Bort
July 30, 2021, 4:32am
47
Dear god! Those look more like grenade fragments
alpg88:
yes it can and it has, there are several thread with pics on cpf, iirc, in one instance, the light destroyed a balcony glass panel, and made the owner bleed. but it is very unlikely scenario, especially if you do not use crappy cells,
I think i remember that one, lived in an apartment, insurance did cover it iirc.
MtnDon:
I believe that if something happens tocause a cell in a flashlight to “have an event” the cell will most likely catch fire rather than explode like a bomb. That would, I believe blow out, melt, the tail switch if there is one, or/and blow out, melt the reflector or optics in the front, or/and even theside switch aperature would also vent. No shrapnel flying about, but a “road flare” that could start a fire.
Interesting theory.
JamesB:
There is one case of death caused by an Olight flashlight exploding while the poor user was holding it in his mouth, there has been quite a few documented cases in the past on CPF of catastrophic flashlight explosions, these were mostly used with CR123 in series , also some intances of loud but harmless popped tail switch rubber.
I only use single cell lights, so hopefully that cuts the risk substantially
The proverbial flashlight is between 100 and 4000 lumens (Olight I3e to Convoy M3C).
kennybobby:
Yes, If a lithium cell exploded in a flashlight, then indeed it would blow the light apart. It would be a Bad Day.
Most quality cells have over pressure vents that will open if the internal temperature goes up due to any of the various failure scenarios; venting should prevent an explosion.
Thats good.
SIGShooter:
ShyOne:
Yes, a flashlight powered by a LiIon battery “could” indeed turn into a pipe bomb.
I DO NOT know the odds of this happening… BUT, I WOULD THINK THEY ARE EXTREMELY SLIM.
It would be an EXTREMELY RARE occurance.
alpg88:
yes it can and it has, there are several thread with pics on cpf, iirc, in one instance, the light destroyed a balcony glass panel, and made the owner bleed. but it is very unlikely scenario, especially if you do not use crappy cells,
I recall reading the post about the incident alpg88 mentioned above.
I have searched for the thread about the incident but cannot find it.
It was an eye opener for sure….
Another CPF post
HF poisoning :person_facepalming:
Geoduck:
I remember a post on cpf many years ago where a guys light,(probably a Surefire) running 2 cr123 started making a whining noise and he pulled it out of it’s holster and it was extremely hot. He no sooner set the light down on the counter when it exploded blowing out the end and sending the light flying through the air like a missile where it hit a sliding glass door shattering the glass and putting a huge dent in the frame of the door. So a light might not blow up like a pipe bomb but fly through the air like a missile.
Thats insane.
Funny how i got many mocking replies in this thread for even asking the question.
It's a good thread.
I think some people just don't want to think about the remote chance that lithium ion batteries can be dangerous.
It’s extremely unlikely IF
- You care for your batteries and know all the safety precautions
- Don’t use budget, cheap, old batteries
It’s extremely unlikely IF
- You care for your batteries and know all the safety precautions
- Don’t use budget, cheap, old batteries
- Don’t be an idiot
Yep, it helps to have a safe high quality charger as well.
Ah, yes, I knew I had missed something, but that kind of falls into caring for them correctly
Bort
July 30, 2021, 4:50am
52
Thanks
I was just thinking that you and i are old BLFers, back in the old days we were at the basics, while today who knows where the batteries are even coming from, i had to make a thread and ask where Sofirn’s included batteries come from (and apparently its not a first tier supplier)
Sofirn’s 21700 batteries are now from Lishen which aren’t half bad.
The 26650’s are excellent being from PLB who were used by Shocli.
14500’s are questionable and I’ve received many in the past with rust under the wrap. Reported to Sofirn and was ignored. I purchased in bulk 200+
Not sure what the 18650’s are, but tested okay. No idea on how they age though
Sofirn’s 14500 cells with rust
Bort
July 30, 2021, 5:01am
54
Sofirn’s 21700 batteries are now from Lishen which aren’t half bad.
The 26650’s are excellent being from PLB who were used by Shocli.
