Long term flashlight with battery storage

[DanM]

I have several new in box SureFire lights, such as 6p, A2, L4. C3 and M3T most of these lights are new in box, never have been opened. Some are now 5 years old, they shipped with CR123A cells in the lights. So my question is should the batteries be taken out, any dangers leaving them in.


Thanks for the help

 

[River17]

High quality lights such as SureFires are nicely sealed and their electrical connections are good/safe enough that you shouldn't have much to worry about from the light itself. Perhaps more importantly, most **QUALITY** CR123 primaries have a shelf life of ~10 years... not only are they safe to leave in a light but they will actually retain a majority of their charge for about a decade. Of course there are certain conditions that can speed up the loss of battery charge even in 123s: extreme temperatures can, but I would only worry about damage if the lights/batts are consistently exposed to temps well exceeding 100 degrees F over extended periods of time. Constant exposure to very high humidity can cause water buildup in some cases but in a sealed package (not to mention the aforementioned quality seals on SF lights themselves) I wouldn't worry about humidity unless you plan on fully submersing them in water. Also, don't light them on fire! lol

If your lights were out of their packages, or if the packages had been opened (and thus permanently damaged) and the lights put back in, I would recommend replacing the batteries even if unused after a few years just because it takes 5 seconds and there's no reason to push the life of their charge all the way down. But since you said they're NIB/unopened and I assume you wish for them to stay that way to retain the value of lights as such, I wouldn't worry about it. Honestly, with SureFire batteries being of quality manufacture you could most likely leave them in there indefinitely and eventually they'd simply die without damage... it's never 100% guaranteed of course, but I'd feel comfortable doing it myself.

To put it simply:

quality lights + quality batteries + proper storage - extreme conditions = it's all good

 

[kramer5150]

There are no guarantees in life, but any of those lights stored with SF CR123 cells are about as safe as you can get. you probably should take the cells out of the lights though. Stowe them on the side in a zip lock bag, or plastic case.

 

[HotWire]

I always keep spare batteries--just in case. 10 years can pass just as quickly as the lights go out!

 

[ebow86]

It must be a cool feeling when someone blows the dust off a 10 year old sealed 6P box, pulls the light out, hit's the switch, and is greeted with brilliant white light. I imagine someone can really get a greater appreciation and confidence in the superiority of lithium batteries when that happens.

 

[parnass]

....So my question is should the batteries be taken out, any dangers leaving them in.

I would remove the batteries for long term storage so that the flashlights' spring contacts were not under constant tension.

 

[abarth_1200]

I wouldnt have thought the springs were under too much tension seeing as they are unscrew in the lock out position.

And if I were a collector as soon as the box is opened im sure much of the appreciation and value is lost, I would concentrate more on how safe the cells are if they are kept in a sealed flashlight for 10 plus years, if its likely to explode or in any way damage said flashlight the option is to open and remove unfortunatly losing the value.

 

[happystuffing]

I've had a rainbow mix (some SureFire) of CR123A's sitting around in a closet for at least 8 years now. They look and oddly enough, smell that same as they always have.

Anyone notice SureFire stuff has a unique smell to them? Or maybe it's just me :duh2:

 

[DanM]

Thanks for the replies everyone. At some point I would want to sell these lights, which is why I would want them unopened. However I also would not want the buyer to be getting something that leaked. Again thanks for the replies.