# Magicshine failure?



## Fixed (May 12, 2005)

You all see this?

<QUOTE><QUOTE>"Buyer Beware

A reader tipped us off to a headlight called Magicshine. Its single LED puts out a pavement-melting 900 lumens from a rechargeable lithium ion battery. The system is compact, lightweight (315 grams), comes with a charger and costs only $85, plus shipping, from a company called GeoManGear.com.

It sounds like a heckuva product, so we ordered a Magicshine to review for RBR. 

We used it on night rides of 3:30 and 5:20 and were stunned. The high beam was long, wide and clean. The medium beam was plenty, even on 30-mph (48-kph) descents, and provided a runtime of more than 5 hours. The low beam would be fine for commuting and other rides at moderate speeds.

There were a few flaws to nitpick but, basically, it was a nifty little light. Until we got ready for the third ride and found the system completely kaput. The light wouldn't shine and the battery was dead. It seems the charger had failed.

It was a disappointment to say the least. After a few more hours in the dark to continue checking reliability and burn time, we were going to tip you off to very nice light.

The Chinese-made Magicshine has a 90-day warranty. We phoned GeoManGear.com and left messages. We e-mailed twice. No response.

You've probably never heard of GeoManGear.com. We hadn't, either. It sells a number of products besides the Magicshine headlight. It appears to be a legitimate company, but if our experience is indicative of the quality of goods and customer service, you'll do well to take your business elsewhere."</QUOTE></QUOTE>


http://www.roadbikerider.com/


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## EBrider (Aug 9, 2009)

At $85, that's part of the risk. if you paid 6 or 7 times that for a quality L&M light, I would be disappointed, but I'm sure they would take care of you.

GeoMan posts regularly on the MTBR lighting forum.


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## Ridgetop (Mar 1, 2005)

I've ordered quite a bit from Geoman with no issues at all. He's a small operation so he probably was out for a day or two. I think I'll PM him to see if we can get an answer.


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## StageHand (Dec 27, 2002)

I followed the threads on MTBR for a while. It seems that he had a lot of QC issues with the factory, so he was checking every unit himself. Also, the charger that comes with that light is NOT a smart charger. I wouldn't be surprised if this turned out to be some combination of operator error and a faulty unit that slipped through Geoman's fingers. I haven't checked in a while, though, maybe this is common at this point . . .


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

Check the comments to that item. There's been some sort of communications glitch. GeoMan posted a comment saying he had responded to the emails, but apparently they hadn't gone through, and he was certainly hoping to make things right. Pavelka posted a response (a snotty one, IMHO) saying essentially, you still haven't responded. This is all going on TODAY, so maybe posting this was a bit premature.


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## ChilliConCarnage (Jun 1, 2006)

I bought two of those MagicShines from Geomangear after following the threads at mtbr for a while. I love them, and found the customer service from Geoman was great. I'd recommend them to anybody.


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## Fogdweller (Mar 26, 2004)

Thanks for posting. I've been riding with one all winter with no problems. I think it's a fine product, they just got a bum charger.
As for GeoManGear's service, it's really good and he posts in these forums from time to time. I turned a co-worker onto the light and his was lost in the USPS. After he contacted GeoManGear to see if the light had been returned to sender, they shipped him a second light, no questions asked. Original never showed up but I thought it was an excellent example of a company standing behind it's product and it's service. This is the first failure I've heard about and I know a dozen people who run them.


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

*latest from Pavelka,*

in his comments section:



> We are now in communication with GeoManGear.com and will have an update on the situation in the 01/04/10 newsletter.
> 
> In a nutshell, there appears to be a valid reason for the lack of customer service provided for RBR's problem with the Magicshine light.
> 
> More next week . . . .


Seems to be leaving his bad review on the main page, but will update (on 02/04? unless he's using Euro-style dates, in which case it will be April Fools?)

Not sure why he calls it "lack of customer service" if there's a "valid reason," but stay tuned, I guess.

In any event, the overwhelming anecdotal evidence seems to indicate favorable experience with both the product and the service.


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## MercRidnMike (Dec 19, 2006)

I've dealt with Geoman for a while....the business and customer service are top notch. :thumbsup: 

Magicshines are a cheaply made light and charger that, if you don't have an issue, are really, really big bang for the buck...over at Mtbr and F88 they have had numerous discussions about them. The general concensus is that they are a bit of a crap-shoot, but for what a Lupine Tesla would cost you and how long it would last, you can get a Magicshine a year for the same period.

