Yes, and i dont buy average size flashlights anymore that dont have usb charging built in. But on small lights its ok if they dont have usb charging built in like the ones you can use with AA or AAA Batterys
I voted no… for the following reasons.
1) Makes a light harder to keep moisture out of. The only kind I find tolerable are the ones that you must unscrew the head to get to the port, but it must have top and bottom o-rings to fail to have a chance of being done right.
2) Built in charging circuits have more issues with charge termination that external chargers. Cells are expensive and somewhat dangerous and should be well cared for.
3) Modification of #2, multi-cell lights increase the danger of in light charging. Worst case is in-series cells in lights with lithium ions, but I will not even charge a 3 or 4 parallel light that way… lot of energy if something goes wrong!
4) Makes mods to a light much more difficult, either when the charging board is stacked or the circuit is built in.
5) Stupid little flap that will not stay in place and breaks for falls of sooner or later.
6) O-Light specific, cells that are not standard OTC required for in light charging.
Useful, but not mandatory for me. I don’t really care about it.
I like idea of built in chargers. But I newer saw good realization.
I don’t like flashlight with bad built-in charger.
For me good charger has following features:
- Type-C. No proprietary cable.
- Port under thread.
- PB feature with modern QC etc.
- Maximum charging current 2-3A.
- Informative indication of process.
I do have some lights with on-board chargers, but generally dislike the idea for all of the reasons mentioned above. I am vehemently opposed to proprietary batteries like those pushed by Olight.
Most EDC lights are so small and lightweight nowadays that I prefer to simply carry two of them instead of a spare battery or a charging cable.
Yes, and I especially like the magnetic charging on Skilhunt flashlights. Great feature!
You can still charge your battery on a charger. No one said you have to use the built in exclusively. You can use another light while you are charging or put in a spare battery. Again, all built in charging does is give you another option. Early built in chargers may have had problems, I never had that experience with mine. Totally submerged lights would be vulnerable to water but rain or an occasional drop into a puddle would not be a problem as long as you are careful to close the flap. I am seriously considering selling all my none built in charger lights since I like the feature so much. Built in charging in conjunction with an inline USB tester allows you to monitor the current the same as a dedicated charger. Most dedicated chargers do not measure internal resistance accurately so this really is not a perk. Capacity can still be measured on the dedicated charger when you so desire.
If I like the basic platform of the light, OBC has no impact on my purchase decision. It’s convenient for traveling without the added bulk of separate charger, but carrying pre-charged spare cells is not that burdensome either. I’m usually not out in the elements enough with my lights to be concerned about moisture ingress. Although I have a few 14500 cells with integrated charging (USB-B), I don’t particularly trust them, and it’s known they have some parasitic drain from the monitoring circuitry…I rarely use them.
Yes
There are clearly some advantages of built in charging but the dozen or so negatives outweigh thew one or two positives.
4. Non-replaceable driver in most cases. Very BAD
The only point I’d agree with is #1. A built-in charger doesn’t prevent you from charging separately, it’s a convenience in case you need it.
And even on the issue of liquid entry, it’s total submersion that’s a problem for those charging ports, not being in the rain or dropping into a puddle. For myself, if I had to weigh chance of needing to recharge a light when I’m not at home vs. needing the light to be totally water proof…there’s more instances when I’m out camping or whatever and don’t bother to bring a 18650 charger with me. Much more likely for that to happen than dropping a flashlight into deep bodies of water.
It’s so nice to just charge up your flashlight and not have to bring yet another gadget when camping for a few days.
I have voted no.
While charging you can’t use the flashlight
Best external charger and boxes / cases to carry spare batteries.
I don’t like it for my own lights and almost never use it when lights have it, but I do like it for giving/loaning lights to other people.
I say no, unless we're talking about keychain flashlights with tiny lithium-ion batteries.
I like it in certain circumstances. Lots of valid points here.
I basically never want it on an EDC light. For that, I want smaller, more moddable, better waterproofing, those sorts of things that tend to preclude charging. I’m also super in touch with that kind of light so I have a good idea when I need to charge it before I need an on-the-go solution.
But, I think it’s a good idea for multi-cell parallel lights, like the Q8/SP36/LT1. The reason is if you charge them in a charger all together you’ll still get some slight variance. If they’re charged in parallel in the light, they’ll all charge together perfectly evenly. Also, it’s frequently a pain to load/unload four cells at once, and it takes up (in most cases) the entire charger for one light.
Also, I really prefer the in-the-threads charger types, like in small 10180 lights, D10 headlamps, and the Noctigon K1. The little rubber flaps tend to tear on me.
I think built-in charging can be great for instances where packing simple/light is important. It’s also great for those who have no interest in learning about batteries and how to care for them—they can just treat it like their phone.
For myself, I don’t need built-in charging and I prefer lights to be more compact instead. I wouldn’t mind the option if more lights would use solutions like the Noctigon K1. Rubber covers can really throw a monkey-wrench into the IP rating of a light.
I strongly prefer no built in charging, unless it’s a headlamp. It’s not a dealbreaker for me, but if I’m choosing between two lights and one has charging and on doesn’t, I’ll buy the light without.
For EDC carry, it’s a necessity. For large 3 batt lights, fine, might be complicated. But an EDC you can plug in to any phone charger, battery pack/ solar cell in the world? Priceless.
Voted other, it’s a good option to have on larger lights, not on small EDC ones where integrated charging adds bulk.