# Any love for the Harbor Freight “free” LED?



## xxo (Dec 5, 2017)

I am taking about the black anodized aluminum 9 LED/3 AAA light that you can get for free with a coupon from HF. I actually find these to be pretty useful for free - great for leaving someplace where you might occasionally need a little extra light or to give to the kids for Halloween, or this time of the year, for walking home from the bus stop, or maybe giving to a neighbor during a power outage.....if they get lost, stolen or destroyed, no big thing, they were free!



Found the vid on YT, it's not mine.

I have several of these and have found them to be fairly reliable, only one had a switch that was a little hinky, the rest work fine. The fact that light comes out of them when you press the reverse clicky tail switch is a big improvement over the typical old cheapo incandescent lights that needed to be shaken and/or slapped around to get them to light. These seem to be fairly splash or rain resistant and usually survive drops from waist level. They seem to put out about 20 lumens with fresh cells though the beam is floody and won't throw far at all. Comes with a little lanyard loop that allows the light to hang from a hook or maybe a thumb (too small for a wrist). The battery carrier works OK but these are always a potential problem and I doubt it will last as long as the rest of the light.

The biggest down side is that these are direct drive, so brightness tapers off continuously and runtime is short, particularly with the cheapo zinc chloride heavy duty batteries that they come with. I found that Eneloops work with these, though their lower internal resistance and greater ability to deliver current sometimes caused some flicker in the LEDs with Eneloops fresh off of the charger. Run time with standard AAA Eneloops to approximately 10% was about 3 ½ hrs, though I would have changed the batteries at around 1.5 hours when they were at roughly 30% brightness.

These are probably best with alkalines, which should give slightly longer runtimes than Eneloops with less worries about overdriving the LEDs. If you like free and don't mind zinc chloride cells, keep an eye out for the Harbor Freight coupon for a free brick of 24 Thunderbolt heavy duty cells that they run occasionally.

All in all, not a bad light for free.


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## pennzy (Dec 6, 2017)

I leave them all over the house , cars , work , as help for my aging eyes . FYI , they fit perfectly in the exhaust port of a Porter Cable circular saw . Helps see the cut line but saw dust covers them up fast so only good for one cut and it has to be cleaned .


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## bykfixer (Dec 6, 2017)

I hang lights like that on nails beside windows. In lights out times I know about where windows are located and that a "night light" is located there hidden behind the curtain.


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## iamlucky13 (Dec 6, 2017)

Frankly, I don't bother.

You can't complain about the performance given the price, even if you didn't get it free as a Harbor Freight promotion. I think Home Depot had similar lights in a 10 pack for $10 recently - I don't have a clue how they make them for such low cost, and that alone does give them a certain charm to me.

If I had nothing better, or even if I could afford 3-4 decent lights, I'd be totally fine with spending $1-2 on something like this just to have backup lights that will probably work if needed to stash in various places.

Since I've got a sufficient supply of decent lights, however, collecting these would just add to my clutter, so I just ignore the coupons.


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## Tejasandre (Dec 6, 2017)

I don’t bother either. They fail so quickly,it’s a frustrating waste of time.


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## xxo (Dec 7, 2017)

iamlucky13 said:


> Frankly, I don't bother.
> 
> You can't complain about the performance given the price, even if you didn't get it free as a Harbor Freight promotion. I think Home Depot had similar lights in a 10 pack for $10 recently - I don't have a clue how they make them for such low cost, and that alone does give them a certain charm to me.
> 
> ...




I would much rather spend the $10 on a 2AA Rayovac Indestructible than a 10 pack of these things. 

Just to be clear, I'm not saying that these free lights don't suck, compared to most of the LEDs most of us already own, they suck bad! I'm just saying that I have found some uses for the ones that I picked up for free w/coupon at harbor freight and they do work, at least for a while, and can be somewhat useful.


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## xxo (Dec 7, 2017)

Tejasandre said:


> I don’t bother either. They fail so quickly,it’s a frustrating waste of time.





Tejasandre, I am curious, how did they fail?


Thanks!


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## markr6 (Dec 7, 2017)

Everyone loves free, but this is a situation where I can spend a little more and get a whole lot extra. In this case better cell arrangement, tint, output, modes, quality, size, the list goes on.


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## Tejasandre (Dec 7, 2017)

xxo said:


> Tejasandre, I am curious, how did they fail?
> 
> 
> Thanks!



Being a free light , there’s not much diagnostic, but usually a couple leds quit , then all.


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## xxo (Dec 7, 2017)

Tejasandre said:


> Being a free light , there’s not much diagnostic, but usually a couple leds quit , then all.


Thanks. 


