flashlight and corroded battery

[Rock_Hudstone]

Originally Posted By: Schmoe
Rayovac.


Rayovac will warranty the damaged device but they want you to send it with the batteries which must not be expired.

http://www.rayovac.com/support/warranties-and-guarantees.aspx

 

[901Memphis]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2

Yet when a chinesium 18650 goes up, in a minimally enclosed charger, the results can be disasterous, far beyond anything a leaking alkaline can do.


Yes I can't tell you how many bad batteries I've seen for sale online. I try to steer people mostly towards the Panasonic based protected cells which are available if you know what you're buying.

The popular ones are Panasonic NCR18650B.

Here's a decent brand. https://www.orbtronic.com/protected-3400mah-18650-li-ion-battery-panasonic-ncr18650B-orbtronic

I'm also pretty happy with my nitecore charger even though I still have a Pila IBC I no longer use.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Yet when a chinesium 18650 goes up, in a minimally enclosed charger, the results can be disasterous, far beyond anything a leaking alkaline can do.

As with anything, you buy cheap Chinese junk, you face the consequences.

Sticking with well known brands and retailers should help greatly minimize the issue. Buy protected ones for extra safety measures.

 

[kc8adu]

a brake hone or a wire brush you can chuck in a drill would be my way.
best flashlight forum is blf
a maglight is a super mod host.
i have 2 i built that give over 4000 lumens.
can start fires with it.
stock they are underwhelming though.
but they can serve the average user very well.
a modern led mag gives around 200 lumens and can run a very long time on a set of d cells you can get anywhere.
thats priceless in an emergency.
the club capability can be handy too.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: Ethan1
Exactly. A maglite is a nightstick that you can take anywhere. Can't protect yourself with an Astro 40SL!

I have a Streamlite, too, and they're fantastic, but they aren't great at protecting oneself, either. A little flashlight is great on one's belt and is unobtrusive and easy to wear all day without noticing it. A Maglite is meant to be carried.

 

[mattwithcats]

The Chief Enginering Officer aboard the USS Cole bought 80 Maglites at her own expense,
for the "black gang" (called that because they used to be covered in coal dust)

When the ship was bombed, they proved invaluable...
http://www.newsweek.com/desperate-hours-149175

My last deployment, the idiots bought $300 tactical flashlights...
They worked great, but the 3.6 volt lithium batteries were impossible to obtain (could not be shipped on a plane) and they got burning hot after only a minute.
I kept my Maglight...

I have found most battle lanterns / emergency lights last less than 30 seconds,
power cycles and age kill them, and when inspected / checked,
the test button is pushed for only a second, light works, they think it's OK,....

 

[Y_K]

Originally Posted By: bubbatime
...weird that most people are only willing to spend $5 to $20 on a flashlight even though the earth is dark 8 to 12 hours at a time.
And only 18650-powered Holy Spirit roams it. Great business idea, thank you.

 

[Y_K]

Thank you, Matt With Cats!
Most fellas don't take into account that Mags are properly rated and tested. All this new flashy and cheap garbage doesn't work as advertised. The new ones that work are priced appropriately.
Last time I checked Hoffmann and Zoro, there were no 18650 safety equipment items there yet.

 

[bubbatime]

Streamlight has a ton of intrinsically safe/certied lights for those environments that require those kind of lights.

http://www.streamlight.com/products/explore-products/safety-rated-lights

 

[kc8adu]

takes d cell batteries.
which are to be found easily in just about any store.
i like to make adapters for 18650-26650 that i can drop in the mag.
can still fall back on d cells.
just dont leave any batteries in any light for long term storage.problem solved.
some lights have parasitic drain just sitting.
long dead and neglected batteries leak more often.
take em out if you dont use it often.

Takes D cell batteries = obsolete

The lights themselves are OK for a budget light. The battery source is terrible. D batteries leak terribly, and you should not store a D battery in anything that you care about. Ideally, any item that takes D batteries should be stored empty while not in use. An 18650 battery can be recharged hundreds of times, and for the most part, dont leak.

In 1985, a Maglite was a quality option. Today... not so much. You get a much better light for the same money from someone else. [/quote]

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Schmoe
Wow...who'd thought there would be so many choices??? zoom/adjuster for sure. Have had BAD experiences with rechargeable.....

Schmoe, if you are still looking and don't trust rechargeable, right now Amazon has this 4xAA 1,100 lumen flashlight for $24 after coupon code K7TS8P8J.

http://a.co/eZDkYvD

 

[Astro14]

Originally Posted By: mattwithcats
The Chief Enginering Officer aboard the USS Cole bought 80 Maglites at her own expense,
for the "black gang" (called that because they used to be covered in coal dust)

When the ship was bombed, they proved invaluable...
http://www.newsweek.com/desperate-hours-149175

My last deployment, the idiots bought $300 tactical flashlights...
They worked great, but the 3.6 volt lithium batteries were impossible to obtain (could not be shipped on a plane) and they got burning hot after only a minute.
I kept my Maglight...

I have found most battle lanterns / emergency lights last less than 30 seconds,
power cycles and age kill them, and when inspected / checked,
the test button is pushed for only a second, light works, they think it's OK,....


Good story. Thanks for the link.

But I'll have to disagree on why they were called the "black gang". The USS COLE is an Arleigh Burke class DDG. Powered by LM-2500 gas turbines.

