Need a New Chemical Resistant Work Light

ghostguy6

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Jan 21, 2007
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So I went into work today to find out some moron took my Sabrelite out of my desk and left it bezel down on the counter after spilling some acetone last night. Needless to say Polycarbonate and prolonged exposure to acetone do not mix. Ended up needing to use a hammer to bash the fused bezel off of the counter. I wanted to replace this light at some point anyways since the bulbs have been discontinued. A google search does not bring up much on direct exposure to acetone so I will ask here with the hope someone else knows my pains. This will be used in a laboratory setting so I have some specific needs.

AA sized batteries preferred
Class 1 and 2, Div A-G. Exposure is limited but still possible.
High Vis safety color preferred
Must be IPX 7 at min, 8 would be better.

Anyways here is the checklist for your viewing pleasure


1) How would you prefer to purchase the light?

__x__I would like to purchase the light in person from a brick and mortar store. I am located in Edmonton Alberta.
__x__This will be mail-order or Online (location doesn't matter).


2) Budget: An easy question, but you may change your mind after answering the rest! :)

__x__Up to $100.


3) Format:


____I want a flashlight (hand held/self contained).


4) Size:

____SMALL - Every day carry (4-7 inches).
____MEDIUM - Holster/belt ring carry. (>7 inches)


5) Emitter/Light source:

____LED (known for efficiency, longevity, and compactness)


6) Manufacturer:

____I want to buy a light from a large/traditional manufacturer that is ready to go out of the box.



7) What power source do you want to use?

____I intend to use "Primary"/Disposable Alkaline batteries based on the usual AAA/AA/C/D sized cells common to most stores.
____I intend to use "Primary"/Disposable Lithium batteries based on the usual AAA/AA/C/D and CR123 sized cells common to most stores (often a cold weather or long storage choice).


8) How much genuine out the front (OTF) light do you want/need? Sometimes you can have too much light (trying to read up close up with a 100 lumen light is not a happy experience).

____I want to confidently walk around an unlit/unpaved rural area (60-150 lumens).
____I want to illuminate my entire backyard or a campsite (150-300 lumens).


9) Flood vs Throw: Flood covers an area, Throw reaches out to a distance.

____Wide Flood: I want a defined flood area for semi-close tasks like after-dark campsite tasks or working on a car.

____Wide Throw: I want a beam with a noticeable hot-center for distance throw and a significant amount of "side-spill". Good for rough trail hiking, search and rescue, and general distance work.


9a) Distance: How far away will you typically need to see with this light (check all that apply)
____Less than 1 yard/meter (reading, other close work)
____Less than 5 yards/meters (looking for something inside a dark shed/garage/basement)
____30-50 yards/meters (I have a big backyard)

10) Runtime: Not over-inflated manufacturer runtime claims, but usable brightness measured from first activation to 50% with new batteries (Measured on maximum continuous output).

___90-120 minutes (Runtime is moderately important, but still not critical)
____3 hours + (I critically need this light to run on max for extended periods in between battery changes/charges).




11) Durability/Usage: Generally the old phrase "you get what you pay for" is very accurate for flashlights.

____Very Important (Camping, Backpacking, Car Glove-box).
____Critical (Police, Fire, Search & Rescue, Caving, Survival).


12) Switch Size, Type, and location (choose all that apply):

____Any size switch will do.
____I want a forward clicky (Helpful for momentary activation and signaling).
____I want a twisty switch (Tighten the head/tailcap to activate, and the light will stay on until the head/tailcap is loosened).
____I want a body mounted switch (near the head, like on a Maglite).
____I want a tail mounted switch (found on the majority of today's high end lights).



13) User Interface (UI) and mode selection. Select all that apply.

____I want 2 light levels. (Brighter/short runtime and Dimmer/long runtime.)


14)Material/Finish/Coating

____Plastic/composite body (this may limit your choices significantly).

15) Water resistance
____IPX7 (Waterproof to 1 meter/30min)
____IPX8 (Submersible to greater than 1 meter for 4 hours)

16) Storage conditions

____Other____Laboratory use but likely stored in a tool box


17) Special Needs/extras: Is there anything else you want or need that hasn't been mentioned? Select any/all below.

