Are CR123A-powered flashlights environment-friendly?

[Flashlight_Bug]

Years ago, I bought my first Surefire - the 6P incan. After an hour of use, the two lithiums had to be replaced. In the developed world, such batteries could be disposed off safely. But what about in undeveloped countries or other rugged lands where Surefires are supposed to shine over other inferior lights? Where do the used lithium batteries go? Even the Chinese manufacturers have fully embraced rechargeables.

Maybe after a hundred years from now, when archeaologists dig in the deserts of Iraq and Afghanistan, all they will find are used CR123s.

 

[John_Galt]

Re: Are Surefire flashlights environment-friendly?

If you want environmentally friendly, learn to stop moving at night. If you want light, buy a light.

No, they are not environmentally friendly. They require many disparate, power hungry materials to make the light itself. Lithium, copper, gold, aluminum, silicone all must be mined to create the base components necessary for the light. The aluminum components must be refined from bauxite ore (a process which requires extreme amounts of energy), then melted down and combined with other metals to create alloys. These are then transported vast distances to companies that further melt down/shape them into useable shapes for various industries. Then they go to various companiesto be turned into various components.

Silicone, gold, etc. go into the electrical components.


So no.
But I don't think soldiers are allowed to just dump their dead cells.

 

[Illum]

Re: Are Surefire flashlights environment-friendly?

theres not much stuff out there that's actually environmentally friendly. When speaking about total cost, that is taking into account all the necessary materials both transformed and consumed into creating the product [aluminum, plastics, rubber, pure silicon...] and the necessary components that are consumed in breaking down the product after its desired purpose is depleted, will render all flashlights not just surefire as being environmentally hazardous.

To be absolutely environmentally friendly one must cultivate a flashlight using hand tools and naturally abundant materials along with naturally occurring fuel and some sort of a light source, usually fire. All the while being completely biodegradable or even digestible if you're hungry.

To speak about environmental friendliness you're effectively eliminating all synthetic/semi-synthetic products in which the 20th civiliation places its foundation upon. It is indeed sad news, but business is business...they won't stop producing products until there's no demand for it. Keynesian economics though, does provide proof that supply makes its own demand...so theres going to be no end to this until the world is destroyed

 

[berry580]

Re: Are Surefire flashlights environment-friendly?

so soldiers are ordered to keep depleted cells? wouldn't that weight them down in battle?

i think there are some facts with regard to CR123-only lights with environmental issues. clearly rechargeable has their advantages in that respect.

there's environmental friendly (be a 15th century-style farmer) and there's a relatively more environmental friendly way (act responsibly where possible). IMO, using primary cells isn't the way to go.

 

[kramer5150]

Re: Are Surefire flashlights environment-friendly?

Posts like this that target popular CPF brands and their users annoy me to a small extent, because they always get taken out of context. FWIW, Fenix and Pelican also make several CR123-Primary only lights, and Lenser multi-AA/AAA lights are Alkaline only.

As far as end use goes, the product is only as environmentally responsible as its user. So, most definitely I could see any non-rechargable light contributing to a landfill in those places that do not have battery recycle programs, or if the user just tosses the spent cells.

Personally, recharge capability (or lack there of) is a deal breaker in my book for this and a couple other reasons, even though I do have easy access to recycling facilities.

 

[yellow]

the two lithiums had to be replaced. In the developed world, such batteries could be disposed off safely.

waste is waste, dont trick Yourself

.. it might be possible to get some stuff back by recyling, but its in no way cost effective, so the batts will be "stored" as difficult waste, not somehow used again.

The KEY THINKING to get into all our brains is to reduce waste

 

[savumaki]

Re: Are Surefire flashlights environment-friendly?

Why pick on CR123?. The same argument would apply to any primary battery.

Rechargeables may be the answer, IF they are used responsibly. Keep in mind that where they are used a back up is still a requirement.

 

[sORe-EyEz]

Re: Are Surefire flashlights environment-friendly?

maybe the title can be re-worded?

"Are CR123 primaries environment-friendly?"

... before a healthy & meaningful discussion can take place? :ironic:

 

[C-Beam]

Re: Are Surefire flashlights environment-friendly?

Lithium batteries are an environmental hazard?

"According to the U.S. government, lithium ion batteries aren't an environmental hazard. "Lithium Ion batteries are classified by the federal government as non-hazardous waste and are safe for disposal in the normal municipal waste stream," says Kate Krebs at the National Recycling Coalition. While other types of batteries include toxic metals such as cadmium, the metals in lithium ion batteries - cobalt, copper, nickel and iron - are considered safe for landfills or incinerators (Interestingly enough, lithium ion batteries contain an ionic form of lithium but no lithium metal)."

http://blogs.computerworld.com/node/3285

Scrap value is $100/ton, so you can sell your 123s for 0.20 cents if you want.

The active part of the lithium compound given orally to offset depression is the ion Li+

Forgive me if I fail to see a problem.

 

[haplo]

Re: Are Surefire flashlights environment-friendly?

so soldiers are ordered to keep depleted cells? wouldn't that weight them down in battle?

i think there are some facts with regard to CR123-only lights with environmental issues. clearly rechargeable has their advantages in that respect.

The one thing I demand, is that weapon mounted lights are powered by primary cells. The cells have a shelf life of 10 years, and are readily available for something I hope never has to be used. I would not trust a rechargeable CR123 which slowly loses its charge over time in an instrument my life may depend on.

Most of the military feels that way. Which is why you don't see a lot of battery powered guns - they need to work when you pick them up, because when you pick them up, someone's life is on the line.

H.

 

[Launch Mini]

Re: Are Surefire flashlights environment-friendly?

