Salt Water and Flashlights

Hi All,

Kayaking season is here and I would like to know if anyone out there has experience using high end lights in salt water.

I have used the maglite in a ziploc bag but its kind of inconvenient and I'd love to get my TK-41 out on the water. So does anyone know if saltwater will ruin my waterproof lights? They are all type 3 anodized aluminum and are all IPX8 rated except the maglite. Below is a list of all the lights I own.

I have a:

• Sunwayman V11R (16340 IMR)
• Fenix TK-41 U2
• Fenix E-11
• Zebralight H502W
• Maglite 3D

Thanks for everyone's help!

I couldn't imagine it would do much more damage than any other water. You may dry out your orings faster, but otherwise should be fine.

I get little containers of silicone lubricant from mtnelectronics for super cheap, and once every few weeks, I go into my lights and coat all the orings to be sure nothing is drying out, or getting too much friction when removing/installing batteries.

As long as your orings are lubed, the saltwater should be no problem. Little lubricant should be all you need, if anything. Just hit everything rubber. Orings, switch boots, anything that the salt can dry out. Ipx8 should keep everything safe.

Thanks for the response Tmack! I'll look around for silicone lubricant since keeping the O-rings in good condition sounds like a good idea regardless.

I even smear a bit on the threads for smooth operation. It reduces that nasty metal on metal feel. Especially if you have a lights that's threads are particularly rough.

Yeah I'm kind of excited to smooth out the threads...While we're talking about flashlight lube, is there a brand comparable to the Nyogel 760G? That appears to be the best lube for orings and threads but is expensive, I'd love to get a cheaper generic silicon lubricant but the point of doing this is to keep the lights in tip top shape and I don't want to hurt the light by using the wrong lube when I'm trying to help it.

Go to mtnelectronics.com
Under components, they have some small containers of lubricant. Very cheap. I bought 3 and haven't used 1 yet. (20+ lights/lasers)
You can surely find some silicone lubricant at a home depot /Lowes etc.
The flashlight lube sounds good though. No question that's good stuff.
The kind from mtnelectronics has worked great for me, and is a couple bucks per container. About the size of a single contact lens case. A little goes a long way. Like I said, I'm still on my first one 20 lights later.

Silicone lubricant is the way to go and there is a sticky thread that talks about the different types and brands. Interesting reading. One other suggestion is to rinse the lights in water to remove the salt water.

Tmack I frequent MTN electronics after several recommendations from this site so I'm aware of it there, the price just seemed a bit high for the super low quantity, but looking around the internet that lube is pretty expensive everywhere, unless it's as good as you say it is then it's a great buy (and your past endorsements have been excellent so I believe it is).

YOYO, That's a great idea, I probably will wash them off after use and I'll be sure to check out that sticky that I missed somehow.

yoyoman said:

... One other suggestion is to rinse the lights in water to remove the salt water...

Click to expand...

+1. The real killer from saltwater is when it dries and crystallizes on metal. Microscopic salt crystals naturally absorb air humidity and make for a long-term acidic science experiment. I'd unscrew the light and rinse the exposed areas at least up to the o-ring protection.

Ahh. Silicone lube is silicone lube lol. I'm sure as long as it's not total junk, it'll be fine.
Might as well get a good size tube and never worry about buying it again.

If you end up finding one at a decent price, shoot me the info.
Although I think these three tiny containers will last quite a while.

1 application to all my lights took half. So I've got 5 more applications, give or take. So a nice several ounce tube would be great.

I'm just always ordering from mtnelectronics, so it's nothing for him to throw in a little container for me every now and again.

Follow the UK Lifeboat system and all will be well.If the boat is put on stand by for a possible rescue situation the doors on the boat house will be opened and the crew will be dressed and ready to go,if the boat gets on the beach although not into the water and then is stood down without entering the sea the normal cleaning procedure will follow ie washing the boat,tractor crew etc with fresh water and all equipment will be leathered down,fuel checked and all put away for another day,no half measures it will be done.Salt and sand is aggressive.

Your light is no different,quick rinse in fresh water and a wipe down with a good cloth or leather and relube as necessary.

Just to keep everyone in the loop I ordered some Super Lube off Amazon Prime for $8 for 3 oz. I read in the sticky YOYO mentioned that it was in the very good lube list and I like using amazon if the item is prime because free 2 day shipping. Next time I go to MTN Electronics I'll probably add the Nyogel to my order but for one little thing of lube it's not worth it to go to a specialty site with paid shipping for me.

REPPANS: just to clarify you're suggesting going so far as to unscrew the head/tailcap (any openings) just enough to expose the oring and then wash that in addition to the outside of the flashlight?

thepit56 said:

Just to keep everyone in the loop I ordered some Super Lube off Amazon Prime for $8 for 3 oz. I read in the sticky YOYO mentioned that it was in the very good lube list and I like using amazon if the item is prime because free 2 day shipping. Next time I go to MTN Electronics I'll probably add the Nyogel to my order but for one little thing of lube it's not worth it to go to a specialty site with paid shipping for me.