I have one with a single LED that died, probably form running it with eneloops which over drove the LEDs causing them to over heat, which is not surprising considering these are direct drive w/o even a resistor and that their is no real heat sink.


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## Tejasandre (Dec 7, 2017)

xxo said:


> Thanks.
> 
> 
> I have one with a single LED that died, probably form running it with eneloops which over drove the LEDs causing them to over heat, which is not surprising considering these are direct drive w/o even a resistor and that their is no real heat sink.



Aren’t eneloops 1.2 vs standard 1.5?


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## iamlucky13 (Dec 7, 2017)

xxo said:


> I would much rather spend the $10 on a 2AA Rayovac Indestructible than a 10 pack of these things.
> 
> Just to be clear, I'm not saying that these free lights don't suck, compared to most of the LEDs most of us already own, they suck bad! I'm just saying that I have found some uses for the ones that I picked up for free w/coupon at harbor freight and they do work, at least for a while, and can be somewhat useful.



Yep, I get what you're saying, and it does make sense. My own perspective is that with enough decent lights to keep one in most rooms of the house, plus the car, these end up becoming clutter for me. If I had fewer lights, I'd go ahead and use the coupons, or even possibly pay $1-2 to make sure I had enough lights stashed around the house for convenience.

So it's not that I avoid them. They even often show up in the toolboxes at work (or something comparable to the HF version). Of course I use them there if I don't have my personal light on me.


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## iamlucky13 (Dec 7, 2017)

Tejasandre said:


> Aren’t eneloops 1.2 vs standard 1.5?



Roughly yes, but it's more complicated than that.

Typically you'll see both alkaline and the zinc carbon (aka zinc chloride or "heavy duty" - a term that was outdated even once alkalines were invented) batteries start around 1.55V, drop initially to 1.4V before slowing down, and decline continuously in voltage until the batteries are pretty much depleted around 1V.

NiMH will usually be around 1.4V fully charged. That initially drops off a bit more quickly than alkalines, but then stays around 1.2V for most of their discharge cycle, with a relatively sudden dropoff at the end.

Most notably though, good NiMH batteries can stay close to that performance up to around 1 Amp for an AAA cell. Alkaline AAA's are performing poorly in many applications even at 200 mA, and at that level their voltage actually sages lower than Eneloops even when they're 3/4 full.

Zinc carbon batteries like Harbor Freight is apparently providing with these lights do even worse than alkalines. At a mere 100ma, the zinc-carbon battery voltage sags below that of the Eneloop almost immediately, so the Eneloop is likely to drive the light harder and keep it there far longer than the zinc carbon

Given how cheaply made these lights are, there's a good chance that not only are the LED's over driven on fresh batteries, but also that there is a lot of variation in the individual LED's. That means one out of the cluster of LED's is likely to be more over driven than the others. Since the Eneloops will maintain that state much longer, they'll kill it much faster. Also in parallel LED arrangements, once one goes, there's a chance the others might quickly follow suit.


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## xxo (Dec 7, 2017)

iamlucky13 said:


> Roughly yes, but it's more complicated than that.
> 
> Typically you'll see both alkaline and the zinc carbon (aka zinc chloride or "heavy duty" - a term that was outdated even once alkalines were invented) batteries start around 1.55V, drop initially to 1.4V before slowing down, and decline continuously in voltage until the batteries are pretty much depleted around 1V.
> 
> ...




All of that plus internal resistance of the cells plays a part as well - NiMH have much lower internal resistance. With 3 cells in series the internal resistance stacks up and work like a resistor, limiting current to the LEDs somewhat (this is one of the reasons they can sort of get away with no resistor built into the light).


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## bykfixer (Dec 8, 2017)

I've had some 4 or 5 hanging around the house for a few years now. About the only time they get used is when I test them to ensure they work a few times a year. They're like a fire extinguisher... for emergency only. In this case to provide light long enough to find a better light or a candle.


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## Lynx_Arc (Dec 8, 2017)

The price of these lights are about what they are worth to the serious flashaholic IMO. Most of us who have been buying flashlights for the last 5-10 years are pretty much unimpressed by 5mm based lighting and see it only has limited usefulness these days being quickly replaced mostly by COB, and SMD chips and even Chinese Cree clone emitters. Instead of messing with free 3AAA lights I would spend $1 - $2 on 1AA LED lights with Cree clone emitters. There really is no need for underpowered 3AAA LED lights these days at all.


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## dgbrookman (Dec 9, 2017)

At one time I had a bunch of 3AAA LED lights because they were cheap and I didn't know any better. (Now I know better thanks in no small part to CPF.) But then I realized, why use 3 batteries when you can use one? Nowadays there are lots and lots of $2-3 lights that run on 1AA and are decent enough, at least compared to your typical 3AAA cheapie. My feeling is that using 3AAA not only is inconvenient but also creates more possible failure points. There are the cells themselves, but also how good contact they make with each other.