14500’s are questionable and I’ve received many in the past with rust under the wrap. Reported to Sofirn and was ignored. I purchased in bulk 200+
Not sure what the 18650’s are, but tested okay. No idea on how they age though
Sofirn’s 14500 cells with rust
Very interesting.
I try to stick to name brand, My 18650s are Sanyo and Samsung. If i replace them (they are getting close to 10 years old) and get some 21700s as well i plan to go with name brand again. The HF thread is more worrying then the explosion risk.
BTW I actually like your posts becasue as a business you have a lot of experiences none of the rest of us have.
Which reminds me you had mentioned in another thread that Convoy are certified lights, what certification do they have?
Also i noticed CE and ROHS on my new Wurkkos WK30, was surprised to see that.
The brands I sell that have CE, ROHS certs are (I don’t sell anything else yet)
Sofirn
Not the D25S, D25L, S11C since they aren’t made by Sofirn
Wurkkos (Sofirn build them)
Convoy
Guess what, I just found out Astrolux/Mateminco refuse to carry out any testing anymore. I’m ditching the brand. They print CE, ROHS on the flashlights, but have no such testing done at all. I would strongly suggest not buying them IF your country requires these certs for your insurance.
oh and Skilhunt has all the safety certs. I just have their headlamps
arow55
(arow55)
July 30, 2021, 5:29am
57
It’s extremely unlikely IF
- You care for your batteries and know all the safety precautions
- Don’t use budget, cheap, old batteries
That last requirement is why I stick to eneloop.
I did research on 21700s, and I like these the most:
https://liionwholesale.com/collections/batteries/products/molicel-npe-inr-21700-p42a-45a-4200mah-flat-top-21700-battery-authorized-distributor
They're very nice, and fairly cheap, but the wrappers on the cells break easily so you have to be careful not to damage the wrappers.
Bort
July 30, 2021, 6:54am
59
The brands I sell that have CE, ROHS certs are (I don’t sell anything else yet)
Sofirn
Not the D25S, D25L, S11C since they aren’t made by Sofirn
Wurkkos (Sofirn build them)
Convoy
Guess what, I just found out Astrolux/Mateminco refuse to carry out any testing anymore. I’m ditching the brand. They print CE, ROHS on the flashlights, but have no such testing done at all. I would strongly suggest not buying them IF your country requires these certs for your insurance.
Good to know
How can you tell if a flashlight is tested and they are not just claiming its certified?
Bort
July 30, 2021, 6:54am
60
I’m all about capacity so i would want some 5000mAh cells.
You have to ask them for the CE certs or whatever it is you need.
Bort
July 30, 2021, 7:07am
62
I’ve never seen a certification document for a flashlight. I sold some 8 year old Convoys, i wonder if they had been tested/certified.
How did you figure out that Astrolux/Mateminco refuse to test?
I was a dealer for them and asked for the certs of their new models. Ben, who handles all customer service, said they no longer carry out any testing.
This is slightly concerning that they simply don’t care anymore to make sure their products are safe. Banggood is really their only buyer for the Astrolux brand, so there’s no need in their eyes. If they had a large number of dealers worldwide it would be different.
Every single Convoy model has the CE testing done. They do things properly
Make sure your light doesn't require high drain cells then.
Bort
July 30, 2021, 7:56am
66
I was a dealer for them and asked for the certs of their new models. Ben, who handles all customer service, said they no longer carry out any testing.
This is slightly concerning that they simply don’t care anymore to make sure their products are safe. Banggood is really their only buyer for the Astrolux brand, so there’s no need in their eyes. If they had a large number of dealers worldwide it would be different.
Impressive honesty
Ridiculous business decision :person_facepalming:
Nice! I am curious what is tested, are there any publicly available certificates?
This cell puts out 9.8A.
https://liionwholesale.com/collections/batteries/products/samsung-50e-21700?variant=12667804450910
So 3.6V x 9.8A means 35W. This is good enough for the lights that i’m looking at. As the Convoy M21B i am looking at puts put 1500 lumen i don’t expect any problems. If it takes over 35W to do that then there is a bigger problem at hand.
That said you have inspired me to look up its wattage vs output graph