For context this was sort of asked on reddit and got me curious, he has several lights but does not have a dedicated charger so he rotates the batteries between them and the lights without built in charging so all his cells get charged. some answers stated it’s no big deal and perfectly fine other than the hassle. I myself am under the impression that while they work they are also not that great of a charger in general and probably not good in the long run for battery health and longevity. I have a few also as it’s getting to be a rather common thing now a days but almost never use that unless at work and need a few more minutes of use.
what are y’alls thoughts on this? I can see if one had only the single light and cell to just sticking with using it but…?
I guess it depends on the “charging” host. I have no opinion either way, but hey, if ya got no other option, why not? That said, I don’t understand why someone with “several” lights wouldn’t invest in a decent charger. Most cost about the same or less than the flashlights themselves. If it were an odd battery size (ie: 26800) I would guess on-board charging might be the only viable option. I use OBC on a couple of mine just for convenience, but there are also some I don’t trust not to overcharge or terminate correctly. I feel more comfortable with the standard bay type charger because I can monitor progress from the display. Unless you have a USB tester hooked up to the torch, it’s kinda tough to do that.
That’s all dependent upon the host. From my experience, most built-in chargers tend to fall just shy of full charge… perhaps as a way to prevent overcharging. But the real kicker is speed. The faster you charge the cell, the shorter its life will be in the long run. It’s not a direct ratio. From what I understand it’s a curve as you go above 2A.
If you don’t have the tools to measure it, probably the best indicator is to use a dedicated charger and purposefully select 1A and 2A for separate charging of the same battery, depleted to the same voltage. Time it and see how much time it takes. Then, once you have that benchmark, put the battery in a host with built-in charging and time it. You’ll have a pretty good idea if it’s a flashlight with fast-charging or not.
But one important caveat – if it’s a very common cell type host (like 18650 or 14500) and you’re not using expensive cells in it, then the speed is sort of irrelevant. If you’re the kind of person who really wants their cells charged as fast as possible because you’re always on tight schedules, then shortening the number of charging cycles on your batteries is probably a worthwhile tradeoff for the saved time. Otherwise, it’s just good sense to slow charge and extend your battery charging cycles limit.
i agree and have an older bt-c3100 that still works great but for the noisy fan that is entirely my fault as i was camping and left it outside and getting some dew that morning (wasn’t noisy prior) and so i sort of upgraded to the vapcell s4 plus. both work very well and as stated i seldom resort to using the OBC (new term for me haha)
essentially wondering if it’s worth advising the dude to definitely get a dedicated charger or the obc is good enough and just keep my mouth shut
It can’t hurt! Having a dedicated charger is going to be very helpful, because you can charge so many cell types, versus only 1 or 2 for a flashlight with built-in charging (e.g. 18350 default, then 18650 with extension tube). Plus, the dedicated charger can also give you a voltage reading. Some advanced ones can perform battery health checks, too.
I got a 2 bay charger from Fenix, the ARE-D2. It’s pretty small for a 2-bay charger. And it works great! You can even adjust the rate of charge if you wish (faster vs. slower). I think they’re as cheap as $25 USD.
I’ve had built in chargers that were just fine. My 2nd gen LT1 cuts off at 4.10v.
I have a 26650 Tac-light that reaches 4v when the charge indicator light turns green. However it keeps going and quits pulling at 4.25v. A little too much.
Other lights of mine are fine. Others charge above 4.2.
I try to test them all so I know which to trust.
I use a USB meter to see when the charging really stops. Quite a few lights keep going after the charge indicator shows a completed charge cycle.
Often I think it may be the luck of the draw.
Each variation might be a little different - even in the same model.
I use an external smart charger most of the time. I like to know how many mAh are getting pushed out.
Wish more external chargers would have an optional ~ 4v - 4.1v cutoff. Not a lot of extra run time above that. But better for the batteries.
All the Best,
Jeff