Usage Frequency of your EDCs & Battery preservation

Emm...this is gonna sound like a silly question...but hey...im a newbie..its allowed...:naughty:



anyway, how often do you need to use your EDC flashlights? Unless your hobby is hunting or involve stalking enemies at night, on average, in a week how many times approximately you had to use your lights?

which leads me to this question: battery preservation

As Ive always been told, never keep your batteries too long in the lights. So does this mean you need to take out your batteries say, once a week?

again, sorry if this sounds silly..

What was that Mr Garrison says on South Park? "Remember boys and girls, there are no stupid questions..."

No, seriously, I don't find your questions stupid at all. But then again some would say I am stupid.

I use my SureFire U2 four or five times a week, at least. Sometimes more, almost never less. Not for long periods at a time, and not on high.

My pocket light, which was recently an HDS U60, now a LionCub, is used some every day, mostly at night. Again, not for long periods, and usually on lower settings. It's a rechargeable, and being new and having a turbo head for it, I used the battery enough to put in another fresh charged already. A lot of that was showing to friends, and shining the light around on high with the turbo head.

As to leaving batteries in long, I can only summize that it's to prevent leakage of the cells from ruining a light. I killed a 6 D cell mag like that once, and others I know have had the same thing happen with theirs. Of course dead cells that haven't leaked still won't power a light, so it's good to know the will work when needed.

I guess it wouldn't hurt to take the cells out once and week and look at them, but mine don't need replacing that frequently. In fact I've not gone through very many yet. A light in a vehicle would need more checking, just to be on the safe side.

Really and truly, your questions are not silly. I was just being silly above, and hope it comes across that way and not mean.

Will be interesting to see what others think/have experienced regarding this.

Almost all my lights get to be used daily. Wether at home, in the office, etc. I also do alot of walking at nights, mostly with my dog and sometimes with my daughter. Guess you might say I find reasons and take every opportunity to bring out my lights :naughty:

As for the batteries, I mostly use CR123 primaries. These have ten year shelf life so no worries there. I would be watchful though if I were using ordinary batteries which have the tendency to leak and go dead in the most inappropriate times. I have a Mag that died bec of leaking batteries

My flashlight use was infrequent until I bought an LED flashlight and converted my Mini-Maglites to LEDs. Now I employ flashlights at least a couple of times nightly.

Part of the increase is due the guilt-free battery usage associated with the longer battery life in LED flashlights. The other factor is that my new Gerber Infinity Ultra is so small that I wear it on a neck lanyard, which makes it instantly available.

I walk daily, usually during daylight hours. After I acquired LED lights and a high visibility safety vest, I was able to walk at night on the dark, country roads in my neighborhood.

When I put the dog outside in the back of the house, I now bring a flashlight. When he barks I want to see what he sees. We have some interesting critters, e.g., deer, coyotes, owls, etc. My 2D and 3B Maglites are better for this than LED lights, but I usually bring a River Rock 2C 1.5w LED flashlight because it is smaller and fits in a jacket pocket.

I remove batteries to check for leakage every month or so, ever since alkaline cells bled into 2 of my large Maglites, ruining one and scarring the other.

my name is fake said:

Emm...this is gonna sound like a silly question...but hey...im a newbie..its allowed...:naughty:



anyway, how often do you need to use your EDC flashlights? Unless your hobby is hunting or involve stalking enemies at night, on average, in a week how many times approximately you had to use your lights?

which leads me to this question: battery preservation

As Ive always been told, never keep your batteries too long in the lights. So does this mean you need to take out your batteries say, once a week?

again, sorry if this sounds silly..

Click to expand...

i use my no. 1 edc (a photon freedom 2x) maybe 5-10 seconds a day. my no 2. edc (a surefire l4) maybe 10-20 minutes a week.

My EDC, an old Arc AAA, gets used maybe twice a day on average. At home I'll usually be using something else for my night prowling. Batteries in my lights get used up completely. I've only had one instance of serious leakage.

Geoff

The EDC in my pocket hardly see any use. Only during power blackouts away from home.
The light on my night table every night. I use rechargeable NiMH batteries in this one.

