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Posted: 1/10/2022 12:17:32 AM EST
[#1]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I have experienced no battery drain issues with my eotech 3.0. From what I've noticed it seems to not be much of an issue with the newer XPS/EXPS EOTechs, but some still swear it happens. |
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Posted: 1/18/2022 5:48:20 PM EST
[#2]
Parallax (or lack thereof) on the UH-1 Gen 1...
 Vortex UH 1 parallax free - better than EOTech! Noticeable parallax on the UH-1 Gen 2...  Failed To Load Title I noticed a similar amount of parallax with my UH-1 Gen 2 when I was sighting it in last November. I was surprised to see any parallax because I saw the first of those 2 videos before I bought the UH-1. Is it something that changed when they increased the window size for the Gen 2 model? I was really hoping to avoid the parallax issue in going with the UH-1 since it's a holographic sight after all. Still not as bad as an MRO, but still. 
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Posted: 1/18/2022 6:50:54 PM EST
[#3]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Parallax (or lack thereof) on the UH-1 Gen 1...  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlSSSZ3IXrQNoticeable parallax on the UH-1 Gen 2... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feuMOVTJlswI noticed a similar amount of parallax with my UH-1 Gen 2 when I was sighting it in last November. I was surprised to see any parallax because I saw the first of those 2 videos before I bought the UH-1. Is it something that changed when they increased the window size for the Gen 2 model? I was really hoping to avoid the parallax issue in going with the UH-1 since it's a holographic sight after all. Still not as bad as an MRO, but still. Yikes... that is interesting. I have been on the fence as far as getting one of these vs. trying to go back to EOtech. Have there been any reports of delaminiation issues with the UH-1's? My old EOtech had to be sent back numerous times because of delamination. I finally dumped it when they were buying them back. I could probably live with the parallax as long as they don't have the delamination problem. Plus the Vortex warranty gives me the warm fuzzies, unlike EOtech. |
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Posted: 1/18/2022 7:11:10 PM EST
[#4]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Yikes... that is interesting. I have been on the fence as far as getting one of these vs. trying to go back to EOtech. Have there been any reports of delaminiation issues with the UH-1's? My old EOtech had to be sent back numerous times because of delamination. I finally dumped it when they were buying them back. I could probably live with the parallax as long as they don't have the delamination problem. Plus the Vortex warranty gives me the warm fuzzies, unlike EOtech. I haven't heard anything about delamination with the UH-1. Maybe they designed their way around that issue knowing about EOTech's issues with it? And to be fair about the parallax in the UH-1 Gen 2, I know I've seen a video or two showing similar with EOTech. I'll try to find a video of that for comparison. Edit: Never mind, I guess I must have imagined it. I'm not seeing any EOTech parallax test that shows it being similar to the UH-1 Gen 2. |
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Posted: 1/20/2022 11:57:11 AM EST
[#5]
Aside from the VIP warranty, there's nothing else that really makes the UH1 Gen 2 attractive with the recent price increases at Vortex. They're in EOTech territory now (actually EXPS3 territory). With MIL discounts, they are within spittin' distance.
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Posted: 1/20/2022 12:23:26 PM EST
[#6]
Quote HistoryQuoted: UH-1 Gen II: One weird thing that happened recently is that it would not "wake up" after it shut itself off the other day. Removed the battery and re-installed, no issues since. Less than confidence inspiring on that front. Aside from that one instance (which is still too many instances..) its a pretty nice optic. |
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Posted: 1/20/2022 12:29:03 PM EST
[#7]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Aside from the VIP warranty, there's nothing else that really makes the UH1 Gen 2 attractive with the recent price increases at Vortex. They're in EOTech territory now (actually EXPS3 territory). With MIL discounts, they are within spittin' distance. I didn't even know the price went up $100 since I got mine, I'd definitely be considering EOTech more now than I did when I was comparing the two. |
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Posted: 2/2/2022 7:05:14 PM EST
[#8]
Got a Gen II in from Optics Planet after it having been on backorder. S/N starts with 213. I'm scratching my head trying to think how the "fixed" ones started with 217 back in July of last year, but this one that I just got in fresh off of backorder is 213. Do these mythical 217 S/N models actually exist?
