Tritium dot went dark, TruGlo fixed it
Posted: July 18th, 2020, 4:07 pm
I have TruGlo TFO sights on several of my pistols. They are my new favorite sights. Tritium for shooting in the dark; fiber optic for shooting in the light.
I put TFOs on a Kimber 1911, and overnight, one of the rear dots just went dark. Not got dimmer over time, as you would expect. These are just a few months old, and just like that, burned out like a light bulb.
Called TruGlo, no problems or pushback. They sent me a prepaid shipping label, and I sent the slide back. It arrived back today, with new sights. So, as far as customer service, no problems at all.
Still, I am wondering how that happened. I have read that you have to install them gently, with a sight installation tool instead of a hammer, because a sharp blow could break the vial and let the tritium gas leak out. For that reason, I have TFO sights installed by a gunsmith. (Wright Armory). I don't recall any hard bumps with the gun.
Maybe the sights were just made defectively. If you make enough of any product, some lemons are bound to get through. Maybe I just got a bad one.
I noticed on the return packing slip a warning that said "Don't get oil or cleaning solvent on the sights, because that could damage both tritium and fiber optics." That's a possibility. I clean my guns by taking them out in the back yard and spraying them with brake cleaner to get the heavy stuff off, then proceed to gentler cleaning with M-Pro 7 and ultimately, oil.
So, from now on, cleaning/lube with solvent and oil only, being careful not to get anything on the sights.
Those of you who have fiber optic and/or tritium sights may want to consider that.
I put TFOs on a Kimber 1911, and overnight, one of the rear dots just went dark. Not got dimmer over time, as you would expect. These are just a few months old, and just like that, burned out like a light bulb.
Called TruGlo, no problems or pushback. They sent me a prepaid shipping label, and I sent the slide back. It arrived back today, with new sights. So, as far as customer service, no problems at all.
Still, I am wondering how that happened. I have read that you have to install them gently, with a sight installation tool instead of a hammer, because a sharp blow could break the vial and let the tritium gas leak out. For that reason, I have TFO sights installed by a gunsmith. (Wright Armory). I don't recall any hard bumps with the gun.
Maybe the sights were just made defectively. If you make enough of any product, some lemons are bound to get through. Maybe I just got a bad one.
I noticed on the return packing slip a warning that said "Don't get oil or cleaning solvent on the sights, because that could damage both tritium and fiber optics." That's a possibility. I clean my guns by taking them out in the back yard and spraying them with brake cleaner to get the heavy stuff off, then proceed to gentler cleaning with M-Pro 7 and ultimately, oil.
So, from now on, cleaning/lube with solvent and oil only, being careful not to get anything on the sights.
Those of you who have fiber optic and/or tritium sights may want to consider that.