Do you keep your batteries in your multiple cell Li-Ion lights?

[Guitar Guy]

So I have several lights that take two 18650 cells, such as my Malkoff Hound Dog, a Maglite with Matt's 5k upgrade that takes two 26650s, some soda pop can style lights that take three 21700s, and a couple high output Acebeam lights that hold four 18650s.

I've always kept the cells in the lights, and sometimes I grab a different light if I'm going for a walk at night, or to go down by the river and shine it across (playing), or to just grab a light and check out back for raccoons in the garden, etc. I like to try to use them all, here and there, so that the cells get used, cycled & re-charged, etc.

I guess it would be more safe to remove the cells and store them somehow, but that would kind of take some of the fun out of grabbing different lights on different days for different reasons if you had to put the cells in every time, and take them back out afterward. I do check them every so often to see what the state of charge is. I'm not sure how often I should be checking them, or how much chance there is of one cell just failing and causing the others to go haywire while the light is just sitting around.

Just wondering how ya'll handle this, and what you consider safe practice.

Thanks, JT

 

[hsa]

I do it just like you.

 

[thermal guy]

Yup. They ain't hand grenades.

 

[bykfixer]

Unless it has unstoppable parasitic drain it shouldn't hurt to leave them loaded. I have a couple that loosening the tailcap doesn't cut the circuit so those stay empty.

If you were talking about alkalines or carbon zinc then sure, don't risk it.

 

[orbital]

+

yes,
not sure how many multi cell lights I have, but I do know they're all loaded.

 

[letschat7]

I keep most of my 18650s in Storacells. I'll get a pic later.

 

[Guitar Guy]

Thanks folks.

 

[IMA SOL MAN]

Surefire packages their lights with the cells in them. If that was a hazard, I don't think that they would do it.

 

[letschat7]

For lower shipping costs.

 

[Guitar Guy]

Loosening the tail caps does sound like a good idea anyway, in most cases. I know what parasitic drain is. How do I know for sure if a certain light has it or not, when the cap IS tight?

 

[Monocrom]

Heck no, I don't trust them to behave.
I yank them from all my lights.

 

[orbital]

+

Ask yourself this::

How many billions of Li-Ion cordless powertool battery packs are there globally?
Those 18650 & 21700s' are always in place.

...try and count all the other electronic/electric items that the batteries are in place..

 

[letschat7]

I have a leaked Pila 18650 if you need some proof of leakage. Mind you it is nearly 20 years old.

 

[IMA SOL MAN]

For lower shipping costs.

They could package the cells outside the light, like Maglite and other companies do with alkaleaks. Shipping would be almost exactly the same.

I have never heard of an old NIP Surefire exploding due to the batteries being stored inside. That's not to say that it has never occurred, just that I have never heard a report of it occurring.

 

[letschat7]

That would be very logical to think that however for the purposes of shipping a dangerous article such as a battery the cost is far lower if you have it housed inside a device. I have discussed this in detail with a local post office. My sister works for Fed Ex so maybe I can get some info from here.

With Led Lenser an 18650 in retail packaging costs more than the same battery inside a powerbank. With Securiled they offer some strange holder as a way to ship them easily.

 

[letschat7]

I have a leaked Pila 18650 if you need some proof of leakage. Mind you it is nearly 20 years old.

 

[Guitar Guy]

Yes, it seems like I remember something a while back that UPS would not ship just batteries, or there was some kind of stipulation. I don't recall exactly what it was.

When I ordered 3 new 21700 batteries from Imalent, they shipped them in 3 separate fake flashlights. Almost every new light I've ordered - which is quite a few, always has the batterie(s) installed with some kind of plastic or paper disc to keep them from making contact. I know part of that is likely to block parasitic drain if the light sits on the shelf for months, but I think part of it has to do with shipping regulations, and possibly cost.

@letschat7, that looks pretty nasty, but 20 years is a pretty long time. I think my oldest Li-ion cells are about 7 yrs old. I've only ever had one fail, and it just pretty much went dead all of a sudden. I think the protection circuit may have failed. There was no venting or event. When I tested it, nothing registered at all, so I got rid of it. I believe it was a Nitecore 18650. All of my Li-ion batteries are protected Fenix & Nitecore, and a few Acebeam & Imalents that came with the lights. Most of them have not really been charged very many times.

 

[bykfixer]

Loosening the tail caps does sound like a good idea anyway, in most cases. I know what parasitic drain is. How do I know for sure if a certain light has it or not, when the cap IS tight?

Turn the light on, loosen the tailcap a bit. If it turns off you know. If it doesn't you'll know that doesn't cut the circuit. It usually works but my Maglite XL lights all end up with dead batteries even though I loosening the tailcap turns the light off. Those and one of my ML25's that I leave empty because it kept draining batteries even though it has a mechanical switch like minimags do. Yup, same with my Fenix E5 that also has a mechanical switch and one of my 1st gen Elzetta Alpha's.

 

[Poppy]

I only have a couple of lights in this category.
I have a TN11S that came with a tube extension that would allow more than one battery. I never used the extension, and I store a single 18650 in it.

I have a TN30 that takes 3 18650's. I store it fully loaded. I do however load it with protected cells. I honestly never gave it a thought.

 

[Guitar Guy]

With most of my lights, loosening the cap just a very small amount kills the circuit.
My all copper TK16 doesn't, but that's to be expected, with non anodized copper threads.
I'm pretty much going to keep the others loaded and loose - kinda like some women I know.😁🤪