Also, the reticle looks canted on mine. Anyone else notice that on theirs? The top line on the donut is almost at 1 o clock when placed on a level surface and looking at a level object in the distance. |
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Posted: 2/2/2022 7:47:55 PM EST
[#9]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Got a Gen II in from Optics Planet after it having been on backorder. S/N starts with 213. I'm scratching my head trying to think how the "fixed" ones started with 217 back in July of last year, but this one that I just got in fresh off of backorder is 213. Do these mythical 217 S/N models actually exist? Also, the reticle looks canted on mine. Anyone else notice that on theirs? The top line on the donut is almost at 1 o clock when placed on a level surface and looking at a level object in the distance. Very interesting... Maybe that's really the case and they haven't actually reached the 217 serial range yet with the UH-1. On the reticle, I haven't noticed it appearing canted on mine. Though I've only really paid attention to it when mounted. Edit: BTW, to give an update, mine is still working as of today. 
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Posted: 2/2/2022 8:15:22 PM EST
[#10]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Very interesting... Maybe that's really the case and they haven't actually reached the 217 serial range yet with the UH-1. On the reticle, I haven't noticed it appearing canted on mine. Though I've only really paid attention to it when mounted. Edit: BTW, to give an update, mine is still working as of today. I will give Vortex a ring tomorrow and see what they have to say about both the S/N and the canted reticle. As far as a sanity check, I mounted it onto an AR, put the AR in a gun vise, then leveled it in the vise with a bubble level on the upper receiver. It was pointed at a shelving unit that was also verified to be true with a bubble level. Top hash mark/notch/whatever it's called is definitely almost at 1 o clock. Probably not the most scientific test ever, but good enough to show that I wasn't losing my mind. |
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Posted: 2/2/2022 10:17:35 PM EST
[#11]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I will give Vortex a ring tomorrow and see what they have to say about both the S/N and the canted reticle. As far as a sanity check, I mounted it onto an AR, put the AR in a gun vise, then leveled it in the vise with a bubble level on the upper receiver. It was pointed at a shelving unit that was also verified to be true with a bubble level. Top hash mark/notch/whatever it's called is definitely almost at 1 o clock. Probably not the most scientific test ever, but good enough to show that I wasn't losing my mind. Hmm, this is the first I've heard of a UH-1 with a canted reticle. Hopefully they take it back, considering their warranty they should. Sucks on a brand new optic though. |
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Posted: 2/2/2022 10:53:29 PM EST
[#12]
Got one today. Serial number is 212+++. What again is supposed to be the difference in later numbers?
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Posted: 2/2/2022 11:24:15 PM EST
[#13]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Got one today. Serial number is 212+++. What again is supposed to be the difference in later numbers? Older ones were having battery drain issues where the battery would be dead in a month with the optics turned off and the newer ones up in the 217 serial number range had the issue worked out. |
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Posted: 2/2/2022 11:25:42 PM EST
[#14]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Got one today. Serial number is 212+++. What again is supposed to be the difference in later numbers? Apparently 217 and up have a firmware update that alleviates suspected battery drain issues. A little more sleuthing--my 213 S/N came with a CR123 with an expiration date of 5/2031. Which means the battery was manufactured around 5/2021. Adding the time it takes for Vortex to get the batteries and package them in with the optics, I'm wondering how the S/N thing really works. |
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Posted: 2/3/2022 1:46:32 PM EST
[#15]
Just got off the phone with Vortex. The gentleman with tech support said they don't go off of serial numbers and that he couldn't look up a date of manufacturer based off of a S/N. I thought that was kind of weird, but OK. He said if I had this on backorder with Optics Planet (who is a high-volume dealer), it should be new and already flashed.
