I will keep it since it's a battery problem and leave it in my car. But I'm getting the MS2000. I was planning to get it for a long time so now I have a good enough reason.

MAtt

This is an interesting Ebay Item I found. I didn't know something like that existed. I think that this power solution is a perfect thing for anyone who is doing a lot of work out of their vechicles.

Matt

I just got my strobe yesterday and it is great. Besides the $10 batteries it was a great price. But when I looked at the bulb it is black in one area. This usually means the bulb is burnt out but it seems to work good. Should this be something I should care about or is it something all strobe get after use?

Frank

I too decided to buy one of these strobes. Mine has case wear and the bulb clearly has been used, but the light works well. Also the brass adapters I purchased (not from ebay, but I think the same seller) work great with the strobes I already have. As to the batteries, check out ebay, I have bought (in groups of 10 and 20) batteries at much less than in the stores and they work great <img src="images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />. Here are of some of the current lisitings:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=706&item=1949240864

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=706&item=1949439714

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=15202&item=1949311836

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=15202&item=1949377174

Pete

I knew it would be used because you can't find new older made items that aren't surplus without looking really hard. What if the bulb burns out how do I replace that bulb?? I don't want to have to buy a new strobe, but it does work really well.

Frank

Here's what it looks like.







Should I be concerned about this even thought the strobe works?

Frank

Frank,

Yep, that's what mine looks like too. It doesn't seem to hinder the performance though...

John McIntire

That black mark looked awfully familiar, so I hauled out my ARC Firefly/4F - a unit that has seen a lot of use, mostly about fifteen years ago. It has a black band in the same location. I suspect that it is perfectly normal. My Firefly has had the black band for as long as I can remember, and it has never, ever failed me.

Now, if one of our informed tech types (Ayres, are you there?) could just give us the real skinny on this phenomenon, we could all rest easy.

I am happy this is normal and I now don't have to send it back to the guy on ebay.<img src="images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Frank

Another option that I have used is the #523 photoflash battery. It is a 4.5 volt battery (closer to the original military battery voltage). I buy mine from a battery company in Phoenix. You have to remove an original battery from the brass cap, it is potted in, then drop in two pennies as spacers and reuse the cap. They seem to last as long as the originals.
Hudgens