Nitecore MH27 - doubt to keep battery inside or not when not in use

cbsgrillo · Feb 20, 2016

Hi friends, greetings!

I'm typing from Brazil.
I bought a NiteCore MH 27 for me and I would like to know if it is a problem to keep it with the battery inside when not in use? Or should I remove the battery inside the flashlight?
The battery is a Nitecore NL189 18650 Li-ion (3400mAh).

Thanks a lot and best regards.

CelticCross74 · Feb 21, 2016

welcome to the forum! To answer your question it all depends on how often you use the light. The electronic switch at the head of the MH27 drains power out of the cell inside the light steadily and at a high rate when the light is not on. If you use the light daily leaving the cell inside the light is fine. If you do not use the light daily where the light just gets put on a shelf for a few days the electronic switch drains the cell fast so in that case remove the cell until you need to use the light again.

Remember even the best high capacity cells slowly drain over time even if the cell is sitting in its new packaging. The rate of drain is very slow though. The MH27 has a large electrical multi function switch towards the head that has a lot of circuitry going to and from it. So even when the light is turned off remember that the cell inside the light is still connected to all this wiring. All this wiring for the big multi function switch just increases the drain rate of the cell simply because the cell is connected to a lot of wiring that gives the cell more conductive material to drain out through so that is what happens.

When the MH27 is actually turned on and you are using the large electrical switch to go through the modes the cell gets drained down even faster a LOT faster matter of fact. If I use my MH27 regularly and use the big switch to go through the modes frequently which I do, I end up draining down the 3500mah 18650 I have inside of it to the point of depletion and need of a full recharge over the course of a short night.

All this inserting and removing the cell just in case etc. is bothersome. Ill just say if you use the light regularly you will have to recharge the cell every couple of days the MH27 just draws that much power. It is a 1000 lumen light with all these extra features like the strobe, SOS then the colored modes all of this really drains even the highest capacity cells at a high rate even if you do not use the extra modes all the extra wiring for the extra modes are still under a small amount of power. I have found that the MH27 strobe drains the cell very very quickly. The switch itself is large there is a lot of wiring connected to it not to mention the blue LED beneath it.

MH27 is a great light though it has true high output, amazing range and just about every extra feature a light could have and it sells for a fair price. I hope you have a quality charger to use because using the built in micro USB charging system takes twice as long to recharge the cell.

hiuintahs · Feb 21, 2016

Do you know what the parasitic drain is on the MH27 and also the MH20? I don't own these but looking into them. I think you can just untwist the head a small amount which disconnects the battery electrically and that way you don't have to remove the battery.

zs&tas · Feb 21, 2016

The mh27 has a rear clicky. There is no drain when not in use.

cbsgrillo · Feb 21, 2016

CelticCross74 said:
welcome to the forum! To answer your question it all depends on how often you use the light. The electronic switch at the head of the MH27 drains power out of the cell inside the light steadily and at a high rate when the light is not on. If you use the light daily leaving the cell inside the light is fine. If you do not use the light daily where the light just gets put on a shelf for a few days the electronic switch drains the cell fast so in that case remove the cell until you need to use the light again......
MH27 is a great light though it has true high output, amazing range and just about every extra feature a light could have and it sells for a fair price. I hope you have a quality charger to use because using the built in micro USB charging system takes twice as long to recharge the cell.

Thanks for welcome and you extensive reply, very nice!! In fact, I bought also a Nitecore D2 charger.
Regarding battery charge, I have two more doubts. First, can I recharge the battery every time after a moderate use, just to maintain the cell 100% full, or should I wait until drain completely the battery for, only then, recharge it?
Second, can I use a Powerbank to recharge the battery through USB port, or yet, a charger like a iPhone charger?

And about the suggestion from of friend hiuintahs in the topic below, to "just untwist the head a small amount which disconnects the battery electrically and that way you don't have to remove the battery", this works?

Thanks agains and best regards!!

cbsgrillo · Feb 21, 2016

hiuintahs said:
Do you know what the parasitic drain is on the MH27 and also the MH20? I don't own these but looking into them. I think you can just untwist the head a small amount which disconnects the battery electrically and that way you don't have to remove the battery.

I don't know about parasitic drains, but looks there is by above answer from CelticCross74 colegue.
Regarding you suggestion, I tried here and looks a good ideia, it really works just untwisting the head a very small amount. Thanks for suggestion.
Thanks and best regards.

