looking for an intrinsically safe light

My kid is getting ready to do an internship where an intrinsically safe light is rquired. Ideally he would have both a normal flashlight as well as a headlamp.

Would prefer something that runs on 18650s or is rechargeable.

Any suggestions based on real world experience? My brief search showed a bunch of very dim, low feature lights in the affordable price range.

Because safety is paramount, I would avoid flashlights/headlamps powered by Li-ion cells.

I would get something that runs on AA or AAA eneloops (or other high-quality LSD cells.)

EDIT:

Okay, I didn't know what "intrinsically safe lights" were, so ignore my advice above.

The only link that comes to mind atm would be Intrinsically Safe Flashlights and Headlamps | Pelican
There are some details regarding safety classes etc

For those that may not be familiar with the term “intrinsically safe” it generally means for use in a hazardous location so it won’t cause an explosion.

So you pay more $$ for less features because some lawyers were involved and (hopefully) adequate testing and certifications were purchased by the manufacturer.

Not saying that I’m looking for an Asian-made light. Mainly looking for real-world advice for those that may have experience with this type of light.

Rechargeable is important for my kid as he has to travel light to his various assignments. He will be on commercial shipping vessels so obtaining replacement primary cells could possibly be difficult.

Not an expert, but there are a whole lot of classes and divisions and voltage, amperage, and temperature limits that come into play. For the most part I think you’re going to be looking at lights that use AA batteries and have plastic housings. What country he is going to be in may come into play also. Technically you’re not supposed to operate most cell phones when you are pumping gas into your vehicle. Is that ever enforced in public? I’m getting off the track.

That is in the flashlight database under the “hazardous environment” label. (IS refers to a subset of ratings - there are different systems for US and Europe and China.) Here are those sorted by lumens. The brightest is the $150 830 lumen Nitecore EF1. Though I don’t think it has US certifications. The Fenix lights do but they are under 300 lumens.

Intrinsic Safety puts limits on how much power is allowed to flow through wires. That limits how bright they can be.

The Nitecore EF1 is explosion proof, but I am not sure it is “intrinsecally safe” from that point of view you mentioned!

Thinking about this… shouldn’t the employer provide these things to staff? I mean, if everyone’s safety is at risk, should a company even allow everyone to BYOL?

Nitecore didn’t slap an “explosion proof” sticker on the box like you make it sound. It is certified to European ATEX standards. Specifically “Ex II2 G Ex d IIC T6 Gb.” You would need to talk to whoever runs the facility if European certifications are acceptable and if these are the relevant equivalents.

Here is an overview of what all those ATEX codes mean: Standards and regulations - Ex Zones - ATEX/IECEx

It is also worth noting that “Intrinsic Safety” also has zones and subtypes. Just any IS product might not be acceptable in all situations.

surprised no one has mentioned Fenix yet.

Streamlight has an entire Haz-lo line which I believe might work. They are unfortunately not the brightest or latest of designs but SL stands behind their lights and has great service. I’ve got a 15+ yr old 4xAA ProPolymer that’s still going strong, (although I have modded the emitter for more output). It runs and lasts well on Eneloop NiMH rechargeables.

Fenix has something newer that runs 3xAA with multiple levels but I don’t have any experience with it. Should be solid if it’s from Fenix.

nice one!
So apparently the battery themselves have to be safe / tested for safety too.
I’d bite the bullet and buy this one (plus their spare batteries).
Those certifications don’t come cheap / easy and Fenix had to pay them upfront. Under normal circumstances 280lm are enough to clearly see anything within 10-20m, I doubt he’ll really need more on a normal work day, though extra light is always nice.
Tell him that brake cleaner makes plastics and especially Acrylic / PMMA and o-rings brittle.

Streamlight survivor or nitecore EF1, or Peli Safety Flashlights and Headlamps | Peli

Google for Atex flashlight

This guy has an extensive listing of [intrinsically safe] lights. I’ve bought stuff from him before when I used incandescent + NiMh scuba lights. He was fine to deal with.