Flickering Streamlight 3C.....quick fix

I think this is probably one of those things that the majority of people here will already know. I only post this here for folks like myself who did not know before.

Anyways, the other night I had my 3C out because I needed it outside at night. I managed to drop it face first on good solid ground. After that it began to flicker whether I had the head twisted to the on position, or using the button on the back. It was very dim unless I shook the hell out of it and then would seem to flicker to bright then back to dim.

Upset that I somehow damaged the switch I opened the light up to see what I could. Well on the lamp assembly where it contacts the top batterys positive end is rounded. The headfirst impact caused the round contact to "dimple" the head of the battery and causing it to make bad contact. Fortunately it is quite an easy fix. Simply rotate another battery to the top and put the dimpled one in the middle or bottom, there seems to be no need to put new batteries in as long as there is no further damage to the battery. All is well again and the light has a nice steady bright light again.

Another observation is that there was no damage at all to the body of the light from being dropped, just the dimpled battery and nothing else.

[ QUOTE ]
RichardMT said:

Another observation is that there was no damage at all to the body of the light from being dropped, just the dimpled battery and nothing else.


[/ QUOTE ]

Not surprising. When you have a good LED flashlight, the flimsiest part is the batteries, especially disposable batteries.

I didn't know this, thanks for posting it.

I have a Streamlight Propolymer 4AA LED, and I was surprised at how robust it is.

I would really like to have a 3C, sometime before the cows come home.

I have some Tektite C cell lights like this... if they hit the ground head-first, the (+) nipples of the batteries can get smashed in, causing the flashlight to extinguish; the cure is simply to put new batteries in it.