Found the link to the story about the man being killed by a flashlight explosion:
That’s why to this day I refuse to let mum have a light with a Li cell of any kind. She was buying those crappy multi-LED 3×AAA lights, and they all fizzle, blink, don’t turn on, etc. “Because you keep on buying crap, that’s why!”
She wanted me to get her a light, but she leaves them on, face-down, then wonders why all her lights are dead, why the alkaleaks went poopy inside and ruined the carriers, etc., etc.
Those big yellow lights with the 3 1W LEDs, that take the “brick” 6V batteries… same thing. Leaves ’em on, they end up dead.
So, ya really think I’m going to get her a light that even with a protected cell, would be left to run down overnight? Yuh-huh, that’ll happen…
So I donated my crappy AT01s to her. Bypassed the drivers so they’re DD with the included 3×AAA carriers. Still, the POS switch goes mental and flickers nonstop, and it’s got one of those weirdo tailcaps with the dinky little ballpoint-pen spring sticking out.
And then she goes and on her own buys a Tac-Light… :person_facepalming:
I do have to admit, the superficial quality seems nice. Well-lubed threads, nice action on the head zooming in/out, just the right amount of resistance, and an emitter that looks at least like an XM-L2, even if a LB clone.
Beware, though, it’s an always-on light with a momentary-break e-switch in the tail. No half-pressing anything, just click-click-click to cycle through all the modes, including blinkies. Ugh.
But hey, to someone who never had a decent light, it’s Something Else.
I should show her a ceiling-bounce test with the TL vs, was going to say a Q8 but even a C8A/C8F would light up the room like daylight.
Interesting, but based on that story, it doesn’t sound like it was a problem with his flashlight. It sounds like he touched the car’s battery with a metal light (or perhaps something else) and… well, that would do it.
IMO, 12v car batteries are more dangerous than 4.2v lithium-ion batteries.
It’s all about the amp-hours man 
I don’t know if that is the correct conclusion. The original story says that the flashlight was in his mouth.
This is not the first time that a lithium flashlight has exploded in someone’s mouth at any rate.
Oh lordy
I’m wondering how much time do you actually have, if a battery decides to quit his job. Like do you feel heat building up, do you hear the battery venting,…etc? I have some lights that demand unprotected cells in a 4 battery carrier. This actually makes me think sometimes.
Well, I have some experience with that. Check post #23 in this thread: Mod: My SupFire M6 "BMF" edition (new beamshots in OP).
I dared open the light up because I trusted the Samsung cells, but I can’t say I was totally cool though… I had opened the window and was ready to chuck it if it started hissing too much.
You can Google the thermal runaway temps for lithium-cobalt (rarer these days), lithium-manganese (common) and lithium-iron phosphate (more common in RC hobbies) and see that li-co start running away at ~265*F, li-mn is a bit higher than that and li-fe is in the 300s, IIRC.
You’ll know it when you feel it.
I was once walking around a CVS drugstore with my new Sunwayman M10R (IMR 16340) clipped inside my shorts’ pocket and I feel this burning on my thigh. I keep walking and it gets hotter and hotter and when I stop and pull out the light, it’s on high.
A runaway cell will get a lot hotter and the li-co chemistry will actually start venting with flame, where as the other chemistries don’t have that much in oxidizers, so the ‘flame’ part isn’t as definite.
Chris
I shortened an IMR cell once accidentally for a few seconds and it was already almost too hot to touch. Immediately threw it out off the window. 
You’re Fake News; You’re Fake News. It’s fake news folks.
Nobody’s saying it. I don’t understand; people refuse to say it: “RADICAL ORIGINAL POSTING”
#MeToo—BlindedByTheLight (Revved up like a deuce, Another runner in the night)
Let’s ban “Assault Batteries”
What is Darwinian Selection?:
so, what do you think?
so, what did you learn?
Yes, but I interpret that as he shorted out the car battery with the metal light in his mouth. That could produce over a thousand amps going through his mouth.
It just doesn’t seem realistic that a flashlight battery could blow someone’s brains out and snap their neck. I think he’d have spat out a hot light before it went into thermal runaway and exploded.
apparently not everyone thinks the way you do:
“A Colorado dad suffered third-degree burns to his lip, tongue and throat when a flashlight exploded inside his mouth
…
placed the flashlight in his mouth while he was using his hands to search for tools in the back of his truck. Within seconds, he says, the flashlight exploded.”
Whoops.
Sometimes, the final destination will have your name, and might even be desperate enough to use a flashlight to end you!
Yup… like I said, this has happened before. This person was even a CPF member. Here is the thread:
It’s bad to assume that someone will notice and have time to react before something goes catastrophic is wrong. There is also a story I remember reading of someone blowing up an 8x18650 flashlight spontaneously on their balcony. He described basically only having about a second to drop the flashlight before it exploded. If it can happen that fast in your hand then it can happen in your mouth before you even realize it since you are probably holding it with your teeth. I wish I could find the thread, but I can’t.
Kind of obvious really, all you have to do is read that post… but Ok, I’ll make it simple for you.
Don’t put a light like that in the hands of a noob.
Good quality cells probably won’t explode.
Put a locking mechanism of some sort so the light can’t be opened like that.
I read the post brother, and I agree with your conclusions, which were unclear, to me. I appreciate that you spell them out.
maybe a warning label: If you are not the builder of this bomb, Do not Unscrew, because it will Blow!
on a separate subject
why do flashlights blow up when people put them in their mouth? Is drool shorting them out? or just random that the light blew in that position
and then, when a light blows not in their mouth, its not news?
Okay, yes, sometimes lights with lithium-ion cells can be dangerous and get people hurt. But, I think we should keep that risk in perspective. How often does something like this happen? Once every few years? Out of all the lithium-ion devices in the world, how often do they explode and hurt someone? Maybe a dozen times a year?
I think you’re in far greater danger driving to the store to buy one of these devices. (Okay, I know most of us mail-order them.)
Use quality cells, check them before and after charging, and use them correctly. 99.9999% chance you’ll be fine. If not, someone probably had your number anyway.
I was going to post something inappropriate, but, well….