Bottom line is that while I haven't thrown away my 3AAA lights (being a pack rat) I wouldn't take another one even if it was free.


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## xxo (Dec 9, 2017)

Lynx_Arc said:


> The price of these lights are about what they are worth to the serious flashaholic IMO. Most of us who have been buying flashlights for the last 5-10 years are pretty much unimpressed by 5mm based lighting and see it only has limited usefulness these days being quickly replaced mostly by COB, and SMD chips and even Chinese Cree clone emitters. Instead of messing with free 3AAA lights I would spend $1 - $2 on 1AA LED lights with Cree clone emitters. There really is no need for underpowered 3AAA LED lights these days at all.




Sounds good, I didn't know that decent 1AA lights could be had for $2-$3.


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## ZMZ67 (Dec 10, 2017)

No love from me. I like bargains but they are just too cheap AFAIAC.


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## Lynx_Arc (Dec 10, 2017)

xxo said:


> Sounds good, I didn't know that decent 1AA lights could be had for $2-$3.


They can be had if you want to buy them on Ebay and other direct from China type sites. 
I have a AA zoomie that takes 14500s and has 2 modes + strobe and a AA with an optic lens that comes in a few metallic colors that isn't bad but I like the 18650 ebay cheapies I have that cost $3-$5 more than 1AA lights.


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## snakebite (Dec 13, 2017)

i am sure everyone here has these things around.this mod SHOULD be doable to most 9 led 3aaa light.
start by punching the board,lense,reflector out from the inside.i do it on a carpeted bench with a 3/4” extension.
the big end fits fine.lens down on the carpeted surface and tap it out.save lens for some other project as it is not used.
replace leds with the ebay hi cri 5mm i pointed out.their vf is perfect for dd.
i fold neg of 2-3 leds over board edge.do what it takes to get a very snug fit.
now sand the paint from the id of the led end of tube.
press led/reflector assy in leaving it protrude about 3/8”.
check fit of your flattop unprotected 18650.
ok?all leds work?
set board/reflector straight in the tube so it looks even.run bead of medium ca all the way around.let it wick into the space and zip kicker it.give it a spritz inside so no ca runs through.
roll up your strip of cardboard/whatever spacer you like.
you now have a rather odd looking but very good 18650 light for cheap.
optional step.
a bead of jb kwik around the board edge inside to dump heat to the tube and reinforce a bit.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/F5-5MM-5mm...hash=item1eb5bb5eb2:m:mqitzfw2cxmuAlHkRHuxpkA


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## Lynx_Arc (Dec 13, 2017)

snakebite said:


> i am sure everyone here has these things around.this mod SHOULD be doable to most 9 led 3aaa light.
> start by punching the board,lense,reflector out from the inside.i do it on a carpeted bench with a 3/4” extension.
> the big end fits fine.lens down on the carpeted surface and tap it out.save lens for some other project as it is not used.
> replace leds with the ebay hi cri 5mm i pointed out.their vf is perfect for dd.
> ...


A lot of work when you can just buy a cheap 18650 LED light for about $4 with 3 modes or maybe $5 for one with 5 modes and a chinese cree clone emitter that gives you a better beam than a handful of 5mm LEDs.


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## bykfixer (Dec 13, 2017)

Remember Lynx... we're people who end up spending $100 to upgrade a Maglite...


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## snakebite (Dec 13, 2017)

its all about making something decent out of nothing.
these mods work well and cost so little to do that they are of no concern if lost,dropped overboard,ect.
you wont convince my neighbors that they are not worth having.
there are 16 of these in use around just my block.
6 day power failures and folks lighting a whole room with good color rendering then opportunity charging the laptop pulls in their cars in the morning say otherwise.
i have an army of coupon users steadily acquiring more all the time.and even teenagers getting in on the builds on the weekend cookouts/get togethers.got a few hooked early.
a few may be registered on blf and here now.


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## Lynx_Arc (Dec 14, 2017)

bykfixer said:


> Remember Lynx... we're people who end up spending $100 to upgrade a Maglite...



I see that less often these days than in the early days of Luxeon 1 and III LEDs. I've done the upgrading bit but it was for incan lights that I liked to LED use and none of these lights have been used in over a decade now. I have a 2D Rayovac Roughneck that I modded to accept a Mag LED dropin that has Energizer batteries dated 2004 still sitting here I turn it on once a year and no leaks and it works fine but in a power outage I never grab it at all.


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