Sophomore question for the honorable cpf braintrust.

What is the best readiness mode for a torch with rechargeable batteries? Specifically a Btu Shocker with the supplied Keeppower 18650's x3 and Trustfire 003p4 charger.

For example, is it better to leave charged batteries in the light, or in the charger, or in the light and top them off from time to time, or run them a little and top them...etc.etc...

Thanks to the esteemed CPFB in advance.

~R

As a general rule, never leave cells in the charger. IN particular, never leave cells in that charger, which doesn't seem to actually terminate (though I can't quite tell from that review).

As a general rule, ok to leave Li Ion cells in the light. Really, at this point your decisions aren't about safety (safety *is* an issue above, in a cheap non-terminating charger), but about cell life. Your cells don't want to sit around at 100% for months at a time, that will take some months or years off their useful life. So if I know I use the light often, like every week or two, this is easy: just use the light, and every few weeks or months (or whenever the cells start dropping to, say, 3.8V), top them back up. But if I knew I rarely used the light -- like only once every few months or less -- I might leave the cells charged to only 4.0V, which is an ok compromise between cell life and having decent charge if I *do* need it. That's all assuming there's not some constant parasitic drain.

Remember here that, in keeping your cells fully charged, what you're sacrificing is cell life. If it's not the end of the world to you to replace the cells in a couple of years, maybe it's a reasonable tradeoff of cell life vs always having a full charge in your light just-in-case.

You are, BTW, much better off asking this in the battery forum!

If I'm not mistaken, it is generally considered best for the cells to recharge them as often as possible (assuming they're being used).

In terms of readiness, I think most would find it a good compromise to use something like a tailcap lockout (a rotation of the tailcap to break the circuit and cut off any parasitic drain, if the light is built to allow it): the light can be grabbed and used reasonably quickly, and the cells aren't being drained unnecessarily.

I'm not sure if this is the kind of answer you're seeking, though. As Joe said, you should look around the battery forum if your question is about more detailed info related to long-term battery longevity and related matters.

The best storage voltage is about 3.7v or close to that. This puts least stress on the cells.
This is nearly half full charge, and is essentially the "nominal voltage".

Then, charge them up before you take the light out for heavy use.

If you need to keep them charged for emergency use, just use one set for that purpose, and top them off on the charger periodically.

Keep the cells and the light in cool temps.

As usual, you lot are a wealth of knowledge. That is exactly the info I was looking for. Sorry for wrong threading.