Trying to "train" my wife to use hers more actually.
Our home office is in the basement, and in the winter, there is little light from the windows to show the way.
SO, she turns on the stair lights, then the rec room lights ( and leaves them on, as the switces were not installed with the office in mind), before she enters the office.
SO, while she is working, 8 lights are left of for about 6 hours a day.
I on the other hand, flick on my EDC, down the stairs, through the dark room, into the office, without leaving those 8 lights on for hours. Instead, might use 20 seconds of battery.
Not to get her to use hers more often.

 

[Joe Talmadge]

Re: Are Surefire flashlights environment-friendly?

Agree the question has been framed in an unnecessarily abrasive way ...

That said, some (most?) lights designed to run on CR123A primaries, can be run on Lifepo4 rechargeables, no? That chemistry has an off-the-charger voltage lower than Lions, unless I'm completely off-base. I run my L4 on Lifepos. I've run my Novatac on a Lifepo4 in the past, but that light would not drive the brightest mode even when fully charged.

Joe

 

[saabgoblin]

Re: Are Surefire flashlights environment-friendly?

Here's another thought, just how are you defining "Environmentally Friendly", there's a cause and effect to everything but you might want to zero in on what constitutes friend or foe from an environmental perspective.

 

[BentHeadTX]

Re: Are Surefire flashlights environment-friendly?

I was in Afghanistan last year and they have a battery turn-in point. A large plastic can that you wrap the battery in tape and deposit it in the can. The goal was not a single battery to ever hit the waste stream but it was not a "green" goal, something a bit more critical.

If the Afghanis obtained batteries, they would make IED triggers with them. Some IEDs contained up to 30 "dead" AA/AAA cells and were wired to pulse the trigger. To prevent this, not a single battery ever hit the waste stream and they were shipped out to be recycled.

 

[SuperTrouper]

Re: Are Surefire flashlights environment-friendly?

Maybe we could look at this question another way:

All flashlights consume batteries, that's a given, maybe the question really is are Surefire lights relatively environmentally friendly (are they efficient in how they consume the batteries?)

I think with variable levels and efficient emitters, the argument could be made that Surefire are providing the user with ways to get efficient use of their batteries, just using as much output as needed.

 

[kromeke]

Re: Are Surefire flashlights environment-friendly?

...the 6P incan...

Well, there is your first problem. Incandescents aren't very efficient. What is this thread doing in the LED Flashlights section?

 

[Liteskr42]

Re: Are Surefire flashlights environment-friendly?

You've got to be kidding right? 100 years from now they will be diggin in Afghanistan and find huge battery burial sites? And ontop of them will be villiages of Afghanies all deformed amd mutated and dying from the careless discarding of these batteries by the selfish , greedy all consuming Capitalist Americans right?
Why, I bet Surefire is making billions in profit off the sale of batteries to the military!!! All at the cost of innocent lives.

Listen, stop worrying about batteries in Afghanistan and wake the hell up with what is going on in this world right now as far as the complete HOAX being sold to the world on "Global Warming" and "Climate Change". The "leaders" of that cause are all in it for the MONEY not to save the world. Read up on the recent exposing of leading "expert" Scientist who admitted in emails to eachother that the whole thing is a LIE. Data has been manipulated and destroyed to cover the truth. A whole New World Order is being devised to enslave all of us

And you are worried about cr123s in Iraq and Afghanistan

 

[MattE]

Re: Are Surefire flashlights environment-friendly?

I believe the right question should be are "batteries" environmentally friendly !!! Then the answer will be NO...

However to answer your question " are Surefire flashlights environmentally friendly?",

YES they are environmentally friendly. By definition any product made in USA is more environmentally friendly than Taiwanese, Chinese, S. Korean counterparts because we have tougher environmental rules and rules are enforced here.

Besides lower labor rates, lax environmental controls is the second important strategic advantage S.E Asian countries have . . .

How do I know, because I travel to China and S.E. Asia 7-8 times a year and buy total outputs of some factories for E European / Middle Eastern markets.

Matt

 

[orbspeed1]

Re: Are Surefire flashlights environment-friendly?

Sod worying about flashlight batteries what about all those VERY uneviromental toyota prius's (hmm prius more than 1 prius s or no s) with those nickel batteries.
The nickel is mined then shiped to be refined then shiped again to make the battery then thats shipped to the car plant then thats shipped again in the car, almost make fosil fuel look green
A tv car show in the uk didi a test A prius sent around a test track as fast as it could go vs a bmw m3 all the bmw had to do was keep up, the end result was the prius used a lot more fuel.
My point is everything is relative and how its used or made or recycled often makes a diffrence this programe also said that a landrover should have less carbon impact than the prius due to high carbon cost of production of the prius even after runing both for 10 years and recycling both the landrover was a better choice.

 

[whitedoom34]

Re: Are Surefire flashlights environment-friendly?

In case you didn't realize, that entire Top Gear episode was trying to make a joke and was poking fun at the BBC trying to tell them to do some more practical stuff. And it doesn't count when the Prius is being driven flat out, as it is not a race car and was not designed for that purpose.

Sod worying about flashlight batteries what about all those VERY uneviromental toyota prius's (hmm prius more than 1 prius s or no s) with those nickel batteries.
The nickel is mined then shiped to be refined then shiped again to make the battery then thats shipped to the car plant then thats shipped again in the car, almost make fosil fuel look green
A tv car show in the uk didi a test A prius sent around a test track as fast as it could go vs a bmw m3 all the bmw had to do was keep up, the end result was the prius used a lot more fuel.
My point is everything is relative and how its used or made or recycled often makes a diffrence this programe also said that a landrover should have less carbon impact than the prius due to high carbon cost of production of the prius even after runing both for 10 years and recycling both the landrover was a better choice.