Torches/flashlights are becoming increasingly intense and powerful. What are the risks in conjunction to overheating during operation whilst in transit / storage?
Some of the dangers associated with high energy density cells e.g. Li cells are recognised but this is not primarily the subject here.
Consider the situation whereby a very high-power flashlight is placed into a fitting protective padded carry bag. E.g. an opaque lens cap is used- the bag is generously padded and shut. In such a case / bag there is very little space for air to circulate. Now with soft bags it is easy to imagine an external bump or press could turn on the switch. You do not know it’s on because everything is closed off.
Imagine further if you will that the bag is placed in a cupboard in hot weather or a hot car. What happens?
How real is danger of overheating esp fire?
If so could it be mitigated?
When Sofirn ships lights with an included Li cell, there’s a small circular insulator that prevents the negative end of the cell from contacting the spring.
Unno. Seems a non-issue, unless someone’s really stoopit and ships a light that just needs a bump to turn on and stay on.
Kept it in a Fenix holder and one day it turned on in a bag. It burnt a perfect circular hole in the bottom of the webbing material. Light still works fine though
I’ve considered this several times when thinking about carry options for, say, the BLF GT. This is not about shipping but actual use.
Most of the time I don’t have this issue because I carry EDC lights in my jeans pocket or hang them on my neck and while not in use, put them on a table. Even headstanding there’s little fire hazard as they won’t be able to set fire on solid wood etc. In case of accidental activation I’m going to slightly burn myself, ruin a table surface or just have a flat battery. Not burn down my house or my car.
However with other lights that may need to be carried in a bag or holster, this is definitely an issue. I’m even worried about a C8 in a good nylon holster, even if it only pulls 3 A and I know it’s nowhere near focused at 10 mm from the glass. I kind of know it would not burn in flames and I kind of know it’s not going to accidentally activate. Even then, there’s not enough layers of protection for my liking.
It’s very very inconvenient having to double lock out lights and even that does not solve this problem. One could forget or not even want to in the first place. I mean, every flashlight enthusiast has been there and done that. It’s annoying when you want some light and realize you locked it out just because you’re paranoid. Makes a one second job an embarrassing 10-second job. Some cursing and flashes of light in the darkness when you wanted instant illumination.
Some lights don’t even have tailcap unscrew lockout capability. When paired with not having a mechanical switch you have an incendiary device. Add some combustible black synthetic fabric and we’re ready to cause a house fire.
