Dad trashed his P10A2

So, this was a Christmas gift to my Dad a year ago. I'm not exactly clear on what happened; it had - probably multiple times - fallen out of his shirt pocket onto concrete when he bent over. I also have a feeling he put batteries in backwards at one point...



Now, you can see there is corrosion all along the inside of the battery tube - from tail to head. Also, one of the reverse polarity protectors is missing.

My Dad is 84 and I love him dearly, but I wonder if this flashlight is now not SAFE. He lives cross-country, and shipped this to me. It actually still works - with fresh batteries installed correctly

So, what actually happens if 2 AAs are inserted backwards - and the protection is missing? Is it harmful to the driver, or to the batteries (i.e. why there's substantial corrosion) or both? I'm wondering if multiple drops caused the rev.pol. piece to fall out, then subsequently he put batteries in backwards...

I can clean this up, but not sure I can replace the rev.pol. piece. Are they part of a circuit, or just a physical barrier?

Thanks for any suggestions.

-Chris

cjs4760 said:

I can clean this up, but not sure I can replace the rev.pol. piece. Are they part of a circuit, or just a physical barrier?

Click to expand...

It's just a physical barrier. Simply put, those two metal piece are thick enough so that the flat surface of anode (-) will not touch the contact when the battery is inserted in reverse, while thin enough so that the protuding tip of cathode (+) will be able to.

Without physical protection, damage to both the light and batteries can occur.

Also, it's obvious that your father used alkalines, which are basically ticking time bombs, ready to spew out acid at any given moment. Never trust the "fresh through" date. Avoid alkalines and use lithium primaries whenever you can, although you probably got your father P10A2 due to its ability to use common alkalines.

Yeah that looks like the alkalines puked. I gave my dad a 2 AA light some years ago and it did the same thing. I then gave him a Surefire L1 and 2 Dozen CR123's and he's had no more issues.

Since you mentioned that your Dad carries his lights in his front shirt pocket, I wonder if a penlight might be a better solution.

Also, you might as well shoot Eagletac an e-mail and see if their lifetime warranty (still in effect when you bought this light) will cover any of this. It never hurts to ask.

Also figure out what brand of batteries were used. Duracell, energizer and most major brands cover damage caused by their batteries.

Thanks for all the replies, folks.

Yes, I originally purchased this because it's a AA form factor - ease of getting batteries for my Dad. Also, I know *now* he uses off-brands (like CVS branded batteries - CVS is a pharmacy).

I will contact EagleTac and see if they can provide anything. I don't want to give it back to him w/o the reverse protection. If I can't repair that, then I'll keep this one and look for another light.

Regarding the penlight, well, I wish he would have used the clip I like this light for him because it was a simple 2-mode, with the Hi output good for outdoors. The AAs were the other factor.

I use ALOT of alkaline batteries (2 kids, lots of electronic toys), and never had a spontaneous belch problem. But then, I use Duracell/Energizer only.

Anyway, thanks again!

-Chris