Upcoming Astrolux S42 18350/18650 quad w side button and usb charging

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Hhmm. I guess I could have crushed my EFEST 18350 as well to make it work, but don't think that's how it should be. Those dents you created are typically worth tossing the cell for. I'd say from the pics, yours is the same as mine. If you have to crank on tightening the light up, you are typically doing damage. There's an amazing amount of force than can be applied on threading a tube tight. I've done it before a couple times at least.

The best way of testing this is: remove the tailcap, insert a cell into the battery tube, press down pretty darn hard on the cell til it doesn't go any further by finger. If the cell still is above the lip of the tube, you got problems, because that lip must make contact to the aluminum around the tail spring in order to have an electrical return path for the Batt- signal. The threads are anodized so won't conduct electricity.

Regarding damage to LiIon cylindrical cells from axial compression, see my post:

https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/38554/133

I figure my Nitecore 18350 is compressed way less than 1mm, so perhaps I'm safe.

Using your test, the battery definitely protrudes above the rear lip of the battery tube. That's why I increased the reach of the battery tube by shimming the front end. It also makes it possible to use the 18650 battery tube which suffers from the same problem (i.e. the driver board is glued in place 1-2mm too deep for either battery tube to reach it).

I just read elsewhere that Banggood has realized this is an issue from numerous buyer complaints and is working on a fix. From a business standpoint, mailing out some 2mm thick front-end retaining rings is a lot cheaper than replacing the same number of battery tubes having longer threads on the head end.

I'm still using a couple EFEST cells with minor dents as well. No clue what all that really means - top cap for 4 mm with a 18650 - might mean something or nothing for a 18350. I don't know enough about them internally. All I know is what's been said here, which is to toss damaged cells, though I don't listen well to advice anyway, specially my own .

I will though stop doing what I was doing that caused the damage, usually that is...

That could work, but what about the (maybe) resulting exposed o-ring?. The important thing, not to lose face completely, is for BangGood to act proactively and fast.

On my specimen, shimming the front of the battery tube allows the tailcap to be completely seated, so the o-ring is not exposed. However, yes - depending on how thick the shim is, you then run the risk of the front o-ring peeking out a tiny bit.

Where did you read that mate? Can you give a link?

Sure:

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?434286-DEAL-Astrolux-S42-S42S-S42SC-4*Nichia-219C-XP-G2-XP-G3-2023lm-Flashlight&p=5105805&viewfull=1#post5105805

This is why I don’t like the shift into doing group buys and issuing coupons before a light has been tested. By the time faults are discovered, most of us that are interested will already be stuck with a dud.

Has Banggood been responsive in fixing issues with problem lights? I recall reading about some nightmare lights in the past, but can’t recall if it was through Banggood and if they fixed the issues in a timely manner.

I think it would salvage a lot of goodwill if Banggood showed some common sense here in the way this is resolved. Requiring customers to go through the rigmarole of lengthy problem reports and uploading videos to prove a light plagued with issues has an issue, well that is just too much. In the end, I suppose many people can simply submit Paypal claims which I don’t think would do BG any good. They should, at this point, be simply looking to proactively fix this and quick.

I can compare the cell I used with the second new one I have (two pack), but its not pushed in at either end, just slightly concave. EDIT: I saw the note on 4mm deformation, I would say its like 0.5mm maybe?

Using the battery in tube test, I can push the battery flush with the top of the tube without too much effort.

Lets see what BG do, I have not had to deal with their customer services in the past, but attempts to get my points back from an order they themselves cancelled (the day stock arrived) would leave me to believe your not going to have much luck as they don’t answer emails.

Hello Guys,

First of all, thank you very much for your support all the time, besides, on behalf of banggood, deeply apologize for the inconvenience to all of you.

About the problems of S42 you mentioned above, we advice you do as follow now:

1. The tube can only works only with unprotected flat top cells, please stop testing the s42 with 18350 or the 16340 with protection, Astrolux is testing and try to find out where the problem comes from.

2. We give solutions to solve this problem within 48 hours, the S42 is temporarily off sale now, we will try our best to perfect the after-sale problem.

3. If you already ordered one but have not shippied, please don't worry, we will ship to you until the problems was sloved, send you a new S42 without any problems.

Really sorry for the trouble, we will do better in the future.Thank you for understanding!

Best Regards,
Swi

Does this mean that we shouldn’t use 18350 at all? I don’t own any 16340 cells and don’t want to buy any new ones when I bought this light to use with the 18350 cells I already have. All of my cells are unprotected.

To me it sounds like the intended meaning is not to use protected cells - 18350 or 16340.

After all, the product is sold as an 18350 flashlight; advising not to use that size of cell would be absurd.

The recommendation to only use flat-top cells is new - not unexpected given the issues with mechanics discussed already - but a PITA as almost all of my cells are button-top.

That's not true at all, whatsoever. It will dent the shortest unprotected flat top 18350's I have. I consider a dent to a cell "damaged". Doing simple measurements validates this.

ADDENDUM: As of today, my review has been deleted from the Banggood product listing.

I’ve noticed this with Banggood before. I tried to leave a well-deserved negative review for the Astrolux E02, which came with an MCPCB that has a bad thermal path and it was never published.

GearBest does this too. I love Ganzo knives, have about 30 of them, and rave about them in reviews. But when one arrived with an uncharacteristic design flaw, I wrote a 3/5 star review (instead of the 5/5s I normally write) and outlined the problem.

And that was the one review that never got published…

as f ar as i see the Problem i suggest not to use the lights with cells longer than 34mm as long as the batterytube has been replaced!

they used the tube from the S41 but did not notice that the S41 has retaining rings both on tailcap and driver where the springs can compress into.

i think a ~40-41mm long tube will solve the problem and allow most cells to be used without the danger to damage it.

There shouldn’t have been a spring on the driver.
Removing it solves most of the problem.
And then shorten / replace the tail spring with a shorter one to solve that problem and then a 18350 will fit just fine, maybe even protected ones (which you probably shouldn’t use in this high current light anyway).