What is the shelf life for "new" unopened, unused LED flashlight?

What is the shelf life for new, unopened LED flashlights that have NEVER been used?

I know that there are many electronic products - PCs, or example, and radios, that when they are "overstock" and unsold, or if bought and put on the shelf for several years, will deteriorate and fail when they are finally powered up. Do new LED lights that sit on the shelf for years suffer the same fate?

I know someone that has a couple of new, unopened LED flashlights that the seal has never been broken on the package - at least one Olight and he said the thinks the other is a Fenix. These were purchased new in 2007 or 2008 and thrown in the top of a closet and never opened. Now he is offering them to me for sale, but due to the age he is offering them "as is" - if there is a problem or they don't work when I open them up - too bad.

What are the odds that there will be a problem? what are the odds they will work just as good as they would have if he had opened them up and fired them up the day he bought them, five or six years ago? I have lights that old that I use all the time, but I've heard electronics deteriorate worse from complete lack of use more than from reasonable, regular use...?

Should I try to negotiate a good deal on the price? or just keep my money and run in the other direction?

'AS IS' might mean that they are out of warranty? Not sure if my following statement is true, someone please correct me if i'm wrong, but I think sometimes small capacitors and stuff in the circuits do go bad with time. Never hurts to ask a negotiation, worse that will happen is either a rejection, or another compromise.

Make sure you get a price that reflects an "as is" sale.
As a buyer, you need to know what you are buying.

My thoughts are that in a temperature controlled environment, you should have no issues with corrosion, there are no moving parts that should be affected. If they're aluminum bodies, you might want to clean contact areas, other than that I can't think of why metal and plastic would degrade in such a short amount of time.

Worst case scenario is dry threads, go for it.

I'd run in the other direction - sounds fishy to me. How long does it take to check if a light works or not.... 60 seconds? I'd never sell a light to someone without checking to see if it works, before I put it in a box. Take a little insurance out and if breaks in transit, then get a refund from the post office.

Thanks for all the replies, guys! This is a local deal, if I decide I'm interested I can just go over to his house and take a look at them. But he obviously doesn't want to break the seal on the package, and he made it clear that they are for sale "as is" - if they work, great, if not, then I knew going in that they'd be sitting unused for 5 or 6 years, that's the chance I took.

When I saw him the other day and he told me about them, he didn't even know what models they were, only that they take CR123 batteries. He's supposed to email me the model numbers.

As much as I appreciate the replies, there doesn't seem to be a consensus or an authoritative answer. The kinds of potential issues that DC38 mentioned are my primary concerns: will there be some electronic parts that go bad over time from LACK of use?

rje58 said:

will there be some electronic parts that go bad over time from LACK of use?

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No. The lube is the weak point over time, that can be remedied in a few minutes.

I agree, the answer is "no". US manufacturers have lifetime warranties, Foursevens (a Chinese manufactured light) has 10 yrs. Still think it's dumb (or fishy) of him not to "break the seal" and test it. I'd pay more for a light that I know works, than a "as is, take your chances" one. This is a 2nd hand flashlight without warranty, not food.

Anyways it better be damn cheap, or you a collector of vintage flashlights, cuz a modern day AAA light will probably put them to shame.

Thanks to all who replied, I really appreciate the help!

I'd bet my entire flashlight collection that they'll fire up without a problem.

reppans said:

I'd run in the other direction - sounds fishy to me. How long does it take to check if a light works or not.... 60 seconds? I'd never sell a light to someone without checking to see if it works, before I put it in a box. Take a little insurance out and if breaks in transit, then get a refund from the post office.

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I agree! What's up with not taking a few seconds to verify? It may not be an issue of something "going bad on the shelf" - could be anything. If he tests it you are getting closer to a win win scenario than the massive somebodies going to win and somebodies getting the old maid card.

Well there is a weird little (rayovac?) light in my parents house that I remember using when I was a kid... it probably puts out 3 lumens and still works kinda lol. Crappy incandescent light.

