Looking for a Rechargeable, car mountable, emergency/work light

smills1840

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Nov 24, 2013
Messages
5
I tow cars with my truck/trailer pretty often. I also work on cars, jump start cars, etc. and find myself using my cell phone flash light more than I'd like. However, day-to-day, I don't need a flashlight on my person at all times, and I would rather not have to think about the light until I need it.

I'm looking for a rechargeable light that uses a charging base that I can mount in my truck center console. I'm not particularly picky with the output. I've used Olight s20r and s30r in the past when my job required my to have a light on my belt all the time, so I'm familiar with enthusiast grade lights.

My main concern is being able to leave the light on the charger for 6 months straight, and then pull it off only when I need it. Also, a magnetic tail cap would be great for car work. I was looking at the Olight R50 Pro Seeker LE, but saw reports of batteries dying when left on the charger for more than a couple weeks.

Any ideas? Thanks!
 

Poppy

Flashaholic
Joined
Dec 20, 2012
Messages
8,359
Location
Northern New Jersey
I'm thinking that if your cell phone light is sufficient for your needs that just about ANY 18650 light would work for you (except dedicated throwers). Considering that a LiIon cell will hold a charge for a long time... months, you should get hours of service without a charge. And depending upon how long you run it, and how often, you may only need to top it off once in a while.
One of the things that will cause a LiIon cell to deteriorate is keeping it at 100% charge. Another is heat.

Personally I rarely charge my cell phone over 80%, and rarely does it go below 50%.
The batteries for my lights I typically fully charge and top them off after use, and before a camping trip. 18650 cells are easily replaceable, especially when compared to smart phone batteries.

I'd suggest that you get a usb rechargeable light, and leave it OFF charge. Then after you have used it a bit, top it off. If you are going out on a call, you might want to top it off on the way.

I think MagLite, and streamlight have lights that sit in a charging cradle in a car/truck. If so... I don' t know how well they hold up to constant charging.
 
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