Posted: 2/11/2010 4:11:50 AM EDT
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Has anyone heard about this? I have a ton of Surefire lithium batteries Id like to use when I purchase this light, so is it going to blow up in my face? Who uses this light and what batteries do you use?
http://www.midwayusa.com/midwayusa/StaticPages/pdf/TechCharts/lithium_battery_warning.pdf |
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Quoted:
Has anyone heard about this? I have a ton of Surefire lithium batteries Id like to use when I purchase this light, so is it going to blow up in my face? Who uses this light and what batteries do you use? http://www.midwayusa.com/midwayusa/StaticPages/pdf/TechCharts/lithium_battery_warning.pdf use new batteries-never mix one half dead one with one brand new one and keep them out of temps above 140. |
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LOL I'm sure Surefire batteries were only left off because they are a competitor. FWIW, I've had some questionable performance from Sanyo batteries that I bought in bulk from Botach... I'll leave it up to you guys to fight over who's fault THAT is  But that wasn't exploding batteries, just poor shelf life and run time. |
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Quoted:
Has anyone heard about this? I have a ton of Surefire lithium batteries Id like to use when I purchase this light, so is it going to blow up in my face? Who uses this light and what batteries do you use? http://www.midwayusa.com/midwayusa/StaticPages/pdf/TechCharts/lithium_battery_warning.pdf Its a manufacturing issue with some of the cheaper Bulk Batteries. There've been a few other threads about it. IIRC the 2 chemicals in the battery are separated by a permeable membrane, in Cheap batts that membrane can be rubtured through rough handling, and if the chemicals mix they become reactive, and can KB a little bit . the one constant in ALL of the stories about the batteries going "Boomity" is that they are the cheap ones. I;ve Never heard of good quality batteries having that problem.
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Don't use shitty batteries. I know they are not as cheap as AA, but it isn't like they are $7 each any more either.
Besides, it isn't like you will have the TLR-1 on for extended periods of time. Most people don't use pistol lights to look for dropped contact lenses or look down the drain for a blockage. 
Stick to Surefire or Panasonic. Anything made in the USA or Japan should be safe. If it is chinese made, or from a strange asian company you never heard of, don't use them. The chemistries may not be totally safe. Besides, you want to be able to trust the batteries to have the 10 year shelf-life they are known for. Cheap chinese cells don't last 10 years in a drawer. That is not to say that SF or panasonic WON'T blow up, because they do, but they typically don't. If you have SF cells that blow in a normal, un-modified light like a TLR-1, I would expect SF to make things right even though it isn't their light. |
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Most 123A lithium cell explosions happen because one cell is weak, dying, or has a high internal impedance for some reason, and the other good cell tries to charge it, it heats up, resistance rises, and you get a runaway cycle until the flashlight vents. If it's a very strong airtight flashlight, it'll keep building up pressure until it explodes.
The good news is that most rail-mount pistol style lights with side-by-side battery arrangements, the rocker switches interrupt the current path between the batteries, unlike a more traditional flashlight design where they're all stacked up in a line in a tube. and the batteries are all in electrical contact with each other all the time. Also, BatteryStaion 123A's are U.S. made now. And there really are only a few lithium primary OEM's here in the states. It's not exactly a basement or garage operation. Just FYI. |
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Quoted:
Has anyone heard about this? I have a ton of Surefire lithium batteries Id like to use when I purchase this light, so is it going to blow up in my face? Who uses this light and what batteries do you use? http://www.midwayusa.com/midwayusa/StaticPages/pdf/TechCharts/lithium_battery_warning.pdf Of course they aren't going to recommend the competition... By the way, the SureFire batteries are made by Energizer. |