I'm sending it in to have them check the canted reticle. 5 minute phone conversation, and I already have my prepaid return label in my inbox. Gotta love it. |
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Posted: 2/3/2022 3:18:32 PM EST
[#16]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Just got off the phone with Vortex. The gentleman with tech support said they don't go off of serial numbers and that he couldn't look up a date of manufacturer based off of a S/N. I thought that was kind of weird, but OK. He said if I had this on backorder with Optics Planet (who is a high-volume dealer), it should be new and already flashed. I'm sending it in to have them check the canted reticle. 5 minute phone conversation, and I already have my prepaid return label in my inbox. Gotta love it. Great! I wonder if they will end up fixing the canted reticle in yours or just send you out a new one? Very odd about the serial numbers. |
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Posted: 2/4/2022 7:54:22 PM EST
[#17]
Well, well well... I turned on my UH-1 today to check and see if it was still working and it was fine. So I turned it off and set the rifle it was on in the corner of a room, came back a few minutes later and turned it on again and it started pulsating. So apparently it's time to change the battery... Well short of what I imagined 1500 hours to be. The battery was first installed on November 1st of last year, so that's just a little over three months of mostly not being turned on... Better than the reported defective UH-1s, but still kinda disappointing.
 Now I can only wonder if this is what's considered normal for these or if it should have gone longer? 
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Posted: 2/4/2022 9:04:45 PM EST
[#18]
I suppose that only Vortex would know, so I'll mention them here just in case they'd like to chime in.
@VortexOptics |
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Posted: 2/5/2022 8:24:37 AM EST
[#19]
You could also contact Vortex support directly. They are very responsive.
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Posted: 2/5/2022 9:22:19 AM EST
[#20]
Just turned it on again days ago, BTW - just remembering this thread by memory, batteries still at full capacity, all good
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Posted: 2/5/2022 11:13:26 AM EST
[#21]
Quote HistoryQuoted: You could also contact Vortex support directly. They are very responsive. I will probably do that too. In the meantime I'm wondering if I should pop in one of my new SureFire batteries and mark down the date to see how long it goes. |
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Posted: 2/5/2022 11:17:04 AM EST
[#22]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Just turned it on again days ago, BTW - just remembering this thread by memory, batteries still at full capacity, all good So that makes about 5 or 6 months for yours so far doesn't it? That's pretty good, mine is definitely dying early in comparison. |
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Posted: 2/5/2022 11:26:13 AM EST
[#23]
Quote HistoryQuoted: So that makes about 5 or 6 months for yours so far doesn't it? That's pretty good, mine definitely died early in comparison. |
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Posted: 2/5/2022 12:04:31 PM EST
[#24]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Sir - yessir (good to see you brother, be well) Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: So that makes about 5 or 6 months for yours so far doesn't it? That's pretty good, mine definitely died early in comparison. Thanks for keeping us updated and back at ya! 
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Posted: 2/5/2022 5:03:23 PM EST
[#25]
Okay, now I'm not sure what to think... I've turned on my UH-1 a few times today and the first time it pulsated at first for a couple of seconds, then it stopped. I've checked it a couple more times since then and it hasn't started pulsating again, it's just solid like it normally should be even with me adjusting it to the highest brightness setting... So is the pulsating only a short warning and then it stops? I think I'm just going to let it go until it completely dies. Maybe the pulsating was a fluke?
I contacted Vortex about it through email and told them about this thread. Hopefully they'll chime in. |
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Posted: 2/7/2022 9:17:36 AM EST
[#26]
Update: I'm still getting the pulsating for a few seconds upon first turning it on as of yesterday, but it's not completely dead yet.
Anyways, Vortex emailed me this morning and here's what they had to say... "Hi Cliff, Thank you for contacting Vortex Optics. This battery drainage is not normal. Therefore, since your UH-1 scope is completely covered under our VIP Warranty, we welcome you to send it in at any time and have our technicians take a look at it and repair/replace it as needed at no charge to you. If you will kindly provide me with your mailing address and phone number, I would like to set up a Service Request # for you and send you all the information needed to send your scope in for service. I look forward to hearing back from you soon. Thank you for choosing Vortex! Kathy Kvam Vortex Optics | VIP Care" |
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Posted: 2/7/2022 10:33:26 AM EST
[#27]
Maybe you did this already but what's the voltage of the battery?
