GeoManGear Rocks

GeoManGear has blown me away with their level of service. It’s rare to find a company that will completely stand behind both their customers and the products that they sell, but GeoManGear clearly does – and fast too! I’m getting ahead of myself though.

I got my new Magicshine headlight charger from GeoManGear over the weekend. But when I tried plugging it in it did the same exact thing as the old charger. After a moment of frustration (thinking I had somehow managed to get another bad charger), I realized that I was being illogical and that the problem was more likely in the battery. I had wanted to avoid messing with the battery pack because it appears to be well-sealed in multiple layers of heat shrink plastic. Even at this point I was hesitant, so I jumped back on the mtbr forums where a bunch of people have Magicshine lights to see if I could find any extra justification or troubleshooting ideas. I ended up finding a couple different threads posted within the last two weeks detailing problems within the battery pack, so I decided that I really needed to see what was going on underneath the protective plastic layers.

I cut the plastic off and peeled back some cardboard covering the contacts and a small circuit board. What lay underneath was a scene of utter horror, okay that might be a slight exaggeration, but see for yourself below. Most of the wires and connections on the circuit board were caked up with corrosion and one of the contacts leading to the battery cells had completely rusted through. Apparently, even with multiple layers of plastic, the moisture here in Olympia is just insidiously pervasive. It looked like maybe it could be cleaned up and fixed, though my soldering skills are pretty shabby. I figured that even if I could get it working again it might be a good idea to get a new battery pack so I could have a back up.

So I wrote back to GeoManGear explaining the problem and asking how I could order a new battery pack because I couldn’t find one on their site. I also apologized for my mistake about the charger, which had prompted them to send me a new one. The very next day I got a message back saying “we’re sending you a new battery” and a delivery confirmation came quickly thereafter.

In both instances – for the charger and the battery – I had inquired about replacements, fully prepared and expecting to pay for them (the Magicshine comes with a negligible warranty, but for under $90 what can you expect?). Both times I got a response in less than one business day saying “we’ll send you a new one” – no fuss, no questions asked – and the parts were shipped out the same afternoon. It’s just plain ridiculous! The only thing they asked was that I send back the defective parts. I wish every business was even this responsive, not to mention gracious.

I don’t give recommendations lightly, but GeoManGear has astounded me and I would recommend checking them out if you’re in the market for bike lights. Their selection is rather small, but the company is run by people who bike and who actually test and use the products they sell. It’s clear that they care about what they’re doing and about their customers.

Here is the Magicshine battery revealed: