Will Klarus XT11s be ok with unprotected batteries?

Hi, first post here and very excited to join the candlelight forums! I recently got a new (to me) Klarus XT11s and love it! I have been doing a lot of research on batteries and have been interested in getting a couple of either ncr18650ga, inr18650 mj1, or samsung 35e. The flashlight came with a 2600mah protected Klarus cell and was wanting a little more battery for the light. My thought being, not only do these batteries have better Mah's ratings, but they are also very reasonably priced(compared to protected cells). My question is if running an unprotected inr, imr, or ncr cell in the xt11s would be safe? Or are protected batteries the way to go with this torch? Any recomendations?

Thankyou!!!

The light works well with unprotected batteries, and also flat top batteries.

You do need to be slightly more mindful not to overdischarge the unprotected ones, but that's doable. Preferably don't fall asleep with the light on. (or double check if the light will protect you well enough against undervoltage).

One thing to keep in mind with unprotected batteries, is that it's not just in the light that safety is a factor. If you short an unprotected battery against some keys in your pants pocket, you're going to have a bad time. Some unprotected batteries could deliver 50A or possibly more through the short, weld the keys to itself, and go nuclear on your leg.

Having and using any LiIons requires some degree of respect and carefulness, and that goes triple for unprotected ones. Just me careful, and the Klarus and your leg will be just fine.

(Sorry if any of that came across as patronizing in any way, definitively not my intention. Just hard to know that the guy/gal you're talking with already knows and so on).

Thanks for the info very helpful. I like my leg so I will be extra careful with unprotected batteries lol. Is there any sort of advantage or disadvantage with unprotected in the xt11s?

Gea2427 said:

Is there any sort of advantage or disadvantage with unprotected in the xt11s?

Click to expand...

Hard questions to answer really, so I'll start with the conclusion.

Good batteries of either type will be fine, and you're not likely to notice much of a difference I think.

That said, if you run into specific issues like step down or down regulation due to temperature, an unprotected high drain could help. Less resistance means less heat, but the heat from the battery is tiny compared to the heat of the lead, so we're talking theoretical differences here.

Some prefer unprotected because there's less parts that could fail. Some prefer protected because there is... well... more protection. If I were to pick a favourite cell for the light, it would probably be the KeepPower 3400mAh cell. It's high capacity, high enough drain, protected, and an awesome fit. Just snug enough that air resistance slows it down going in/out, but without becoming tight. There's an upgraded 3500mAh version of the same available now as well.

If you're in the US, Orbtronic also has a good reputation.

Ive heard good things about keeppower and orbtronic I will look into them as well. thanks for the inputv very much appreciated!!!