My mother!

[Chippy_boy]

I am very new to this flashlight lark, but find it interesting and have already bought a few lights. But here's my issue/concern:

One of the lights I own is Fenix E35, a 2 x CR123 light. I really like it and the quality seems really high. I happened to be using it just before Christmas and my mother - who is 80 - said she needed a new flashlight and would like one for Christmas, so I bought her an E35 and a box of 10 CR123's to go with it.

i had thought that whereas Lithium secondaries could be dangerous if used improperly, lithium primaries were much safer, with little or no risk. I now read that they are potentially even more dangerous and especially in 2 cell serial combinations like the E35!

i cannot be certain that my mum will never insert a cell the wrong way, or replace cells with one partially flat one, or other such error. She is old and eyesight is not great and I just can't risk it. I do not want to risk her getting injured or burning the house down.

Please can anyone suggest something similar - an EDC of many 200 lumens or more, that uses one or two AA's, or perhaps single CR123? Budget around the same price of an E35.

Thanks

 

[blah9]

Maybe the Fenix E25 would work?

 

[RetroTechie]

i cannot be certain that my mum will never insert a cell the wrong way, or replace cells with one partially flat one, or other such error.

Good chance that E35 is the only CR123A powered device in the house, right? If so, just tell your mum that if she replaces batteries, to throw out the depleted ones and NOT EVER try to use them again. Make sure there's a 'dump bin' set up somewhere so she won't be tempted to put depleted batteries back into the box they came from. That way there won't be half depleted cells lingering around.

The replacements should have closely matched capacities (since same brand / source, you did buy a decent brand right?) and therefore the cell reversal problem shouldn't be an issue. You could go through that box w/ batteries some time to check how voltages match up.

If both cells are placed in the wrong way, the light's reverse polarity protected should kick in. Can't find it, but I can't imagine a light like the Fenix E35 doesn't have this. You could try to make sure. If one cell is placed in the wrong way, voltages cancel each other out, the light sees ~0V (if the batteries make contact at all), and nothing will happen. Other options:

* Use safe chemistry 18650's (LiFePO4​ or IMR cells), a quality charger, and give charger a fixed location somewhere fireproof (metal kitchen top comes to mind, or a protective charging bag for example).
* Drill some holes in the light :scowl: (tailcap?), and put some sticky tape over them to prevent water entry. Would make explosion danger go away, and make vent-with-flame events very unlikely (if such a rare event occurs in the first place).

As long as you supply your mum with good brand replacement CR123A's, and keep an eye out where the empty ones are going, or go for safe chemistry 18650 + reliable charger setup, I don't think there's any point to ditch that E35 for safety reasons.

 

[mcnair55]

Nip down to your local store and buy her a AA cell light or plenty of vendors selling them on here.The Anoraks will scare you to worry give them half a chance.Personally i would not worry about the E35 and carry on running it with 2 c123 batteries and avoid 18650 batteries,keep it simple for her.

 

[Chippy_boy]

Thanks for your advice guys. I read the "flashlight explosion" thread in horror and it kind of spooked me a bit.

Is there any danger of running the CR123s until they are dead flat? I am tempted to tell my mum to just use the light but never change the batteries and I can do that for her when I visit. Incidentally, the cells are Nitecore branded. Is that any good? Or should I dump them and replace with Duracell or Varta perhaps?

 

[StarHalo]

Way too much time and effort for a senior's light; replace it with something 1x or 2xAA that's single mode, a battery she's already familiar with and won't require safety training, in a flashlight she already knows how to operate. Older folk simply don't use devices they don't know how to operate, so don't waste your money on complex flashaholic hardware that will just get stuck in a drawer eternally.

The MiniMag PRO comes to mind; 225 lumens for older eyes, 2xAA single mode that turns on and off like every other flashlight she's ever used, twenty bucks at most stores near you.

 

[Chippy_boy]

Way too much time and effort for a senior's light; replace it with something 1x or 2xAA that's single mode, a battery she's already familiar with and won't require safety training, in a flashlight she already knows how to operate. Older folk simply don't use devices they don't know how to operate, so don't waste your money on complex flashaholic hardware that will just get stuck in a drawer eternally.

The MiniMag PRO comes to mind; 225 lumens for older eyes, 2xAA single mode that turns on and off like every other flashlight she's ever used, twenty bucks at most stores near you.

The E35 is hardly "complex flashaholic hardware", is it? It only has 1 button on it. You turn it on by pressing and holding the button and turn it off by doing the same. My mother is a technophobe, but even she can manage that! As for being unused, it sits on her bedside table and since Christmas, she says she has used it a lot.

i had thought it was perfect until I found out CR123's are not as safe as I had at first thought.

Thanks for your thoughts though.

 

[Lun@ticFringe]

I'm pretty sure you're mom didn't make it to 80 without a considerable amount of common sense and the ability to learn. Just explain the importance of proper battery replacement and the negitive results if done incorrectly (without making it seem overly frightening and dangeous). Maybe even paint arrows on the batteries to indicate which way to insert them and make sure she knows only the replace both battery's every time with two new ones and she will be fine.

 

[StarHalo]

Most seniors have never seen a 123 battery, and if their local store does happen to carry them, they usually sell for around $10 a pair. Faced with this price tag, they'll probably opt instead for the $8 2-pack of Eveready flashlights [with batteries] right there on the shelf.

Keep it simple, or they won't keep it.

 

[FlashKat]

Get her a Zebralight SC52