Why do my LED lights keep dying?

[jeffkruse]

I have 2 Fenix TK12’s, 1 PD31, 1 TK30, and 2 iTP A1 EOS

I use the TK12, PD31, and TK30 caving. They are on high the entire time. They haven’t been flooded or dropped but they do get banged around.

My first TK30 had a low output after only a dozen hours of use. My warranty replacement TK30 also has about 50% output after 10 hours of use.

Now one of my TK12’s has a reduction of output about 50% but this light lasted maybe 100 hours at most. I have switched the head around, cleaned contacts, ect. It’s the light head.

One of my iTP pocket lights died after only a few hours of use.

I love these lights but this sucks. Should I be able to use these lights at full power all the time? Are these kind of LED lights meant to be used frequently or just occasionally?

Is this just my bad luck or I should know better and not use the light at the brightest setting?

 

[B0wz3r]

I have 2 Fenix TK12’s, 1 PD31, 1 TK30, and 2 iTP A1 EOS

I use the TK12, PD31, and TK30 caving. They are on high the entire time. They haven’t been flooded or dropped but they do get banged around.

My first TK30 had a low output after only a dozen hours of use. My warranty replacement TK30 also has about 50% output after 10 hours of use.

Now one of my TK12’s has a reduction of output about 50% but this light lasted maybe 100 hours at most. I have switched the head around, cleaned contacts, ect. It’s the light head.

One of my iTP pocket lights died after only a few hours of use.

I love these lights but this sucks. Should I be able to use these lights at full power all the time? Are these kind of LED lights meant to be used frequently or just occasionally?

Is this just my bad luck or I should know better and not use the light at the brightest setting?

You must be doing something with your usage that is causing it. Even the less expensive ones you mention, the iTP shouldn't behave that way, and you shouldn't see that kind of behavior across such a wide selection of lights.

 

[jorn]

Sounds like you killed a itp, and you might need to check your 18650 batteries or charger? pd31,tk12,tk30 i guess you use 18650 of some sort.

 

[tre]

What kind of batteries are you using?

 

[jeffkruse]

Yes, all 18650 charged to 4.15 Volts.

Of which, I have had 3 of 10 cells fail. They are a mix of expensive Redilast and cheap Ultrafire protected cells. I had one Redilast and 2 Ultrafire cells go bad. The charger is a TL-100 Universal Li-ion charger and I check the voltage with a DMM.

 

[fyrstormer]

Get a McGizmo. You can beat the living hell out of it and it won't die. Even the lense is made of artificial sapphire instead of glass.

Keep a Fenix in your pocket just in case something goes horribly wrong, like you drop the Gizmo somewhere you can't reach.

 

[nbp]

Are you epileptic by any chance?

I heard something about people with epilepsy having odd electrical currents that make electrical devices go wonky. Never could find any good peer reviewed material on it but it sure sounded like something I wanted to research. Do you fry other devices too?

 

[shao.fu.tzer]

Because you should invest in some nice Surefires... :D I started on Fenix long ago and after the last few duds I picked up, I just gave up...

 

[Streamer]

My Gosh Man...if you can pick 6 top of the line flashlights and they all go haywire on you....you should hurry out and purchase Lotto Tickets....I mean, what are the ODDS?

UNBELIEVABLE !!!

 

[Shooter21]

My Gosh Man...if you can pick 6 top of the line flashlights and they all go haywire on you....you should hurry out and purchase Lotto Tickets....I mean, what are the ODDS?

UNBELIEVABLE !!!

yes thats crazy none of my lights ever failed me

 

[offthetrail]

One of my iTP A1 EOS lights recently died as well. I carried it every day for 6 months on my keychain and I tried to use it the other day and it was dead. New battery didn't change anything...

 

[jorn]

If it's not the batteries, this is my second guess.
Do you use some glowes when you cave?
Many hi lumen led lights reqiers you to hold the light in the hand when running on full power for long times. The heat builds up and needs somewhere to go. Too mutch heat will slowly kill the led. The blood in your hand transfers a lot of heat away from your light, and straight into a flashoholic's heart (you are a a big watercooling system seen trough a flashlights eyes). I guess they can overheat if your in a hot cave, wearing glowes that helps insulate the light from the enviroment and insulates the heattransfer needed from the light to your hand.
Funny that the new hi power lights needs the help of the user to survive. Symbiosis, i guess the hi lumen lights love you just as mutch as you love them :grouphug:

 

[shao.fu.tzer]

I firmly believe that there are some people who emit electromagnetic fields that disrupt electronics. My stepmother has to buy a new cell phone every month... really... she never drops them and barely uses them... We've concluded that she must give off a weird field... She claims to have broken countless calculators and watches through her life as well... all within a month of two of owning them...

Maybe you should just stick to fire on a stick... it's received excellent reviews here - plus it's a time tested design...

 

[jupello]

The reduced output makes me think that the LED's have been overheating.

 

[jabe1]

Try using multiple, slightly under-driven lights... or get a Peak and a Surefire. (you do need a backup after all)

 

[jorn]

The reduced output makes me think that the LED's have been overheating.

Yep, i think the tk12 lived the longest because it's draws less wattage than the tk30. And is way more chunky so it can store more heat than the pd31 before the temprature gets critical.
I always used thick gloves when caving and used my 2xaa maglights nonstop constantly only rupted by battery changes. That would have been bad for a powerled.

I think you use too mutch juice for too long, and if thick gloves is in the picture, it will make it worse for a led.

 

[MikeAusC]

. . . Maybe you should just stick to fire on a stick......

But make sure you hold it with ClassIII insulation rated gloves - otherwise your "electromagnetic field" will set fire to the bottom as well

 

[burntoshine]

i use my lights everyday and don't have any problems. i stay away from 18650 and all the other uncommon batteries. they seem so unnecessary; at least for my purposes. i mostly use lights that take AA, AAA, and CR123 batteries. i have a couple 7777 CR2 minis that i use a lot. CR2s are the most oddball batteries that i mess with. and i prefer to use just enough light for the task; that way i don't waste energy and the LEDs stay relatively cool. those aren't the main reasons i'm conservative with brightness, but they're great pluses. i just like low light. however, i like the ability to have "really bright" if i want it; i just don't use max and high modes all the time. my bike lights are on high (not max) most of the time when i use them, but i find that necessary to light up a nice big area in front of me.

you might consider changing your usage. maybe try to use the medium modes more. i hope your luck changes.

 

[RI Chevy]

Maybe you could try a G2 Nitrolon or some other plastic type flashlight to see if they work any better?

 

[hellokitty[hk]]

If you're running them on high all the time with gloves on, I'm going to guess that they're too hot.