ITP A3 EOS reverse polarity protection?

I always check the polarity when putting a new battery into my ITP A3 EOS (Upgraded Edition) and as I have been an Electrician for nearly 40 years I know what can happen when batteries are not fitted correctly.

I have given a few of these out to family and friends as presents for XMAS last year.

I now wonder if these torches are reverse polarity protected as I have seen some comment on the CPF thread below describing one exploding.

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/263683http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/...d.php?t=263683

Some of us regularly hold this torch between our teeth to open doors or work on equipment etc because the torch is so small and light in weight.

I know it is probably a rare occurence but are we really holding grenades in our mouths?

It would be nice to know for sure so I can warn any of the recipients to be very careful when installing a fresh battery.

Turn it on and see if it lights before using it and you know the battery isn't reversed.

Your link was broken, I assume you mean this thread.

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/263683

If you're afraid the explosion came from a venting battery, you could probably just unscrew the cap far enough that you can feel the o-ring friction go away at the start of the day. Or just remove the o-ring entirely and lose the waterproofness.

I'm not that worried about an exploding A3 in the first place. I carry my A3/eneloop on a lanyard around my neck all the time. The cap is pointing at my vital parts if it ever does decide to go nuclear on me.

There was a suggestion that using NiMH batteries instead of alkalines reduces the chance of venting. Mine works fine with an eneloop.

What worries me is that the thread that was discussing the possible causes of the glass blowing out the front were in the end a lot of speculation and no definitive answer.

Heaps of guesswork it looked like to me.