Home Depot Husky 1000 Unbreakable D cell to 18650 suggestions

Hey guys, I am asking any pros out here in BLF land. I just bought the Home Depot Husky 1000 lumens flashlight that runs 3 ” D ” cells. Interested in converting to 18650s. The light is heavy enough to be used as defensive tool and that is why I like it.

Any suggestions on how to MOD without damaging the reflectors.

Thanks so much.

It’s been done, can’t find a link yet. I’ll find one for you later.

Maybe some one else can beat me to it

What kind(s) of mod(s) are you interested in doing? Just changing the battery, as your post suggests, or something more?

Please do. Thanks a lot.

Any and all MODS to ” Soup ” it up. Battery, reflectors, etc… The 1000 lumens is great and defensive tool aspect is why I want to MOD it. I will use as my EDC light

I will consider the cost factors as if reflectors are needed. My primary focus is converting to use 18650 cells without damaging ” stock ” reflectors. BUT if MODS increase throw and beam I am all for that as well. Just got to figure out cost factors because light is $20 plus tax which is not bad.

On a related note. All of the Home Depots in my area seem to be sold out or no longer carrying Husky 1000 lumen flashlight.

Reminds me of the Lowes Ultilitech 1000 lumens flashlight that uses 9 ” AA ” batteries from last year. Lowes does not even carry them anymore.

Any luck on the MOD link guys? I am thinking of buying another spare 1. Please advise. Thanks so much.

Feel like getting a 32650 Li cell? You’d be getting 4.2V and down, vs 4.5V from the D cells (which’d no doubt drop like crazy under load, especially if the claims of 1000lm are to be remotely believed).

Then, just get 2 dummy (“pass-through”) D cells. Done.

If you want to stick with 18650s, then you’ll still need the dummy cells, but also a sleeve to fit the 18650 inside and keep it centered. You can use a folded up piece of paper-towel wrapped around it if need be, but better to do it up right.

I am brand new to MODS. I do not know what dummy ” D ” cells are or where to get them. Also, I know sleeves for 18650 can be made of PVC pipe cut to size to fit inside.

Please advise on how or where to get dummy Ds. Thanks.

They’re just hollow placeholders to pass through current in place of an actual D cell. You can cut a piece of broomstick or such, anything insulating, to take the place of a D cell (fit it to length and diameter), drill a hole through it, and stick a long-enough (thick) wire through it. That’s basically all it is.

Unno. I got dummy AA cells from Fasttech, I think. Not sure where to get D sized ones. Maybe someone else can jump in.

mmalive let me take a stab at this. I’m guessing that you want to switch from D cells to the 18650 to eliminate the high cost of buying D cells over and over.

The 3 D cells could be replaced with a single 18650,
taking up the remaining tube length with a homemade spacer.

Using 2 or 3 18650’s is not an option because
a.- 3 won’t fit, and
b.- to use 2 or 3 18650’s you would at minimum need a different driver, possibly a different switch, and neither are likely replaceable due to the construction of the light.

One 18650 has less capacity than the 3 D cells.
A rough comparison is 3,000mAh for the 18650 vs 10,000mAh for the D cells.
You would be replacing the 18650 3-4 times as frequently as the D cells, which might get annoying.

Also because the driver is not designed for li-ion power, there is no low voltage warning or shutoff. Unprotected 18650 would run the light until they were over depleted. This is bad.

Taking these things into consideration I would not attempt to convert this light to use 18650.
I would use it as is and look for a light designed for li-ions.

Actually, with a fairly high-Vf LED, you can just use a ballast resistor (small) to limit max current. When the voltage gets too low, the LED will get pretty dim. You’d have to be either desperate for light or comatose to let it keep running down without shutting it off.

The best thing to do is just buy the AA to D adapters and get some eneloops. The new adapters that fit two AA’s help with runtimes a lot.

Yes, very true. And because this light is a great defensive tool.

I bought 8 AA to D converters off E bay for my Stansport Flashlight. Thanks for replies guys.

In my old Winchester 3xD cells, I use those adaptors with Eneloop AA https://www.fasttech.com/p/1143900