Wee 10180 battery in 10 years time?

[CliveBurt]

I have been wearing a Photon III around my neck since I thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail a couple of years ago and find it very handy. At this point in my life I think I need a little "BLING". I don't wear any jewellery, not even a watch. So I was thinking of buying a Wee but a few things are getting in the way so I thought I'd ask the experts/owners a couple of questions:

1/ Does the Wee NS smell?

Because I want to wear it around my neck all the time, except when showering, I was concerned about the nickel smell and it tarnishing very quickly. Might have to splash out on a Wee Ti.

2/ Will the 10180 battery be available in 10 or 20 years time?

I know that one's hard to answer. It's just that with our wonderful "Spaceship Earth" filling up with passengers so quickly, as well as the ships provissions getting low, I'm trying to only buy quality items that are going to serve me well for a long time.

3/ Other than a Wee, and I think maybe the Drake, is there any other device of any kind (doesn't have to be a flashlight) that uses a 10180 battery?

4/ has anyone tried to run their Wee off of any other type of battery other than a 10180, such as 3 or 4 button cells?

I'd like to thank you for your answers and opinions in advance and also express my appreciation for all the excellent information that I've found here on CPF over the couple of years that I've been lurking in the shadows with only my Maglite Solitaires feeble beam to light the way!

[CliveBurt]

Just stumbled across this thread that asks my #2 question. Still reading so I'm not sure if it answers it yet.

http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=219492

[matrixshaman]

I almost jumped in that other thread but I had so much to say I decided I'd be typing half the night so I just opted out. Electronics and things that use batteries are on the increase in a big way. I've been into electronics and gizmo's that use batteries for well over 50 years and all I've seen is an increase in the useage and types of batteries. Very very few batteries have gone away except very large heavy batteries that don't make sense any more for most things. By the time a battery goes out of favor to where it's not being made any more (if that happens) I see there being such a revolution in power sources or batteries that we won't want the device any more that was powered on those older batteries. And if you pick up several 10180's I'll bet if you treat them well they'll last you as long as you care to be wearing that Wee NS. I've got some old laptop Li-Ion 18650's that I scrounged out of an old laptop about 6 or 7 years ago. The laptop had to have been several years old before I tore the battery pack apart. I'm still using those 18650's today in a couple different flashlights and they work fine. On the other thread my answer to Centropolis would be 'NO' (with an undoubtedly extensive and wordy reason for my answer) but I was too tired to type that much. So I'm here and probably typing just as much

Not too sure about the other questions as I have an Orb Raw but none of his NS lights.

[CliveBurt]

Howdy Matrixshaman,

That's very interesting to hear your real life experiences with Lith-ion batteries because for several years I've been under the impression that they age quickly and that within approximately 5 years of manufacture the capacity decrease due to aging would make them not worth using. I was led to this line of thinking by reading the following:

"Li-ion batteries should be bought only when needed, because the aging process begins as soon as the battery is manufactured."

This is a quote from wikipedia, that as it turns out is quoting from the second link at Battery University:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium_ion_battery

http://batteryuniversity.com/partone-5.htm

It would be great if I could just buy 4 10180 now knowing that they'd probably last me a decade or two.

I'm sure the AA form factor will be around in 10 or 20 years time because it is used in everything! But the 10180 I have no experience with and that's why I'm a little concerned that it is very much more specialised.

There are four general attributes that I've decided I need to consider when buying most non-organic items:

Durable
Repairable
Upgradable
Recyclable

I have no doubt that the Wee fits most if not all of these attributes, I'm just not sure the Wee's battery and battery form factor will stand the test of time as well as the Wee is going to.

If I wasn't concerned about the nickel smell from the Wee NS then I would pay the £35 gladly. However, when I'm trying to talk myself into spending £85 for a Wee Ti that wont smell or tarnish, then I try to tell myself that it will be ultra durable so I should BUY, BUY, BUY!!!
I'm sure it's just a very bad case of "Shiny Kit Syndrome"!
I should just upgrade my Photon to the newer Freedom and except that the need for BLING in my life, at this time, is all part of a midlife crisis!

[Kilovolt]

I gave my wife a Wee NS about 8 months ago and she's been carrying it around her neck with a sterling silver chain from that day. No tarnishing at all and no smell that either of us can perceive.

[paxxus]

I guess the NS smell/tarnish depends on how the metal reacts to your skin etc. My Raw NS quickly got a duller looking finish and it also smells a little metallic at times. Just get the Wee Ti.

