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Goncz Titanium Knife / Flashlights
- Thread starter Goncz
- Start date
- Status
Funny that J G is also/still performing on other forums as different persons -praising himself!-. I think that's the explanation why he is referring to himself as 'WE'...
So 'we' conclude:
out there, there is a man:
- who is referring to himself as 'we'
- claims to invent the best things in the world
- is obviously not inventing the best things in the world
- is blaming others for this fact
- declares persons who are asking normal (critical) questions to be an enemy to him (them?)
- promises flashlights to everybody who is in the slightest way with him (so, who is not with me is my enemy...)
- has got enormous government business- and therefore no time for regular customers - but shows up on all kind of forums to promote his own light as an other person
- promises a lot but fulfils little to nothing
- low coping mechanisms in combination with a blown up ego
- have the unique ability not to respond to important questions
- knows how to set up a board against him in no time
- is extremely entertaining, and made this week 'very special' fo a lot of people
- poorest customer service on this planet
- ows me a lot of $$$
The most amazing thing is that there is really such thing as a Goncz flashlight!!!
Did I forget something?
So 'we' conclude:
out there, there is a man:
- who is referring to himself as 'we'
- claims to invent the best things in the world
- is obviously not inventing the best things in the world
- is blaming others for this fact
- declares persons who are asking normal (critical) questions to be an enemy to him (them?)
- promises flashlights to everybody who is in the slightest way with him (so, who is not with me is my enemy...)
- has got enormous government business- and therefore no time for regular customers - but shows up on all kind of forums to promote his own light as an other person
- promises a lot but fulfils little to nothing
- low coping mechanisms in combination with a blown up ego
- have the unique ability not to respond to important questions
- knows how to set up a board against him in no time
- is extremely entertaining, and made this week 'very special' fo a lot of people
- poorest customer service on this planet
- ows me a lot of $$$
The most amazing thing is that there is really such thing as a Goncz flashlight!!!
Did I forget something?
Jimmy James seemed rather put out in that review of the zip stove. It's a shame that Doug Goncz will probably feel the heat (pun) of his well done stove review because of the next review from John Goncz.
Well I'm a little lost here just now.
Has there been any one that received satisfaction from Goncz yet?
I have an order for G lights that's been approved and just awaiting resolution to some/any of the order problems.
Code3 any more word on your tests?
Tom
Well I'm a little lost here just now.
Has there been any one that received satisfaction from Goncz yet?
I have an order for G lights that's been approved and just awaiting resolution to some/any of the order problems.
Code3 any more word on your tests?
Tom
I have a M-3 and from what I have experienced with it so far, its the best flashlight for the cash BAR NONE. Code 3 has a review posted in the Gadgets forum and mine will follow in the near future as well. I can only speak for the product I have in hand. I have no clue how the recharger's work on other models or actual measured output. I also understand the frustration with John Goncz's outspoken nature. However in my mind, the M-3s speak for themselves. And my personal experiences with Mr.Goncz as well has his product have been nothing less than pleasant.
- Joined
- Jul 18, 2003
- Messages
- 8
goncz , please do yourself a favor and stop posting. for once i am not going it bear you malice and give you advice. you must stop posting or at least be less of a blatent prick.
do you really think the moderators are keeping you here because you are right and you are not being offencive? the mods are nice its true and i dont intend to insult them. wanna know why you are still here? ill tell you. YOU ARE ENTERTAINING! we dont laugh with you we laugh AT you. you are not unlike the baboon at the zoo that attacks the glass barrier when the people pass and then responds to every tap at the barrier with bared teeth and screams of anger. such a tantrum tells the poeple on the other side of the glass two things 1) pestering the monkey is a fun game 2) that it would be stupid to get in the cage since he would kill you.
SEE THE SIMALARITY?
do you really think that you are posting to adoring fans? why do you think this behavior is endearing you to us? you dont help your career at all when you are offencive. IT DOES NOT MATTER WHAT THE INSULT IS OR IF YOU ARE RIGHT OR WRONG. hatred clouds out reason and you as the seller gain nothing NOTHING by encouraging it. WHAT THE CONSUMER MAKES OR DOESNT IS NO AFFAIR OF YOURS - convincing the consumer that he or she needs your product regardless of income or debt IS!
