Warning on short-circuiting, older model Tevo Magneto lights

Most of the time, we leave our emergency lights on charge overnight. But while we’re sleeping, that lifesaver light could be harbouring an electrical threat.

One mainstream model, the Magneto LED lantern, made by Tevo, has now been exposed as posing a potential risk. A Reddit board has revealed dozens of complaints about the plugs of older model lights.

These rechargeable LED lights, said to be able to provide between six and 60 hours of light on a single charge, depending on the size, reportedly have a cable design flaw which can cause them to short circuit and even start a fire.

The issue, first raised by Hypertext, was reported on after a reader contacted the tech news website about hearing a “pop” and seeing a plume of smoke after plugging in their light to charge. The reader found the cable had worn, allowing the wires to short.

Further investigation on a Reddit thread on the r/SouthAfrica board revealed numerous complaints after user SirWernich wrote: “The power cable on those Magneto rechargeable lights are super kak.”

One observed: “They [the lights] are very fine... until they are not.”

Below are other comments:

“I had one that literally blew as I unplugged it, fortunately no burns or injuries, just a heart rate that could add generating capacity to Eskom.”

“If you own one of those big Magneto lights, please keep an eye on the wiring or carry spare underpants.”

There were also a few complaints about the poor-quality two-pin plugs:

“I replaced mine after one of the pins just fell off. Luckily it was while I was unplugging it, so the pin didn’t jam in the plug socket.”

“Same thing happened to one of mine two weeks ago... plugged it and pow! Slapped on a three-prong plug and all is working again.”

“They are very fine.. until they are not.”

“My plug explode aswell, replaced it with a 3 point plug.”

“3 of my units exploded the same way. Not buying that shit again.”

“Mine had a resistor burn out when I plugged an unpowered usb cable into the back of it. Never very enjoyable having white smoke billowing out of one’s electronics in a wooden house.”

“I’ve bought about 6 of these, and haven’t seen this, although I agree about the rubbish batteries. I luckily found some at Builders a while ago for R70, so I bought a bunch and replace when needed. 

“I, however, did buy three of an even cheaper version from Onedealaday – these are real rubbish. The light lasts about 45 minutes but starts dimming quickly. I had one plugged in for days, and a capacitor blew up in it and scared me half to death. Threw all 3 of them away after about 3 months.”

“Same issue. Insulation tore at base of plug. Cores exposed. Waiting to pop. Luckily noticed it before fireworks. These lamps need a mass recall.”

Some have no complaints:

“I have a pair that I’ve been using for 18 months and they are fine.”

“NEVER use cheap plugs. Not all plugs are equal. I have 6 units for 5 years, with original 2 pin, only charge it once a week. Going strong.”

The complaints are worrisome. When contacted about the shorting lights, Tevo told Hypertext that they were aware of the issue, but put it down to wear and tear.

“Tevo is aware of cases that have been brought to our attention regarding wear and tear at the base point of the Magneto Lantern charger cable and plug junction point,” product manager at Tevo, Warren Bernhardt, told Hypertext via email.

“Tevo has already revised the design of the plug connector in early 2022 with a flexible protective sheath at the junction point between the cable and plug point, which would further alleviate future issues.

“Despite the fact that the previous plug on the Magneto LED Lantern passed all required testing, as well as the fact that the [percentage] of cable shorting incidents is minuscule compared to the number of units we have sold in totality, we decided to improve the plug with a flexible protective sheath.

“This aids to ensure that these isolated incidents don’t occur in future. The treatment of this new plug, like all electrical plugs on a household electrical product, will still require careful use and treatment,” Bernhardt said.

Tevo has apparently also updated its user manual to warn users to treat the cable “better”.

Its website claimed its products go through rigorous testing, on both international and local fronts.

“Our electrical products have passed the IEC standard [International Electrotechnical Commission standard, which underpins quality infrastructure and trade in electrical and electronic goods in 170 countries] and are then further assessed in South Africa by the NRCS [National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications]. The original version of the Magneto LED Lantern passed these tests with no issue at all,” Bernhardt told Hypertext.

Tevo said it prided itself on the service offered to its customers, and if wear and tear was observed, consumers could book their device into their nearest Tevo service centre where the units will be assessed and repaired within warranty, or quoted on for repair if outside of warranty.

The company further said its products were extensively guaranteed beyond the purchase date.

“To ensure quality compliance, Tevo products meet and exceed the international standards as applied by the various recognised quality assurance bureaus [TUV-GS (Germany), CE Approval (Europe) or SABS (South Africa)].”

Business Maverick asked both Tevo and the National Consumer Commission about the issue, but only the NCC had responded by deadline, saying it would “engage with the supplier” and revert.

Tevo did not have a contact number on its website and failed to respond to emailed queries.

A lawyer who is not involved in the matter questioned why, if there was a risk of electrocution or fire, there was not a recall of the older model lights.

UPDATE: Patrick Bennett, CEO of Tevo,  contacted Business Maverick after this article was written, saying his 18-year-old company is one of the market leaders in the supply of electrical appliances including irons, kettles, air fryers, microwave ovens, vacuum cleaners, pressure washers, LED lighting, electric scooters, Bluetooth speakers… "amongst many other products".

"We are skilled in sourcing, selling and providing service to electrical products and this is an area in which we excel in the marketplace. Our products conform to international testing standards and every product that has a plug, be it a 220v mains plug or a low voltage USB, has been approved by the NRCS [the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications] who has a mandate to 'promote public health, safety and environmental protection through the development and enforcement of compulsory specifications'. It is unfair for your article to claim that “there is no enforcement of standards” when we specifically provide all our retail partners with proof of NRCS compliance with every product that we sell."

"In short, we are a company that provides and sells high quality merchandise and secondly, supports each product with outstanding service.

He said they became aware of the shorting issue through a complaint on 21 May 2022 and immediately worked with the factory to adapt the two-pin plug design for future stock by bolstering the point at which the cable enters the plug.

"All future stock from mid-year would have been delivered to sales outlets with the new design. We believe we moved as quickly as possible to improve the design and implement the solution on the production line."

Bennett said while referring to "a few horror stories", the article may lead readers to regard the issue as being a widespread problem, although return rates in the electrical appliance industry are less than 3%.

"Some items such as irons have an even higher return rate. It is important for us to disclose to you the return rate that our service centres countrywide have experienced on the Magneto Lantern. For the period January 2022 to January 2023, some 13 months, we had 525 units returned due to the shorting issue on the cable. This amounts to 0.0297% of the 1.77 million units sold over that period… this is less than a third of 0.1% of sales… a freakishly low figure for a mass produced item. All units under warranty were replaced free of charge and those outside of warranty, had new cables fitted at our service centres for a nominal fee."

He said despite concerns raised in the article, no fires were caused and no homes burnt down through the issue. 

"In spite of this explanation, as a responsible company that backs up its products, it is important that we leave your readers with options that effectively deal with their concerns. Thus:

• If your Magneto lantern is still under its one-year warranty and the cable is showing wear near the plug, we will replace the cable free of charge at our service centres.
• If your Magneto lantern is outside of warranty and the cable is showing wear near the plug, we will replace the cable for R40 including VAT at our service centres.
• Service centres can be found through our website at www.tevo.co.za

Consumers should also note, he said, that if either of the above involve too much effort, the two-pin plug can be cut off and replaced with a standard three-pin plug. 

"We regard our Magneto lantern as a beautiful South African success story and are dismayed to hear it painted as a horror story. There was an issue in a minute quantity of cases. The issue was resolved and we have dealt with each customer individually…and will continue to do so." BM/DM