Surefire Maximus, Minimus AA, Minimus Tactical and Minimus Vision!

[Bucur]

Lithium Ion's (Cobalt Oxide) shouldn't be stored at full power for long term use or in cars, where temperatures can get exceedingly high. They should be stored around 3.8 V in the freezer if you don't plan on using them for a long period of time (preferably in a sealed container with dessicant to keep them dry). For the Maximus, if you don't plan on using it, I'd just leave it at RT charged to around 40-50% capacity (~3.8 V, but I don't think you can easily check on the Maximus).

Thank you so much for your reply and I am so sorry for the long delay in acknowledging your reply. Somehow, I don't get notified on the replies via e-mail, despite being subscribed! On the other hand, I may be unaware that I have been notified because my laptop crashed in the meantime and this is my new laptop. I hope I didn't miss other e-mails as well, during the transition from one laptop to the other.

Even if I could check the voltage, keeping the Maximus at 40 - 50% capacity and/or in the fridge (anywhere but the car) would deny the purpose. I am actually keeping it full, in the car, for being able to use it at max capacity if/when I need. It is in a dark compartment with lid so not the hottest spot in the car but yes, the car will get hot in summer from time to time, when parked under the sun, albeit rarely, and with an effective windshield sun-shade (very reflective, highly insulated and cut to measure). I can't improve the storage conditions as this is a headlamp dedicated to the car but shall I exercise the Maximus (discharge the battery and recharge) from time to time? How often? Discharging to what extent?

What I have in mind is turning it on at about half power, monthly, until the battery indicator shows half charge and then, fully recharge. Is this a good plan? Given that the Maximus will be kept fully charged, in the car, would another plan be better?

Thank you and I am sorry, once again, for not being aware of your reply earlier.

[TwitchALot]

Thank you so much for your reply and I am so sorry for the long delay in acknowledging your reply. Somehow, I don't get notified on the replies via e-mail, despite being subscribed! On the other hand, I may be unaware that I have been notified because my laptop crashed in the meantime and this is my new laptop. I hope I didn't miss other e-mails as well, during the transition from one laptop to the other.

Even if I could check the voltage, keeping the Maximus at 40 - 50% capacity and/or in the fridge (anywhere but the car) would deny the purpose. I am actually keeping it full, in the car, for being able to use it at max capacity if/when I need. It is in a dark compartment with lid so not the hottest spot in the car but yes, the car will get hot in summer from time to time, when parked under the sun, albeit rarely, and with an effective windshield sun-shade (very reflective, highly insulated and cut to measure). I can't improve the storage conditions as this is a headlamp dedicated to the car but shall I exercise the Maximus (discharge the battery and recharge) from time to time? How often? Discharging to what extent?

What I have in mind is turning it on at about half power, monthly, until the battery indicator shows half charge and then, fully recharge. Is this a good plan? Given that the Maximus will be kept fully charged, in the car, would another plan be better?

Thank you and I am sorry, once again, for not being aware of your reply earlier.

Likewise. -_- I'm going to be honest here, if you're going to keep it in the car where it's going to get really hot (yes, shades will help, but glovebox or not, cars get extremely hot relative to ambient temperatures if left in the sun), it's best to keep it discharged. As far as I know, lithium ions (again, CO) do not have a memory effect. They are hurt by three things in general: Time, temperature, and discharge/recharge cycles. We really only have control over two, and of those two, not doing one defeats the purpose of having the battery. Thus, that leaves temperature as the only real controllable variable (on the user end) affecting Li-ion battery life. So to answer your question, exercising your Maximus won't help - if anything, it'll hurt it, but remember, lights are meant to be used.

I "work EDC" a Surefire Minimus Vision in my briefcase. I could leave it in the car, but it's just not good for the batteries, and may not even be good for the light (high temperature storage? Beats me, but it sure doesn't sound good). I would say either keep it out of those environments when it's not necessary, or accept the fact that your battery will go to crap a lot faster (which SF will presumably fix without a hassle). I would also say that if you really aren't going to use the Maximus that much and just plan on leaving it in the car, do it with another light. The Maximus is not cheap, and to have it sit around in an environment that's extremely harsh on its "fixed" battery just doesn't sound like a good use of resources to me. A PrincetonTec EOS will lithium AAA's will do just fine in a "sit in the car just in case" role.