FACT: WE FLASHAHOLICS DO NOT SEE ANNUAL INCOME AS A FACTOR IN PURCHASE DECISIONS. IF THE LIGHT IS WORTHY AND THE SELLER IS HONEST AND STABLE WILD HORSES WON'T KEEP US FROM THE LIGHT. THE MONEY IS A MINOR CONCERN!
its not too late for you - i know how it seems but it IS possible. how?
first, suck up the pride and admit your wrongs- we will be happy to help you clarify them if you need help.
second , for gods sake don't make empty promises and quit wasting time and right the wrongs. dont do a half ass job and dont question the ones that say you owe them. you do risk one or two liars but the word will get around that you are safe to deal with and your sales will go up.
third , do not pump up the output. too many can call your bluff. if you think that your lights are great then get a lab too test them or send them to craig johnson. his approval is priceless.
fourth , get someone to do your customer service. its ok of you are not able to manage the job of representing your company online. it is not ok not to get someone who can do the job.
last, dont shove your stats in our face all the time - such actions make us want to shove them up your @$$.
Remember youre goal is not customers- its repeat customers.
that post is meant to aid you not insult you
do you really think the moderators are keeping you here because you are right and you are not being offencive? the mods are nice its true and i dont intend to insult them. wanna know why you are still here? ill tell you. YOU ARE ENTERTAINING! we dont laugh with you we laugh AT you. you are not unlike the baboon at the zoo that attacks the glass barrier when the people pass and then responds to every tap at the barrier with bared teeth and screams of anger. such a tantrum tells the poeple on the other side of the glass two things 1) pestering the monkey is a fun game 2) that it would be stupid to get in the cage since he would kill you.
SEE THE SIMALARITY?
do you really think that you are posting to adoring fans? why do you think this behavior is endearing you to us? you dont help your career at all when you are offencive. IT DOES NOT MATTER WHAT THE INSULT IS OR IF YOU ARE RIGHT OR WRONG. hatred clouds out reason and you as the seller gain nothing NOTHING by encouraging it. WHAT THE CONSUMER MAKES OR DOESNT IS NO AFFAIR OF YOURS - convincing the consumer that he or she needs your product regardless of income or debt IS!
FACT: WE FLASHAHOLICS DO NOT SEE ANNUAL INCOME AS A FACTOR IN PURCHASE DECISIONS. IF THE LIGHT IS WORTHY AND THE SELLER IS HONEST AND STABLE WILD HORSES WON'T KEEP US FROM THE LIGHT. THE MONEY IS A MINOR CONCERN!
its not too late for you - i know how it seems but it IS possible. how?
first, suck up the pride and admit your wrongs- we will be happy to help you clarify them if you need help.
second , for gods sake don't make empty promises and quit wasting time and right the wrongs. dont do a half ass job and dont question the ones that say you owe them. you do risk one or two liars but the word will get around that you are safe to deal with and your sales will go up.
third , do not pump up the output. too many can call your bluff. if you think that your lights are great then get a lab too test them or send them to craig johnson. his approval is priceless.
fourth , get someone to do your customer service. its ok of you are not able to manage the job of representing your company online. it is not ok not to get someone who can do the job.
last, dont shove your stats in our face all the time - such actions make us want to shove them up your @$$.
Remember youre goal is not customers- its repeat customers.
that post is meant to aid you not insult you
Goncz reminds me of this other clown that sold custom parts for another hobby. He'd take orders, then fufill only part of them leaving others who paid up out in the cold. The only reason he wasn't kicked off the boards he was peddling his stuff in for a very long time, was that he'd send free samples of his work to the moderators of those boards, making them so happy they defended him for a while but eventually the noise from his ripped off customers rose to such a crescendo that he was eventually banned. Hopefully this is not what's happening here.
P.S.
The clown in question posted under the name of zackbot2000, jagpanzer, amongst many other diff ids. He hung around the 1/6th action figure boards. Amazingly enough, his posts were also filled with grammatical and spelling errors. He loved calling his customers liars too.