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Posted: 2/7/2022 11:40:14 AM EST
[#28]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Maybe you did this already but what's the voltage of the battery? I haven't checked that yet, I'll see if I can get a reading on it later today. |
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Posted: 2/7/2022 4:00:09 PM EST
[#29]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I haven't checked that yet, I'll see if I can get a reading on it later today. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Maybe you did this already but what's the voltage of the battery? I haven't checked that yet, I'll see if I can get a reading on it later today. The battery tester is reading the battery at 2 volts, so I'm not sure why the reticle is flashing at this point... However, the meter may have been rounding the number since it doesn't really show percentages any lower. Afterthought, I suppose I should have stuck one of my new SureFire batteries in to see if the reticle kept flashing, but I already have the optic boxed up and ready to ship out. |
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Posted: 2/7/2022 4:04:02 PM EST
[#30]
It's a CR123 so a new one would be something like 3.2 VDC, if that were at 2 VDC the UH-1 probably wouldn't turn on. No biggie. Let's see what they say.
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Posted: 2/7/2022 4:46:55 PM EST
[#31]
Turns out my UH-1 suffered from intermittent power control failures where the controls would just stop working completely and the only way to get them to work again is to unscrew the battery. It also was suffering from the battery drain issue. Sent it in to Vortex and they said they verified and fixed both issues. Overall, I'm not impressed with the UH-1. I tried looking at it under PVS 15's and it just straight up looks like a black square a lot of the time and worse than my holosun pistol sights which is disappointing as Holosuns are not known for NV performance. I'm probably going to sell it and replace it with an EXPS or XPS 3.
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Posted: 2/7/2022 6:45:59 PM EST
[#32]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Turns out my UH-1 suffered from intermittent power control failures where the controls would just stop working completely and the only way to get them to work again is to unscrew the battery. It also was suffering from the battery drain issue. Sent it in to Vortex and they said they verified and fixed both issues. Overall, I'm not impressed with the UH-1. I tried looking at it under PVS 15's and it just straight up looks like a black square a lot of the time and worse than my holosun pistol sights which is disappointing as Holosuns are not known for NV performance. I'm probably going to sell it and replace it with an EXPS or XPS 3. Oh, I for sure would have went with an EXPS3 if I had night vision use in mind. Interesting on the power control failures, luckily I haven't heard of many others with that issue. |
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Posted: 2/7/2022 6:55:06 PM EST
[#33]
Quote HistoryQuoted: It's a CR123 so a new one would be something like 3.2 VDC, if that were at 2 VDC the UH-1 probably wouldn't turn on. No biggie. Let's see what they say. Okay got ya. Well I got it shipped out so we'll see what they find, hopefully within the next few weeks. |
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Posted: 2/7/2022 8:16:28 PM EST
[#34]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Oh, I for sure would have went with an EXPS3 if I had night vision use in mind. Interesting on the power control failures, luckily I haven't heard of many others with that issue. Yeah I knew it would be worse but hoped it would perform decently. Never would have thought a large window holographic with 4 different NV settings would perform worse than my holosuns. And then that leaves the question, why get a UH-1 when an EXPS 2-0 is the same price? The only thing the UH1 does better is the battery life is better, when it works properly. But who out there buying a holographic sight actually cares about battery life? |
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Posted: 2/7/2022 9:03:13 PM EST
[#35]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Yeah I knew it would be worse but hoped it would perform decently. Never would have thought a large window holographic with 4 different NV settings would perform worse than my holosuns. And then that leaves the question, why get a UH-1 when an EXPS 2-0 is the same price? The only thing the UH1 does better is the battery life is better, when it works properly. But who out there buying a holographic sight actually cares about battery life? Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Oh, I for sure would have went with an EXPS3 if I had night vision use in mind. Interesting on the power control failures, luckily I haven't heard of many others with that issue. Yeah I knew it would be worse but hoped it would perform decently. Never would have thought a large window holographic with 4 different NV settings would perform worse than my holosuns. And then that leaves the question, why get a UH-1 when an EXPS 2-0 is the same price? The only thing the UH1 does better is the battery life is better, when it works properly. But who out there buying a holographic sight actually cares about battery life? Really, the main reason I went ahead on the UH-1 when I did last October was because at the time it was less than the EXPS2 with the green reticle. Now with the $100 price increase it would have been much harder to justify... The Vortex warranty was also part of the deciding factor because I thought I would need it. Unfortunately it's looking like I was correct in that assumption.  Up to this point I really have liked the UH-1 for normal use with no night vision. If it wasn't for this recent issue with early drain on the battery and pulsating reticle then my only complaint would be that there's not fine enough adjustment in the mount. |
