Are we really talking about "lifetime" lights?

dudemar

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I've seen posters refusing to admit they're wrong, but this is definitely new. I'll spell it out for you:

LED chips are declared to function for 100,000 hours but such statements are only partly correct. LED chips per se have indeed a very long lifespan but the LED modules failure rate depend on a number of electronic components, some having a life span limited to a few thousand hours only! Therefore, the MTBF (Meantime Between Failure) of LED modules depend solely on the weakest electronic component and solder points reducing the "guaranteed" LED MTBF greatly!
 
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jh333233

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Let me conclude it by telling some facts
1. The pdf is probably a promotion or advertisement to praise Pila's light
2. Driver is usually sat well inside the light, you wont damage them unless you fry them by high voltage, even a continuous dropping would not be likely to shock the electronics away from their position. The pdf emphasised how "weak" the driver is, i never see it as a truth, cause ive dropped my light for thousands of time and it still works fine. While i tried to fry a LED by overheating, tint turned angry blue and then its into grave
3. Under normal usage, the only factor which affects the light is heat, when i say it, i would assume it to be less than 70 degrees Celcius, probably not much to driver but the LED is definitely affected as it is what produced the heat and the LED gets affected by heat at the first line, other than all other thing, if you would mention joule heating by electronics, i would say the LED produce MUCH MUCH MORE heat by that.
 

res1cue

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My first thought is I'm sure there are people with 40 year old flashlights now but they seem pretty useless compared to a what is now available...

+1

I am sure, in 10 years, 200-300 lumen lights will be relegated to keychain use only, and the new thing will be 5k lumens or something.

OR instead of increased lumens, maybe new batteries, increased runtime, fixes coffee for you, whitens your teeth, or something else
 

jh333233

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+1

I am sure, in 10 years, 200-300 lumen lights will be relegated to keychain use only, and the new thing will be 5k lumens or something.

OR instead of increased lumens, maybe new batteries, increased runtime, fixes coffee for you, whitens your teeth, or something else
+2
Foldable phones
Touch control
These things were considered impossible in last century, now we have created the history
 

TEEJ

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I agree that batteries will probably be a limiting factor for an old light. It will be like trying to get 5.25" floppies for your old computer, or new music releases in an 8 track format, etc.

Breakthroughs in battery design will most likely occur, especially given the push for solar energy storage solutions, electric cars, etc. Eventually, a point where a very small battery can provide a lot more power will be crossed. Circuit breakthroughs will eveentually allow smaller and smaller placements, with less heat.

The industry will then naturally be able to make extremely small and powerful lights, and, extremely powerful larger lights.

It will be analogous to computer sizes, where the first high performance ones were essentially rooms full of vacuum tubes and tape drives...and now you can get something that fits in your pocket with more computing power.

Form factors for batteries may actually preserve some old standards, such as the AA, etc...due to conformity, especially at the joe consumer level. The shopping cart purchaser will not want a light that takes "some weird size", and may in fact gravitate towards disposable lights, especially if technology makes them more powerful and long lasting than they are currently.

If new technology develops amorphous batteries, such that its cheap and easy to mold the battery into any desired shape or size, freeing the industry from "standard sizes" that help with marketing and cost controls, then flashlights for example could take on new form factors: The battery could BE the light, etc.

So, just like I have an old Mac IIsi from the 80's that still works, and does what it did back then just fine....I don't really USE it the way I used to, as the newer versions just do the same things BETTER.
 

jh333233

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Luckily Surefire's lights can always do a lamp swap

If the scene is going good, hopefully the LED in future would produce less heat with same lumen (Well, actually its = higher efficiency, heat is wasted energy)

Then we could just swap the new LED inside as a piece of aluminum could last for at least 20 years,
just look at the other's last-last-decade 6P, and the anod barely wears if its not always dropped on concrete/rock

Ive seen some heavily used 6P on the internet, the guy has been using it with the V70 holster for 20 years, the light is still intact.
Despite the tail's anod has been stripped off by the spring of V70, it is still functioning great

I would definitely give Surefire's light, the name of "Lifetime light"
The heavy and thick body and withstand lotta abuse unlike the other brands, aluminum sheet body, thats no match for Surefire
Even the original lamp is resting in its grave, you can always mod it or even send it back and let SF pay the debt
 

solarwind

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When I go to home Depot I used to buy 100 year caulk, But it only lasted a couple of years before it dried out and shiveled up in the weather, so now I buy 35 year caulk. Not much better, a little cheaper.

Flashlights like other hardware will change with battery and energy technolgy. Everything seems to start out big and get smaller but settles in to a design and size regulated by the power. Clocks as one example were huge at first and built as grandfather style and big ben pieces, only later going to smaller clocks and watches.

I can Imagine the change in the power being the difference; Imagine a signet ring with a large LED in the center powered by some now untapped energy in the ring that could throw the beam, like an SR 90 or a DEFT. Hard to imagine such power, but explaining an Iphone to Abe Lincoln; well it would be hard to Imagine at that time. The quality lights will last to you get sick of 'em, like your old box TV and your record player. They will sell in antique store and everybody will say how cool they were but can you imagine carrying that thing around?
 

slimshaneee

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I think they should still work, as long as some unexpected type of corrosion did not wipe them out. Also, in forty years, they may not be making these batteries, there is no way to be sure.
 

Xacto

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I think they should still work, as long as some unexpected type of corrosion did not wipe them out. Also, in forty years, they may not be making these batteries, there is no way to be sure.

I too had that thought but dismissed it when I looked at my last 35 years and my toys and the batteries they used. Even the old 4,5V types can still be found. Even (to me) obscure formats like the CR2 can be found in the local stores (don't ask about prices). So I have a strong confidence that even the CR123 format should still be available in the future, even though I only know flashlights and cameras that actually use that battery type.

Cheers
Thorsten
 

jh333233

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I too had that thought but dismissed it when I looked at my last 35 years and my toys and the batteries they used. Even the old 4,5V types can still be found. Even (to me) obscure formats like the CR2 can be found in the local stores (don't ask about prices). So I have a strong confidence that even the CR123 format should still be available in the future, even though I only know flashlights and cameras that actually use that battery type.

Cheers
Thorsten
I guess CR123a would be readily available
They are the best disaster-preparation power source as they have a long shelf-life than all the other batteries
Compact size with high energy density, high discharge rate
And military use it too
So probably it wont goes extinction
 

ericjohn

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Just as long as they don't quit making PR type bulbs (both vacuum and noble gas filled) or at least eficient LED retrofits, then flashlights from 40 years ago, will still be working. My two favorite decades for flashlights are the 1960's and 1990's.

Might I remind everyone that if EMP energy is released in the case of war or terrorism, LED's will not work, only incans. How much do I need to re-iterate the need for PR bulbs to stay in production?

I keep having this vision of a night after an EMP release, my grand father is walking around in his garden with his old Garrity Value Lite from 1985 where everything is pitch black, except for the warm orange glow of his flashlight...
 

jh333233

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EMP =/= ionizing radiation
EMP is a strong varying magnetic field
Which can induce a current in closed loop, imagine the Induction Heater for cooking
It frys whatever current-induceable thing, but not human
I havnt tried it but, i guess a single LED die wont get damaged, but a light with LED+circuit would
 
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