P.S.
The clown in question posted under the name of zackbot2000, jagpanzer, amongst many other diff ids. He hung around the 1/6th action figure boards. Amazingly enough, his posts were also filled with grammatical and spelling errors. He loved calling his customers liars too.
- Joined
- Oct 2, 1998
- Messages
- 15,225
I don't know, Bart - it's not my job to make sure that the people slighted have actually made sure Goncz knows exactly what he owes them, their address, etc. That's what phone calls & etc are for. After those have failed, then you come to the forums.
Well I know for a fact I didn't get what was promised, (neither did Whistler, he still has a defective charger).
If you read John's response you will see he knows exactly what he promised both to Whistler and to me... I can't speak for any others, but of the above mentioned facts I am certain. Since he refuses to respond to us by e-mail (as he also promised on this thread) but instead tried to bully us off on your forum, I think it is pretty obvious our efforts have failed.
I did receive a M3, but was promised a M5... I call that not living up to the agreement of making things right.
Hence my question.
TIA,
Bart
If you read John's response you will see he knows exactly what he promised both to Whistler and to me... I can't speak for any others, but of the above mentioned facts I am certain. Since he refuses to respond to us by e-mail (as he also promised on this thread) but instead tried to bully us off on your forum, I think it is pretty obvious our efforts have failed.
I did receive a M3, but was promised a M5... I call that not living up to the agreement of making things right.
Hence my question.
TIA,
Bart
- Joined
- Oct 2, 1998
- Messages
- 15,225
I honestly don't have time to read every thread on the forums or keep up with the minute to minute.
He promised you a M5? Ok, so you should get an M5. You already got a M3? You should be happy you got that already as well, I'd call that an unexpected bonus. In the meantime, I'd hound him by email and by phone. You've already posted several times you haven't gotten it on this thread, past updates, beating everyone upside the head with it doesn't help the other people any.
Like I said, we passed Goncz a rope. He's doing a good enough job on his own figuring out an appropriate use for it. At this point, I don't think he needs more help.
He promised you a M5? Ok, so you should get an M5. You already got a M3? You should be happy you got that already as well, I'd call that an unexpected bonus. In the meantime, I'd hound him by email and by phone. You've already posted several times you haven't gotten it on this thread, past updates, beating everyone upside the head with it doesn't help the other people any.
Like I said, we passed Goncz a rope. He's doing a good enough job on his own figuring out an appropriate use for it. At this point, I don't think he needs more help.
Mr Goncz,
my charger is still red! You offered me to give back my money (or solve the problems). Nothing happened right now! A lot of talk, no facts, only rude language. It's not my mistake that the charger is not working. BTW, the M3 you promised in DECEMBER '02 was to make it up then. Remember, you lost all information about my order from OCTOBER '02 (which I paid right away). In december '02 I finally got something, but no M3. In JUNE '03 you promised to give me ALSO a special light, 3 were made. To make it up , 8 MONTH (now 9)with no or a defective flashlight and dozens of mails without an answer. So, no special light and a defective charger,...
So Mr Goncz what are you going to do about it, show the 'world' what your word is worth. SOLVE THIS MATTER! And all other matters there are. Give an answer to the proposal to choose a neutral person.
Don't you realize that fighting this out in public is very bad for your business?!
my charger is still red! You offered me to give back my money (or solve the problems). Nothing happened right now! A lot of talk, no facts, only rude language. It's not my mistake that the charger is not working. BTW, the M3 you promised in DECEMBER '02 was to make it up then. Remember, you lost all information about my order from OCTOBER '02 (which I paid right away). In december '02 I finally got something, but no M3. In JUNE '03 you promised to give me ALSO a special light, 3 were made. To make it up , 8 MONTH (now 9)with no or a defective flashlight and dozens of mails without an answer. So, no special light and a defective charger,...
So Mr Goncz what are you going to do about it, show the 'world' what your word is worth. SOLVE THIS MATTER! And all other matters there are. Give an answer to the proposal to choose a neutral person.
Don't you realize that fighting this out in public is very bad for your business?!
