18 PM
#3
Clyde that Rides
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I agree. Now I'm glad that I went with Geoman rather than ordering direct from China. There's something to be said for customer service like this...
11-15-10, 04:57 PM
#4
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They don't give details about the risks one is taking for continued use. I think, however, the whole issue (and major concern!) may have started a few weeks ago here on our forums. Someone posted that while charging the battery at work, the battery pack started smoking and was fairly close to burning (he had stepped out of his office for a little while). Luckily the gentleman returned right on time and was able to disconnect the battery pack before things got worse.
Last edited by Chris Pringle; 11-15-10 at 05:01 PM.
11-15-10, 05:06 PM
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They don't give details about the risks one is taking for continued use. I think, however, the whole issue (and major concern!) may have started a few weeks ago here on our forums. Someone posted that while charging the battery at work, the battery pack started smoking and was fairly close to burning (he had stepped out of his office for a little while). Luckily the gentleman returned right on time and was able to disconnect the battery pack before things got worse.
11-15-10, 05:24 PM
#6
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This would not be a reason to recall based upon safety issues....
If you are still using your Geomangear lights after reading this don't expect insurance companies to bail you out should the unthinkable happen.
11-15-10, 05:57 PM
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So I wonder if charging only when I can be right there keeping an eye on it would allow me to continue using it??
11-15-10, 06:12 PM
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Had a feeling this was comming......sigh.
That will decrease the chances of a possible big fire during charging. Beside that, there is also the risk of those 18650 venting while they are inside your pannier bag. I have yet to hear that happening but it can happen. When I mounted my pack, I made sure it was in it's own container made of plastic and not cloth material. I also had some fiberglass cloth wrapped around the pack before slipping it inside the container. That was a preventive measure in case it vent and start a flame.
That will decrease the chances of a possible big fire during charging. Beside that, there is also the risk of those 18650 venting while they are inside your pannier bag. I have yet to hear that happening but it can happen. When I mounted my pack, I made sure it was in it's own container made of plastic and not cloth material. I also had some fiberglass cloth wrapped around the pack before slipping it inside the container. That was a preventive measure in case it vent and start a flame.
11-15-10, 06:40 PM
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Does anyone have more specifics as to what the failures are? Or perhaps any word on if folks will be receiving refunds or replacements?
11-15-10, 07:08 PM
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Ouch, this hurts. I really need mine. Just ordered a Milion 200, which, dammit, was what I almost ordered INSTEAD OF the MS. Hope this is taken care of quickly, and I'll have to use mine tomorrow -- won't get the Milion until Wednesday.
11-15-10, 08:33 PM
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I'm No longer but here are my thoughts;
a) The email (which I did not receive) is a standard disclaimer and required vs a mandatory recall by the CPSC.
b) We may or may not receive a battery. The responsibility is to notify us of the danger.
c) We could receive a new battery or a credit or nothing. The Chinese can just say screw you, as there is very little that an foreign buyer can get in terms of legal recourse.
d) My guess? Geoman will file chapter 11 and close up to avoid any possible class action suits against them. This of course would be OUR consumer right to do.
Filing will void them from having to pay out.
Of course this is just a guess on my part, but we'll see what happens.
a) The email (which I did not receive) is a standard disclaimer and required vs a mandatory recall by the CPSC.
b) We may or may not receive a battery. The responsibility is to notify us of the danger.
c) We could receive a new battery or a credit or nothing. The Chinese can just say screw you, as there is very little that an foreign buyer can get in terms of legal recourse.
d) My guess? Geoman will file chapter 11 and close up to avoid any possible class action suits against them. This of course would be OUR consumer right to do.
Filing will void them from having to pay out.
Of course this is just a guess on my part, but we'll see what happens.
11-15-10, 08:49 PM
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So I'm not sure about what I should do then. I use my MS lights every day. I recharge the battery twice a day. Do I need to fork out the scratch for some other lights? They'll cost much more than the MS's. Can I just get a replacement battery somewhere else that would be compatible with my lights? Uggh! I just want to ride my bike and not worry about crap like this.
Any suggestions would be welcome.
Any suggestions would be welcome.
11-15-10, 09:02 PM
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11-15-10, 09:34 PM
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This was posted on another forum...does any one here understand enough about these batteries to know if something like this could be swapped in...just by changing the plug??
https://www.all-battery.com/li-ion186...bareleads.aspx
If this thing ends up stringing out, I'll be looking for a different battery source. I JUST bought this for my wife maybe a month ago and she needs it regularly to commute home safely.
