I’ve got a couple of 18650 flashlights in my collection and more comming my way. Not that I use them very often, I think I just got bitten by the flashlight bug a bit….
This got me thinking of situations where I would need a flashlight and since I’m on the road quite a lot, it is possible I could get stranded somewhere with car trouble and would be in the need of a flashlight.
What am I looking for:
- Prefer flood over throw
- Reliable
- Waterproof
- Flexible in accepting batteries (most likely going to run it on alkalines, but I do have some Eneloops somewhere)
- Long runtime
- Usable amount of lumen (to change a tire etc)
No battery drain
Since this light won’t be used that often, it should not drain the battery when not in use. Would be a shame if I would need it, and it doesn’t work.
Optional extra’s:
Blinky mode (to warn oncomming cars)
I have been looking at the Xtar WK41 and Klarus RS1A. They seem to have what I’m looking for, but are not very cheap. Do you guys have some sugestions?
i have a couple 3-mode Sipik SK68s clipped to my sun visor of both the car and truck, and a pack of spare AA alcalines in the glove compartment.
The strobe mode can be seen along way with a zoom light, and the flood mode is good for night emergencies to see under the hood or changing a tire.
a neighbour had his Lithium-Ion smart phone burst into flames on the seat in a hot car. I never had Alcalines leak in a car ever yet in winter or summer, as long as they are in single-cell devices that turn completely off. it seems then Alcalines that are in a device that uses them in three or more cells in series they tend to leak.
I’ve had single alkaline leaks, though you do have a point, now that i think about it i can only think of a few specific instances of only 1 battery being used and it leaking, but i would use lsd NiMH in a flashlight, the battery life at high draw of an alkaline is pathetic.
Handling
Do not crush, pierce, short (+) and (-) battery terminals with conductive
(i.e. metal) goods. Do not directly heat
or solder. Do not throw into fire.
Do not mix batteries of different types a
nd brands. Do not mix new and used batteries.
Keep batteries in non conductive (i.e. plastic) trays.
Storage
Store in a cool (preferably below 30°C) and ventilated area, away from moisture,
sources of heat, open flames, food and drin
k. Keep adequate clearance between walls
and batteries. Temperature above 70°C (158°F ) may result in battery leakage and rupture.
Since short circuit can cause burn, leakage and rupture hazard, keep batteries in
original packaging until use and do not jumble them.
Other
Follow Manufacturers recommendations regarding maximum recommended currents
and operating temperature range.
Applying pressure on deforming the battery may lead to disassembly followed by eye,
skin and throat irritation
Don't know about you...but in the summer heat in Texas..cars can and usually do go above 150 degrees
One thing that could be useful in this situation is a magnet holder - either inbuilt or external. With a magnet holder I think one of the small twisty AA lights like the I2 would be good.
Get an i3s for your key ring while you are at it, then you should always have a light
Didn’t expect the discussion about the kind of batteries. But it is a valid discussion, because the temperatures in a car can go low and high.
In my situation I’m not really worried about the below 0 (celsius). The maximum above celsuis temperatures do worry me a little. I live in a moderate climate in Northern Europe and my car has a cooled glove compartment, but when my car is in full sun in the summer all day it could get pretty hot.
Maybe I should do some test how well my car does in the sun (so I’ll have to wait for summer) or get an AAA flashlight as a keychain. But this last choice would affect runtime offcourse.
As for the suggested lights:
- Been looking at the SK68, but how waterproof is it? Since it is a zoomy. On the other hand, it is cheap as dirt. So I could buy several.
- The zebralight is to expensive for a light I will (hopefully) hardly use
The Olight i2 looks like a nice light, I’ve got my doubts about the runtime on high and the usable amount of light on medium.
The SK68 is not really good for water tight, though i have submerged a coupel in tests and they survived, one ended up full of water and still works. Regardless if it fails, its not much of a loss as most of the SK68 clones cost less than 6 bucks.
You can’t go diving with the sk68 :bigsmile: but it is fine in rain. For the cost nothing better. Personal view is don’t bother with anything else as it is only going to be left in the car. Keep a pack of new cells in the car and swap them out every few months. Kept new Alks in the car all the time. Over the years never had a problem and AAs can be used on a lot of things not just torches.
