Durability Test / Crash Test now online....

ChibiM · 2019-12-09T08:22:34.000Z

That is true. I will have to discuss this... maybe as one of the last tests :)

Agro · 2019-12-09T08:58:56.000Z

I would call this a toughness test.
For endurance you should make great many iterations of not-very-tough tests with something bigger happening from time to time.

ChibiM · 2019-12-09T09:54:05.000Z

People could comment on that as well.

Toughness test, Break test, Endurance test?

If anybody has the perfect description, let us know as well :)

Unheard · 2019-12-09T10:33:48.000Z

About drop test: Most effective impact would be hitting the ground with the bezel, that should give a lot of stress to driver and glass cover. IMO.

Agro · 2019-12-09T10:50:01.000Z

Unheard:

About drop test: Most effective impact would be hitting the ground with the bezel, that should give a lot of stress to driver and glass cover. IMO.

But tail-first stresses the switch assembly more which may be the weaker link.
I remember a CPF test of some darksucks light where people would throw it around in various ways. Switch was the first part to fail.

I suppose that it’s important to check various angles because for each light the weakest spot is going to be different.

wle · 2019-12-09T13:28:40.000Z

heating is not a bad thing to review.

i would comment though, that the ‘drop tests’ won;t really be all that informative.
almost every time something falls like that, it is a special case.
angles, forces, position at time of impact, are not controllable.
they are also mostly not even ‘knowable’.

you would need to do that about 100 to 1000 times per light to be reliable.
even if you find a failure it will only be one data point.
though if you drop a light 1000 times and it still works, that is good to know - even if the conditions are somewhat random and unknown.

wle

ChibiM · 2019-12-09T12:54:28.000Z

Interesting points.

We are thinking about doing 10-20 drop tests to see how they will hold up, not 100, and definitely not 1000 LOL.

MascaratumB · 2019-12-09T14:04:49.000Z

skylumen (Vinh) recently made some tests on his brand new light / prototype, that may be inspiring for this:

Sky Lumen Nguyen Flashlight LED Flashlights – General Info

Hello All, I am not sure if this is the right place to share my Sky Lumen Nguyen Flashlight Project. If its not let me know and I will move it. My team and I have been working on this project for about 1 year now. There were delays here and there but I think we are finally almost there and I am very excited to share it with all. I am not trying to sell anything in this thread. However if you are interested in the project you may email me at SkyLumen54@gmail.com for more info. I also understand …

One thing I find important is to perform the tests with less variability possible, meaning, standardized as much as possible!

This said, one question: do you intend to check “only” if the manufacturers’ specs match the real world or do you wanna go beyond that?
Meaning: check if “only” 1m is enough to “break” the light because the specs say so; or check waterproofness of a light “1m underwater for 30minutes” because that’s what specs say.

I normally don’t do these tests in my lights, but I do appreciate your efforts to check that in some “popular” (and not very expensive) lights!
Thanks

Oli · 2019-12-09T15:11:45.000Z

Convoy S2+ flashlight cold ,hot ,crash resistance. Tc demo - YouTube S2+ Simon video 5 years ago. Cold, hot, 5th floor window to concrete drop test. You probably don’t need to go from that high on the drop test. You probably don’t need to go to a full boil on the water heat test. Edit… he doesn’t claim that he used the same flashlight for all those tests. You probably ought to have 2 of every model if you are going to really stress them.

WalkIntoTheLight · 2019-12-09T15:51:42.000Z

Ideally, you’d test at least 2 or 3 lights of the exact same model, to be sure you’re not either getting a “dud” or an “exceptional” light. Maybe that’s what you mean when you say 3-5 flashlights. But, even if you just test 1 unit each of 5 different models, it’s informative.

Do the same test over and over and over again. It might take dozen of tries before you get a light to land in a particularly bad way, such as on the lens or switch where it breaks.

If you don’t care about breaking the light, increase the severity of the testing, to figure out just when the light will break. e.g, Test 1 meter drops, then 2 meters, then 3 meters, etc.

For drop tests, do it onto concrete or hard rock. Asphalt is just too soft to be a good drop-test.

