POLL: USB charging or not?

Hey gang,

Just doing a quick poll on USB charging preferences. I have a bias, but I wanted to do a poll before expressing it

I'd appreciate it if you'd also make a brief comment about why you love/hate USB charging. This feedback will affect the next gen MMX and MMU-X3 lights.

Never liked it. Torch is allways with me and battery is on the desk, charging.



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It's just something else to go wrong, please avoid it.
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Voted love it because there was no "take it or leave it" choice.

To me it all comes down to what the light would be used for. The kind used for EDC carry that can recharge quickly, can use primary in a pinch and doesn't cost a lot to replace if something goes beyond repair…… I'm ok with a USB rechargeable option. Fantastic invention for some lights in my view. Streamlight Microstream for example. I like that magnetic connection thing on my Rofis R2 as well.

But for a light that absolutely, positively has to work and was at the expensive side of the coin…… no thanks. Primaries only for this user.

To me there are two categories for USB charging. One being USB externally on the light and two internally on the battery. I dislike both but internally on the battery is normally easier to correct by simply swapping the battery with a normal one. External charge ports I avoid whenever possible for anything I use in the outdoor elements not just flashlights. Any water entry point is bad and those rubber micro USB caps on flashlights are there for show IMHO. They will always be the first thing to fail. If I leave home with a light that I absolutely need my first choice for backup is another light, second is a spare battery and dead last is a USB cable with a power source.


Frank

I don't care for USB charging.
#1 It always requires a proprietary cell to function as designed.
#2 You almost always cannot safely charge proprietary cells in an existing charger without risk.
#3 Goes with #2, it becomes difficult to carry spare cells when the only charger is the light.

Mr Fixer is correct, as usual.
I could live with it, and even think it was a bonus, in a small light that I only used to see the lock on the truck. Otherwise, forget it.
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I'll be the oddball and say love it. I've got a few lights that can be charged via usb and they have never let me down. My favorite is the Nitecore MH12GTS, it has a charging port on the light and an 18650 cell that is removable and can charge in any charger. Also the ports has a very secure cover on it but it's waterproof. I've had it in fresh water and salt water with the port open and still charges every time I plug it in. I don't carry extra cells around with me but if I'm out I usually will carry a powerbank with me for my phone, the option to use that to charge the light is a great feature imo. For me it's all about the convenience factor.

For me it depends on what is meant by usb charging.

If you mean a flashlight that has a usb charging port for a built in battery, then I dislike them. I want a battery that I can replace and recharge separately, so that I still have use of my light while the battery is recharging. I especially hate it if it is a proprietary battery instead of one thatcan be found in many stores.

If you are talking batteries with a built in usb charging port, then I actually like those especially when traveling. I prefer rechargeable batteries, but do not necessarily want to take a charger with me when traveling if I do not have to.

I voted no because it will most likely be a propriety battery

No as well - proprietary battery, lack of backup.

Jist to play Devil's Advocate for a moment...
Does in-light charging have to be with a propriety battery? Surely someone could set up a system to charge a regular cell within the light? Maybe not? I don't have one, and am very unlikely to ever have one.
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I bought a Coast HP7R a while back for the dual configuration potential.
Basically it came with a battery carrier with a micro USB port on it for charging outside the light. Inside the carrier is an 18650 cell. The light can also be charged via external port that is ordinarilly covered but a twist/turn/pull allows a part of the body to reveal the otherwise sealed usb port. As a bonus it comes with a carrier that can be loaded with 4 primary aaa cells for use in a pinch.

The fly in the ointment with the rechargeable battery carrier is no way to remove the 18650 when it finally plays out. Now we at CPF could get around that little hurdle with a prying tool to separate sides and duct tape to fasten it back together. But the causal user may not be so improvising. So a way to open/close the battery carrier would be a nice addition.

Depends on use. For single day trips (which covers a lot of my flashlight use) I mildly prefer not to have it. Extra bulk, extra cost, extra failure modes...
Love it for longer ventures, especially if the light doubles as a powerbank.

Got Lumens? said:

I don't care for USB charging.
#1 It always requires a proprietary cell to function as designed.
#2 You almost always cannot safely charge proprietary cells in an existing charger without risk.
#3 Goes with #2, it becomes difficult to carry spare cells when the only charger is the light.

Click to expand...

As a few have noted, the USB port can be on the cell itself where they put a micro USB port in the battery. This has been done on 18650's as well as16340's and probably 18350's though I can't think of any off the top of my head.
I also see no reason why an external charge port on a flashlight couldn't be charging a standard 18650 or other size cell within the light.
Then there's the USB charger style that Prometheus Lights sells, where it is powered off of a USB port, but magnetically attaches to the positive and negative ends of the cell and charges a variety of cell sizes outside of their devices.
So to me "USB charging" could mean a variety of things.
Personally I don't like the idea of extra ports or openings on a flashlight. For convenience, having the micro USB built into a cell can be helpful by reducing needed equipment or accessories while traveling, but eats up volume within the cell that could otherwise be occupied by the cell chemistry. The USB powered charger Prometheus Lights sells is convenient and handy, I just wish there was a way to control charge current and at what voltage the charger changes from constant current to constant voltage. For example, I don't take my cells up to 4.2 volts anymore. My charger goes into constant voltage at 4.1 volts for the sake of the cells.

InvisibleFrodo said:

….
So to me "USB charging" could mean a variety of things.
Personally I don't like the idea of extra ports or openings on a flashlight. For convenience, having the micro USB built into a cell can be helpful by reducing needed equipment or accessories while traveling, but eats up volume within the cell that could otherwise be occupied by the cell chemistry. The USB powered charger Prometheus Lights sells is convenient and handy, I just wish there was a way to control charge current and at what voltage the charger changes from constant current to constant voltage. For example, I don't take my cells up to 4.2 volts anymore. My charger goes into constant voltage at 4.1 volts for the sake of the cells.

Click to expand...

Yes, I don't care for the the extra openings that always end up unsealed over time.
Lion cells with a USB port are convenient, do serve a purpose for many, but do take away from the available space for cell capacity. I have a few, but haven't needed them. It's nice to have that option available in the event I did need to use them.
Chargers are a big thing with Lion cells. I think a big factor to look for in a Lion charger is end of charge termination where the charger cuts off all power to the cell when full. As Frodo says, constant trickle charging a Lion cell will diminish it's useful life cycles and eventually ruin the cell.
There are new AA/AAA Lion powered 1000 cycle micro USB chargeable cells available. They have ~90% capacity standard NiMh cells.

I think it's good to hear everyone's thoughts on all aspects of USB charging. Foursevens has a magnetic Lion USB charger.
There are two MKII Foursevens lights needing to be worked on, the Regen MMR-X and MMU-X3R that had a Micro USB charging port.

I voted hate on the outside of the flashlight. But I'd buy a 16650 battery with the usb built in for my 4-7s and HDS legacy lights, that won't fit an 18650.

I'm not a fan of built-in USB chargers either, for the reasons already stated by others here (mainly due to it being another potential point of failure, both mechanical and electrical). It's not that big a deal to have a separate charger IMO, and it's a lot easier to find decent li-ion chargers now than it used to be.

It adds another complexity into a flashlight.
Flashlights aren't chargers.

I vote no if it takes a proprietary battery. One because it's a proprietary battery and that never seems to work out for me. Two, because I've got a Maelstrom Regen MMR-X that sits unused right now because I don't have the proprietary battery that has to be in it to program it.

Id rather just have a battery I can pull and charge separately or replace easily if something goes wrong.