Hi everyone,I have just ordered a Trustfire x100 and 4 26650 Trustfire batteries.I am new to the wonders of lithium ion rechargeables.I have been searching this forum and cant seem to find info on safety,storage etc.I have found plenty of horror stories on the net though.The questions in my head may seem silly but nonetheless bother me.Can I leave my torch charged up near my bed?,Are the batteries only dangerous when charging?,Will the torch stop working automatically and not run the batteries to low?I want keep torch ready to go near my bed at night (fox and stock issues plus security ) Anyhow cant wait for my light sabre to arrive and are already looking at more. Great site and Thanks people.
Here’s a good writeup by scaru: Li-ion Battery Safety and Shopping Guide
Love your user name, welcome to BLF!
If your batteries are protected, they will cut off when they become discharged, but it’s best to recharge them before that to ensure longevity. What charger are you using? Best to avoid cheap chargers, as they risk overcharging the cells. Most accidents (explosions, fires) occur when they’re charging, but they have been reports of them exploding in flashlights, turning into a grenade. Just avoid cheap chargers and cells and you’ll be fine.
welcome to the worst thing to ever happen to your bank account!
I’ll let one of the true guru’s give you a full run down, but I generally will let my cells sit in my lights for days and weeks at a time as long as there is a mechanical switch that is not letting ANY current seep out of the cells…which it looks like would be fine with your x100 (I have a j18, the “predecessor” to the x100)
I also try to be wary about not leaving my cells on the charger too much longer than necessary, the worse I’ll do it put them on to charge over night and pull them off first thing in the morning (although many may call this a nono) I also keep flammable materials away from the chargers, y’know, just in case.
and pretty much any modern light other than the cheapest of the cheap will have low voltage protection build in to the driver. But if you’re worried, just use protected cells that will shut themselves off.
Also, invest in a very cheap multi-meter. You can get them for like, 5-10 bucks at harbor freight or at many places on line. Many many worries about battery safety can be alleviated by simply pushing a needle on to either end and seeing their voltage.
Thanks ryansoh3,haven’t decided on charger yet.Was thinking Trustfire dual to match the Trustfire batteries.
Hi and welcome Flasharoo. You have bought a light I wanted but never did buy. It should be orsm. What part of the country do you live?
Best to avoid trustfire or _any_fire chargers.
Watch out! I sense MRsDNF eyeing up your new flashlight.
What batteries and charger do you have at the present?
Thanks TehSpaz,You have put my mind at ease,will take up your advice and purchase a multi.Thanks again I can stop worrying about grenades now.
as for a charger, if you can handle the slightly higher cost, get a “smart” charger. MANY MANY people swear by the nitecore i2 or i4….I personally have an xtar vp2 on the way to replace my trustfire charger. The nitecore is a very solid and well priced unit…I was going to order one myself until I actually won the vp2 on a giveaway! People with flashlights and ecigs both love the nitecores.
Welcome …roo…
Enjoy the light side of life… :bigsmile:
Haven’t purchased charger or batteries yet.Nightcore is at the top of my list so far for a charger.Batteries are a bit harder to find in 26650,lots of ‘Fire’ ones.Would like to get a good brand,but they all seem to be 18650.Should I just run 18650 batts in the X100? Would there be a noticeable difference in output,run time? BTW I did receive my Ultrafire 848 zoom in mail today.What a great little torch for the price…_PS in South Oz MRsDNF.
kink kongs are generally regarded as the best all around 26650 out there.
panasonic, sony, sanyo, samsung, and LG (I think thats most of them) all make good 18650s. stay away from anything that claims over 3400mah for a 18650, it will be fake.
the genuine (holographic label) 26650 trust fires are not too bad, but any other **fire battery or charger, I would not trust em as far as I can throw em (and I have a friend who owns a 5 foot wide catapult, so thats saying something)
consult http://lygte-info.dk/ , run by user HKJ, like a bible for anything battery or charger related.
If you’re going to use 26650 often, I suggest to use XTAR SP2 charger which can deliver 2A.
I am one of those who swear by the Intellicharger I4, I have put mine through the ringer with different capacities and different chemistries of batteries at the same time and it has performed flawlessly.
I also agree with musicmagic that the king kongs are hard to beat, just be sure you get authentic ones, I have started seeing gold copycats a lot lately.
My X100 arrived this morning,quicker than I thought.Came with everything including 4 Ultrafire 26650 (black ones) and some non descript charger.I think the seller included them as a bonus.Seller is in Australia BTW.The torch itself looks awesome and very well made. I thank everyone for their advice and will try to get hold of some King Kongs and a Nightcore.Cant resist not trying out torch with the UF batts though 
Flasharoo, you should get the Nitecore Intellicharger I2/I4. I just bought one last week off fasttech and it only took a week to arrive to Australia. I’ve charged 5 batteries with it already and it always hits 4.2V for my 18650’s. It’s well worth the $15 you pay (or $20 for the I4).
Before that I had a cheap $6 charger I had to keep an eye on every 15 minutes. One night I was sitting one room away from the charger and I smelt this putrid burning smell. Went to check and it was clear the charger had blown something inside. Smelt horrible and I was extremely lucky I smelt it.
Don’t save a penny on cheap chargers. Get the Nitecore charger and never have to worry about charging again.
And welcome to the forum!
Thanks Gloh.whats $20 for ‘peace of mind’ in owning a decent charger.I will order one today and some batts.
Exactly, it’s definitely worth the money and the trouble. I was lucky to get a refund for that faulty $6 charger.
I checked to see how long it’d take and I ordered it on the 24th of May and it arrived on the 3rd of June. So ~10 days which isn’t a lot. Make sure you select Singapore Post when checking out.
Also it’ll require a conversion socket. I just chose the EU one because it was the cheapest for the I2.
When it comes to flashlights do lots and lots of research before buying anything - especially batteries.
Good luck!
I ended up buying an Nightcore i4 charger (off ebay) and 4 Trustfire 26650 cells.I really wanted to get King Kongs but Couldn’t find any with PCB.I know they are fire ones but I read they’re the best**fires.So many fire brands out there (scary),even a Uranusfire :\ Next purchase will be a DMM.Now for a another newbie question.Do I just place a terminal on each end of the battery and take a reading? Before loading and after\before charging? BTW the X100 is awesome,my son was most impressed.The torch feels like a weapon to hold and light output is amazing,especially to me who grew up using the Everyready Dolphin to hunt rats.
welcome to the dark side 