Tigerlight Batteries?

Caspertoo

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Dec 17, 2004
Messages
12
Location
Oregon, USA
I'm going with a tigerlight as my main duty flashlight, too many scenarios where having OC with my flashlight would prevent a shooting.

My question is this: Can you interchange the batteries for the tigerlight easily? I usually would carry two fully charged batteries for my 9AN and although it is rare that I use up all of the juice of one battery it has happened a few times.

Can someone post some pics about how to do this? It can't take more than about the same time to change out the batteries of a maglight or a 9an.
 

CroMAGnet

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Sep 4, 2004
Messages
2,540
Location
Los Gatos, CA
Hi there Caspertoo. Welcome to CPF. Hope you stay a while /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif I have 3 Tigerlights for hobby collecting. I posted a lot of pics in the review section. Just look for Tiger11 Vs. Stock TigerLight thread. You will see how to hook up the battery.

I don't think it's as easy as changing M*g batteries, but it isn't too bad. Just unscrew the bezel. Carefully unplug the potted bulb/reflector, and slide out the battery pack. Then unplug the battery pack like you would a 9V battery and plug in your reserve. Then carefully plug in the potted reflector/bulb and screw on the bezel with lense. Viola. Pro'ly 30-seconds with practice.

WAIT a minute... brb... forget that last paragraph. Just unscrew it at the Gold ring area. That way to dont have to mess with the lamp assembly. The battery pack just slides right out. Then you unplug the pack and plug in the fresh pack with the 9V battery style connection. VERY easy and fast. Still under 30-seconds but less steps and less chance to drop or damage bulb and reflector. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Sounds like a good idea to have a spare battery but charging it takes a loooong time. about 10-hours.
 

js

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Aug 2, 2003
Messages
5,793
Location
Upstate New York
[ QUOTE ]
CromagNet said:
Hi there Caspertoo. Welcome to CPF. Hope you stay a while /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif I have 3 Tigerlights for hobby collecting. I posted a lot of pics in the review section. Just look for Tiger11 Vs. Stock TigerLight thread. You will see how to hook up the battery.

I don't think it's as easy as changing M*g batteries, but it isn't too bad. Just unscrew the bezel. Carefully unplug the potted bulb/reflector, and slide out the battery pack. Then unplug the battery pack like you would a 9V battery and plug in your reserve. Then carefully plug in the potted reflector/bulb and screw on the bezel with lense. Viola. Pro'ly 30-seconds with practice.

WAIT a minute... brb... forget that last paragraph. Just unscrew it at the Gold ring area. That way to dont have to mess with the lamp assembly. The battery pack just slides right out. Then you unplug the pack and plug in the fresh pack with the 9V battery style connection. VERY easy and fast. Still under 30-seconds but less steps and less chance to drop or damage bulb and reflector. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Sounds like a good idea to have a spare battery but charging it takes a loooong time. about 10-hours.

[/ QUOTE ]

Tony,

LOL! Neat idea, but it would be very hard to unscrew the whole head (at the gold ring) with your hands. In fact, my guess is that it would be impossible. It is NOT meant to ever be unscrewed and was installed with locktite or similar at the factory. You CAN take it off with some serious force (flashlightlens.com did this and posted it as "My 10.75" TigerLight" or something like that) but it will never be the same again and would require machining and sealing at the threads to be reassembled and secure and rain proof.

Just don't try it.

Changing the battery in the field is a nightmare, and was simply not meant to be done. It's not that it can't be done; it's just that it's darned inconvenient and if done in haste could result in damage to the lamp leads, as these tend to get caught on the rubber shock isolation gasket. My suggestion would be to carry TWO complete TigerLights in your car or maybe one in the car one on the belt, or something like that. An extra battery is $50+. An extra TigerLight (without the charging system) isn't too much more. $90 or so, IIRC.
 

CroMAGnet

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Sep 4, 2004
Messages
2,540
Location
Los Gatos, CA
[ QUOTE ]
js said:
LOL! Neat idea, but it would be very hard to unscrew the whole head (at the gold ring) with your hands. In fact, my guess is that it would be impossible. It is NOT meant to ever be unscrewed and was installed with locktite or similar at the factory. You CAN take it off with some serious force (flashlightlens.com did this and posted it as "My 10.75" TigerLight" or something like that) but it will never be the same again and would require machining and sealing at the threads to be reassembled and secure and rain proof.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks for the heads up the Jim. Howevvvvvver /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif If Casper didn't buy one yet, he could buy the modder's special model like you and I just did. That explains a lot to me. (just the other night I was puzzled why my FBOP model wouldn't unscrew at the ring part so I fortunately gave up) The modder's special would make it easier to change in the field at the ring (like my model) BUT I wouldn't want to do it if I was in hot pursuit. I'm not a LOE so what do I know about hot pursuit /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 

SilverFox

Flashaholic
Joined
Jan 19, 2003
Messages
12,449
Location
Bellingham WA
Hello Caspertoo,

I will echo a Welcome to CPF.

A couple of questions:

How much run time are you getting on your 9AX?

When you used up the battery, was it all in one use? The reason I ask this is because the TigerLight was designed to sit on the charger in your car. That would allow for a partial recharge between uses.

