Magnetic tail cap, what risk does it pose?

Agreed, from what I’ve read the old style credit cards were damageable by magnets but the newer chipped cards supposedly are not. I wouldn’t chance it personally but ymmv.

I keep my credit cards in an rfid-blocker but as I wear my edc in a holster my flashlight-tailcap-magnets aren’t ever by my cards.

I do not know of a cheap/portable way to block a magnetic field, but it sounds like an interesting topic.

I found that if I kept my keys in the same pocket as a light with a magnet, the magnet would tend to stick to the keys. Very irritating to have the light come out when I just wanted the keys and visa versa.

Personally, I think pocket EDC flashlights should not have magnets on them.

No danger to Flash media. USB thumb drives or camera memory cards - Etc.

But they will darn sure mess up a credit card magnetic strip.
Or the magnetic strip on a subway pass.

Once put a pass-card in my pocket with a mag base light,. Normally kept the card in my shirt pocket.
Watched as my wife got passed the turn-style and disappeared down the stairs.
Me slowing the line as I had to go back to a ticket window.
That ended my magnetic base EDC carry days.
All the Best,
Jeff

I put a hotel key card in a tablet with a folding case with a magnetic closure. Had to go back to the front desk. Also, strong magnets will temporarily affect the programming on a pacemaker or defibrillator putting it into asynchronous mode.

I don’t buy lights with magnets in them, unless they can be easily removed without affecting the operation and performance of the light. I can’t risk the damage to my work ID/security entrance card, and my apartment building entrance card, and my credit cards, and my transportation pass.

i hate it when the light tries to pull keys, knives and whatnot out of the pocket

From my understanding it takes a very powerful magnet multiple passes to affect a magnetic strip on a card. Look it up on youtube.

Google says 4000 Gauss to remove the data from a high-coercivity like a typical credit card. But rewriteable things like hotel key cards only need a field strength of 300 Gauss. And that was my experience where the magnetic flap on a kindle cover erased my hotel key. Frig magnets can be around 100 Gauss, while powerful neodymium magnets could be 14000 or more.

There are a lot of downsides to keeping magnets in a pocket EDC light:

  • can demagnetize credit cards, transit passes, etc.
  • can cause problems for those with implanted medical devices.
  • gets stuck to keys or other metal items in pocket.
  • adds weight and sometimes length compared to not having a magnet.

The only benefit is you can stick the light to metal things like the hood of your car.

  • But if you’re like me and never do that, then the magnet just becomes another useless feature you never use.
  • It’s like those bi-directional clips. If you actually clip your light to a ballcap the feature may be useful. But if you never do that, it’s much worse than a single-directional clip as the extra bend detracts from the main function of clip, takes extra space, and gets caught on things when you try to pull the light out of your pocket.

The magnet can damage a magnetic compass or the magnetic sensor in the mobile phone.
For me, no magnet in the backpack or in the pockets.

I stay away from flashlights with magnets. I have a shop and they pick up every metal filing on the 90 acres then promptly try to embed them in your hand.

Let me come at this from the other direction… While I do not require my EDC to have a magnet in the tailcap, it will get carried more if it does. I find myself all to often either in a mechanical room or in a CER behind equipment racks with poor overhead lighting and I really appreciate having the magnet. Now, I only carry my light clipped in my left front jeans pocket, head down and the only other thing in the pocket is a can of chew.

With defensive carry what it is today… I always carry my flashlight, knives, wallet, ink pen, keys, pistol and mags in the same location, ALWAYS! I prefer to carry my main knife and a clipped box cutter in my right hand change pocket, so given my carry habits I only shop for pants with the pockets I need and that I plan to use. I have watched cops try to run through qualifiers and attempt to load a flashlight into their 9mm in timed rounds. All because they changed the order of items on their duty belt or on their main belt if operating without a uniform. It is embarrassing in a qualifier but would be deadly in real life.

Thank you guys. I will try to look or customize a cover for the bottom part of the SP40 while in the bag to minimize its magnet.

Ymmv, but me personally, I never do.

I got regular/magnetic tailcaps for those Sofirns that’re interchangeable, and never ever ever carry the magnetic version on me.

If anything’s magnetic, I keep it stuck to something ferrous so I can see at a glance that it’s magnetic.

Have 2 magnet cap lights in my right pocket at the moment — EO2II in watch pocket and TS21 in jeans pocket with wallet. Have had several over the years and have not had a problem with any card that I know of. Doesn’t bother me except for when I carry my SC31 pro in my jacket pocket with my keys. Several times now when going to unlock my house I have launched the light onto concrete steps and then concrete patio. No shelf queen for me :wink: Typically I find a good clip more useful than a magnet. However, sometimes the magnet is just what is needed. The EO2II in a rack enclosure for tracking wires etc is pretty much the ideal tool for the job with the magnet.

I order non-magnet tail caps for all my lights that come with mag caps by default, and only use magnet cap on one light (DT8 219B) that I know I’ll need magnet cap on it.

Strong magnets are serious threats to all sorts of things. Especially automatic watches, unless your automatic watch is a new Omega.

The “trinity” (Patek, Vacheron, Audemars) are not embracing the idea of magnet-proof movements, so I’d say take care if you own anything from them.

………as do I, I keep them stuck to a rack in my basement, but have repeatably found a D4 or EDC18 stuck not to the rack but to the $450 computer (Toyota replacement cost) in my pocket for my 2021 vehicle that they call a car fob (in lieu of a key). As I go snow skiing and even worse (was out in the bay kayak crabbing 3 days back) ZI have a key cover on the fob. There is no actual key, just this electronic device that remotely works. Have not damaged it yet, but I could see it easily occurring.

I commonly carry a light in, or clipped to my hoodie pocket. In the line of risks, I advise you be attentive. A firefly detaching itself from your oven door while in full swing of cooking, to come to rest on your right testicle is sure to remind you of your attachments and surroundings.

Many, if not all, modern car key fobs have a compartment containing a manual key for emergencies.

The manual key is usually a piece of steel and that is probably what attracts your magnet.

I have two D4V2s with magnetic tailcaps and they ride in the same pocket as my wallet. No issues so far. But I don’t carry any re-writable cards like hotel keys. Actually the corner of one card has started peeling. I guess it will fall apart physically long before the magnet does anything to it.