Surefire A2 - bad batteries :|

Really, this is more of a "Make Sure your Battery Stash is okay" post than anything else

My A2 doesn't see a lot of use these days. It's just a smidgen too big to pocket carry in most cases, and I can't do a belt holster most of the time, so it stays in my jacket pocket. As it's gotten colder lately, I pulled out the jacket and checked out the A2..

LEDs work fine, and that's a good thing. I push harder for the bulb and while the LEDs get a touch brighter, no light from the bulb at all. Instantly thinking - weak batteries, right??

Swap the batteries - Same thing. Had some Surefire cells in there, put in some "new" ones - same thing. Tried Battery Station - Same. Got some Evergreens - They'd spark the bulb for a few seconds, but then dim again.

Keep digging until I found some Panasonics - half used, but fresher than all the rest. BINGO! Light!

Guess I need to refresh my battery stash..

PS - what should I use to lube my O-Rings? The tailcap is a touch stiff right now..

I bought a jar of Deoxit from Newark Electronics. But it would be cheaper to go to Battery Junction or somewhere and get some Nyogel for like $5 or so.

Fresh batteries are your friend

Deoxit is good with O-Rings? Cool, I've got it at my disposal at work.. I'll take the A2 and give it a shot this afternoon. Thanks Mike

Can you tell me how you lube the tail cap? My L4's switch is a little stiff lately. Pics would be great. Lube brand??

Does your light run on CR123 cells? If so, it's weird that yours are all gone - CR123s are lithium-based with a shelf life of a decade or more.
Well, unless you already used them, of course...

Fallingwater said:

Does your light run on CR123 cells? If so, it's weird that yours are all gone - CR123s are lithium-based with a shelf life of a decade or more.
Well, unless you already used them, of course...

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I have MANY overseas lithiums that have gone dead within the last year while in storage. I will no longer or purchase any overseas lithium cells, as they are unreliable.

-dan

Yeah, I second that, Dano..

I've contacted the place where I bought these batteries, and I've asked for suggestions - heck, I'd take store credit with the amount of stuff that I need/want..

ACMarina said:

Deoxit is good with O-Rings? Cool, I've got it at my disposal at work.. I'll take the A2 and give it a shot this afternoon. Thanks Mike

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I really don't think he can have meant you should use Deoxit on your O-rings – he's normally quite sensible, lol.

Using Deoxit on O-rings would be about the craziest idea I have heard yet for what to put on O-rings. He actually suggested Nyogel, which is a silicone grease, with no petroleum-based ingredients, so it would be fine.

IIRC, you are a diver, so you should KNOW what to use and what not to use on O-rings, as your life could depend on this!!!

I think he probably meant you should try Deoxit for the cleaning the contacts in your light, just in case that was the problem, although it sounds more like you have a load of dead cells you need to get rid of.

Never mix new and part-used cells in the same light. In a multi-cell light, cells should always be the same age, type, brand and state of charge.

Yeah, but the stuff I use on my dive gear doesn't look like it'd be very happy on a flashlight, if you catch my drift

Nyogel works with the orings, so too the krytox but much dearer IMO. I use the krytox only for my McGizmos

dano said:

I have MANY overseas lithiums that have gone dead within the last year while in storage. I will no longer or purchase any overseas lithium cells, as they are unreliable.

-dan

Click to expand...

How long did you have them ? (1, 2 years ? longer ?)

NA8 said:

How long did you have them ? (1, 2 years ? longer ?)

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Bad quality cells can fail relatively quickly. Here is a report of Titanium cells failing after only 1 year in storage, corroborating what dano has said.

Im surprised the Surefire cells went off too. What was the date on those? Do they work in another light?