Hey everyone, I need some honest opinions, basically I am really hesitant to get/use li-ion batteries. The reason why is from the first time I read on a flashlight forum about li-ions it was with a warning about how they can be dangerous. People always joke(?) about how you can never give a li-ion powered light to a non-flashlight enthusiast or someone who isn’t well versed in electrical know how (I am a flashlight lover but not very knowledgeable about electrical stuff).
I like flashlights a lot and I am the type of person who uses things in their recommended safety margins, I have read up on li-ions and li-ion safety and storage and all that good stuff (I think adequately). I’m by no means an expert on the battery type but I feel like I have done my homework. But for some reason I still feel a bit apprehensive about them, which is odd because I don’t think twice about keeping my cell phone in my pocket, and I have no problem using my laptop (on my lap even).
Long story short am I just being paranoid? If I buy a quality rechargeable li-ion (18650 is the size I have in mind atm) with a quality charger and a multi-meter and keep an eye on it while it charges and keep it out of extreme temperatures, will it be basically as safe an using a nihm or alkaline battery?
I think more than anything you have to know if you are running Li you’re going to have to know that you have to check the voltage of each cell in your light when you put them in it or let it sit for more than a few days. There are rational fears and nonrational ones and I’d say if you are not checking your battery voltages and dating the cells I would be concerned.
People at one time in history used to think it was crazy to put gasoline into an automobile. But I don’t see people constantly worried that their car is going to look like a fpsRussia episode after filling the tank. So, buy some quality cells from a source with some feedback, use a digital multimeter or charger with voltage display to check them when they charge, be around when charging, and check them after letting them sit when you are ready to use them. Also, be aware of protected cells and non, as well as the three main rechargeable Li chemistries and how to charge them.
Hi Hazy and welcome to BLF! You ask a very good question that requires more than a simple explanation. As with all things that contain some element of risk, education can reduce and sometimes illuminate these risks, but only for those willing to take the time to read and understand proper usage and procedures in handling such potentially dangerous devices.
I email these to two links to everyone I sell or give a lithium cell powered flashlight. I hope you find them as informative as others do.
At least many many thousands of the worst quality unprotected cells in all sizes and battery configurations have been sold on Ebay with flashlights to people with zero knowedge. We have only a handful of incidents.
That is a very good point, that is why a guy like me who is verifying the seller through these threads, buying brand name protected batteries, using them in quality flashlights with additional protection, using a quality charger, and using single cell lights, won’t ever have a problem.
Cells lose capacity over time, so you want them as similar as possible. Just like you wouldn’t mix a panasonic 3400 with an ebay 4000mAh. I’ve heard crazy estimates for lost capacity per year, but I’ve got some old AW’s that still charge up well and give good run time.
Thanks for all the replies guys, the consensus seems to be exactly what I expected it to be. I think I will be purchasing a li-ion light very soon, right now I am eyeing the Convoy M1 over at fasttech. I also only plan to use single cell li-ion lights, at least at first, we’ll see if I change my mind about that once I get more comfortable with them.
Again thank you all very much, I just needed a bit of convincing
You think LiIon cells are dangerous, do some reading on dihydrogen monoxide... that stuff's everywhere - it even falls out of the sky, sometimes with no or very little advance warning.
But yes, lithium can be dangerous. Like when I was a kid and unpeeled a CR123 and then dropped the pieces into the toilet when I noticed it was starting to get hot. Sheesh.
“Lithium is the first of the alkali metals and reacts vigorously with water. It commonly produces a red flame. The substance after the reaction is hydrogen gas and lithium hydroxide. This lithium was obtained from an Energizer Ultimate Lithium battery.”
Well, being from "the other side"... I will not use Li-ion cells because;
I do not want to monitor cell charging
I rarely ever use cells for flashlights, so they would be "in storage unused", most of the time
I do not want to make an area for charging. Never would it be inside the home and the garage is not insulated, meaning 110 degrees in the summer (or hotter) and cold in the winter. I do not believe those are optimum storage temperatures.
I am way too lazy to worry about checking cells for any reason. That's why I use Eneloops for flashlights and NiMHs in general for almost everything I own.
I have never seen an Eneloop go bad. I have personally seen some form of Lithium based technology go bad more than once, causing injury. Case closed, for me anyhow, but I am an odd duck, in a world of Li-ion flashlight lovers.
Good points old-lumens. Lambda wont go lithium for the exact same reasons. There are more than a good handful of extremely careless members here that very likely will have their luck run out at some point, in spite of several repeated warnings from others; and across several threads. There are even more that will tell them “I told you so” after the shrapnel has changed their lives in ways that they cant even begin to imagine. If they were pilots, they’d probably be amongst the shortest lived in history. The laws of averages and statistics eventually trumps a large stupid presumptuous ego.
You would think, but i know many people who defy the averages so amazingly well that they must be sucking their good fortune from others (to make the average work out)
LiIon batteries are not without risk. I bike regularly after dark and need bright lights so I really need LiIon battery powered lights. I use the charger in the kitchen; I only charge when I am sitting close by; I own a fire extinguisher. Then again, I won’t leave my laptop plugged in when I am not home. And I don’t leave the house with the dryer running. I bet there are more dryer fires than battery fires. A little bit of caution goes a long way.
The most important advise I could give you is to get good cells. Panasonic, Sanyo or Samsung. Also you will need a cheap digital multi meter, correction, you will want a good DMM. You cannot have one without the other really. You need to know your charger is doing what it should and any cell can and will die one day, the DMM will let you know when it starts to happen. Also you can take tail cap readings! Fun, fun, fun.
