Nitecore MH20 gets very HOT!

Hello everyone,

My MH20 gets really hot after a few minutes on turbo. I mean so hot, you can almost not touch it any longer than a few seconds. Personally I'm fine with it as I'm not that temperature sensitive with my hands through out my job. But I'm worried.. will it damage my light somehow?

I'm assuming it's just the head that's really hot. The rest of the body is just pretty warm? If so, I would trust Nitecore designed it properly and there's no need to worry. Of course, running it on high all the time vs. another lower mode will mostly likely kill the LED sooner...but we're still probably talking years, or a lifetime. Use it and abuse it

Heat is really going to be a problem as we try to push more and more light out of small lights like this.

totally normal for the MH20 and all other small lights that push 1000 lumens. They can and will get hot. MH20 is purposely designed to wick heat away out to the exterior of the body as it is part of NC's ATR (Advanced Thermal Regulation) design. You should also notice that once it gets hot it will slowly cool off as the light senses the temp and backs off power until it cools off enough to still provide a smooth drop off curve in output instead of jagged drops like a timed regulated light would. Strange though, to hot to touch? My MH20 gets pretty warm but not that hot. Of course a rule of thumb with these little powerhouse lights is once they get uncomfortably hot throttle down.

Yes, the head gets hot really quick while the body is still hand warm. The body gets hot too but not nearly as hot as the head.
Since the MH20 got the temperature regulation I will trust them. Still pretty happy with my MH20!

freaking love my MH20. It is the nicest most well designed and built NC I have ever had or used. I have been a massive NC critic for years that with their notorious history of advertising vastly overrated specs and often sub par build quality. In 2015 NC seems to have turned quite a corner. The products they have rolled out in 2015 all truly seem to be a step up in everything from design to build quality I am very impressed. Is the MH20 perfect? No. It is one of a kind and my copy is flawless. What would I change at the very least would be design in a low voltage warning(I presumed it had it as most NC's do until I read here that it did not)and make the mini USB port waterproof with the flap open ala UC35.

Also experimented with 2xCR123's in the light. Did not notice any increase in output but the light got hot much faster than it did on an 18650 cell so I at least know to stick with good 18650's. Currently running 3500mah Keeppower 10amp cell in it. The cell doesnt even break a sweat with its low internal resistance and feeds the light better than any other cell that I know of could. The cells no voltage sag on turbo means I get 100% performance and superior run time at the same time. Bought a dozen of these awesome cells.

I'm not sure, but I got a feeling that it gets hotter with a unprotected Panasonic 18650 from a laptop battery pack than with a protected Trustfire 18650. Is this a possibility?

Sure its a possibility. Many protected cells also protect from over heat as well as over charge and over discharge. Trustfire? A rule of thumb on this and most other light forums is to avoid any cells that have xxxxFire in the name. They are all trash along with likely being very unsafe. From a laptop battery pack? Avoid! Battery pack 18650's are designed to do just that-work in a pack not singly. I highly advise a cell purpose meant for high output flashlights-any protected 18650 3400mah, 3500mah and the mysteriously not available anymore 3600mah cell all protected of course. I see you are in Germany so I do not know what kind of availability you have to high quality high capacity protected button top cells. There is one reputable EU dealer but the name escapes me at the moment. At the least you want a 3400mah cell based on Panasonic or Sanyo cells. Protected button tops. Brand names from Fenix to Nitecore and Thrunite all sell their brand name 3400mah cells they are all good cells as they are all re wrapped and protected Japanese made Panasonic.

I understand ordering from the UK or the US is very expensive so I understand any hesitation to do so. Here in the US I can get any cell I can think of easily from Orbtronic.com, GoingGear.com, illumn.com and many others. Go to the battery and electronics section of the forum and inquire about a reputable EU dealer for these high quality protected cells and you should get some answers there. Good luck

NKON.nl is often mentioned at CPF. I have never shopped there myself, so I cannot give a recommendation from personal experience. That said, many other CPF members have said that NKON is a reputable seller in the EU.

Recharging inside a flashlight can be more dangerous that recharging in a stand-alone charger. That's because the flashlight is a sealed environment. If venting occurs when you are recharging inside a flashlight, it has the potential to blow the head and tail cap off. In addition, it is likely that a charger built into a flashlight does not have as many safety features as a stand-alone charger such as the ones Xtar sells.

For these reasons, I would use a brand name, protected battery in the Nitecore MH20. A protected version of the Sanyo-Panasonic NCR18650GA 3500mAh battery would do the job nicely. The protected KeepPower 3500mAh is a good cell that many say uses the GA. In his testing, HKJ gave a favorable report of the KeepPower 3500mAh battery.

Yes TRUSTFIRE because back in 2010 a guy in a german flashlight forum recommended me those. I now know I should never buy or even use them but my MH20 arrived and I couldn't resist.

I already purchased 2 protected button top Panasonic NCR18650B's with 3400mAh from FASTTECH. 3 weeks ago though. They didn't arrive yet.

Also I used NKON to buy my NITECORE INTELLICHARGER i4 v2 and a couple of AW RCR123's for my two OLIGHT S1 BATON's that should arrive soon. The charger received a week after I made the order, so that's a good experience!

The thing with the 18650's from LAPTOP BATTERY PACKS recommended me a active member on this forums.

Will the quality of the battery influence the heat of the flashlight somehow? Not talking about the protection though.

Thanks and greets!