____Non-sparking, Intrinsically Safe (IS) for use in explosive environments
____Likely to come into contact with liquid acetone, not just vapors.
 
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turbodog

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Acetone eats a lot of stuff.

I skimmed your list... some of the pelican and underwater kinetic lights might fit the bill. They have several that are explosion proof.
 

T-Steve

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Feb 26, 2012
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Hey this is a good discussion topic. I too have been in the hunt for a chemical-resistant flashlight.

I've worked my way through various Streamlight plastic lights, Nitecore aluminum-bodied lights, and some Pelicans. (Also a bunch of Maglites.) I work in a location with many acid fumes (sulfuric, hydrochloric, hydrofluoric, and others) along with solvents such as acetone and isopropanol. What happens is:

1. Anodizing quickly stripped off aluminum lights.
2. Rubber buttons and charging port covers quickly degraded and mostly disappear.
3. O-rings eaten up moderately quickly (though greasing them keeps them intact much longer).
4. Plastic flashlight bodies damaged upon exposure to some chemicals (particularly acetone and sulfuric acid).
5. Plastic lenses clouded fairly quickly.

I really like some features of Nitecore lights but they get eaten up fairly quickly. The clunky Pelican class I/II/III lights like the 3325 seem to last longest but they aren't really good flashlights.

Thanks TurboD I will check out Underwater Kinetics.
 

Katherine Alicia

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Hey this is a good discussion topic. I too have been in the hunt for a chemical-resistant flashlight.

I've worked my way through various Streamlight plastic lights, Nitecore aluminum-bodied lights, and some Pelicans. (Also a bunch of Maglites.) I work in a location with many acid fumes (sulfuric, hydrochloric, hydrofluoric, and others) along with solvents such as acetone and isopropanol. What happens is:

1. Anodizing quickly stripped off aluminum lights.
2. Rubber buttons and charging port covers quickly degraded and mostly disappear.
3. O-rings eaten up moderately quickly (though greasing them keeps them intact much longer).
4. Plastic flashlight bodies damaged upon exposure to some chemicals (particularly acetone and sulfuric acid).
5. Plastic lenses clouded fairly quickly.

I really like some features of Nitecore lights but they get eaten up fairly quickly. The clunky Pelican class I/II/III lights like the 3325 seem to last longest but they aren't really good flashlights.

Thanks TurboD I will check out Underwater Kinetics.


My original thought was going to be something Silver plated as that won`t react with the acids, well it will with the halide acids but it creates a barrier layer almost instantly that will protect the metal. but then I read you have HF fumes, and HF is used for etching glass and acetone attacks plastic, so the torch body maybe doable but the lens... it looks like you`ll need something specially made, HDPE/PP might be ok but it won`t take a lot of heat and it`s not really optical grade material.

Edited to add, if you don`t mind a cheap and nasty solution, most kitchen bags / sandwich bags are LDPP, and would protect your torch quite well!
 
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turbodog

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You know, HDS systems makes a titanium bodied light. You can get sapphire lens. He also uses a non-typical o-ring material. But you are talking a $300+ light also. The rubber switch could be a weak point.

I'm making the assumption that sapphire, Ti, and his weird o-rings would stand up to your environment.
 

Katherine Alicia

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The rubber switch could be a weak point.

Neoprene rubber should be able to withstand it, Ti will dissolve slowly in Halide acids (it makes a lovely blue color liquid that looks purple when you shine a light through it), Sapphire IIRC is an doped Aluminium Oxide and should be fairly inert too.
 

ghostguy6

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Its seems like everything I can find with a safety rating has a polycarbonate lens. It also needs to be marked as a safety light for when the buildings safety inspector comes around. I don't want to go for an expensive light since my co workers have little respect for personal property.
 

T-Steve

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Thank you for those ideas - indeed most of the chemicals come in LDPE bottles!

Actually the glass lenses in most of the aluminum-bodied lights last okay unless accidentally dunked in HF. Most of the HF is at ambient temperature so there is essentially no fumes. The sulfuric and phosphoric acids, on the other hand, are >100 C and are quite airborne.

I'll take some pictures! There are many Nitecores totally stripped silver, with all rubber parts destroyed that are still working like champs.

