V4L Family with Manual Batteries POLL

[Mabbo]

Ok, I know there has been some discussion about this in the past from time to time, but it has really become and issue for me so I would like everyone elses thoughts on it.

It's about the manual batteries and the manual buttons.

There seems to be a quality issue in regards to more than half of the ones I have, I use black ones only and all are manual. Here is what I have

4 standard manuals in black, 3 with blue LED and 1 with Orange LED
1 Mini manual in black with Orange LED
1 XL Black with Blue LED

Now, the 2 Orange LED ones that I have are perfect, the bottons are even and stand up straight and depress with little effort. However, every Blue LED one that I have has a slanted button that slants downward and none of them sit level and straight and all take more effort to press.

When you feel the button with your thumb or finger it feels like the actual buttons pressure point underneath it is towards the top of the button and not the middle like it is on my Orange LED ones.

Now normally when I first get them, it is a little akward to use cause you have to move your thumb higher to push the button properly, but after some time they just start getting looser and harder and harder to press. They still work but the effort to use them makes then pretty useless as sometimes they turn on and sometimes i didnt press them with enough force.

I now have 3 Blue LED batteries that just sit in my drawer becouse I can not count on them to work right all the time and having to push so hard on the darn things takes the ease away and just frustrates the crap out of me.

Now granted, only one of these Blue LED is from my orginal order and the other 2 are from later orders, but I have not said anything to customer service, becouse they do work just frustrating as hell to use. Though I have sent back 3 other batteries 2 with Blue LED's because the buttons were locked and 1 Orange LED because no carts worked on it and the chargers didnt see it. Which they replaced no issue at all.

Can the other family members out here, let me know if you have the same issues, what colors of batteries and LED you have that are the same or that you do not have a issue with.

I am trying to figure out if there is a bigger problem that needs to be reported to V4L in regards to the manual batteries, or if I am alone in all this. V4L has been fantastic for me, and I love there service, but I just don't want to start complaining to them if I am alone in my battery issues.

Thanks everyone. Appriciate the input from you.

 

[keveck]

I have a 2x white standard manual batteries with orange and blue LED, both work fine.

 

[Ragamuffin]

Hi. I have had 5 manual batteries from V4L.

1st, short white w/all over logos, always worked great till I got it wet.
2nd, regular stainless, button stuck on and had to return for replacement.
3rd, replacement, also regular stainless, button stuck on and burned out. No longer charges. Too old to replace.
4th, regular length stainless, button is "loose", doesn't always activate or stay activated.
5th, regular length stainless, button stuck on again, returned and received replacement at about 6 weeks old, chrome regular length, button is getting "loose", harder to keep activated.

So the conclusion I have come to is they are great, but the buttons wear out too soon for my liking! Or I'm using them too much...

 

[flying low]

Have 4 XL manuals & 6 XL autos, no issues with any of them
3 reg manuals, 5 reg autos, no issues with any of them (still have one of my originals from Oct 2009)
1 shorty manual, 1 shorty auto, no issues with any of them

This does not include batteries I've given or loaned out. I've only had 2 dud batteries ever and they were both autos, only had one of them replaced since it was actually a gift item and I wanted to be sure my pal knew what awesome customer service V4L has! The other battery, I did not even bother reporting considering all the freebies that get thrown in on my many orders - it evens out in my opinion.

Based on previous vendors that I've dealt with, I cannot be happier with V4L than I am. Their products are far superior as well as their customer service. Zero complaints from this happy camper!

 

[Sallyem]

I have six manuals, one XL and the rest regular.

XL - Black with Orange LED...just got it...seems to work fine

Manuals - Gold w/Pink, Black w/Orange, Red w/Pink, Purple w/Pink,
Purple w/Blue.

I have returned three batteries (various types) since February. All
the above except the Purple /blue work just fine. The purple w/blue
sometimes doesn't work...depends on how and where you push the
button.

 

[Desertfremen]

Let's see if I can remember them all!

I've had a total of 11 manual batts. (not including the 2 that are currently in transit that will hopefully be here tomorrow). Two are regular length, and 9 are XLs. All of them are still currently in working order except 1 which met an unfortunate death but still worked fantastically up until then. (I dropped it and it fell right on the ash cap end so hard it split the cap and then never worked unless I shook it! LOL)

The only one I've ever had an issue with is the Platinum XL (old). Yeah it's real finicky with the trigger and some carts just won't work with it. However it suffered many drops as well. I don't trust this batt except for around the house. Five of the batts I've had for more than a few months and I got a good 4 months outta the platinum before it went wonky.

If anything, I'm not easy on my batts and they suffer many drops due to my clumsiness. I really blame these issues on their hard life. Triggers do loosen as time goes by but never to the point where I had to press real hard. The older batt's triggers never did lay flat when they were new.

 

[aubergine]

I have over 50 batts, more manuals than autos at this point, and I can't keep track... a few have slanty buttons, some are airy, some tight, some more sluggish than others, some that only some cartos fit on, a few that seem to need more frequent recharging than others, but out of the lot only ONE has dropped dead, and only two are in the drawer 'cause they really need an alcohol bath.

I wish I'd kept track of which batches were the sweetest, I never know what I'm grabbing, but they're all rolling along. For some reason my newer purple x-long manuals seem to please me the most re performance. I'm not very precise, am I? But ever joyful.

 

[jeffree]

And you are joyful, Aubergine. I enjoy that.

OK, I have 16 XL mans, 8 of which are the newest version.

I had to return 2 of the initial buys; both had faulty switches. V4L replaced them quickly, no questions asked.

The first 8, the early version, were fine although some of the buttons were too flush with the batt, IMO.

The next 8, the newest version, seem better in every way. I especially like the easier draw and slightly higher buttons. Just 1 of the 8 buttons still seems too flush. Haven't had any probs with cartos not fitting my batts.

So good results here, overall.

 

[Kimmy]

For some reason my newer purple x-long manuals seem to please me the most re performance. I'm not very precise, am I? But ever joyful.

Me too! My purple XL, shorty, and reg all work better than all the others. They rock!

 

[aubergine]

Kimmy, there cannot possibly be any reasonable explanation for why one color batt would perform better than others. Can there be? So let's start an urban myth.
No, lets not. They will buy up all of the purples, and we will be stuck with the other colors, which WE know to be comparatively deficient...

Jeff, you aren't exactly a snarling curmudgeon, yourself...

 

[Kimmy]

haha aubergine! my theory is us girls just love purple so psychologically it is our best performing battery!