I am tempted to get one to upgrade my helmet light. For off roading I have a DIY triple Cree on the bar (nominal min. 825 lm @ 1A...likely 850 lm in reality) and my old 15W halogen on the helmet for seeing around corners. On high, the LED completely washes out/buries the halogen anywhere out the front, so I need to upgrade. On road, the halogens do well enough, so they will likely end up on my cross/touring/commuter bike.


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## California L33 (Jan 20, 2006)

Fixed said:


> You all see this?
> 
> <QUOTE><QUOTE>"Buyer Beware
> 
> ...


Give Geoman a chance. He's got a tremendous reputation over on MTBR.


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## tarwheel2 (Jul 7, 2005)

Similar thread in the Components/Wrenching forum, so I'll just cut and past my post from there:

I've been using a Magicshine for 4 months with no problems, commuting 3-5 days/week. Geoman's customer service is excellent, from my experience. I wonder how much time the reviewer allowed for Geoman to respond to his complaint? Make you wonder if their review is influenced by their advertisers.


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## kykr13 (Apr 12, 2008)

tarwheel2 said:


> Make you wonder if their review is influenced by their advertisers.


They buy (with their own cash, reportedly) a lot of the stuff that they review on RBR. Part of me thinks that "you get what you pay for", but also I wonder _how_ RBR contacted them about the problem. Sometimes emails don't go thru. Not making excuses for anybody, but is it possible to call them and talk to a real person? Just asking...


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## Kerry Irons (Feb 25, 2002)

*Date conventions*



JCavilia said:


> Seems to be leaving his bad review on the main page, but will update (on 02/04? unless he's using Euro-style dates, in which case it will be April Fools?)


Uh, that would be the 2nd month, 4th day? As in February 4. As in the date of the next newsletter, which comes out on Thursdays. Not that hard to figure out, really


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

Kerry Irons said:


> Uh, that would be the 2nd month, 4th day? As in February 4. As in the date of the next newsletter, which comes out on Thursdays. Not that hard to figure out, really


Yeah, except as you failed to note in the quote I pasted, he wrote 01/04/10, which was a few weeks ago, and thus somewhat confusing unless there's an unannounced rift in the space-time continuum


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## woodway (Nov 28, 2008)

I can also vouch for Geomangear. Great service.

As far as the Magicshine goes, you get what you pay for. You pay low-end prices, you get a low-end light. Yes, it's very bright, but it's also not nearly as well-built as my Dinotte 600L (I could buy three for the price of my 600L, however). Yes, I own a Magicshine. It's a backup light that my wife uses on ocassion. For $85, I am a happy Magicshine customer.


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## Jim311 (Sep 18, 2009)

kykr13 said:


> They buy (with their own cash, reportedly) a lot of the stuff that they review on RBR. Part of me thinks that "you get what you pay for", but also I wonder _how_ RBR contacted them about the problem. Sometimes emails don't go thru. Not making excuses for anybody, but is it possible to call them and talk to a real person? Just asking...





> We phoned GeoManGear.com and left messages. We e-mailed twice. No response.


I can understand the email failures, but what about the phone calls?


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## TeamCholent (Apr 20, 2005)

Jim311 said:


> I can understand the email failures, but what about the phone calls?


I have one which I bought from Geoman and luckily have not had an issue. But I would also be pissed if the promise and bragging of customer service were not backed up.

There are tons of comments http://www.bikeforums.net/forumdisplay.php?259-Electronics-Lighting-
Gadgets

You'll find issues of 
a) lack of waterproof of the pack, which is not advertised as being waterproof
b) The battery holder, it works but looks like there could be a better thought on this.
c) Worries about the pug between the battery and light
d) Strobe being, welllll way too strobeee

Geoman seemed to have been involved in fixing the too long battery cable and now the unit comes with 2 lengths and improve the original 3 modes to 5 modes.

If you do some searching you may find that he has responded to several posts there.

In anycase there are other people selling the Magicshine for the same price and IT IS NOT HIS ALONE in the USA.


This guy on ebay promises a 6 month warranty that he will back up.
I guess PayPal will support you if there is actually a problem.
http://cgi.ebay.com/MagicShine-LED-Bike-Light-900-lumen-P7-Li-ion_W0QQitemZ280431798553QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item414b09a919


Bottom line, If the guy will not respond. Then perhaps review it as accurately as your experience.

