Got a Diablo 15 and Sixpack 15 today after several years of lusting and umming and ahhing. I was already second guessing my decision to drop bike money on lights, but reassured myself with the knowledge these are the Rolls Royce of bike lights with amazing build quality and fantastic aftersales/warranty support.
Straight out of the box, the USB-C charge port on the (£500!!) Sixpack doesn't work (feels like the port is recessed too far below the plastic). The (£250!!) Diablo charge port does work, but the chargeport seal is hard rubber that doesn't fit snugly in the hole, and doesn't stay closed - no chance it's keeping water out. The Sixpack chargeport seal feels like a different, more supple rubber and is a really nice snug fit, there's a nice pop once it's located (pity the thing it's protecting doesn't do anything).
I'm aware USB-C charging is fairly new to Exposure lights, but for £750 of lights this is underwhelming to say the least. Strongly considering sending them both back for a refund - an issue on one would be forgiveable with quick resolution, but both being faulty is setting alarm bells ringing...
All this has been exacerbated by DHL failing to deliver my bike today as promised, and inordinate quantities of time wasted fighting various AI chatbots to try and get through to an actual human with DHL, Tredz and Exposure, so I'm decidedly sour and grumpy. I should say that the human I eventually reached at Tredz was fantastic, even staying late to try and get things sorted (big up Carlos, top bloke). Never reached a human at DHL, and the humans I reached at Exposure just pointed me back to the answers the chatbot had given (warranty is dealt with via email, no help available on the chat function - fair enough, but a bit frustrating to have zero interest in understanding my problem fully).
Has anyone else faced similar issues with build quality on Exposure lights, or have I managed to get the only two duff ones off the production line and been unfortunate enough to forced to interact with AI that didn't solve my problem and got me in a proper grump..?
I have a Diablo. There's a real knack to getting the rubber charge port seal in. It does feel at first, as if it doesn't quite fit properly. You sort of have to wiggle it then press quite hard. Once it's in, it's very secure and is not coming out by accident. I've got mine drenched and fully covered in wet mud with no issues. Give it a try, it feels odd, but once you've sussed it, you'll have no issues.
Well. I'm overwhelmed by Exposure. They just repaired a 10+ year old Sixx pack for about £20... so I'm back in the nightriding business.
However my alpkit head torch just died... and dog walking at this time of year is much better with a a head torch as you can keep your hands in your pockets... so just ordered an Exposure HTGO2, and scored a neat 18% off with my Singletrack members discount.
@poltheball I'm sure exposure will look after you. They are a good bunch with good products... that are even better at 18% off.
Never had an issue getting problems addressed by Exposure, even when it's due to my own incompetence.
I struggle to get the charge port covers to fit on my older lights, but they keep the wet and filth out.
Yep, I've always had top service from Exposure, even when stuff is out of warranty. Got a number of their lights, the only thing stopping me buying a new one is that the ones I've got still work perfectly!
Second the comment re the rubber charge port cover, there's a slight knack to it but it's rock solid in use.
If the main light really doesn't charge, just drop them a line and ask for a returns number, they'll swap it no questions asked.
Genuinely surprised you've had a problem with Exposure lights and worse you've had to deal with/pushed towards a Chatbot/AI. On both counts quite unlike my previous experience.
All I can suggest is stick with it, follow up the email approach and hopefully they will be on it quickly in their normal manner.
Only mitigation I can think of, is first day back after a couple of weeks off and the humans wading through stuff after struggling to get in to work this morning.
But yeah, I'd be grumpy after two big expenditures turned out like yours.
Exposure rubber bungs for the old round pin power ports have always been a huge frustration with a bit of a black art to getting them to go in. Minutes of trying to make them go in without luck and then plop, in fine for no apparent reason. They never used to come with them and I'm sure I remember (I'm old and prone to failure - I'd take this as true with significant caution) when I went around the factory they said it was more about stopping the port getting full of shit than anything to do with waterproofing. There are a number of products I can think of with IP ratings with totally exposed USB C ports.....like about a bazillion smartphones. I've been tempted to snip mine off so I stop frustrating myself.