I'm not sure what to make of all this thread.I do find the flashlights interesting,even if the figures are a stretch.I would be happy with a flashlight dead even power with a Surefire if it is half the price.Surefire makes a fine product at an excessive price point.This Mr.Goncz seems a little ruff around the edges,but then if I was getting bashed I probably would be a prick too.I don't know what went down on Candlepower forum or not,some people just rub people the wrong way and no matter what they do from then on they are screwed.As far as the business practices it seems if there is any truth to the allegations that someones charger still doesn't work or refunds are promised and not given,then Mr.Goncz needs to live up to his word,warranty etc.If he is not backing up his products warranty and screwing peeople then I say ban him.
Blackbart,you seem to be one of the most vocal on this thread.I don't know you or the Goncz personally or the details of your agreement,maybe I should not even bother discussing the situation.Not much info on here about the exact deal in question.If you were promised an M-5 for completing a website design and one was completed then you should be given your M-5 light.If you didn't complete all the work then I don't see how you are due anything above what you received,except for if the agreement was for the M-5 regardless of the completion of the website.There would have to have been an agreement that he would give you a M-5 even if you did complete only say 80% of the website design.All the particulars have to be worked out in advance.just my two cents.
Blackbart,you seem to be one of the most vocal on this thread.I don't know you or the Goncz personally or the details of your agreement,maybe I should not even bother discussing the situation.Not much info on here about the exact deal in question.If you were promised an M-5 for completing a website design and one was completed then you should be given your M-5 light.If you didn't complete all the work then I don't see how you are due anything above what you received,except for if the agreement was for the M-5 regardless of the completion of the website.There would have to have been an agreement that he would give you a M-5 even if you did complete only say 80% of the website design.All the particulars have to be worked out in advance.just my two cents.
I've dealt with companies that did the same garbage as this to me and tried to get out of paying me. As soon as they heard the words sue and court I received my payment. If you enter into a contract to make a website, but then the company doesn't hold up their part of the deal( and provide you with the materials, ie data and pictures to make the website), THEY are the ones at fault, not you, no matter what Mr. Goncz thinks.
I am also interested in his claim that the output has already been tested by an independent lab but he won't tell us what lab, or show the report, and now he sorta skirts the question with a mention of getting all the competitors lights to do a side by side comparison. Well that's a good idea, but it doesn't answer the original quesiton. You claimed independent testing of output. SO where is it?
Secondly, i'm still curious about your changing waterproof claims and would like to know the story behind that Mr. Goncz.
And I will repeat again what I already said, and others here have said. LET SOMEONE ELSE DO YOUR CUSTOMER/PUBLIC RELATIONS!! You are shooting yourself in the foot here. I have pointed many of the professionals who use such products as yours towards this thread and the one on Candlepower and let them make their own decision. Every single one of them has said that even if the lights do happen to be better, that they will still stick with your competitors products. I am very much of the opinion that I won't trust my life to a product if I can't trust the person who makes them. I don't expect to be able to have you watch my house while I'm on vacation, but I do expect honest business practices and following through on your word. Posts by yourself in this thread have definitely not shown anything in the way of good customer relations.
I am also interested in his claim that the output has already been tested by an independent lab but he won't tell us what lab, or show the report, and now he sorta skirts the question with a mention of getting all the competitors lights to do a side by side comparison. Well that's a good idea, but it doesn't answer the original quesiton. You claimed independent testing of output. SO where is it?
Secondly, i'm still curious about your changing waterproof claims and would like to know the story behind that Mr. Goncz.
And I will repeat again what I already said, and others here have said. LET SOMEONE ELSE DO YOUR CUSTOMER/PUBLIC RELATIONS!! You are shooting yourself in the foot here. I have pointed many of the professionals who use such products as yours towards this thread and the one on Candlepower and let them make their own decision. Every single one of them has said that even if the lights do happen to be better, that they will still stick with your competitors products. I am very much of the opinion that I won't trust my life to a product if I can't trust the person who makes them. I don't expect to be able to have you watch my house while I'm on vacation, but I do expect honest business practices and following through on your word. Posts by yourself in this thread have definitely not shown anything in the way of good customer relations.
