In case you've wondered why some Olights come with empty battery cases

Joined
Jan 11, 2020
Messages
217
Location
Dayton, Ohio
Some of the newer smaller (18350 size) Olight flashlights come with an empty battery storage box. Nothing in it, empty, the cell shipped inside the light. Only some do, why?

All of these lights tend to use a cell custom designed for them. Lights that still used a protected cell were just fine.

But then they started using unprotected cells, and the fear was you would somehow short it and torch whatever was close. So for these, they supplied the plastic cell box with the instructions to always store the removed cell in the box.

They have just come out with their Baton 3 which uses the same unprotected custom cell as the S1RII. But no box?? What's up now? They added to the manual:

DANGER!:caution:
DO NOT separate the battery from the flashlight. The rechargeable IMR battery included comes with a strong discharge current. If any external conductor causes a battery short circuit to occur, it will become hot or burn itself and could potentially cause an unpredictable disaster.
 

wjv

Enlightened
Joined
Aug 1, 2012
Messages
962
>> DO NOT separate the battery from the flashlight.

So you should not have multiple batteries? When it goes dead put it on a charger vs popping in a second fully charged battery? If so, that sort of eliminates using that light for many purposes like camping, hiking, caves and anywhere else where you don't have access to 120V power.

Also. . I refuse to buy custom batteries that will only work in one light.

I like the Olights that I have, but they all use standard 18650s or CR123a (and the RC versions also)
 
Joined
Jan 11, 2020
Messages
217
Location
Dayton, Ohio
Also. . I refuse to buy custom batteries that will only work in one light.

Problem is Olight is going to unprotected cells because of the current requirements of the power levels, as many makers of high-powered have done. In many cases a standard protected cell will just trip out, a low current non-protected may not put out the amps with a useful voltage drop due to internal impeadance. The "standard" cells just aren't universal anymore.

At least they let us have a replaceable cell, not something embedded like a fondle-slab.
 

snakebite

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Mar 17, 2001
Messages
2,721
Location
dayton oh
i wont buy any light that does not accept common flat top cells.
not getting invested in a system that gets dropped in the future.
while i can probably rebuild such packs its a useless system when you standardize on a certain size or maybe 2.
>> DO NOT separate the battery from the flashlight.

So you should not have multiple batteries? When it goes dead put it on a charger vs popping in a second fully charged battery? If so, that sort of eliminates using that light for many purposes like camping, hiking, caves and anywhere else where you don't have access to 120V power.

Also. . I refuse to buy custom batteries that will only work in one light.

I like the Olights that I have, but they all use standard 18650s or CR123a (and the RC versions also)
 

CarpentryHero

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jul 4, 2010
Messages
3,096
Location
Edmonton
funniest thing ive read all day...

I agree :) I own a few lights that don't even let me see the battery :thinking:
as for the Olight baton 3, if I was going to edc a light that small and expect long usage, I'd buy two. One being the premium with the rechargeable case. That way between the two lights and the case I'd have 5 or more charges which would make it through any shift I've had to date. Anything that needs more than that I'd be packing a much larger light anyway
 
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