Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I submitted an earlier rave review because my friends and I had jointly purchased FIVE of these flashlights. (I actually purchased them all and passed 2 flashlights on to my employee and another one to a close friend -- and I kept 2 of them for myself.) We all LOVED THEM for a year or so, just like about everybody else who reviews this great flashlight; then the trouble began. One by one the flashlights started failing. Specifically, the light would suddenly get dim, go out, get bright, get dim, go out, get bright, etc. This happens randomly with all 5 flashlights. They all worked great for about a year with moderate use -- we all tend to use them 1-2 hours per week. We don't know why this happens. We haven't dropped our flashlights. They are stored indoors in dry areas and are not subjected to extreme temperatures. They just start flaking out on their own after a year or so (some of them failed after 6 months -- some of them lasted 2 years -- but the average seems to be about a year or so). All 5 flashlights are virtually useless now. Even with a brand new set of batteries the light will be bright for only a few seconds (sometimes up to a minute) and then on their own the lights will get half bright; then very dim; then go out; then bright again. No constant, reliable light anymore. I just can't recommend these flashlights now since they don't seem to last very long. I used to give them a 5 star rating in my earlier review, as when they work they are FANTASTIC flashlights. But I paid over $100 for 5 flashlights that have been used only moderately that are all now completely useless. Just does not make sense. I have identified much more expensive LED flashlights on Amazon that also get very high ratings from users and will soon be purchasing a model I found for $69 to give that a try and hope it will last.