For people reading all this it must be obvious that something is wrong. Since I'm not a known member of this board see what 'Ron Guncollector' writes. He is well known and highly respected member of the CPF and the BF.
To make myself a little more known have a look on my website Whistler's flashlight site . As you can see I'm a flashaholic. Perhaps this is giving me a little credit. No problems with flashlights stores/manufactures until I got gonczed off.
As said before, the lights are well designed and the basis is all right for that price. With improvements they could have been real competitive to SF. That's why I gave Mr. Goncz all these chances. Too bad he did not use them -for him as weel as for me. A positive feedback on my site would have given him some credit. You must be really stupid not to take that chance. But perhaps he is too busy with 'all these orders' from Hungarian border troops. I hope their charger is working.
Since Mr G is refusing to listen to proposals/questions to improve and is getting aggressive instead (it's the best light in the world...) and blaming others for this flaws there is no chance to improve. I think his blown up ego is between him and the future of his lights.
I found it strange that Mr Goncz did not show up for quite a while. A lot of talk but no facts.
To make myself a little more known have a look on my website Whistler's flashlight site . As you can see I'm a flashaholic. Perhaps this is giving me a little credit. No problems with flashlights stores/manufactures until I got gonczed off.
As said before, the lights are well designed and the basis is all right for that price. With improvements they could have been real competitive to SF. That's why I gave Mr. Goncz all these chances. Too bad he did not use them -for him as weel as for me. A positive feedback on my site would have given him some credit. You must be really stupid not to take that chance. But perhaps he is too busy with 'all these orders' from Hungarian border troops. I hope their charger is working.
Since Mr G is refusing to listen to proposals/questions to improve and is getting aggressive instead (it's the best light in the world...) and blaming others for this flaws there is no chance to improve. I think his blown up ego is between him and the future of his lights.
I found it strange that Mr Goncz did not show up for quite a while. A lot of talk but no facts.
he left me in the dark indeed.
TOMBSTONE,
I may not be known on BF, but feel free to inform about me on CPF, where I am a moderator. My handle is B@rt.
The details of the whole webpage affaire are simple:
I offered Göncz to build him a webpage, free of charge, wich he gladly accepted. After some rough drafts he promised me a light. I asked him to provide me more information and decent pictures, other than the ones on his flyer, but never received material other than 3 cd's with empty folders... I created a way for him to upload pics because he could not shrink them down enough to send them by email, but he couldn't do that either... I didn't hear from him in a while. Later I found he had a webpage done by someone else and sent him an email. He replied with the email wich I posted on page 6 of this thread.
from this email:
It was the last I heard from him by email, no response since on my questions.
After finally receiving a M3 (thanks to Mr Ted Bear
)I mentioned this in this thread.
His initial reply:
I would have preferred to have all this taken care of in private email, but Göncz decided to not email me and notify me in public.
I hope this clears up any questions regarding the deal.
I may not be known on BF, but feel free to inform about me on CPF, where I am a moderator. My handle is B@rt.
The details of the whole webpage affaire are simple:
I offered Göncz to build him a webpage, free of charge, wich he gladly accepted. After some rough drafts he promised me a light. I asked him to provide me more information and decent pictures, other than the ones on his flyer, but never received material other than 3 cd's with empty folders... I created a way for him to upload pics because he could not shrink them down enough to send them by email, but he couldn't do that either... I didn't hear from him in a while. Later I found he had a webpage done by someone else and sent him an email. He replied with the email wich I posted on page 6 of this thread.
from this email:
To me this is a promise for a rechargeable light, and the M5 is the cheapest rechargeable model he carries.
It was the last I heard from him by email, no response since on my questions.
After finally receiving a M3 (thanks to Mr Ted Bear
)I mentioned this in this thread.His initial reply:
His second reply:
His final reply:
I would have preferred to have all this taken care of in private email, but Göncz decided to not email me and notify me in public.
I hope this clears up any questions regarding the deal.
Hi guys!