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Posted: 2/8/2022 12:21:31 AM EST
[#36]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I recall this being an issue with EOTech over 15+ years ago, hence the Rev F thing that was stressed big time back then for the latest firmware that resolves the battery drain. I wasn't aware EOTechs still had this issue. My EOTEch 512 from 2006 drains Alkaline and NiMH fairly quickly (like say 1 year or under 1 year) but seems to be fine with Lithium AA's. The voltage is still over 1.7 VDC after being left in there for over 6 months. My EOTech's were all rev F but still had the battery drain problem (<1 month life sitting turned off). You cannot deduce a battery's residual capacity looking at open circuit voltage. Why not take the batteries out or loosen the compartment's cap such that the battery is not connected? |
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Posted: 2/8/2022 2:14:45 PM EST
[#37]
Quote HistoryQuoted: My EOTech's were all rev F but still had the battery drain problem (<1 month life sitting turned off). You cannot deduce a battery's residual capacity looking at open circuit voltage. Why not take the batteries out or loosen the compartment's cap such that the battery is not connected? Because I don't need to with Lithium batteries. My 512 doesn't have that issue with Lithium. I still have the original 1/3N in my aimpoint CompML3 from 2010 (never removed it, loosened the cap, etc...) and it works fine. I decided to keep it on since October and it is still going. |
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Posted: 2/25/2022 10:07:16 PM EST
[#38]
Update: I received my UH-1 back today.
It was repaired and shipped back with a service order note below stating: "Inspected unit. Verified irregular power draw. Repaired power draw issue. Verified power on/off. Verified full travel to specification. Verified illumination remaining constant and optic holding zero with recoil simulation. Tested and verified all proper operations and functions. Set reticle to center of travel." It came with a new Energizer Lithium battery already installed, so I guess this begins test round 2.  So Vortex's warranty service was great. Hoping for better than just a little over 3 months on this go around, but only time will tell. |
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Posted: 2/25/2022 11:12:48 PM EST
[#39]
Wondering if @amstel78 has had a similar experience since ours were bought pretty close together from Euro Optic and are in the same serial range.
He hasn't checked in since the end of last year though. |
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Posted: 3/4/2022 12:30:20 PM EST
[#40]
Thought I'd another data point to the serial number weirdness. I ordered a Razor HD Gen II 4.5-27x from a very reputable vendor and it was B/O'd which is fine, this scope tends to be B/O'd a lot even on their ExpertVoice site (often B/O for months if not up to a year). Finally shipped out recently and got it (this Vortex item actually uses a seal for the box). I asked Vortex about the build date based on the scope s/n and it was made September 2020! I never ordered a UH-1 directly from Vortex via ExpertVoice but I imagine they *should* be sending out the latest units, but that Razor build date was more than a year old on a recent order that was B/O.
Another weird thing is how the Vortex Defender caps were out of stock everywhere for awhile, and even listed as such on ExpertVoice as well as Vortex's site. But they had them in-stock ready to ship as replacements because one of mine was warped right out of the box. They must have different allocations for replacement items or keep some in reserve. |
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Posted: 3/4/2022 1:07:59 PM EST
[#41]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Thought I'd another data point to the serial number weirdness. I ordered a Razor HD Gen II 4.5-27x from a very reputable vendor and it was B/O'd which is fine, this scope tends to be B/O'd a lot even on their ExpertVoice site (often B/O for months if not up to a year). Finally shipped out recently and got it (this Vortex item actually uses a seal for the box). I asked Vortex about the build date based on the scope s/n and it was made September 2020! I never ordered a UH-1 directly from Vortex via ExpertVoice but I imagine they *should* be sending out the latest units, but that Razor build date was more than a year old on a recent order that was B/O. Another weird thing is how the Vortex Defender caps were out of stock everywhere for awhile, and even listed as such on ExpertVoice as well as Vortex's site. But they had them in-stock ready to ship as replacements because one of mine was warped right out of the box. They must have different allocations for replacement items or keep some in reserve. Hmm, that really is very odd. You'd think that anything that's back ordered would be new straight from the factory when it finally does ship. Who knows, maybe all the Covid BS really messed up the works and caused older stock to sit in warehouses way longer than originally intended. |
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