My wife asked me a similar question sometime ago;

You never realize how many times you need a light until you you start carrying one. I carried a Q3 for a along time and recently switched to a Fenix (for several reasons). How many times do I use it? rarely a day goes by without a use.

I use a 1057 mag EVERY night 2-3 times.

Checking bats; every month (ahem, ahem, ahem, tell that to my 4D mag with the internal acid scar). More like six months.

Welcome

Karl

during work I use a Fenix or a Lambda HD III atleast 10 - 20 min a day.

after work I have a Superbird (PM6 mod) on my belt for general use at night (which starts at 3 pm here). so that is used atleast 30 min aday counting my walk.

on my bedside is a Lionheart with 168A battery extension, which is used for bump at night noise light and to go to the "daddy" calls by my kids.

my TnC N cell proto doesn't get much use but with the new 10280 bat is a bright azz fireball handwarmer for the cold days.

doug

I use my U2 and/or HDS Ultimate 60 a few minutes every day. No problem with batteries since I use Li Ions and "top them off" about once a week with no memory affect.

I use my EDC (River Rock 2xAAA) every working day, several times a day to see inside computers, printers, dark router closets and all of that sort of stuff.

I generally keep batteries in just a few lights and try to remember to check on them once in a while.

Like Parnass, I've had cells in big Maglights go POP on me but found a solution (an odd solution but it seems to work) see this thread
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/97023
Post # 15 and Post # 17

I find that I use my EDC--a Surefire L1, newest generation--only infrequently, perhaps once a week. For me, the main point of carrying it is not so much to USE it as it is to HAVE it when I really need light. I was mighty glad to have it with me when I used it to successfully spot a fuel leak under the hood of my car recently. I don't think I would have seen the leak with a stock MiniM@g or the like. (The leak, by the way, was due to the negligence of the local dealer's service dep't. They didn't retighten an inline fitting properly.)

As far as batteries, I don't worry about the lithium CR123s. The alkalines get checked two or three times a year if they have had light use. I don't let dead or near-dead batteries sit in devices for long.

-Ben

Luxman said:

I use my U2 and/or HDS Ultimate 60 a few minutes every day. No problem with batteries since I use Li Ions and "top them off" about once a week with no memory affect.

Click to expand...

Luxman,

what do you mean by "top them off"?


BTW, guys, thanks for the input.

Topping off? Since they have no "memory effect" you can charge them from any level, not just near depleted. So if it's 75% full, just pop it on the charger until full. He's using Lithium-Ions. In other words it doesn't matter what state they are in capacity wise, just charge 'em with nary any ill affects on the batteries.

I use my EDC light numerous times a day. I am frequently looking into dark electrical / PLC cabinets or equipment at work. I feel naked without a trusty lighting tool at my side. I usually use R123s when I can, occasionally using a lthium cell here and there.

County com Gov. Ultra on lithium AA hasn't failed me in predawn nagavation to the front door with out waking my honey in over a year now! And in late night-early morning "fixed it, now for sleep" returns home after call-ins.... Say 45-120 very important seconds or so daily..... At work, my ARC LS on 2 AA NIMH gets used 10-15 times a day.... battery change from the wall socket charger when "moon mode" kicks in. I too have killed and maimed maglites by leaving batteries unchecked.... not since I switched to NIMH's....

Right now, at home, I am carrying two edc's, a VIP with Big Head and CR123 body, and a VIP with small head with 2AA body, both with bare aluminum twisty's. There is not a hour goes by that I don't use one of the VIP's, and sometimes several times an hour. I change out rechargeables in 2AA setup ever so often, and use the CR123 setup after bedtime, mostly in low mode.

Bill

Once a week the LC14270 gets charged from usage in the 3M|Mag that has the NG750BB TW0J. I swap the 2 batteries weekly but do carry the spare 310mAh with me in my coin pocket. Lately the 3M|Mag gets the most use of my EDCs.

The McLux.III.PD (also used nightly) I have since July has the original SF123 that came with it and is still running.—Thanks to the 2-stage switching, I think. . .

The other is the MagHID which I use on a nightly basis for just under two (2) hours, therefore the batteries are recharged daily.

You might check out this poll: How much do you use a flashlight a week?

-LT