Gnosis

The LBS didn’t have any of the new Cygolite Expilion 680’s on hand (I need two), so they attempted to order them from their primary source which had none, strike 1. Then they went to their secondary source which also had none, strike 2. They’re now backordered, which is a strike 3 in my book, as my experience with backordered items has been dismal at best.

Has anyone in the U.S. obtained an Expilion 680? It would seem that no one has, as I haven’t been able to locate a single review of the Expilion 680 by actual customers.

Is anyone aware of a problem that’s preventing them from being sold at this time?

10 Wheels

https://www.amazon.com/Cygolite-Expil.../dp/B00E1NPYQM

Gnosis

With all due respect 10Wheels, it appears you missed the point of my post and it’s somewhat naïve to presume two units remain simply because such has been advertised (especially where global sales are involved). I can’t tell you how many times I’ve ordered something where the vendor stated they had a more than ample supply on hand, but later find out that the item was backordered from the moment I ordered it!

Two purchases of a single 680 or a single purchase of two 680’s would empty their claimed stock and there are many individuals attempting to purchase these popular Cygolite Expilion 680 and 800 units (or the company would otherwise go out of business). So it’s reasonable to conclude that Amazon currently doesn’t have any remaining in stock at this very moment, but advertising that there’s two remaining in stock brings in a lot of orders via the hopeful and once they have your money, they really don’t give a damn how long it takes for you to eventually receive a backordered item, as it’s not their fault that they can’t acquire the item if its delayed or withheld by the vendor for whatever reason.

Additionally, consider the lack of customer reviews for the Expilion 680 and 800. This alone suggests there’s an availability issue with these newer units, as people tend to rave or complain about their lighting purchases, but where are all of the customer reviews for these new units?

Lastly, my LBS is Bike Line, which is one of the Cygolite authorized distributors and they haven’t been able to acquire these new units, so something’s not as it should be, as they have my two Expilion 680's on backorder at this moment.

zacster

I guess nobody has analyzed why a single particular model of a bike light would be unavailable to that degree. But then, why would they? There are only about a thousand others to choose from.

10 Wheels

They still have Two...Guess you didn't order one.

01 CAt Man Do

Sometimes when I order stuff on-line I will specify in the comment area, "NO BACK ORDERS", if I want the item right away. This way if the vendor has no stock they have to tell you or refuse your order.

Personally I'd order it from REI as they offer one of the best return policies in the business. If the lamp fails at anytime just bring it back for replacement or refund.

Looigi

FWIW: REI charges full list on most stuff. If you're a member, you'll get a 10% dividend on non-sale-priced items. If you use their sponsored Visa card to purchase, you'll get an additional 5%, even on sale-priced items. Their VISA pays a 1% rebate on all non-REI purchases.

Return policy is unreal. If you're a member, you don't even need the receipt as they can look up all purchases.

Gnosis

When I’m placing more expensive orders (and this one’s a biggie via various upgrade components for several bikes), my LBS generally gives me a discount of 20%, so that beats REI, but it’s more than the discount, as I’ve come to know the manager and trust his experience, knowledge, and recommendations (and there are few whom I trust), so I do my best to support the shop’s continued success even though it would still be somewhat cheaper purchasing the same items via the Internet.

I never return anything, so return policies are of no concern to me. If I purchase something, it’s because I need it and I order precisely what I need. I take great care of my possessions, so they tend to last far beyond warranty periods.

01 CAt Man Do

Yeah but most of the local bike shops don't carry a lot of accessories or have a lot of the newer stuff. REI carries a ton of bike stuff and also has a bike shop as well. Never had my bike serviced at REI but I might give them a try. I'm lucky though. I have four bike shops within a 2 mile radius of where I live. ( this includes Performance Bike and REI )

Uhh...so you never like bought something and saw it $10 cheaper somewhere else the next day?

unterhausen

I'm an REI member, but they don't have a store anywhere near me so I don't shop there much. They recently changed their return policies to be much less generous, but that was never a selling point for me.

Looigi

Whoa. They sure did change their policy since the last I checked. You can still return for any reason but now it must be within 1 year of purchase. Bummer. I got an umbrella there that sux and was planning on returning it, but I haven't gotten around to it and now it's too late.

My nearest REI is about 20 miles away. I more often order on line and get it shipped (free over $50) than go to the store.

Gnosis

As I stated 01 CAt Man Do, I never return an item!

When I purchase an item, I’ve concluded that it was a fair price, so there was no reason to shop around any further. When I sometimes see the same item selling cheaper afterward, it simply doesn’t faze me. In fact, knowing that I paid more for the item leaves me with a good feeling, as I know it helped the business that I purchased it from. Several items that I just ordered from the LBS could easily have been purchased for considerably less via the Internet, but I purposely elected to pay more, as it supports the LBS that I find favorable to deal with.

Only miserly individuals return purchased items because they afterward appear cheaper elsewhere and it is these types of individuals that contribute to ailing businesses and the ailing economy. Unfortunately, there are far too many miserly individuals in this world that practice this contemptible behavior.

zacster

Most of the time it just isn't worth the effort to return something because you saw it cheaper elsewhere, but to call it contemptible and miserly??? As Yoda would say, BMAFG.

Bikeforumuser0011

I just exhanged my CygoLite Pace 400 for the CygoLite Expilion 680 from Performance Bike yesterday. I haven't tried it yet, but am hoping it will work out better than the Pace. I absolutely hated that thing. It gave out a decent beam, but I just didn't feel comfortable/safe with it. Anyway, hope you find it!

Correction: I have the Cygolite Expilion 650. Sorry, for the error.

chaadster

I'm the same way, though I wouldn't say I *never* return things, just very, very rarely in the instance where they really don't work well. I dislike shopping, so I tend to choose carefully and I don't prioritize either getting the cheapest thing, nor the most for the least, but rather focus on getting the best I can afford, which has served me well and kept me out of Customer Service Counter return lines.

Garfield Cat

Why don't you just call Cygolite themselves?

Gnosis

I elected years ago to ditch long distance from my phone service as I was being billed for calls that I never made to unknown locations (as it turned out, a Verizon contractor was eventually caught tapping into my phone line to make those long distance calls). I never wanted long distance after that and I've had no real need for long distance service, so why pay for it month after month for nothing.

However, I e-mailed Cygolite on Saturday afternoon and they replied promptly by Monday morning and stated that the Expilion 680’s are currently shipping to vendors. About a week and a half later, the LBS finally received the two backordered Expilion 680’s.

Gnosis

I have no idea what BMAFG stands for, but neither do I concern myself with the presumptions of what a fictional character might say, as such lacks any merit unless of course, you’re visiting a galaxy far, far away.

What I can say conclusively is; it’s outright embarrassing to be associated with cheap individuals who return items simply because they later find them cheaper elsewhere. I disassociate myself from these miserly types as they tend to be friends who are always present to leech, but rarely present to shell out. So yes, it is a miserly contemptible behavior, as it most definitely repulses me.

Garfield Cat

At Performance, the sell Cygolite but with a different model name: Cygolite Pace

Here's their 750 lumens model: https://www.performancebike.com/bikes...400903__400903