[Bucur]

Likewise. -_- I'm going to be honest here, if you're going to keep it in the car where it's going to get really hot (yes, shades will help, but glovebox or not, cars get extremely hot relative to ambient temperatures if left in the sun), it's best to keep it discharged. As far as I know, lithium ions (again, CO) do not have a memory effect. They are hurt by three things in general: Time, temperature, and discharge/recharge cycles. We really only have control over two, and of those two, not doing one defeats the purpose of having the battery. Thus, that leaves temperature as the only real controllable variable (on the user end) affecting Li-ion battery life. So to answer your question, exercising your Maximus won't help - if anything, it'll hurt it, but remember, lights are meant to be used.

I "work EDC" a Surefire Minimus Vision in my briefcase. I could leave it in the car, but it's just not good for the batteries, and may not even be good for the light (high temperature storage? Beats me, but it sure doesn't sound good). I would say either keep it out of those environments when it's not necessary, or accept the fact that your battery will go to crap a lot faster (which SF will presumably fix without a hassle). I would also say that if you really aren't going to use the Maximus that much and just plan on leaving it in the car, do it with another light. The Maximus is not cheap, and to have it sit around in an environment that's extremely harsh on its "fixed" battery just doesn't sound like a good use of resources to me. A PrincetonTec EOS will lithium AAA's will do just fine in a "sit in the car just in case" role.

Thank you so much for your very informative and realistic reply. I get your point.

I bought the Maximus for what it is (wow factor), rather than for what I need. Now that I see the picture regarding keeping it in the car, it seems I must shift from enjoying having a 500 lumen, infinitely adjustable headlamp in the car; to enjoying having a -useless- 500 lumen, infinitely adjustable headlamp at home. I totally agree that this is not the best use of resources. My only consolation is that I may not be the only one who bought an expensive flashlight/headlamp for the sake of having it, rather than for making proper use of it.

As for the PrincetonTec EOS, it does seem to be the proper headlamp for the job, indeed. The problem is; 80 lumens can't cut it! Maybe something like a Spark SX5 with 3 X AA batteries would be the way to go.

Please don't misunderstand me. My sarcasm is not to you but to myself. I do appreciate your kind reply a lot. Simply that, the headlamp in my car must also be fun, when it comes to the -non sense- lumen games!

[TwitchALot]

Thank you so much for your very informative and realistic reply. I get your point.

I bought the Maximus for what it is (wow factor), rather than for what I need. Now that I see the picture regarding keeping it in the car, it seems I must shift from enjoying having a 500 lumen, infinitely adjustable headlamp in the car; to enjoying having a -useless- 500 lumen, infinitely adjustable headlamp at home. I totally agree that this is not the best use of resources. My only consolation is that I may not be the only one who bought an expensive flashlight/headlamp for the sake of having it, rather than for making proper use of it.

As for the PrincetonTec EOS, it does seem to be the proper headlamp for the job, indeed. The problem is; 80 lumens can't cut it! Maybe something like a Spark SX5 with 3 X AA batteries would be the way to go.

Please don't misunderstand me. My sarcasm is not to you but to myself. I do appreciate your kind reply a lot. Simply that, the headlamp in my car must also be fun, when it comes to the -non sense- lumen games!

Well, there isn't anything wrong with buying something for the sake of it or pride in ownership, but the Maximus is definitely not a useless light. It could be useful in SAR operations or caving, for example. In terms of having a "spare light in the car," my opinion in is that the only flashlights in the car (for your use in real situations) should be on your person. I EDC 3 real flashlights (and have a phone light with an LED on it specifically to provide light which is pretty good), which means 4 lights on me on a daily basis. At work (5 days a week), I have a SF Minimus Vision for a total of 5. Yes, I still have some random flashlights here and there in the car because I'm a flashaholic, but if my 4 EDC's don't cut it, I can tell you right now the ones in the car aren't going to either.