My original thought was going to be something Silver plated as that won`t react with the acids, well it will with the halide acids but it creates a barrier layer almost instantly that will protect the metal. but then I read you have HF fumes, and HF is used for etching glass and acetone attacks plastic, so the torch body maybe doable but the lens... it looks like you`ll need something specially made, HDPE/PP might be ok but it won`t take a lot of heat and it`s not really optical grade material.

Edited to add, if you don`t mind a cheap and nasty solution, most kitchen bags / sandwich bags are LDPP, and would protect your torch quite well!
 

ftumch33

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Whitestone, New York
Underwater Kinetics 4AA Herculite eLED Red
Resistant to;
ACETONE
BATTERY ACID
BRAKE FLUID
COOLANT
DIESEL FUEL
ETHANOL
GASOLINE
GREASE
HYDROCHLORIC ACID
HYDRAULIC FLUID
METHYL ETHYL KETONE

The only thing is it`s 4AA and lumens output is 180 (pretty much a joke nowadays)
 

Lynx_Arc

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The only thing is it`s 4AA and lumens output is 180 (pretty much a joke nowadays)
Not a joke when you are talking about a plastic body with very little heatsinking the earlier generation plastic lights by UK and Pelican wouldn't even do 80 lumens. 180 is a very useful level of output for most tasks a good balance of useful output vs runtime. The only thing I am not thrilled about with most plastic lights is they don't recommend nimh batteries in them and I'm not totally sure they are designed well enough for Energizer lithiums with their higher voltage over 4 cells can add up to an additional 1.2v when new which if not properly designed a light can be overdriven and harm the LED but with 4 cells it is possible a buck circuit is involved otherwise 3 cells would suffice easily.
 

ghostguy6

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Ed, Ab
Underwater Kinetics 4AA Herculite eLED Red
Resistant to;
ACETONE
BATTERY ACID
BRAKE FLUID
COOLANT
DIESEL FUEL
ETHANOL
GASOLINE
GREASE
HYDROCHLORIC ACID
HYDRAULIC FLUID
METHYL ETHYL KETONE

The only thing is it`s 4AA and lumens output is 180 (pretty much a joke nowadays)


Ill look into it but Ive never been a fan ok UK lights. Do you happen to know what the lens is made from? I dont see it listed in the specs.

Right now the lens seems to be the biggest problem as it quickly becomes cloudy when it comes into contact with acetone. They seem to scratch much faster after the first exposure as well. I wish the lab techs here weren't such clumsy morons.

Is there such a thing as a safety rated flashlight with a glass based lens? Im thinking probably not. Im also considering buying a light and using epoxy to glue a glass lens on top of the polycarbonate one just so the light will survive for awhile.

Anyways I have ordered a Nightstick to last me until I can find a decent light.
 

aznsx

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I believe what you need is a light with a 'Borofloat' lens on the front of it for the chem resistance you require.

Streamlight has an impressive array of safety rated / ATEX / "Haz-Lo" lights, and a good many lights with Borofloat lenses, but a quick search turned up nothing so far that ticks both of those boxes. All the former (safety rated) lights I'm seeing do have polycarbonate / acrylic lenses, but their line is pretty vast and I could be missing it.

There are companies (like 'flashlight lens') who sell Borofloat flashlight lenses in specific sizes.

What you may have to do is find a light that meets your overall requirements, but has a replaceable lens in a size that you can find a Borofloat replacement for. Lens replaceability, and lens diameter are not often apparent from manufacturer specs, so a few e-mails / phone calls would likely be required.

Barring that, your idea of overlaying the Borofloat lens over a polycarbonate lens may not be too crazy at all if done right!
 

ghostguy6

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I did some checking around and it seems you can not replace the lens without compromising the safety ratings. Technically gluing a glass lens onto a plastic one also violates the rating.
I think I will just take a crappy pelican stealthlite LED and epoxy a borofloat lens on with some Alumilte Clear Epoxy so at least I have something usable. All the building seems to care about it is the rating stamped on the side of the light. Ironically the safety guy carries a dollar store 12 led POS all the time so its not likely they really care as long as they can check the box saying they inspected my light.
 

turbodog

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Just email or call UK. Ask them. If they specifically say it's for acetone/etc then it sounds like something to try.
 

turbodog

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I did some googling about acetone proof plastics. There are some, and some of those are transparent.

But try UK first.
 
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