I finally received the ordered M3 from John thanx to MrTedBear of CPF! Although the order was not complete as promised by John, I was able to do a review of this light from a flashaholic's point of view and compared it to a SF M3 HOLA and a Pelican M6.
This is the CPF review thread:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/ub...iew=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1&vc=1&PHPSESSID=
And this is the first post, my review:
Impressions about the Goncz M3
1. Construction
The light feels very solid and reasonably well built, although it lacks the sophistication found in other well known brands. It is a little bit shorter and about the same weight as its direct competitor, the SF M3. It is o-ring sealed at all ends with cool red o-rings and comes well-lubed. The batteries fit tight and there is no real rattle in normal use. The lens is some plastic (lexan?) material. It uses a dimpled reflector and a halogen bulb, the whole head assembly seems less sturdy and less sophisticated than other brands and there is some dirt from the manufacturing process found inside the reflector. I personally do not like the rear switch which is a simple metal tube with o-rings gliding in the housing resulting in lubricant leaking at the rear end making your thumb glide quite nicely
. In addition to that the tiny spring does not look too trustworthy as well. That leads us to
2. Function
The switch again. Momentary on works nicely. Constant on ok, too, albeit a bit stiff to turn. But wait! Theres no lockout position! Due to the above described mechanics of the switch a lockout is impossible, a severe flaw IMHO. Focussing can be done by turning the head right or left, it changes between spot and flood infinitely without unscrewing the bezel, a cool feature, although not too effective (see below). The nastiest problem is heat management though. After a few minutes of constant burn time, the front end gets VERY hot and some smoke begins to rise! I checked the lens and it has deformed under the heat! Not good.
3. Beam
The beam color is very yellow, it is a halogen bulb. I tried judging the output without technical equipment as I do not own such, and I think it should be between the PM6 and the SF M3 HOLA, that means I think it is not as bad as some others may have reported, but certainly not nearly as good as the manufacturer claims it to be. Throw should be roughly the same as the PM6 with a less intense hotspot but more flood.
PM6 - Goncz M3
SF M3 - Goncz M3
In general the beam is more of a flood due to the smaller reflector used and is has an uneven hotspot with some artifacts. Forget the focusing feature, it is cool, but the flood setting is useless due to lots of beam artifacts. I prefer the spot setting, which is in fact a flood compared to the other lights.
A very cool effect is the red o-ring at the lens: when activated, it looks like a fire-breathing light with the shiny red o-ring and the yellow beam. This is not important to most of us, but IMO it is worth mentioning because of the beauty of the light coming out.
A note about the presented beamshots: my crappy digicam cannot capture hotspots correctly. The GM3 is inferior to the PM6 hotspot, but is produces more flood in the secondary beam while it is beaten to hell by the SF M3 HOLA in every aspect. Note that all shots are with new batteries, the included Duracells in the GM3, the included Energizers in the PM6 and SF123s in the SF M3. As you can see, distance to target white (but dirty) wall is the same for all contestants.
Overall I would not buy this light again mainly because of the heat issue and the lack of a lockout feature and the lube-leaking switch. This may be a promising design and it certainly has some aspects of its own, but IMHO it is not ready for the market yet.
A note on the manufacturer, Mr. John Goncz: as you are all aware of the recent problems here, I would rather wait for a trusted distributor if you want to buy his products, I waited several months before getting my light with the help of Mr Ted Bear of CPF, and the order wasnt complete as I didnt get the ordered (and paid for) spare bulb. But maybe these problems are history now since Mr. Goncz is trying a new beginning right now and I certainly do not want to spoil this
bernhard
Edited from discussion below:
the difference to the review on BF could be the point that I *do have* a SF M3 to compare it AND that the light ouput of the Goncz M3 is not that bad, it is just yellow. IMHO it should be between the PM6 and the SF M3, meaning it puts out about 120-150lm, but that is only a guess with my eyes, I have no instruments to measure.
light output is not the negative point in my review, the big problems are the melting lens, the missing lockout and the luble-leaking switch.
I do not expect a SF beam-quality from a light that costs a fraction of the price. It is just not wise of John to advertise it as the ultimate winner which it is not.