REPPANS: just to clarify you're suggesting going so far as to unscrew the head/tailcap (any openings) just enough to expose the oring and then wash that in addition to the outside of the flashlight?

Click to expand...

Any of the professional lubes you can buy for much much lower costs than been stitched up big style on those tiny little pots.

thepit56 said:

Yeah I'm kind of excited to smooth out the threads...While we're talking about flashlight lube, is there a brand comparable to the Nyogel 760G? That appears to be the best lube for orings and threads but is expensive, I'd love to get a cheaper generic silicon lubricant but the point of doing this is to keep the lights in tip top shape and I don't want to hurt the light by using the wrong lube when I'm trying to help it.

Click to expand...

I use NO-OX-ID. I got it from illumination supply and also bought a tube off of Ebay. It is SAFE for O'rings and is electrically conductive so it won't hurt the electrical components,,,,in fact it aids its conductivity. No way salt water could affect it! I saw a boat engine where it was used 50 years ago and it was still in tact and did not deteriorate! :thumbsup:

I use it for o'rings and threads of my lights and if it gets on any of the electrical components, I have no fear that it will harm them! Also, many other uses like, my hood latch, Car battery terminals where the acid[white powder!] will not be able to form.

thepit56 said:

REPPANS: just to clarify you're suggesting going so far as to unscrew the head/tailcap (any openings) just enough to expose the oring and then wash that in addition to the outside of the flashlight?

Click to expand...

Yeah, all I'm saying is that if the light is repeated splashed or dunked, saltwater water will reach anywhere and everywhere up to those o-rings, so if the o-ring happens to be set back at all in the tailcap or head, then there could be unseen threads and metallic surfaces hidden from view that will accumulate salt crystals. For example, my light uses a screwdown collar to hold the clip which has no o-rings - salt is sure to reach the threads under the collar and I doubt a quick rinse will flush it out well.

Now this would extreme for flashlight use, but I'm a long time motorcyclist that loves riding during the winter and have seen the destructive effects of road salt on bikes. I use a product call Salt-Away (sold at marine stores) which I just spray on the bike and let dry. It's basically a soapy (alkaline) solution that drys in all those hard-to-flush-out nooks and crannies on motorcycles and balances off the acidic nature of salt (on the PH scale). I haven't have any real rust/corrosion problems since.

I scored a small case of Nyogel760 a while back, several 1 oz tubes (An ounce is a lot of Nyogel, its very light), and I am still using the first tube years later. Good stuff...and a teeny amount goes a long way. Essentially, all you are applying is a thin film, which has almost no volume/weight...so, as long as you don't "goop in on" and make things gummy, etc...its going to work well and last a long time.


All the Si stuff is going to be fairly similar....and you just want to watch out for what was used as a carrier. For example, the good stuff doesn't use mineral based carriers, and, the cheaper stuff cuts corners by cutting it with solvents/mineral oils, etc.

O-rings can be attacked by mineral oils/solvents, and, it can shorten their life, whereas the Si-based stuff protects them. (Some O-Rings are more oil resistant than others though, so YMMV)

i had a maglite sit in a flooded car for half the night, under about 2 feet of ocean flood water, not a drop inside, i did nothing to the light, bone stock, 6d with bulb.

i get silicone lube from dive shops, if it is good for their equipment, it is good enough for me.

I went through a phase where I had more ££ than sense, I now have various silicone greases, SuperLube, Nyogel etc..

I use the SuperLube the most, reasonable price, good consistency (the silicone lube is variable, cheap Carlube silicone grease is a lot thinner than the tiny/expensive pot of Olight stuff). Additionally, if I remember correctly, it claims to be resistant to salt water.

If I were you, I'd not bother with the Nyogel and save the $$.

i had a maglite sit in a flooded car for half the night, under about 2 feet of ocean flood water, not a drop inside, i did nothing to the light, bone stock, 6d with bulb.

Click to expand...

That's good to hear, I know maglite never claims that their lights are waterproof but in my experience they don't mind a little splash. It sounds like yours was really put through the ringer, did you clean off the light at all after the flooding or just pick it up and keep using it?

I went through a phase where I had more ££ than sense, I now have various silicone greases, SuperLube, Nyogel etc..

I use the SuperLube the most, reasonable price, good consistency (the silicone lube is variable, cheap Carlube silicone grease is a lot thinner than the tiny/expensive pot of Olight stuff). Additionally, if I remember correctly, it claims to be resistant to salt water.

If I were you, I'd not bother with the Nyogel and save the $$.

Click to expand...

I think we all went through/are going through the same phase. I'm glad to hear the Super Lube should work fine since it is a lot cheaper and easier to get.