Claireandtim
Newly Enlightened
- Joined
- Jul 18, 2010
- Messages
- 70
Let me start by saying that I'm certainly not trying to bash TF 16340 cells but the facts are the facts...
When I bought my S18 I picked up a dozen TF's to go with it and haven't had a lot of time to put the package through the paces until yesterday. What I found was not what I had expected. The first time I charged the cells (using inexpensive TF chargers) I put them into the S18 and set the dial to high... now time to start the timer. After about 90 seconds there was a clear decrease in output and after 2:47 seconds there was complete shutdown. Unlike the primaries that I had ran previously, there was no flashing to indicate the cells were draining to the point where the current level would not be sustainable. I tried to turn the light back on and nothing happened... so after about 5-7 minutes I tried again. The light turned on, on the low setting, I then clicked up to medium and the output did increase, one last turn to high and again the output increased but after about 5 seconds the light shutdown again.
Thinking that maybe I had a bad seed, I charged the second set of TF's and repeated the tests... the results were essentially the same, only difference was that the initial run gave me a time of 2:53. Lastly, to further diversify the lot, I put all 12 cells in a bag, moved them around and re-charged everything... you guessed it, same results.
I called 4sevens and talked to Trevor, he had not heard of this problem and indicated that when they had tested the light with 16340's, they used AW cells. And so... the recommendation was to run the light on primaries or AW's to see if the problem persisted. I haven't purchased any additional primaries yet but did order a dozen AW's today.
On a side note.. the guys at Goinggear were awesome. I called them and explained the issue, the offered a full refund of the cells if I were to send them back. I am getting my AW's from them so I'll just pay the difference for the new cells.
In any event... I wanted to share my experience with the crowd for 2 reasons. The first being to see if anyone else has used this light/power combination and had similar results and second, to offer a warning of sorts to anyone who may be thinking about going with this combination.
I will post back after I get the AW's and repeat the test. I will be using the same chargers and the same light, the only variable changing will be the cells themselves. One thing worth mentioning is that I do not have a multimeter, so I haven't been able to verify where the cells are coming off the chargers at and what's left in them after the light shuts down. I won't be able to either as I shipped the cells out to GG today... sorry!
Cheers
When I bought my S18 I picked up a dozen TF's to go with it and haven't had a lot of time to put the package through the paces until yesterday. What I found was not what I had expected. The first time I charged the cells (using inexpensive TF chargers) I put them into the S18 and set the dial to high... now time to start the timer. After about 90 seconds there was a clear decrease in output and after 2:47 seconds there was complete shutdown. Unlike the primaries that I had ran previously, there was no flashing to indicate the cells were draining to the point where the current level would not be sustainable. I tried to turn the light back on and nothing happened... so after about 5-7 minutes I tried again. The light turned on, on the low setting, I then clicked up to medium and the output did increase, one last turn to high and again the output increased but after about 5 seconds the light shutdown again.
Thinking that maybe I had a bad seed, I charged the second set of TF's and repeated the tests... the results were essentially the same, only difference was that the initial run gave me a time of 2:53. Lastly, to further diversify the lot, I put all 12 cells in a bag, moved them around and re-charged everything... you guessed it, same results.
I called 4sevens and talked to Trevor, he had not heard of this problem and indicated that when they had tested the light with 16340's, they used AW cells. And so... the recommendation was to run the light on primaries or AW's to see if the problem persisted. I haven't purchased any additional primaries yet but did order a dozen AW's today.
On a side note.. the guys at Goinggear were awesome. I called them and explained the issue, the offered a full refund of the cells if I were to send them back. I am getting my AW's from them so I'll just pay the difference for the new cells.
In any event... I wanted to share my experience with the crowd for 2 reasons. The first being to see if anyone else has used this light/power combination and had similar results and second, to offer a warning of sorts to anyone who may be thinking about going with this combination.
I will post back after I get the AW's and repeat the test. I will be using the same chargers and the same light, the only variable changing will be the cells themselves. One thing worth mentioning is that I do not have a multimeter, so I haven't been able to verify where the cells are coming off the chargers at and what's left in them after the light shuts down. I won't be able to either as I shipped the cells out to GG today... sorry!
Cheers
