So HF has a coupon right now that says 15% (20% for ITC members) off any decorative or work lighting products. In the exclusions section of the coupon, it says it excludes Roadshock lights. That's it.
Anyway, I went in last night and picked up one of these Icon lights and tried to use the coupon. For some reason I had a feeling this icon light wouldn't ring up with the discount. I was correct and the cashier said "something's wrong..." The manager came over and immediately she said oh that's because it's Icon. But she opened the coupon binder and studied the coupon. Sure enough, Icon lights were not listed in the exclusions.
Anyway, she manually punched in the 20% discount and I walked out with the light (and a couple other things I needed).
Fortunately, all of this transpired without me saying a word. It's not like I had to argue with her (and I wouldn't have). So I say all this because the light is actually really cool and I think it's going to be very useful but it's pretty new so it's not likely to go on sale any time soon. Exploiting this "loophole" that is really not a loophole may be your best bet if you are interested in one but don't want to pay full price.
Pretty much exactly what happened with me.
If there's an exclusion, it will be listed on the coupon. Icon lights were not listed, but the coupon scanned as "invalid". The clerk called a manager, and he was able to override and give me the 15% discount for $6 off. ("Inside Track Club" members got 20% off.)
It's true that Icon stuff (and other HF "brands") is almost always excluded from discounts, but it was not excluded on this coupon. I don't really GAF if it was supposed to be excluded or someone at corporate screwed up or whatever. Not my problem. But they handled it correctly in the store.
For the record, if anyone at HF is watching, I would never have bought it at full price. I have lots of lights... I know discounts on Icon stuff are rare, so I jumped on this one.
I also note that some stores in Indy were out of these; the brand-new store near my house had several on the shelf. It would seem they're selling well.
Anyway, the light is pretty great so far. Very sturdy, much sturdier than the "Braun" light -- I've had three of the Braun stick lights, and one is completely dead due to fluid damage, and currently the other two are only sort of working.
Yes, the geometry of the Icon light is different, so you use it a little differently; I don't see the problem here.
Upsides compared to the Braun stick lights are that it should be a LOT more durable, it's fluid-resistant (antifreeze killed one of my Brauns) and has a charge indicator. The quantity and quality of the light is a lot better, you can choose light levels, and it folds down more compactly. The button and charge port covers are far more durable and useful.
The Brauns are just plain inconvenient and awkward to store or transport, and the button was far too easy to accidentally activate and run down the battery if anything slightly brushed against it. The charge port covers lasted about five minutes, and the charge ports on all mine stopped working after a while.
I think the biggest downside is that you can't just unscrew the end and pop in a charged or higher capacity 18650 battery.
Most "stick" lights do not fold completely, so they share that awkwardness and are more subject to damage and wear on the hinge. The Icon's design should prove more durable, and it's certainly a lot more compact (but still usable and useful) when folded.
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go.harborfreight.com
www.astrotools.com
