GeoManGear Replacement Battery for Magicshine

Update:

Wishes really do come true. Like magic, I received the new GeoManGear battery for my Magicshine headlight shortly after writing this post.

I am really impressed with the quality of the new battery and feel pretty certain that it will last a long time. Whereas the original Magicshine battery was essentially just shrink-wrapped in some plastic, the one from GeoManGear is in a sturdy hardshell case with one side contoured and rubberized for mounting on bike tubes with an included velcro strap.

Old Magicshine Battery

Thanks again to GeoManGear for pulling through and doing the right thing by their customers!

Original Post:

In my last post about my Magicshine headlight, I waxed ecstatic about GeoManGear’s service after they sent me a new charger and a new battery without fuss and super fast too. Well, not too long after I got my new battery, GeoManGear issued their own recall on it. Apparently, multiple reports were coming in about problems with the battery like mine and even some batteries starting fires (fortunately no one was actually hurt).

What makes this special is that it’s not the manufacturer, Magicshine, issuing the recall, but the retailer – a small company whose stated goal is “To stand behind our products, no matter what”. Obviously they are doing that with this recall, which involves sending anyone who bought their Magicshine light through them a new, high quality battery pack made in the U.S.A.

Unfortunately, their replacement timeline has stretched out for months due to a high number of claims and the earthquake and tsunami in Japan (the battery cells are from Panasonic and manufactured in Japan), not to mention that they are funding the recall themselves. Currently they’re saying that all replacements should be out by the end of the year. I just hope that I get mine before the dark, rainy days come back, which tend to overwhelm the stock headlight on my Team. I can’t be upset though because as far as I know, no other resellers, (and certainly not Magicshine) have stepped up like this to take responsibility for a faulty product. I really have to take my hat off once again to GeoManGear for their incredible dedication to service.

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:

I was really lucky last week to have a friendly person stop and offer to haul my velomobile home for me when I got a flat tire. But did you know that you can get roadside assistance for your bike with a phone call? Better World Club will do just that.

I am not and have never been a member of Better World Club, so I can’t comment on their service, but I really like the idea. Most everyone has heard of AAA, but not surprisingly AAA has a vested interest in highways, cheap gas, and car culture in general. They lobby against mass transit and heavily support measures that make biking and walking a lot more difficult. Better World Club takes a different approach. They support green initiatives such as mass transit and Pay As You Drive auto insurance and donate 1% of their revenue to environmental cleanup and advocacy.

With Better World Club you get the same benefits as a regular auto club like AAA (towing, flat repair, lock out service, etc), but you can actually feel good about it. The really cool thing though is that they offer roadside assistance for bicycles. They will come give you and your bike a ride up to 30 miles (I wonder if they would pick up a velomobile). They won’t fix a bike flat for you, but they will send someone with tools if you find yourself unprepared (though really you shouldn’t be). They also have your typical fare of associated benefits including maps, travel planning and insurance, and discounts.

Pretty neat.