PROTOOLNUT · Feb 21, 2016

CelticCross74 said:
welcome to the forum! To answer your question it all depends on how often you use the light. The electronic switch at the head of the MH27 drains power out of the cell inside the light steadily and at a high rate when the light is not on. If you use the light daily leaving the cell inside the light is fine. If you do not use the light daily where the light just gets put on a shelf for a few days the electronic switch drains the cell fast so in that case remove the cell until you need to use the light again.

Remember even the best high capacity cells slowly drain over time even if the cell is sitting in its new packaging. The rate of drain is very slow though. The MH27 has a large electrical multi function switch towards the head that has a lot of circuitry going to and from it. So even when the light is turned off remember that the cell inside the light is still connected to all this wiring. All this wiring for the big multi function switch just increases the drain rate of the cell simply because the cell is connected to a lot of wiring that gives the cell more conductive material to drain out through so that is what happens.

When the MH27 is actually turned on and you are using the large electrical switch to go through the modes the cell gets drained down even faster a LOT faster matter of fact. If I use my MH27 regularly and use the big switch to go through the modes frequently which I do, I end up draining down the 3500mah 18650 I have inside of it to the point of depletion and need of a full recharge over the course of a short night.

All this inserting and removing the cell just in case etc. is bothersome. Ill just say if you use the light regularly you will have to recharge the cell every couple of days the MH27 just draws that much power. It is a 1000 lumen light with all these extra features like the strobe, SOS then the colored modes all of this really drains even the highest capacity cells at a high rate even if you do not use the extra modes all the extra wiring for the extra modes are still under a small amount of power. I have found that the MH27 strobe drains the cell very very quickly. The switch itself is large there is a lot of wiring connected to it not to mention the blue LED beneath it.

MH27 is a great light though it has true high output, amazing range and just about every extra feature a light could have and it sells for a fair price. I hope you have a quality charger to use because using the built in micro USB charging system takes twice as long to recharge the cell.

WOW, I didn't know all that! I guess that all makes sense now when you think about it, but you'd think they would find a way to design them so they don't drain so much when operating modes. So either you keep the cell's out of the lights when not in use, or you put a charge on them once every couple weeks or so. Thanks so much for the information. I am a Nitecore user myself, so this might apply to my model as well, since the EC4 has a two button operation found near the head of the light, and not the clicky type button switch you normally find on the bottom of most lights.

BLUE LED · Feb 21, 2016

Just loosen the tailcap for lock-out. That way there will be zero parasitic drain.

hiuintahs · Feb 21, 2016

zs&tas said:
The mh27 has a rear clicky. There is no drain when not in use.

Yes, I hadn't done my homework obviously, so loosening the head on the MH20 is the way to go for disabling the battery on that particular light.

Parrot Quack · Feb 21, 2016

FWIW, I remove all batteries from all items when not in use.

CelticCross74 · Feb 21, 2016

I stand by my scientifically unproven opinion on the MH27. On or off any cell I put into it drains out fast. I have put freshly charged cells into my MH27 left the light on a shelf turned off and the cell will lose power faster than in any other light I have got. I can only assume the reasoning why this happens but it does. I love the light and all its bells and whistles. A fully charged GA will power the light for roughly an hour no matter what output level or feature I have it set on before the cell is near depleted. My MH20 may have parasitic drain but in my use of the light the level of drain is nearly non existent. My SRA40 devours AA's faster than anything I have ever seen. My ZL SC600 MKII L2 eats cells pretty quickly but I dont mind I love the light. My 2 SR52's are supposed to have a high parasitic drain but the cells I put into both of them hold their charge extremely well and evenly even when I use the light all night long.

My R40 26650 cell drains out very very fast no matter what output level it is on. As for the MH27 I could easily be missing something the light has so many features I admit I could be leaving something on and not noticing it. Come to think of it just about every Nitecore I have ever had devour their cells be it my EA41 my P12's my SRT's etc. the MH20 is the first NC I have had that does not seem to drain the cell at a noticeable high rate. Now I am all paranoid that I am leaving something on on my MH27 and missing it. I have left firefly capable lights on in firefly mode for days before and not noticed.

PROTOOLNUT · Feb 21, 2016

Hey, they may loose their energy, but at least they don't loose their load like alkaleaks

Nitecore MH27 - doubt to keep battery inside or not when not in use

cbsgrillo

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CelticCross74

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hiuintahs

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zs&tas

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cbsgrillo

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cbsgrillo

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PROTOOLNUT

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BLUE LED

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hiuintahs

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Parrot Quack

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CelticCross74

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PROTOOLNUT

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