The way I see it, if you need more than 80 lumens on your headlamp, you're either doing SAR or caving. If you aren't and have a free hand, handhelds these days can easily put out near that level (or above it in some cases) of light and can be EDC'ed relatively easily. In my view, 3 in my pockets sure beats 1 in the car. In doing so, I have A) multiple light sources on my person, B) multiple types of light (long range vs floody and backups), and C) more excuses to buy more lights since you can have 3-4 on your person. And let's face it, it's way more awesome to need the Maximus and just bust it out right there than have to say to your group, "oh wait, I have this cool headlamp in the car. Wait here while I go run and get it."

I don't mean to bash or be strongly vocal to the point of pushy, but when you say you "Must shift from enjoying having a 500 lumen, infinitely adjustable headlamp in your car," couldn't you shift to "enjoying a 500 lumen, infinitely adjustable headlamp because I have it on my person" instead? I find I use my tools a lot more when I have them on me and it's convenient...

[Bucur]

Well, there isn't anything wrong with buying something for the sake of it or pride in ownership, but the Maximus is definitely not a useless light. It could be useful in SAR operations or caving, for example. In terms of having a "spare light in the car," my opinion in is that the only flashlights in the car (for your use in real situations) should be on your person. I EDC 3 real flashlights (and have a phone light with an LED on it specifically to provide light which is pretty good), which means 4 lights on me on a daily basis. At work (5 days a week), I have a SF Minimus Vision for a total of 5. Yes, I still have some random flashlights here and there in the car because I'm a flashaholic, but if my 4 EDC's don't cut it, I can tell you right now the ones in the car aren't going to either.

The way I see it, if you need more than 80 lumens on your headlamp, you're either doing SAR or caving. If you aren't and have a free hand, handhelds these days can easily put out near that level (or above it in some cases) of light and can be EDC'ed relatively easily. In my view, 3 in my pockets sure beats 1 in the car. In doing so, I have A) multiple light sources on my person, B) multiple types of light (long range vs floody and backups), and C) more excuses to buy more lights since you can have 3-4 on your person. And let's face it, it's way more awesome to need the Maximus and just bust it out right there than have to say to your group, "oh wait, I have this cool headlamp in the car. Wait here while I go run and get it."

I don't mean to bash or be strongly vocal to the point of pushy, but when you say you "Must shift from enjoying having a 500 lumen, infinitely adjustable headlamp in your car," couldn't you shift to "enjoying a 500 lumen, infinitely adjustable headlamp because I have it on my person" instead? I find I use my tools a lot more when I have them on me and it's convenient...

WOW! EDC'ing any headlamp, let alone a big one like the Maximus, is way beyond me. My hat off to the flashaholic (if not headlampaholic) in you. I EDC my Klarus Mi X6 SS and I am considering EDC'ing a 1 X CR123 flashlight like the Niteye 10 TIC but the Maximus is way too inconvenient for me to EDC.

As I admitted earlier, I don't "need" more than 80 lumens on my headlamp. I just "want" this; w/o doing SAR or caving. I now realize that keeping this 500 lumen headlamp in my car would be harmful for its fixed Li-Ion battery and I am desperately trying to find another use for it. I wish having it on my person, at all times, was an alternative for me, though.

[dwong]

About to order the Vision for hiking, no running, usually on full moon, for well marked trails, other better choices?

[Benchiew]

About to order the Vision for hiking, no running, usually on full moon, for well marked trails, other better choices?

]

I dont see why you can't use the Minimus for this. Beautiful beam with the Fresnel Lens. Nice wide coverage.

[pjandyho]

About to order the Vision for hiking, no running, usually on full moon, for well marked trails, other better choices?

]

I dont see why you can't use the Minimus for this. Beautiful beam with the Fresnel Lens. Nice wide coverage.

Precisely. I don't see why a Minimus Vision could not handle what you need it to handle. I love the Vision so much that when I lost mine in Bali I immediately bought a replacement from the store when I am back home. Luckily they have the very last piece left.

[dwong]

thanks guys, now using a novatac 120p(super old sn, made in usa) clip onto my hat for HL; and a U2 for throw as needed.
only wish for a AA single tube design from SF, but doesn't see will happens any time soon.

Precisely. I don't see why a Minimus Vision could not handle what you need it to handle. I love the Vision so much that when I lost mine in Bali I immediately bought a replacement from the store when I am back home. Luckily they have the very last piece left.