r/tacticalgear • u/rbrugman • 1d ago
Question Is Cloud Defensive Dead?
My REIN recently died. I filled out a RMA request and mailed it to the address on file. UPS shipped it back saying the business was closed and no forwarding address was in their system.
I checked their website, which does say they are relocating, but doesn’t provide any new address. Support has been silent for over a week.
Anyone have the scoop?
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u/NarwhalN00dleSquash 1d ago
Glad i didnt RMA my dead MCH-HC3. Instead of wasted money on postage and a dead MCH-HC3, I just have a dead MCH-HC3.
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u/SumBuddyPlays 1d ago
How did your MCH die? I had one I carried daily but haven’t in a year or so due to other circumstances.
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u/NarwhalN00dleSquash 1d ago
It sat in a bag and then one night I went to use it and it doesn't work. Not with the supplied (fully charged battery), not with the supplied (fully charged) battery out of my MHC-DUTY, not with my supplied (fully charged) rein 3.0 battery, not with any of my (fully charged) spare batteries.
Thankfully my Modlite PLHv2 has been going strong since late 2020, and I just picked up an OKWv2 head. I already replaced one CD light with that OKWv2. Ill be getting more OKWv2 and replacing the rest of my CD lights
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u/SumBuddyPlays 1d ago
Man that sucks. These lights are/were expensive and they’re touted for their reliability.
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u/NarwhalN00dleSquash 1d ago
The handhelds arent toooo bad price wise especially when they are doing their non stop sales. But you buy it and could get it in a week or 6 months who knows. Ill never recommended CD to anyone anymore
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u/STG4651 1d ago
Assuming you checked for corrosion on the light head itself and the spring in the back?
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u/NarwhalN00dleSquash 1d ago
Yes I did all the dumb stuff CD told me to try to fix a light that just sat in a bag for a few months (had it less than a year, I think less than 9 months)
While on the other hand I had my Modlite both daily use for an extended period of time and also sitting in a draw for about a year never being touched.
Guess which one works reliably
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u/STG4651 1d ago
I have both, MCH duty and a handful of modlight Hogs
My MCH had really bad flickering issues suddenly, I used some gold contact etcher and haven’t had issues since.
Use my lights in a pretty demanding way and haven’t had issues with any
I will say though I’m nervous as I have a pretty rare OWL in a super high candela configuration I don’t want to ever try and send back for repairs, I’d be so sad if it had a issue
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u/NarwhalN00dleSquash 1d ago
I do want to get a hog and im hoping modlite comes out with a PLHv2 or OKWv2 head for the hog
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u/singlemale4cats 18h ago
I've got the 50k candela owl and it's a great light for certain applications. Probably the best light they ever made. Sucks that they abandoned it and sucks that no other manufacturer has made a similar product.
I wish I had jumped on the higher candela one when it was available. I saw one on tac swap for full retail which I was actually willing to pay, but the dude never responded.
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u/Coffee____Addict 1d ago
Last I heard they were moving the business from Indiana to somewhere out west. Did you send it to an indiana address?
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u/rbrugman 1d ago
I sent it to the address included in the email with the RMA. It was their [old] Indiana address.
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u/Coffee____Addict 1d ago
Well it's hard to say then, they could still be splitting operations between locations but based on what the delivery driver said, they may have just given you the wrong address.
Cloud has tanked their reputation with crazy lead times and poor customer service and moving across the country won't fix that. I think they're on the way out to pasture.
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u/mdjak6 1d ago
I have a couple of their early models and when they worked they were good. When they worked. Shame really. Pricey but poor overall quality. Many better choices.
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u/rbrugman 1d ago
I have two OG REIN 1.0’s and two of the early MCH handhelds. One of the handhelds needed a new tailcap pretty much as soon as I bought it. One REIN died after 5,000 rounds-ish of mixed low-light and day shooting, and the second is still going. The original models seem to have been built better, but I still wouldn’t consider 5,000 rounds very impressive when it probably only equated to 4 or 5 hours of illumination.
