Are Metal Flashlights A Problem In The Cold?

[GreyShark]

Actually, no. Your confusing nitrolon with plastic. Nitrolon polymer is stronger than steel, given that it's made big/thick enough, it could survive much lower temps, but it also has its limits. If it were Arctic kind of temps, I'd prefer alu over nitrolon.

You have to be really careful when you say something is "stronger than steel" because most things that make that claim aren't. First you have to say what kind of steel because they aren't all of equal strength, second what property of strength you're talking about and third under what conditions. For instance people like to say kevlar is stronger than steel. It isn't. Not even close. What kevlar has is high tensile strength and resiliency that when combined with other properties make it an attractive alternative to steel for certain applications. If somebody could come up with a spec sheet on nitrolon I'm sure we'd see it's a similar case.

 

[saabgoblin]

When camping or other recreational activities in the cold, I keep my EDC in the Napolean chest pocket of my jacket. There, it stays warm enough to not be a huge problem. Plus, a small single cell light warms itself up in a few minutes, on high that is. So, metal pocket lights carried near to your core or skin will be fine. A cold freezing car glovebox is another matter. I go for plastic there (G2L stock). A metal 6P on a window sill next to the porch door is going to get pretty cold too, but maybe not freeze to your mouth cold. Also, 2 cell lights don't seem to warm up as much on the part that you hold. I suppose if I really had to use a metal flashlight in very cold weather, I would probably wrap the tube with tennis grip tape or something comparable.

Putting that EDC back in your chest pocket must reek havoc on your nipples sorry, I just couldn't resist.

 

[JNewell]

I could see a G2 or G3 breaking in -30F weather if I took a sledgehammer to it. :shrug:

You're preaching to the choir. I wasn't the nay-sayer in that thread. :tinfoil:

 

[SureAddicted]

You have to be really careful when you say something is "stronger than steel" because most things that make that claim aren't. First you have to say what kind of steel because they aren't all of equal strength, second what property of strength you're talking about and third under what conditions. For instance people like to say kevlar is stronger than steel. It isn't. Not even close. What kevlar has is high tensile strength and resiliency that when combined with other properties make it an attractive alternative to steel for certain applications. If somebody could come up with a spec sheet on nitrolon I'm sure we'd see it's a similar case.

I think you need to read up on polymer a bit before you make statements like that. Kevlar fibres has a higher tensile strength than steel. Here knock yourself out.
http://pslc.ws/mactest/mech.htm

 

[Marduke]

I think you need to read up on polymer a bit before you make statements like that. Kevlar fibres has a higher tensile strength than steel. Here knock yourself out.
http://pslc.ws/mactest/mech.htm

Stronger in one direction. Many times weaker in several other directions. To be of actual use in a structural sense, you have to weave them in a very specific pattern using a polymer matrix, which presents it's own unique issues.

 

[Burgess]

Even with (quite-heavy) gloves, i can still feel my Aluminum flashlight

drawing heat from my hand.


My Streamlight ProPolymer 4AA Luxeon was much appreciated.

_

 

[brucec]

Putting that EDC back in your chest pocket must reek havoc on your nipples sorry, I just couldn't resist.

Only on the left. I guess that's why men are designed with two. Just in case one fails, I still have a backup nipple to support critical nipple functions.

Stronger in one direction. Many times weaker in several other directions. To be of actual use in a structural sense, you have to weave them in a very specific pattern using a polymer matrix, which presents it's own unique issues.

Steel is also hard to beat for toughness (area under stress-strain curve). I seem to remember it's even tougher than Ti by a good margin. Some of the composites are very very strong, but they catastrophically fail above a certain stress point. The overall amount of energy they can absorb without permanent damage is rather low compared to steel.

 

[GreyShark]

Unless something has changed recently kevlar 49 has the highest yield strength of any aramid, it's around 45,000psi. Many steels have twice that or more. Kevlar and other polymers are marketed as being stronger than steel but that's on a per unit of weight basis, not a volume basis.

Steel of of course much more dense than kevlar. Just compare the thickness of a plate of steel required to stop a bullet to a kevlar laminate with equal stopping power and the difference becomes very obvious. To put it in some perspective a steel plate that's thick enough to stop a rifle is only as thick as a kevlar laminate thick enough to stop a pistol but is several times the weight. Some titanium alloys do approach the overall strength of high grade steel but as noted by BruceC even though titanium is tough in its own right it tends to not be as tough as steel. Steel really is a super-material but it's common enough in our civilization that people tend to overlook it. Then again steel is what ever other material is trying to beat.

The point is that there's no doubt nitrolon and other polymers are good stuff that often have properties that make them an attractive alternative to steel or other metals but you can't reasonably expect them to perform the same as steel, never mind 5x better than steel, despite marketing claims. They're not the same thing. In other words do get a G2 for cold weather use but don't take a hammer to it in sub-zero weather and expect it to survive.

BTW, does anybody know what nitrolon really is? I've been trying to find a spec sheet on it but it seems the only references to it I can find all lead back to Surefire. That makes me think it's some other industrial polymer that's been trade marked.