# Stanley HID Spotlight. Won't shine



## tranger2 (Aug 8, 2013)

I have had this light for about a year and use if infrequently. I went to use it the other night and the battery had run down so I put it on the charger. The next day I had a green light showing a full charge. Now when I pull the trigger, the light blinks green one time and changes to a red blinking light with no light output. The button on the top will turn on the three lights on the top. Any idea what my problem could be?


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## BVH (Aug 8, 2013)

98% sure the battery is dead. Plenty of juice to light the leds but not for the high amp starting circuit. Did you try to light it with the DC cigarette cord?


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## tranger2 (Aug 9, 2013)

BVH said:


> 98% sure the battery is dead. Plenty of juice to light the leds but not for the high amp starting circuit. Did you try to light it with the DC cigarette cord?



Will try that and let you know....thanks.


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## tranger2 (Aug 9, 2013)

tranger2 said:


> Will try that and let you know....thanks.



BTW, shouldn't a battery last a year? I bet I didn't charge it 10 times.....


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## FRITZHID (Aug 10, 2013)

I agree with bvh, 98% sure your battery is shot. It's been a common problem with that particular light, it has a parasitic drain issue
If you put it away UN-charged, leave it on a concrete floor, or otherwise don't maintain it, the SLA will sulfide and no longer hold a charge, not to mention you really have no way to tell how long it sat on a stock room shelf.
SLA batteries need to be kept up. I charge mine once a month even if I don't use it, I've had mine for over 3yrs now and it hasn't failed me.


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## tranger2 (Aug 10, 2013)

FRITZHID said:


> I agree with bvh, 98% sure your battery is shot. It's been a common problem with that particular light, it has a parasitic drain issue
> If you put it away UN-charged, leave it on a concrete floor, or otherwise don't maintain it, the SLA will sulfide and no longer hold a charge, not to mention you really have no way to tell how long it sat on a stock room shelf.
> SLA batteries need to be kept up. I charge mine once a month even if I don't use it, I've had mine for over 3yrs now and it hasn't failed me.



I live in a rural area with lots of deer, bobcats, coyotes and I'm always looking for bigfoot. I have huge windows in my living room that faces the back of the property. I have about 130 yards of yard and surrounded by trees. I want a spotlight that I can see the critters in the back. This is all the light is used for. I had a rechargeable light for years until it went bad. To replace the battery was about the same price as buying a new one. I thought buying an LED would make the battery last longer or give me a longer run time so I bought this one for about twice the money. It has been on a window sill and I have charged it no more than 10 times over a year period. Now it doesn't work and I am very disappointed. I think I paid between $50 and $75 dollars for it.

Any recommendation for a light to be used only as I've described. Usually, it is on for 10 seconds and when something is spotted, maybe a couple of minutes....any recommendation is appreciated. Thanks.


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## FRITZHID (Aug 10, 2013)

The light that just went bad is an LED? thought you said it was HID? 
An LED would last much longer but not near the power of hid, however, I'm sure the guys in the led forum would know of a easy, user friendly single cell lipo led flashlight (probably a ok lenser), that would work well for your needs, as far as hid goes, if it has a SLA batt, like the Stanly, just keep it on the charger, I do and haven't had any issues, built in batt monitor keeps it fresh but not over charged. I personally would replace the Stanly batt and then just leave it charging until I use it.


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## tranger2 (Aug 11, 2013)

FRITZHID said:


> The light that just went bad is an LED? thought you said it was HID?
> An LED would last much longer but not near the power of hid, however, I'm sure the guys in the led forum would know of a easy, user friendly single cell lipo led flashlight (probably a ok lenser), that would work well for your needs, as far as hid goes, if it has a SLA batt, like the Stanly, just keep it on the charger, I do and haven't had any issues, built in batt monitor keeps it fresh but not over charged. I personally would replace the Stanly batt and then just leave it charging until I use it.



You're correct, it is an HID. I don't know crap about this stuff. I used to have the old style flashlights (Sure Fire) and thought the LED's make the batteries last longer. I thought the HID's were just very bright LED's. Seeing the technical posts on this site which looks like greek to me, I'm sure I'm the dumbest one on here. 

I will replace the battery as suggested and keep it charged up. It is bright enough for what I am using it for. 

I have been spending hours reading this sight trying to find ideas for an everyday carry light. I am looking for one that fits comfortable in my pocket and uses AAA or AA batteries. I don't like the blue looking beams from some of the LED's, and like the whiter color. I know this is not the right place to post this but was hoping someone could give an idiot some simple advice and I will move on......

Thanks for any help.


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## edgar (Aug 11, 2013)

on the small EDC note , i received my olight S10 and like it very much , small and bright !


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## AnAppleSnail (Aug 13, 2013)

HID is actually an arc lamp, where a bit of controlled lightning is used to make high-power light. Also, HID lamps usually have a long warmup time and shouldn't be clicked off/on rapidly. Presently, above the 30W power consumption, they're a bit more efficient than LEDs, and have higher potential for throw in a comparably sized device.

LEDs are getting more powerful and larger. The Stanley (Or Black and Decker, if you like red/black over yellow/black) 10W LED light is pretty good at reaching. So is the stock 2D Mag Lite Pro+. Check out the 'recommend me a light' forum, and be sure to fill out that checklist and state your charging preferences.

I like Eneloop NiMHs because you can almost ignore the self-discharge and other funny rechargeable characteristics. Usually you just stick in new ones when the old ones go out. I'd suggest swapping the batteries out weekly or monthly so that you have fresh ones. That little maintenance will save you the $$$$$$$$$ of in-built batteries.


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