My original exposure lights from 2009 are finally showing their age - still functioning perfectly (maybe the runtimes are down a bit) but the light output is not keeping up with the light arms race with other riders. I 'should' be looking at a magicshine for bang for buck reasons, but exposure have just been so damn good.
Yes the original Diablo didn’t have the rubber port cover. I have a Mk1 or 2 which still works as a back up light.
there is a knack to putting the port cover on!
Thanks all for the reassurance - in fairness, a bit of fiddling with the chargeport covers does seem to be in line with the dark arts mentioned above. Every 10th time it slots in nice and snug! That's slightly improved the grumpiness levels 🙂
Unfortunate to immediately have to send off a brand new light for a warranty replacement, but I'll give Exposure the chance to let their legendary aftersales team do their thing.
I went from exposure to lupine and am very happy with the choice, the all in one design of exposure seems like a good idea, but in the cold light of day (or dark of night given the subject matter) it actually makes **** all practical difference and can be a disadvantage in some scenarios.
They are both quality lights and I wouldn't have any problem having an exposure light again in the future, but they are no longer my "go to" brand as they once were.
I did buy a Apeks dive light last year though, and it is so similar, nearly identical, to exposure bike lights I am pretty sure they are the same company. Maybe they should use the same magnetic charge lead on the bike lights instead of something that needs to be plugged into a port.
I've been a fan of Exposure lights for a while, I think i have 6 of them, but I just couldn't swallow the price of a new one (I really wanted something that had usb-c charging) given how many good alternatives there are now.
I have a maxx d from a few years back and it’s fantastic still. I managed to drop it onto a hard concrete floor and it stopped working but for £17 exposure fixed it and turned it round in about a week or so.
I’m a little underwhelmed by the run time on my Axis though - maybe I should have got a Diablo but I was thinking go for the lighter version. Looking now I think I’m priced out of new exposure lights on principle - they look very expensive. Guess that’s the price of inflation.
Please can you post a receipt for this £750 outlay, because I'm calling bullshit on that. 😉
But, back to your main point.... You seem to misunderstand the key draw of Exposure. The lights themselves aren't really all that. The great thing about Exposure compared to other manufacturers is the almost infinite repair service... The fact that they'll fix your light over and over again for minimal ( often no) charge.
I've got 5 Exposure front lights, and apart from the £56 Joystick with a headtorch band ( which is the best light for the money I have ever bought) They're nothing special. The batteries are way too small the switches are godawful, the bean pattern is wrong.. BUT they still (mainly) work after ten or fifteen years hard use and I know Exposure will fix the three switches again, when I send them back, again, for repair at the end of winter.
Unlike Moon, who made far superior designed lights but didn't want to know when the ****ers stopped working after two years.
On the above point I feel the big bar lights are well designed but the helmet lights haven’t got enough battery runtime. The maxx d on the highest reflex mode lasts ages - quotes 3 hours fully charged. I don’t have to manage that light at all - but the axis is rubbish in comparison.
Moon lights that can go on the helmet - like the vortex pro do seem to actually perform better than the axis. But when they break they’re in the bin where exposure can be fixed cheaply.
Mostly my criteria for a useful battery indicator is when it goes red, if I drop the power to low, I've got enough runtime to get home comfortably. It's surprising how many lights fail at that.
The tricky rubber pluggy covers - spray a little GT85 or similar on, shake off excess, and they slip straight in. Keep a can of it next to your charger. This was advice from Exxposure themselves.
Whilst I'm an Exposure fan your experience does seem pretty crap, at least as far as the SixPack goes - I would have hoped that was picked up in their QC but I guess sometimes things slip through.
None of my lights have the USB-C port but as others have said, the round port plug was always a pain to get it to seat properly. I was hoping with the USB-C redesign they'd have improved that but I guess not. It's not a difficult thing to get right either, I have dirt cheap rear lights from Ali Express with a decent durable USB-C port plug.
I've got a mk17 Maxx-D (so USB C) and a Diablo Sync mk3 (so round port). Have had maxx-d mk 13 and mk15 previously.
The Maxx D USB C port is great, though I could imagine some chunky USB C cables might struggle with the cut out in the clear plastic rear plate. You tried a different USB C cable?
FWIW I think the USB C port cover is really good and way way better than the older style round covers which are a PITA but are really secure once on.