I finally received the ordered M3 from John thanx to MrTedBear of CPF! Although the order was not complete as promised by John, I was able to do a review of this light from a flashaholic's point of view and compared it to a SF M3 HOLA and a Pelican M6.
This is the CPF review thread:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/ub...iew=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1&vc=1&PHPSESSID=
And this is the first post, my review:
Impressions about the Goncz M3
1. Construction
The light feels very solid and reasonably well built, although it lacks the sophistication found in other well known brands. It is a little bit shorter and about the same weight as its direct competitor, the SF M3. It is o-ring sealed at all ends with cool red o-rings and comes well-lubed. The batteries fit tight and there is no real rattle in normal use. The lens is some plastic (lexan?) material. It uses a dimpled reflector and a halogen bulb, the whole head assembly seems less sturdy and less sophisticated than other brands and there is some dirt from the manufacturing process found inside the reflector. I personally do not like the rear switch which is a simple metal tube with o-rings gliding in the housing resulting in lubricant leaking at the rear end making your thumb glide quite nicely
. In addition to that the tiny spring does not look too trustworthy as well. That leads us to
2. Function
The switch again. Momentary on works nicely. Constant on ok, too, albeit a bit stiff to turn. But wait! Theres no lockout position! Due to the above described mechanics of the switch a lockout is impossible, a severe flaw IMHO. Focussing can be done by turning the head right or left, it changes between spot and flood infinitely without unscrewing the bezel, a cool feature, although not too effective (see below). The nastiest problem is heat management though. After a few minutes of constant burn time, the front end gets VERY hot and some smoke begins to rise! I checked the lens and it has deformed under the heat! Not good.
3. Beam
The beam color is very yellow, it is a halogen bulb. I tried judging the output without technical equipment as I do not own such, and I think it should be between the PM6 and the SF M3 HOLA, that means I think it is not as bad as some others may have reported, but certainly not nearly as good as the manufacturer claims it to be. Throw should be roughly the same as the PM6 with a less intense hotspot but more flood.
PM6 - Goncz M3
SF M3 - Goncz M3
In general the beam is more of a flood due to the smaller reflector used and is has an uneven hotspot with some artifacts. Forget the focusing feature, it is cool, but the flood setting is useless due to lots of beam artifacts. I prefer the spot setting, which is in fact a flood compared to the other lights.
A very cool effect is the red o-ring at the lens: when activated, it looks like a fire-breathing light with the shiny red o-ring and the yellow beam. This is not important to most of us, but IMO it is worth mentioning because of the beauty of the light coming out.
A note about the presented beamshots: my crappy digicam cannot capture hotspots correctly. The GM3 is inferior to the PM6 hotspot, but is produces more flood in the secondary beam while it is beaten to hell by the SF M3 HOLA in every aspect. Note that all shots are with new batteries, the included Duracells in the GM3, the included Energizers in the PM6 and SF123s in the SF M3. As you can see, distance to target white (but dirty) wall is the same for all contestants.
Overall I would not buy this light again mainly because of the heat issue and the lack of a lockout feature and the lube-leaking switch. This may be a promising design and it certainly has some aspects of its own, but IMHO it is not ready for the market yet.
A note on the manufacturer, Mr. John Goncz: as you are all aware of the recent problems here, I would rather wait for a trusted distributor if you want to buy his products, I waited several months before getting my light with the help of Mr Ted Bear of CPF, and the order wasnt complete as I didnt get the ordered (and paid for) spare bulb. But maybe these problems are history now since Mr. Goncz is trying a new beginning right now and I certainly do not want to spoil this
bernhard
Edited from discussion below:
the difference to the review on BF could be the point that I *do have* a SF M3 to compare it AND that the light ouput of the Goncz M3 is not that bad, it is just yellow. IMHO it should be between the PM6 and the SF M3, meaning it puts out about 120-150lm, but that is only a guess with my eyes, I have no instruments to measure.
light output is not the negative point in my review, the big problems are the melting lens, the missing lockout and the luble-leaking switch.
I do not expect a SF beam-quality from a light that costs a fraction of the price. It is just not wise of John to advertise it as the ultimate winner which it is not.
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