KeepingItLight said:

NKON.nl is often mentioned at CPF. I have never shopped there myself, so I cannot give a recommendation from personal experience. That said, many other CPF members have said that NKON is a reputable seller in the EU.

Recharging inside a flashlight can be more dangerous that recharging in a stand-alone charger. That's because the flashlight is a sealed environment. If venting occurs when you are recharging inside a flashlight, it has the potential to blow the head and tail cap off. In addition, it is likely that a charger built into a flashlight does not have as many safety features as a stand-alone charger such as the ones Xtar sells.

For these reasons, I would use a brand name, protected battery in the Nitecore MH20. A protected version of the Sanyo-Panasonic NCR18650GA 3500mAh battery would do the job nicely. The protected KeepPower 3500mAh is a good cell that many say uses the GA. In his testing, HKJ gave a favorable report of the KeepPower 3500mAh battery.

Click to expand...

The EVVA 3500mAh uses the Sanyo-Panasonic GA and is available from Mtn Electronics at only $9.50 ea. I use them exclusively in my MH20 with great results. The KeepPower is also a good choice.

I suppose the closed environment is the reason why the charging via the usb is very slow. It does seem to work well though and the light does not even get warm during charging.

facepalm69 said:

Yes TRUSTFIRE because back in 2010 a guy in a german flashlight forum recommended me those. I now know I should never buy or even use them but my MH20 arrived and I couldn't resist.

I already purchased 2 protected button top Panasonic NCR18650B's with 3400mAh from FASTTECH. 3 weeks ago though. They didn't arrive yet.

Also I used NKON to buy my NITECORE INTELLICHARGER i4 v2 and a couple of AW RCR123's for my two OLIGHT S1 BATON's that should arrive soon. The charger received a week after I made the order, so that's a good experience!

The thing with the 18650's from LAPTOP BATTERY PACKS recommended me a active member on this forums.

Will the quality of the battery influence the heat of the flashlight somehow? Not talking about the protection though.

Thanks and greets!

Click to expand...

Personally I would not want to run my MH20 on Trustfires long enough for it to get hot. It's a bit too much like a game of Russian Roulette. So be careful and I'd suggest easy going until your good batteries arrive in the mail, then you can depend on the combined protections of the light itself and the batteries to make sure nothing goes BOOM!

Didn't think they are THAT dangerous. But we'll I will keep it in my mind!

Hopefully the Panasonic's will arrive soon. And hopefully they are no fakes. Anyone got experience with batteries from FASTTECH? Because they were only like 11$ for 2.

Just ordered 3 KeepPower 18650 3500mAh's from a german authorised dealer for 14,95€ each. Dont think I can go wrong with these.

alright! Happy you were able to find the Keeppower 3500's at a decent price! I have a dozen of them across a dozen lights and man they are the best 18650's I have ever used.

I'll be feeling good and save with these. Thanks for the advice!

Please help me out...

I can't see any difference of output when switching from high in turbo mode with the Trustfire batterie. When it's freshly charged I can see a difference. Now that it has 3.98V I can't. With the unprotected Panasonic from the laptop battery pack I easily see the difference between high and turbo, even at under 4V.

Does anyone know a reason for this? It's confusing.

Hi, just a quick question. Is the MH20 waterproof without the rubber flap that covers the charging port? Thanks!

No, none of Nitcores USB rechargeable lights are waterproof with the flap open. The Fenix UC35 is the only mini USB rechargeable light that I am aware of that actually is waterproof with the flap open.

facepalm69-that Trustfire cell in reality very very likely cannot hold its charged voltage almost at all. In reality the Trustfire cell is actually less than half its claimed mAh capacity. I strongly advise you just trash it they have been known to be dangerous to the point of venting and even catching fire. The unprotected Panasonic cell despite being from a laptop is still high quality made likely in Japan and actually has and can maintain true 18650 level capacity meaning the voltage it has does not drop drastically when you turn the light on.

What you are seeing is the performance difference in quality and performance between a true 18650 and a mystery Chinese made cell most likely stuffed with some kind of powder around a cheap AA cell to make it 18650 sized. You can YouTube Trustfire/Ultrafire 18650's and watch the many videos of these cells bursting into flames, getting mAh capacity tested to 1/4 claimed capacity and so on.

Your freshly charged Trustfire dropped voltage like a rock as soon as you turned the light on and would keep dropping until the light dimmed out and off which wouldnt take long.

The Keeppower 3500mah cells you ordered are on a whole higher level and are purposely designed for high out put lights. They have very low internal resistance which means that on turbo you will get maximum performance that the light is capable of. The 3500's 10amp ability will feed your MH20 every bit of amperage the light needs to draw without breaking a sweat. In my experience with both Orbtronic and Keeppower 3500mah cells they hold their capacity very well they dont drain fast even when using turbo for extended periods of time.

Outside of monster lights that require 20+ amp cells the 3500mah 10amp GA is the best 18650 for high output lights to date. Only when you get into lights that require 4/5 amps or more such as custom lights would you need anything hotter. Good luck

Just learned alot. Thank you! I won't be using my Trustfire's anymore now. With a bit of luck the KeepPower's will arrive Saturday!

Greets

My 2 AW 16340 protected's just arrived. Actually they were for the 2 Olight S1's Ive ordered but I couldnt resist to try them out in my MH20. And wow, a very noticeable difference in output! They came both with 3.82V.
But I guess 2x RCR123 gives a little more output than a single 18650 cell, right?