[CliveBurt]

Thank you for your thoughts folks.
I'd love to be able to splash out on a Wee Ti, however, in the last month I have bought the following lights and so my wallet needs time to recover. Speaking of recovery...anyone know of a 12 step program I can join...My name is Clive and I'm an addict!

Petzl e+Lite
Fenix TK20
Cheap LED Bike Light - Rear
Nitecore D10 (R2)
ZebraLight H50
4x Fenix E01
3x Photon Freedom

3 of the E01's were gifts to other people. The forth one I kept because I screwed up the order and ordered 2x blue 1x purple, instead of the other way round, so I had to order an extra purple which left a spare blue one...what's an addict to do when there are spare lights just laying around???

One of the Photon Freedoms is a gift for someone and then I needed one for in a Survival Kit that I'm going to put together. Couldn't figure out if the red LED with 120 hours of run time would be better than a white LED with much less run time for use in a survival kit, so in true CPF fashion...I bought both!

I'm considering moving back to Canada to rejoin the Canadian Airforce. If I get back in then I will treat myself to a Wee Ti to celebrate.

[herbicide]

I have mine (NS) around my neck.

Other than skin oil smears/dulling/tarnishing (I rotate the skin-side every morning, just for consistency) a little, which rubs off quite easily, I've had no problems so far.
There is a slight metallic scent, but pocket change smells more.

[EntropyQ3]

Within the EU there is a law against Ni-containing objects that can be worn against the skin. If anyone were to point the finger at the Lummi products, they would be in trouble.
But there is good reason for that law, and if you intend to wear the Wee around your neck I would definitely choose another material. This is why I haven't pulled the trigger myself on a Wee. Aluminium or even stainless steel would be preferable, and inexpensive. Of course, Ti is available as an excellent non-allergenic and durable option, but quite costly.

[deusexaethera]

Within the EU there is a law against Ni-containing objects that can be worn against the skin. If anyone were to point the finger at the Lummi products, they would be in trouble.
But there is good reason for that law, and if you intend to wear the Wee around your neck I would definitely choose another material. This is why I haven't pulled the trigger myself on a Wee. Aluminium or even stainless steel would be preferable, and inexpensive. Of course, Ti is available as an excellent non-allergenic and durable option, but quite costly.

What a load of hooey. Anything with a hole in it can be put on a necklace. They can't possibly intend to regulate everything with a hole in it. Hell, they better make it illegal for people to put their hands in their pockets on hot days if they have any loose change and/or nickel-plated door keys.

Caveat emptor, son. Slap a warning sticker on it and move on.

[EntropyQ3]

What a load of hooey. Anything with a hole in it can be put on a necklace. They can't possibly intend to regulate everything with a hole in it. Hell, they better make it illegal for people to put their hands in their pockets on hot days if they have any loose change and/or nickel-plated door keys.

Caveat emptor, son. Slap a warning sticker on it and move on.

The original poster explicitly brought up wearing the Wee. The design is well suited to it. The material however is not. In the EU, the time for warning stickers is long since over. It's prohibited, since years. And for good reason - once provoked, the reactions stay with you for life, they tend to get more aggressive over the years, and may spread to other materials.

While anyone could point a legal finger at these products, what's more relevant from a consumer standpoint is to consider why Ni has been removed not only from jewellery, but from buttons in clothes, watches, door handles, coinage, sewing needles and so on.

[Flea Bag]

Yes I remember the removal of nickel being a significant movement a few years back in the watch industry. Even stainless steel luxury watches which had a greater than a specific amount of nickel concentration were disallowed. Many stainless steel luxury watches were affected as many of the cheaper or lower grades of SS had a higher-than-permitted concentration of nickel.

I was a person who benefitted. I used to wear an Omega Seamaster produced before the introduction of the nickel-control law and it caused me to have itchy spots on my wrist. I do have sensitive skin though. Since switching to a titanium watch and also purchasing a stainless steel watch (produced after and which complies to the law), I've had no such skin irritation.

Watches are worn for many hours on the wrist and have a much larger contact area than a flashlight but the neck area is particularly sensitive and the NS lights are much higher in nickel concentration than SS. It also depends on the sensitivity of your skin of course.

[MKLight]

Besides itchiness, what other problems can Nickel cause? I don't really remember there being an issue...this is new to me.

Thanks,
Mike