No coal on board...in fact, prior to WW II, most warships of the US Navy were converted to fuel oil.

Now, the engineers do get dirty, and 75 years after the last coal fired battleship was built, perhaps the name has persisted...

Anyway, back on topic, Maglite makes a great product. I've had zero luck with cheap LED lights. I found a Stream light Tactical light on clearance in an outdoor shop in Gunnison, CO last fall. Wow! So compact and light weight and BRIGHT.

But those CR-123 batteries are expensive and hard to come by. Had to get them on Amazon...

 

[Schmoe]

An update. Took the advice from one member and downloaded the warranty forms from Rayovac. Filled it out, sent the bad battery and the flashlight to Rayovac, cost about 9 bucks. 11 days later, I get a brand new 4 pack of D cell batteries with a note saying they are analyzing whether to fix/replace. Yesterday I received a check from Rayovac for 25 dollars. It's just a tad less than a new 3d light, but I was pretty happy with that, plus the 4 pack of D batteries run around 6-7 dollars. But, the system does work, just got to be patient and well informed. We're going to Port Aransas this weekend and I didn't know if I'd get a new flashlight or not, so in the interim I got a Ozarka Trail 700 lumens Cree LED with 3 C batteries for less than 20 bucks. Yeah, not the best one out there but I didn't want a tactical style flashlight and I wanted one with adjustable lens. It has an aluminum shell.

 

[Garak]

Nice, thanks for updating us on that. As an aside, I had an LED bulb here in the house with a nice warranty. It went long before its supposed lifespan. Of course, they wanted the dead bulb shipped to the U.S. office, not the Canadian one. Neither were exactly cost effective in comparison to a new bulb. But, for something like your situation, that worked better.

 

[y_p_w]

Old topic, but I was going to ask a question about Eneloops and found this topic in search, so here goes......

Originally Posted By: Langanobob
Originally Posted By: OldSparks
I only use Eneloops in devices that I want to keep. I've yet to see an Eneloop leak...


Eneloops come in D cells? Never been able to find any.

Only available in Asia. Right now I see one listing on Amazon from a reseller for $34.

https://www.amazon.com/eneloop-Rechargeable-Battery-D-size-Japanese/dp/B001ET6B8Q

 

[y_p_w]

Well - since this mentioned Rayovac, I remember years ago I bought their Renewal rechargeable alkalines. They originally had a bunch of different systems, including different sizes although their first generation chargers were only specified for use with their rechargeable alkalines. I even bought one of their big chargers that was designed for everything up to D-cells using spring-loaded sliders that pinched on the negative terminal. I also had one of their chargers designed just for AA/AAA. Later on they had chargers that were specified for NiCad and NiMH, so I got a few of those. One time I charged their alkalines in one of these new multi-type units and found that they had ruptured but kind of a leak more than an explosion where it had spilled its guts all over the charger rendering it useless. I called Rayovac, the operator told me to just toss everything, and I'd get a replacement. In the mail I got a 4-pack of their rechargeable alkalines and a charger unit that took up to 4 batteries from AAA to D using spring-loaded sliders.

It was never really that good, but that might have been the cheapest smart charger at the time that said it was good for NiMH cells. The original alkaline-only version used to immediately shut down if I tried to charge a freshly charged battery. The 2nd generation version would take a while before the light went off on even a fully charged battery.

 

[y_p_w]

Originally Posted By: OldSparks
I only use Eneloops in devices that I want to keep. I've yet to see an Eneloop leak...

I've only had one leak. It didn't spew its guts all over though. Just the top ring expanded with some sort of powdery stuff coming out of the positive terminal. Strangely enough it was still being recognized by the charger but I figured that I should retire it. I'd left it in a computer mouse for a couple of years where I'd forgot all about it.

I've had a few Eneloops fail though. I think I might have dropped some of them. One set of 1st gen AAA Eneloops sort of lasted even though I had accidentally left one of those 9-cell LED flashlights in the washer and through the heat cycle in the dryer. It did take a while before they failed. No leaking and they still had some charge, but when I placed them in the charger the light started blinking, which is supposed to mean a failing cell.

It nothing compared to my old Sanyo NiMH cells (including their relabelled versions from Duracell, Energizer, Sony, Maha), which were supposed to be the best of their kind. Never had one leak, but I did have them fail. They weren't worn out per se. A worn cell will still at least charge properly with a loss of capacity.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: y_p_w
Old topic, but I was going to ask a question about Eneloops and found this topic in search, so here goes......

Originally Posted By: Langanobob
Originally Posted By: OldSparks
I only use Eneloops in devices that I want to keep. I've yet to see an Eneloop leak...


Eneloops come in D cells? Never been able to find any.

Only available in Asia. Right now I see one listing on Amazon from a reseller for $34.

Fyi, nice page about all the various eneloop offerings:
http://eneloop101.com/

 

[kc8adu]

scored a case of 24 nascar maglights at a garage sale for $20.
seller said those are terribly obsolete due to leds.why do you want them?
mod hosts!got any more?
they are already spoken for.i need to mill out some heatsinks and build them now.
even with alkaleaks an xm-l2 with a 6-7135 board makes a ton of light in a 3d package.
a real shock to someone who looks down it and turns it on being used to doing that with weak old school lights.