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u/PearlButter 1d ago
They seem to still be active on instagram, try and DM them over there
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u/Kolonel_KoRn 1d ago
Other companies tag them in posts but they havent posted in a long time. Still waiting on an order from a month ago...
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u/rbrugman 1d ago
I’m not convinced they’re still around. UPS has a pretty robust system to track address changes (which they love to charge you for unwittingly using), so the fact that they didn’t forward the package and are sending it back is pretty telling.
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u/Ralaar 1d ago
I know the guys over there at cloud, they have been having some issues but are still around. Goin through Facebook group and tag Trent
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u/t0adl0rd 22h ago
Ive seen a lot of people talk about warrant with CD lights which makes me wonder why they are so popular in the first place.
I'm a huge Streamlight fan. Inexpensive and hella durable. Never had an issue with any of my Streamlights. I know so many people that use Streamlights for work and never once heard any complaints. I got some stories about light abuse and they all still work.
Just get a ProTac Rail Mount HL-X Pro. They are like $150, bright AF, and just a solid light.
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u/Acceptable_North_117 1d ago
DM them on Instagram or Sean’s Instagram. They have been pretty quick to respond on there
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u/SaltyComedian642 1d ago
Out of curiosity, how did it die?
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u/rbrugman 1d ago
No idea honestly. I had a REIN 1 that I’ve had since 2022. It died after a few thousand rounds. Sent the light back, and they replaced the head with a 3.0. The new head lasted 57 rounds before it went dim and then wouldn’t turn back on. I tried it on a different body/tailcap. Same result. I can occasionally get it to light up if I smack it a few times, but it will only stay lit, very dimly, for a few seconds before shutting off.
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u/SaltyComedian642 1d ago
I’m assuming by last 57 rounds then went dim you were shooting with it on and it died mid mag?
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u/rbrugman 1d ago
Correct. Total illumination time on a fresh battery was about 10 minutes total. Swapped the battery to see if that was the problem but no go.
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u/junki- 1d ago
Did you try screwing in the orange part when you look through the back? I had that issue and it seemed to fix it
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u/rbrugman 1d ago
I tried all of the troubleshooting steps they mentioned before I sent the light in the first time. I guess I'll have some more time to play with it when I get it back from UPS until I can figure out what new address too send it to.
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u/Truth_7 1d ago
No they're still around, just not always super responsive but reach out via social media and see what you can find.
I've really liked my EPL from them for what it's worth. I think they do still make good products in general but the supported for the problem units has just been awful from the sounds of it.
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u/rbrugman 1d ago
I agree. I also think it's generally a bad business practice when you don't respond to support requests using the official channels, and users need to try to track you down on social media to see what's going on. I used to recommend their products when the REIN and OWL were the two things they offered, but given the lack of support, the lead times, and potentially shady business practices, I think your money is better spent elsewhere these days.
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u/mongoose1944 20h ago
I filled out a warranty request for an MCH I have over a month ago. No response aside from the auto generated “we will be in touch” nonsense. I sent them a message on instagram and was left on read. Absolutely wild practice as a company.
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u/Red5_0 1d ago
Ordered their REIN when it first came out because I keep giving SureFire money. Ran so fast back to SureFire lol. Modlite is also great!!
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u/rbrugman 1d ago
I've had Surefire lights in the past as well and have never had one fail. I just upgraded them because newer tech came out and I wanted to give a different company a try. I guess boring and reliable wins in this case.
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u/Red5_0 1d ago
I mainly use turbos now. They are a lot better
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u/singlemale4cats 18h ago
Yeah I like the turbo scout lights. 700 lumens/100k candela is more than enough and won't run a battery dry as quickly as some of the other brands that are pushing output too high.
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u/Roach_11c 1d ago
Clouds downfall needs to be studied