As a side note, the new beam pattern on the mk17 MaxxD is great. It's an ovalised pattern and has a really lovely spread/even distribution of light whereas all the previous maxx-d lights I've tried have been too spotty.
I'm still not a fan of the bar mount. It holds the light securely (once you've fought with the two seperate clamp halves to get it mounted to the bars) but the wedge shaped fitting on the light gets so stuck in the the bar mount bracket sometimes it's really hard to release it.
Amazing lights ime
Seems only fair to update:
- Tredz have organised collection of the faulty light and will send a replacement. Can't fault them for their response and willingness to help, I am impressed.
- Exposure have responded with an idea of what might be wrong (misplaced o-ring can cause the issue I'm seeing, they've had a few issues with this and have already added extra checks to the manufacturing process to avoid it happening to future units), and confirmed that it needs sorting under warranty via Tredz. They've also offered to send me out a spare stormcap with a revised design for the Diablo (for free) to see if that is a better fit. As somebody said above, they've confirmed the stormcap is purely to keep mud out of the chargeport and doesn't impact the IP rating of the light. Again, I'm impressed by their response and additional info here.
- my unrelated DHL parcel arrived in an Evri luton van with massive holes in the soggy cardboard box that had clearly been sat in the rain for a while. Amazingly there was no damage to the bike inside other than a smashed reflector that was coming off anyway!
Today is a less grumpy day than yesterday!
I use silicone spray rather than gt85 to locate the round cover, works a treat
I’ve got a great deal of time for Exposure, great service (£14 to do an out of warranty repair- fantastic) and they have really good grass roots events support.
Once you get sorted and out on the trail I think you’ll be impressed with the lights performance
Please can you post a receipt for this £750 outlay, because I'm calling bullshit on that. 😉
But, back to your main point.... You seem to misunderstand the key draw of Exposure. The lights themselves aren't really all that. The great thing about Exposure compared to other manufacturers is the almost infinite repair service... The fact that they'll fix your light over and over again for minimal ( often no) charge.
I've got 5 Exposure front lights, and apart from the £56 Joystick with a headtorch band ( which is the best light for the money I have ever bought) They're nothing special. The batteries are way too small the switches are godawful, the bean pattern is wrong.. BUT they still (mainly) work after ten or fifteen years hard use and I know Exposure will fix the three switches again, when I send them back, again, for repair at the end of winter.
Unlike Moon, who made far superior designed lights but didn't want to know when the ****ers stopped working after two years.
What a strange thing to say
well i have treated myself to some new exposure lights also (a six pack and the boost r3 peloton rear light).
i was paying in to my local bike shop towards upgrades for my bike but changed my mind and went for the lights instead (partly due to this thread i have to admit and lusting after the six-pack light for ages lol). i am a def fan of the company and their lights i have to admit so might be biased (also the fact they are made in the uk and their warranty and after care is legendary is another reason for me).
i do have 2 diablo front lights from them which i like a lot.
i cannot wait to try out the lights when the weather gets better.
just plugged in my 16 year old MaXX d and joystick combo for what must be its 10th Strathpuffer -
Curiously what was wrong with the round ports ? Mine didnt even come with covers they have just been open to elements for ever and they just carry on carrying on.
Never had an issue getting problems addressed by Exposure, even when it's due to my own incompetence.
This.
Although i would argue furnishing the REVO with a matching input and output sockets on the back of where the light to see stuff is... Isn fully my own incompetence.
They were very nice about it, fixed it and suggested i didn't do it again.
Matt - I think - at Exposure is great. He's fixed my Diablo for a tenner when I cracked the lens dropping it onto a concrete floor, fixed it again for free when it randomly decided to stop charging and sent me a couple of free covers after I'd clumsily broken them.
I have a three year old Six Pack from the outlet that's all the light I'll ever need, and the diablo which, while you need to manage the battery, is an excellent faff free helmet and winter pub bar light.
I do look at the latest offerings but I can't see a reason to upgrade. If I did tho, I'd stick with Exposure.
Now they've switched to USB-C charging, does that mean you can no longer use the little redeye micro? I find using that with my Joystick is a great way to get some high-level visibility from behind when on the road.
https://joshransley.com/blog/exposure-redeye-micro-review