Oh yeah, your CC will back up your refund if needed.

Then again, maybe he will respond.

Good Luck, Ride Hard, Ride Lucky


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## robwh9 (Sep 2, 2004)

I like mine, and I've had no problems at all. It's a good value.

I don't think I'd descend from Towne pass at 65 mph with it, though.


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## FatTireFred (Jan 31, 2005)

no geofan here, seems a bit bd-esque, but did that site ever report on the resolution? btw, people actually go to that site? seems rather jv


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## bahueh (May 11, 2004)

what's the problem exactly? I have a NiteRider Slickrock 900...damn thing lasted about 40 uses and the sender unit broke...light wouldn't come on...had to send back for warranty repair last week. It happens with electronic products...always has...always will...seems like a response looking for a problem.


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## bahueh (May 11, 2004)

*who the hell..*



robwh9 said:


> I like mine, and I've had no problems at all. It's a good value.
> 
> I don't think I'd descend from Towne pass at 65 mph with it, though.


rides that fast at night? next recipient of a Darwin award...


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

*RBR has updated.*

http://www.roadbikerider.com/
It was apparently multiple coincidental communications system problems ([phone and emails) that resulted in GeoMan not getting the messages over 2 days. Problem resolved, RBR has received a new unit which he promises to further test, and he says he will post the results in the near future. 

Maybe someone should start a new thread titled "Erroneus slur on GeoMan customer service retracted" ;-)


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## FatTireFred (Jan 31, 2005)

wouldn't really call that a retraction


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## Oracle7775 (Sep 16, 2009)

Zombie thread.

I've been researching to buy a new light (which led me to this thread), and I wanted to mention that the "personal issues" mentioned in the second RBR update were that the Geoman founder was battling colon cancer. He passed away in April, from what I understand.

Details here: http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=620604


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## Fixed (May 12, 2005)

*sad*



Oracle7775 said:


> Zombie thread.
> 
> I've been researching to buy a new light (which led me to this thread), and I wanted to mention that the "personal issues" mentioned in the second RBR update were that the Geoman founder was battling colon cancer. He passed away in April, from what I understand.
> 
> Details here: http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=620604


That's sad to hear. Bummer.


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## Fogdweller (Mar 26, 2004)

Horrible news. Very sad for his family. I know the nights in the hereafter are much brighter now.


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## Jim311 (Sep 18, 2009)

Another guy has bought his business however, and his customer service is supposed to be great as well.


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## JohnnyTooBad (Apr 5, 2004)

Wow. That's rough. I bought a MS light from him over a year ago. Still going strong without any issues. I used it last weekend while soldering some plumbing in my basement.


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## vwvapor (Jun 11, 2009)

I hope the new owners don't slack on CS, since the original owner gave such great CS in my dealings.

I bought this light from geoman a couple of years ago and it didn't get much use for 6+ months. When I finally started using it regularly, there was a problem with the switch where the light was difficult to turn on/off. I emailed a couple of times without a quick response. I ended up receiving a new light assembly in the mail, followed by an email the following day saying he had sent me one out in the mail.

Not necessarily the best communicator, but I'd still give the last owner an A+ in CS.


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## mondayC (May 22, 2008)

vwvapor said:


> I hope the new owners don't slack on CS, since the original owner gave such great CS in my dealings.
> 
> I bought this light from geoman a couple of years ago and it didn't get much use for 6+ months. When I finally started using it regularly, there was a problem with the switch where the light was difficult to turn on/off. I emailed a couple of times without a quick response. I ended up receiving a new light assembly in the mail, followed by an email the following day saying he had sent me one out in the mail.
> 
> Not necessarily the best communicator, but I'd still give the last owner an A+ in CS.


Posted a story in another thread, but the new guy seems great as well. To sum up in sentence fragments:

Problem with either battery or charger Tuesday, email Geomangear Wednesday night, "It's your battery, send me your address and I'll send you a new battery" email on Thursday, reply Thursday night, battery shipped out Friday, and it's here Monday. All this before I sent in the old battery to verify that I'm not making up my claim. :thumbsup: 
By the way, it was even upgraded to the Series II battery and pack. I don't even see the pouch-style batteries on the site anymore. The new pack has a much more substantial velcro strap and the battery itself is waterproof.


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