Tom
 

js

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Aug 2, 2003
Messages
5,793
Location
Upstate New York
[ QUOTE ]
CromagNet said:
[ QUOTE ]
js said:
LOL! Neat idea, but it would be very hard to unscrew the whole head (at the gold ring) with your hands. In fact, my guess is that it would be impossible. It is NOT meant to ever be unscrewed and was installed with locktite or similar at the factory. You CAN take it off with some serious force (flashlightlens.com did this and posted it as "My 10.75" TigerLight" or something like that) but it will never be the same again and would require machining and sealing at the threads to be reassembled and secure and rain proof.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks for the heads up the Jim. Howevvvvvver /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif If Casper didn't buy one yet, he could buy the modder's special model like you and I just did. That explains a lot to me. (just the other night I was puzzled why my FBOP model wouldn't unscrew at the ring part so I fortunately gave up) The modder's special would make it easier to change in the field at the ring (like my model) BUT I wouldn't want to do it if I was in hot pursuit. I'm not a LOE so what do I know about hot pursuit /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Tony,

You lost me here. The modders special is EXACTLY the same as the regular version except that it does not come with the battery pack or lamp assembly. NONE of the TL gold system flashlights are meant to unscrew at the gold ring. Period. Field changing a battery is NOT easy or recommended.
 

js

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Aug 2, 2003
Messages
5,793
Location
Upstate New York
And one more thing:

Even if you could unscrew it at the head, this would not work because the leads to the lamp pins would get all twisted around, and you'd need to disconnect them anyway to change the battery pack out.
 

CroMAGnet

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Sep 4, 2004
Messages
2,540
Location
Los Gatos, CA
aah haaa!... First off, I'm not a LEO, in fact nuthin' even remotely close for experience in changing a battery while 'in the field'. Changing mine at the ring was WAYYYyyyy easy.

I didn't test all three of my Tigers but I never gave it any thought until now. My modder's special unscrews at the ring. You can see the proof in the pics I took in my recent review. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thinking.gif Tigerlight Review pics Further investigation with TL will be needed.

(js) BTW looking forward to getting my potted 1274's. I think they will be the perfect easy upgrade for the tigerlight. Also I was going to email you about yesterdays thread about the Cobra StunLight. It looks like it 'might' be able to house a larger battery pack for a new js extreme mod. 15" long annnnd maybe the laser section can be modded with an LED for dual output finally

Don't want to hijack this thread so follow-up post in the Cobra thread as I'm sure you would /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 

Caspertoo

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Dec 17, 2004
Messages
12
Location
Oregon, USA
I already pm'd cromag but a general reply here is needed.

I love the idea of mod'ing it, but I would need one hour of run time, I'll probably get a 2nd TL and leave it stock, the mod'd one being my primary. the other I keep in my gear bag.

So how do I go about doing this, what battery do I need and lamp assembly, lense etc, which of you sells them.

Another is do I need to buy a special mod for the charger, or just the car charger?

Thanks.
 

CroMAGnet

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Sep 4, 2004
Messages
2,540
Location
Los Gatos, CA
PM replied with answers to your questions AND referring corroboration with js Elite Hotwire Modder of Doom. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif (We need to do the Lummies for 2004... js would have my vote for Hotwire Mod God /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif for 2004) Did Wilkey do the great 3000lumen mod in 2003?
 

brightnorm

Flashaholic
Joined
Oct 13, 2001
Messages
7,160
Caspertoo,

Welcome to CPF. The best compromise between a field change and carrying two Tigerlights would be a high capacity battery (KAN 1800) which JS created for use with custom bulbs and reflectors. If used with the stock bulb/reflector it provides longer sustained brightness than the regular battery and possibly extended total runtime. I use this battery in my "Tiger 11" (KAN 1800 + WA1111 bulb + 1940 reflector) which is vastly brighter and whiter than the stock Tigerlight but has a shorter burn. I don't know if JS still makes these but you could PM him to check.

Brightnorm
 

CroMAGnet

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Sep 4, 2004
Messages
2,540
Location
Los Gatos, CA
Just in case you din't find the thread. Here is the one with the best summary of the choices for the TigerLight mods. TigerLight Summary Jim will have a new ordering run opening up in about 4-weeks.

There is also a new Tiger11+ thread floating around which is still sort of a Beta test version right now.
 

js

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Aug 2, 2003
Messages
5,793
Location
Upstate New York
Tony,

I see. Your light does indeed unscrew at the gold ring. This is highly unusual and I would get TL to warantee it because there is no o-ring seal there and your light is no longer water proof. Not good.

Was it hard to unscrew the first time or did it just happen?
 

lili22

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Jan 21, 2005
Messages
7
EDITED, as this poster is BANNED for spamming the forums (again).

-dan
 

CroMAGnet

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Sep 4, 2004
Messages
2,540
Location
Los Gatos, CA
js... oh. it came apart easily. I will pro'ly keep it that way since I have two others, but hmmmm, maybe I should get it fixed.
 

js

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Aug 2, 2003
Messages
5,793
Location
Upstate New York
Yeah, maybe. I was thinking, though, that some of the locktite stuff would seal it and keep it from coming appart again. Theres a blue and a red version. Probably go with the more permanent one, red I think it is. That should do the trick.

Your other lights don't come apart this way do they?

Is this the one that got scratched up, the one in the same box with the modified harness whose switch got smashed in?

If so, I wonder what in the world did this to your package. We should have gotten UPS to insure the (*&()^% thing.
 

CroMAGnet

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Sep 4, 2004
Messages
2,540
Location
Los Gatos, CA
LOL Thanx Jim. Actually, I think I'll go get it electroplated in platinum. That way I can tell them apart /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Any other creative suggestions?

BTW This is the light you mention but when I sent it back because "it was too short to fit the pepper spray canister", they sent me this new one. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon3.gif
 
Top