Extreme heat and cold conditions, Incandescent vs LED

Ok the whole incandescent vs LED thing here has been done over time and time again, however, this question is from a little bit different of a perspective.

What is more likely to fail in extreme conditions, the best incandescent lamps or the best LED's? Now when I say extreme conditions, I am specifically referring to extreme cold and extreme heat, although I am more interested to hear opinions on the cold and freezing temperatures side of it becasue I know LED's are much more fragile to heat than incandescent lamps are.

Please, the purpose of this thread isn't which source of light has better color rendition, is more efficient, is brighter, throws better, which is more shock proof, etc, none of the typical arguments.

I want to know, generally speaking, what's theoretically more prone to failure in extreme heat and cold, the best incandescent lamps, more referring to surefire's lamp assembly's, or the very best LED's and their electronics, more referring to one's like Malkoff and Nailbender's?

Your thoughts please.

The only time I had an issue in the cold was with my A2 w Strion kit, it was -25C (maybe -30C) and it got really dim when I was using it. Once I came back inside and it warmed up it was fine. I brought it out a few more times on cold nights and the same thing happened. All my other lights, Incan and LED, run just fine in the cold.

I think it depends on the light. There are cheap incans that won't cut it and cheap LEDs that may not also but for the most part the weakest link in LED lights is the circuit while the weak link in incans is the bulb. Batteries would probably end up being the main issue if you had quality bulbs and circuits.

Batteries become the issue far earlier than anything else on the light. Your average alkaline cell starts getting iffy below freezing, and by 0F will probably not work at all. Rechargeable cells start taking damage at these temps, and by -20F they also fail. At -40, not only will lithium primaries not work, but most lubricants will be seized solid to boot.

LEDs actually prefer the cold; like all chips they perform better as the temperature drops. Some time ago, a CPFer tested a red LED in a lab freezer down to -80F, and noted that the LED was slightly brighter than at room temperature.

Yeah. I'm guess LEDs would probably perform a little better in the cold. The filaments in incandescent bulbs might wear out a little quicker than normal because of changes in temperature. It probably depends just as much on the specific LED or bulb being used too, of course.

Being pretty new here, I have to say that I don't really understand the debate (if you will) between which is "better." They're different, so just get whichever you like more, or whichever suits your needs more.

"It's better because I like it more" works for me. :naughty:

Below -40 deg (same in degF as degC) everything gets quite brittle. Electric cables, for example, become very stiff, unless they are sheathed in silicone rubber. Camera film behaves like glass, and shatters (although that is not much of an issue these days). This applies to many man-made compounds, including some clothing fibres.

Fuels, oils and greases are also prone to freezing. Most people will know about diesel, which IIRC freezes at only around -10 degC (I think that's approx 15 degF). So... the same is likely to apply to O-rings and lubes used in flashlights - they are going to get stickier, and in the case of O-rings, more brittle. Don't ask me which types - I haven't looked any of this up. I'm just going by my personal experience in the Arctic and Antarctic, many years ago.

But as others have said above, the main problem is going to be with batteries. Lithium primaries will be more reliable at low temperatures than other types.

The solution is to keep the light in an inside pocket, so it doesn't freeze. When in use, it will generate heat and should be OK. The alternative is to use an umbilical lead to a battery pack inside your clothing, but be sure the lead is made of silicone rubber or it will lose all flexibility and get as stiff as a stick.

To add to the above, a major problem in cold regions can be condensation. If you've had an item outside in the cold and then you bring it inside to room temperature (or even a warm tent), you will instantly get condensation forming on it. With something like a flashlight or camera, you should let it warm up before opening it. With a camera, it's best to put it in a ziplock bag before bringing it inside - this will limit the condensation on the exterior (not such an issue with flashlights).

Once it has warmed up to ambient temperature, it's OK to open it and change the cells etc. If you open it up too soon, you'll get condensation forming on the INTERIOR, and that is bad news all round.

Just a thing to note.....if it's 50C/122F you're most likely not going to need a flashlight since it'll probably be day time.

Roger999 said:

Just a thing to note.....if it's 50C/122F you're most likely not going to need a flashlight since it'll probably be day time.

Click to expand...

Also, most of us will be dead by then.....:naughty:

ebow86 said:

Ok the whole incandescent vs LED thing here has been done over time and time again, however, this question is from a little bit different of a perspective.

What is more likely to fail in extreme conditions, the best incandescent lamps or the best LED's? Now when I say extreme conditions, I am specifically referring to extreme cold and extreme heat, although I am more interested to hear opinions on the cold and freezing temperatures side of it becasue I know LED's are much more fragile to heat than incandescent lamps are.

Please, the purpose of this thread isn't which source of light has better color rendition, is more efficient, is brighter, throws better, which is more shock proof, etc, none of the typical arguments.

I want to know, generally speaking, what's theoretically more prone to failure in extreme heat and cold, the best incandescent lamps, more referring to surefire's lamp assembly's, or the very best LED's and their electronics, more referring to one's like Malkoff and Nailbender's?

Your thoughts please.

Click to expand...

First, the hot one:
Incan wins as heat favours em, also why $F's D26,MN have such a bad heatsinking ability
LED Lose as they and the driver are vunerable to heat

Cold one:
Incan might be affected if the internal is too cold. cooling the filament
LED might be affected as conductivity of semiconductor decrease(drivers, emitter etc)

battery problem is neglected

Well, it's much warmer in a sauna...
And during my time here on CPF I have understood that there are a lot of true flashaholics who would never go anywhere, including sauna, without a light.
Am I right or am I right?

GunnarGG said:

Well, it's much warmer in a sauna...
And during my time here on CPF I have understood that there are a lot of true flashaholics who would never go anywhere, including sauna, without a light.
Am I right or am I right?

Click to expand...

I grab 1 light whenever i sleep
Waterproof one during shower
SF C2 while i am out
SST-50 for nightstand

I left my R2 in freezer for a trial, about 3 days
Before the thread, but i recalled it for sharing
After that the light was severely malfunctioned
-It ramps from dim to bright when you activate it
-Flickering
-Stucky clickie
The light wasnt waterproof but it didnt touch any liquid, just condensation from cold environment