Seriously, I don't think a modern high end light is going to "go bad" quickly. I've actually thought about this though and was considering getting an LD22 or maybe another E21 as an unused backup light to maybe keep lubed but in pristine conditon. I could keep it in an otterbox with some L91 lithiums and maybe a silica gel packet. Maybe just check on it every year or so, but as long as you keep the screws together but make sure they are working properly and make sure everything else is dry I don't think there would be an issue. Unless you get some weird mold issue or something going on that's the only thing I could see happening. Just keep everything super dry in the storage box apart from the threads which could be slightly lubed. And not all lights even need lube on the threads at all. The Fenix E25 is a light that I think works absolutely perfectly without lube on the threads. Maybe just a dab on the o-ring.

Of course... Don't keep cells in the light for REALLY long term storage. That's a given. Even lithiums.

I'm not 100% sure what the "seal" is on the packaging on these lights, but he says that he doesn't want to break the "seal" on the packaging, he'd rather the buyer do that?!? And that since there has never been batteries loaded into any of them, he wants the buyer to do that, too. Apparently he is afraid that by leaving them in the top of his closet unopened for 5 or 6 years, he may have ruined them, and that by being upfront with what occurred, he wants the buyer to assume that risk and sell them "as is".

If I have time I'm going to stop by his place one afternoon this week after work and at least see what he's got...

rickypanecatyl said:

I agree! What's up with not taking a few seconds to verify? It may not be an issue of something "going bad on the shelf" - could be anything. If he tests it you are getting closer to a win win scenario than the massive somebodies going to win and somebodies getting the old maid card.

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Unless it is a collector item I would pass on the deal. They are outdated, and probably using the story of an unopened box as a selling ploy to entice you to buy.
There are so many good lights out there.

rje58 said:

I'm not 100% sure what the "seal" is on the packaging on these lights, but he says that he doesn't want to break the "seal" on the packaging, he'd rather the buyer do that?!? And that since there has never been batteries loaded into any of them, he wants the buyer to do that, too. Apparently he is afraid that by leaving them in the top of his closet unopened for 5 or 6 years, he may have ruined them, and that by being upfront with what occurred, he wants the buyer to assume that risk and sell them "as is".

If I have time I'm going to stop by his place one afternoon this week after work and at least see what he's got...

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Are there any 'collectible' Olight or Fenix lights from that time period (2007-2008) that I should jump on, if that's what I find when I get over there? I mean, most flashlights are 'collectible' to some CPF',er - but are there any that are really sought after? or highly regarded moreso than others?

I know they are outdated, so if I consider buying them, I'll be looking for him to offer me what I consider a good price, one that would make them attractive. Maybe 35% to 50% of what they sold for at the time, depending on what they are....?

FlashKat said:

Unless it is a collector item I would pass on the deal. They are outdated, and probably using the story of an unopened box as a selling ploy to entice you to buy.
There are so many good lights out there.

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Honestly I don't know if they made any collectible lights.

rje58 said:

Are there any 'collectible' Olight or Fenix lights from that time period (2007-2008) that I should jump on, if that's what I find when I get over there? I mean, most flashlights are 'collectible' to some CRF',er - but are there any that are really sought after? or highly regarded moreso than others?

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rje58 said:

Are there any 'collectible' Olight or Fenix lights from that time period (2007-2008) that I should jump on, if that's what I find when I get over there?

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Anything titanium, other than that you shouldn't be paying more than ~$20 each for these lights.

They could be worth something if they're Surefires, or maybe even Maglights, depending on model...

And FWIW, many things are worth MUCH more when new-in-box. Taking them out of the packaging ruins much of their value. The seller is right to avoid that until money changes hands, IMO.

Haven't you guys seen Toy Story 2?

dss_777 said:

They could be worth something if they're Surefires, or maybe even Maglights, depending on model...

And FWIW, many things are worth MUCH more when new-in-box. Taking them out of the packaging ruins much of their value. The seller is right to avoid that until money changes hands, IMO.

Haven't you guys seen Toy Story 2?

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That applies only if they're highly sought after rare collectibles...