Surefire explosion

flasherByNight

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I wouldn't be sticking my fingers all in it

(Lots of exploding battery stories here on cpf fyi)
 

Tekno_Cowboy

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Looks like the batteries turned it into a mini rocket. (kind of like knocking the valve off a gas canister)

To give testament to the quality of the light, I bet if you stuck a new tailcap on, and a new lamp in that light, it would work just fine :devil:
 

Beamhead

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I/m glad no one was hurt and I hope that they didn't inhale any thing nasty.
LOL at some of the posts........."If you go over to Candlepowerforums (the flashlight geeks) and check there, you'll find some more stories. In fact I'd reccomend the OP go over there and register just to tell his story and show the pictures, they'll be fascinated. "
......."Post this over at candlepower forums and it will go 800 pages."........
 

Crenshaw

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:faint:


I/m glad no one was hurt and I hope that they didn't inhale any thing nasty.
LOL at some of the posts........."If you go over to Candlepowerforums (the flashlight geeks) and check there, you'll find some more stories. In fact I'd reccomend the OP go over there and register just to tell his story and show the pictures, they'll be fascinated. "
......."Post this over at candlepower forums and it will go 800 pages."........

And he is going to post here, and then get locked because "there is already a thread on it"

:laughing:

Crenshaw
 

Size15's

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*Staring at my M3 nerviously*
Why?
You keep it locked out right?
The batteries are only a few months old even if they are partially used?

SureFire gets its SF123A from the only CR123A manufacturer in the USA. If the assumption is that no external factors influenced this event and therefore the safety of the batteries is in question then the same question must be made of all USA-manufactured CR123A batteries.

Given that Chinese CR123A are well known and documented as being dangerous and not suitable for high output / multi-battery flashlights, the result is a question of where to get 'safe' CR123A batteries if you make the assumption that all USA-manufactured CR123A batteries are no longer safe based on this event.

But this assumes there were no unavoidable extenuating factors that contributed to the batteries in the classic old-school 9Z 'exploding'.
I suspect this event could easily have been avoided.

The most important thing I notice is that that 9Z does not have a LockOut TailCap (called a Z41) that was introduced to the SureFire range when SureFire changed the 9Z to the Z3.

Being able to disable a high output, multi-cell flashlight is vital in helping to prevent damage from unintentional activation. Damage to the now discontinued Lexan polycarbonate window being the most normal occurrence.

The flashlight would not have acted this way unless it was activated, even only slightly, especially in a confined space like a pouch or clothing where the heat building up could not escape. This can't happen in disabled flashlights, even when the batteries are damp and whole mix of discharge states as the electrical circuit is not complete and the compromised batteries are not being stressed.

If the batteries were stored or the flashlight opened in wet / high humidity conditions, and/or if the batteries were subject to crushing or vibrations then this can compromise them and significantly contribute to 'explosion' events.

If the batteries were partially used I understand that compromises their shelf-life. If partially used batteries are stored in the flashlight for a long time then they could become unmatched as they degrade at different rates which is a contributing factor in 'explosion' events.

American-made CR123A batteries remain the only source of the safest possible CR123A batteries.

Do not mix old and new batteries.
Do not mix new and used batteries.
Do not mix different brands of batteries (even if they are technically exactly the same this is like mixing different age batteries).

Disable the flashlight when it is not in use. Check that it actually disabled for transportation/storage and even carry when immediate use is not required/anticipated.
If immediate use is required/anticipated ensure that you will notice as soon as the flashlight is activated accidentally.

Store spare batteries in a dry, cool place where they can not be crushed, short-circuited, get mixed up or subjected to intense vibrations.

Do not store partially used batteries in devices.

Replace or use up batteries that have been stored in devices every year or so. Avoid storing batteries in devices.

Take especial care when using high output lamps options and/or multiple-cell flashlights.

If in any doubt use up the batteries in single-celled flashlights.

I'm certain that SureFire will want to examine the flashlight, the bits and pieces of battery and the remain batteries from that box.

Al
 

DM51

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Do not mix old and new batteries.
Do not mix new and used batteries.
That is the cardinal rule with CR123A primaries, and not observing that rule could have caused what happened here.

Maybe the user found his light was running down, and rather than replace both cells, he thought he could give it extra life by replacing just one. Or maybe he only had 1 spare cell with him at the time. That would be enough to cause this.
 

Search

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I had to close that page as soon as I found what I was looking for. That he had used SF batteries (aka Duracell).

The things I read in that thread were so horribly inaccurate my eyes almost bled.

It's a shame people think a flashlight body could cause a battery to explode :candle:
 

McGizmo

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That is the cardinal rule with CR123A primaries, and not observing that rule could have caused what happened here.

Maybe the user found his light was running down, and rather than replace both cells, he thought he could give it extra life by replacing just one. Or maybe he only had 1 spare cell with him at the time. That would be enough to cause this.

Bold added by me. I believe this was a 9Z which would mean three cells in series and that much more prone to an event with unmatched cells. I agree with the brunt of Al's comments but storing partially used cells in a flashlight is probably common practice of many of us and likely needs to be elaborated on a bit. If the light is a single cell light then I think storage in the flashlight is as safe as anywhere else. With multi cell lights, it gets a bit murky. If the light locks out or is definitely off and is a two cell light, storage of the cells should be fine in the light but I know I have encountered a two cell light that worked fine last time I used it and months later, it seemed to have died?!? What isn't clear to me is the impact on shelf life of a battery that has seen some service.

If there are three cells in series in the light then I think the margin of error really gets thin and it would be great if the experts could give some quantitative advise on storage and usage.
 

Search

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I would have thought it was user error but he claimed it was just sitting there. The pics make it seem like it was just sitting on the floor when it happened. Not sure why.

It's annoying people think it was the light that is to blame. Given that SF doesn't make the batteries their name should be completely left out. The correct title of this thread should be "Duracell batteries exploded".

Oh well, I'm just surprised he isn't sick. He stuck around long enough to smell the lithium gas. Oh wait, it's lithium-ion gas that gives you hydrochloric poisoning or something.
 

zipplet

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Did anyone else notice that the SF123A package looked very very old? Surefire have been using more colourful packaging for a long time. Perhaps the batteries are >10 years old?
 

Justin Case

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I would have thought it was user error but he claimed it was just sitting there. The pics make it seem like it was just sitting on the floor when it happened. Not sure why.

It's annoying people think it was the light that is to blame. Given that SF doesn't make the batteries their name should be completely left out. The correct title of this thread should be "Duracell batteries exploded".

Probably because he clearly stated that the light was on his duty belt when he sensed the problem. See the second sentence in his AR15.com post.

The claim on CPF I've seen is that SF specs the batteries, even if they don't manufacture them. Obviously, the SF label is on them. Why should SF's name be left out? It's their batteries as far as the consumer is concerned.
 
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