Water tests, might include some tests for using the switch while under water.

Personally, don’t spend too much time on hot/cold tests. You can do it, but any light that can’t operate within –20C to +60C is junk. So, no need to test it more than once for each light.

In addition to drop tests, do “throw tests”. This would simulate dropping the light while cycling, or out a car window. Maybe do it on a bumpy surface, to give the light lots of skips and bounces. You could also do this by simply tossing the light out a car window while driving.

The switch is often the weak point, so test that somehow.

Water tests might include salt water. That’s often much more destructive, especially for long periods of time.

Helios_azimuth · 2019-12-09T18:41:12.000Z

ChibiM:

Interesting points.

We are thinking about doing 10-20 drop tests to see how they will hold up, not 100, and definitely not 1000 LOL.

How about a drop test of two of the same light, one with aluminum bezel and the other with stainless steel. I prefer ss thinking it would be much more durable hitting granite, but some others seem to prefer all aluminum to save the miniscule weight difference. Might be interesting. Thanks for the great idea of testing the lights!

Lightbringer · 2019-12-09T19:22:25.000Z

Get Markus to blow it up.

Barkuti · 2019-12-09T20:43:59.000Z

Shooting range test? :-D

Lightbringer:

Get Markus to blow it up. :laughing:

Don't know who Markus is but, if blowing it up is all about we can try it with the heat test: insert a charged li-ion cell in the flashlight, place it inside an oven, select target test temperature and turn it on full blast. ;-)

Lightbringer · 2019-12-09T21:13:48.000Z

Barkuti:

Lightbringer:

Get Markus to blow it up. :laughing:

Don’t know who Markus is but, if blowing it up is all about we can try it with [blah blah blah]

Sofirn SF36: Action Test, Hard Use, Real Value 18650 Flashlights

How much stress can a tactical style light with a solid aluminum body take? Does it hold up to the manufacturer specs? Will it easily fail you and leave you standing in dark? I am action testing the Sofirn SF36 in my video, a 25 USD light that comes with all the accesssories needed to get started. + Beauty test: How beautiful is the light? + Runtime test: Does the light endure as the manufacturer claims? + Explosion test: Does the light survive minor explosions? + Extreme mechanical stress: …

Skip to around 3:15.

Fullscaler · 2019-12-10T00:24:23.000Z

Good thread. I think a squish test would be valuable too. I have set my toolbox down on lights at work before and have had a few surprise my by bending out of shape while others held up and were unharmed by the same forces.

nydude · 2019-12-10T03:17:39.000Z

sure put them in the freezer for a couple hours. on and off. that would be interesting.

throw them against a brick wall. not really hard, but you know when you’re holding a light and turn quickly, but your friend is standing there and the light flies out of your hand and smacks agains something…. so that.

put them in a tupperware with water and dirt/sand and shake the hell out of it.

step on them with boots. I’m 200+ lbs so find a bigger person. :).

it would be great if more manufacturers or people would be willing to donate. if they survive. do a give away.

The_Last_Katun · 2019-12-10T12:27:55.000Z

Many years ago, when I was starting to collect flashlights, I also did some machine testing; even in the dishwasher; those in the washer-drive was a mechanical stress and sealing, that in the dishwasher only of impermeability. In the dishwasher, however, the colour of the flashlight changed due to the more aggressive soap.

nydude · 2019-12-10T16:50:22.000Z

would definitely be intersted in toughness difference between regular bezels vs stainless steel. Like on the Convoy C8 that has the optional SS bezel. If you actually have to hit something of someone with the light does it make a difference?

Barkuti · 2019-12-10T17:52:55.000Z

nydude:

would definitely be intersted in toughness difference between regular bezels vs stainless steel. … If you actually have to hit something of someone with the light does it make a difference?

Wellp, that depends on what you hit. For a pair of balls on standard clothing it may not make much difference. If your target wears something tough forget about nonsense and get a morning star O:) flashlight. :-D

Igor · 2019-12-10T18:38:15.000Z

I think you should test as many as possible, 3 may not be enough. I suggest Zebralight, Emisar, FW3A, Olight and other popular brands.