-Jeremy
https://www.all-battery.com/li-ion186...bareleads.aspx
If this thing ends up stringing out, I'll be looking for a different battery source. I JUST bought this for my wife maybe a month ago and she needs it regularly to commute home safely.
-Jeremy
11-15-10, 11:03 PM
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This is a common issue for most lights that all users should be aware of. Many lights simply switch off when the battery drops to a certain voltage, so its not always even a failure mode. You should ride accordingly(secondary light anytime that losing your primary would be a safety concern).
This would not be a reason to recall based upon safety issues....
If you are still using your Geomangear lights after reading this don't expect insurance companies to bail you out should the unthinkable happen.
This would not be a reason to recall based upon safety issues....
If you are still using your Geomangear lights after reading this don't expect insurance companies to bail you out should the unthinkable happen.
I'm sure the company will do the best they can by their customers, but it might be overly optimistic to expect them to replace the battery that they sold for $50 and the charger they sold for $10 when the total for the set was $90.
11-16-10, 01:47 AM
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FWIW the charger has a phony UL certification on it. That doesn't inspire too much confidence in it.....
This whole thing is really a bummer; for us and for them (Geomangear). But, as they say, you pays your money, you takes your chances. There is risk involved with buying what could be cheap Chinese crap.
11-16-10, 02:19 AM
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The UL marking has no product id number on it as all UL tested products are required to have. I brought this up in a thread here to geoman, but I got no response. I'm on my phone, so searching BF is a pain, but I'm sure you can find the post.
11-16-10, 08:07 AM
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I actually use my Dinotte batteries with my MS light. I have a 2-cell Dinotte battery and it is much lighter when mounted to my helmet. They also make a 4-cell battery. It works just fine with the MS.
11-16-10, 08:34 AM
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Page 6. Post # 146 and Post #148
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...00-lumen/page6
Last edited by colleen c; 11-16-10 at 09:03 AM. Reason: Added extra post number
11-16-10, 08:50 AM
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This was posted on another forum...does any one here understand enough about these batteries to know if something like this could be swapped in...just by changing the plug??
https://www.all-battery.com/li-ion186...bareleads.aspx
If this thing ends up stringing out, I'll be looking for a different battery source. I JUST bought this for my wife maybe a month ago and she needs it regularly to commute home safely.
-Jeremy
https://www.all-battery.com/li-ion186...bareleads.aspx
If this thing ends up stringing out, I'll be looking for a different battery source. I JUST bought this for my wife maybe a month ago and she needs it regularly to commute home safely.
-Jeremy
https://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=2102490
11-16-10, 09:15 AM
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Did you have to do anything to the connectors?
What is the run time on the 2 cell?
Thanks
Rob
11-16-10, 09:18 AM
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Colleen,
Do you think the MS charger would work or would I need to get another?
If it did work and I bought a pack that was larger would ITHEN need a different charger or it would just take longer to charge?
Do you think the MS charger would work or would I need to get another?
If it did work and I bought a pack that was larger would ITHEN need a different charger or it would just take longer to charge?
That pack looks equivalent. As long as it is 7.4v at 4000 mah or higher will work. The connector should be a 5.5mm x 2.1mm in size. Personally I have yet to try a Trail Tech connector from Battery Space but it should work. It will be not as waterproof as the original, so put the connector in a water resistant bag. When I was playing with my MS tail light, I even found a DC power Jack from RadioShack that worked (lol of all place). It was a lot bigger but useable.
https://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=2102490
https://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=2102490
11-16-10, 09:44 AM
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It was on the long Magicshine 900 thread near the begininng of the year.
Page 6. Post # 146 and Post #148
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...00-lumen/page6
Page 6. Post # 146 and Post #148
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...00-lumen/page6
11-16-10, 09:45 AM
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If you have not experience any charger issue problem, then the MS charger will probably be fine. If you want to be sure and have a digital volt meter, you may want to see what is the voltage of your charger. Ideally 8.4 is good. It is consider high at 8.5v. I would think 8.6v is a no no volt because this means each cell are getting 4.3 volts and that is for sure overcharging and even dangerous because 0.1 volt in LiIon cell is a big change.