Adding a charging port to a small light can substantially increase the size of the light. Much more so than in a larger light.
I also dislike charging ports because most have rubber covers over the port. Unless very well designed, these covers can fall off or dangle from the light. And any rubber cover can eventually wear out and break.
Itās not the size that is the problem, itās most of these lights being multi-fuel so alkaleak, NiMH, Li-ion and the rest. It makes onboard loading way more complicated and even dangerous as idiots go try charge non-rechargeable batteries. Thereās AA-sized light with USB but these work with one battery-type only mostly being 14500.
The utility of an onboard charger also depends on how you typically use your lights.
If youāre like me and already have an external charger to charge batteries, an onboard charger is just a waste of space.
Using an external charger has many advantages:
can use the light while it is charging if you have an extra battery.
smaller light
less risk of compromising the waterproofing
less stuff inside to break
Onboard charging seems more like a feature for muggles who only own one light and no charger, or maybe for traveling if you donāt want to bring a charger.
On board chargers are an entry point for water. Also, you canāt use your light while charging. IMHO, itās just marketing nonsense. No substitute for a quality external charger. Like I said, this is my opinion.
Not if they are magnetic like the Skilhunt M150 !
But then people will complain about proprietary charging :person_facepalming:
And the loop restartsā¦
So youāre saying that by upping the voltage and mAh of the cell it would require a much larger circuitry to handle it? Something that large to make it 18650 sized? Iām not proficient in electronics, so Iād like to understand the limitations.
There are many, many uses of flashlights where water submersion is a non-issue. And yes, if one has a constant need for illumination there is always the impetus to have a backup. A built-in charging light can take a rest.
I use a Skilhunt H03 as a charging host when I travel, so I donāt have to carry a separate portable charger. And when need be, the H03 can serve as a backup light. Also note that most chargers arenāt sealed units. They do have vulnerability. What if some water accidentally strikes a charger? With a sealed light, thereās much better protection. This is also why I like the Skilhunt proprietary magnetic chargers, as thereās no chance for water ingress into the light.
Some Olights have magnetic chargers. Users discovered that if you shorted between the charger contacts on the tailcap the tailspring would melt down due to a dead short. This is not a good thing for a small pocket light where your keys or change could easily cause the tailcap contacts to short.
Some people, myself included, dislike magnets on their pocket EDC lights. If kept in the pocket with wallet there is concern the magnet might demagnetize credit cards or I.Dā¦ If kept in the pocket with keys, the magnet tends to stick to them making it harder with withdraw from a pocket.
Also, NO type of onboard charging allows you to use the light away from an outlet while the light is being charged. With an external charger, you can have one cell charging while the other is in your light in your pocket nowhere near an outlet.
Not quite what I said.
I said, adding onboard charging would probably make the light longer than some 18650 lights. An 18650 light would still be wider and heavier, especially with the weight of a heavier cell.
A charge port and related circuitry can add up to 1 cm in length to a typical small light.
Sofirn SP10b is 89mm in length.
Zebralight SC64 is 92mm in length. DQG Tiny 18650 is also 89mm in length.
Adding a charger circuit to the Sofirn SP10 would probably increase it to closer to 100mm in lengthā¦. thatās not a good thing for those who want the smallest possible pocket light.
Personally, I find onboard charging to be mostly a useless gimmick. Itās like those 2-way clips that seem to be all the rage with manufacturers these days. It has some slight situational use, but overall lights are much better without it.
That said, if youāre going to add charging to your light, do it right, like in the Sofirn SC21:
Make sure the charger port cover is firm and will not come out accidentally.