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This is long but the pictures are a wake up call.
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I apologize if this is old news.
Click me for link
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An interesting read for you high power flashlight owners or 123 batteries go boom!
- Thread starter T. Erdelyi
- Start date
T. Erdelyi said:
When you draw lots of current from a battery, it gets hot. While riding in my friends Corvette, I thought he accidentally turned on the heated seats. A couple of minutes later we got out and everything was fine. Then my side started getting warm. Then it got warm to the point it was uncomfortable.
Turns out the tail cap had twisted on my SureFire in the belt pouch and it had been on maybe 10 minutes. Well I grabbed it to turn it off and it damn near put blisters on my fingers. That b!tch was HOT! That little E2 really doesn't dissipate heat very well.
Be careful!
Gollnick
Musical Director
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- Mar 22, 1999
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I haven't read the whole 20-page thread.
The guy says, "So far the only 123 bands I used were Surefire, Duracell, Energizer and DP. If I did mixed the band, it will be among these four bands."
Surefire, Duracell, and Energizer CR123 batteries are all made by the same OEM on the same line at the same factory. They are the same battery.
Mixing brands or chemistry shouldn't be a problem when the light is off. No current is flowing. Nothing will happen.
Obviously, there was a circuit here. Current was flowing... and lots of it. Something inside the flashlight malfunctioned creating that circuit.
But, even so, it is my understanding that good CR123s have an internal fuse.
There was a CPSC recall a year or so ago of some Chinese-made CR123s. They had the GE, Sanyo, and -- as I recall -- Target House Brand names on them in the US. The Chinese manufacturer had left the fuse out to cut cost. The chemistry they'd used was also particularly agressive and these things would explode. The chemicals inside would also attack an insulator inside the battery (the Chinese manufacturer had changed materials as a cost savings too) creating an internal short with resulting explosion.
The guy says, "So far the only 123 bands I used were Surefire, Duracell, Energizer and DP. If I did mixed the band, it will be among these four bands."
Surefire, Duracell, and Energizer CR123 batteries are all made by the same OEM on the same line at the same factory. They are the same battery.
Mixing brands or chemistry shouldn't be a problem when the light is off. No current is flowing. Nothing will happen.
Obviously, there was a circuit here. Current was flowing... and lots of it. Something inside the flashlight malfunctioned creating that circuit.
But, even so, it is my understanding that good CR123s have an internal fuse.
There was a CPSC recall a year or so ago of some Chinese-made CR123s. They had the GE, Sanyo, and -- as I recall -- Target House Brand names on them in the US. The Chinese manufacturer had left the fuse out to cut cost. The chemistry they'd used was also particularly agressive and these things would explode. The chemicals inside would also attack an insulator inside the battery (the Chinese manufacturer had changed materials as a cost savings too) creating an internal short with resulting explosion.
Gollnick
Musical Director
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- Mar 22, 1999
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Probably a change to the die for cosmetics. Believe me, there's only one factory in the US doing Lithium pen-cell batteries. AAA, AA, C, D, 123, if they're American-made they all come from that same factory and they're all pretty much the same.
dano
Gold Member
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- Oct 3, 1998
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Nope...Duracell, Energizer, SF-123's aren't made at the same place.
There's four North American lithium battery producers: Ballard Battery Systems, Battery Engineering Inc. (BEI), Power Conversion Inc., and SAFT America Inc. (Valdese).
Don't use off shore, Chinese, Taiwanese made cells. They have no internal protections, and their quality control is dubious. Of the few first hand accounts I have w/exploding lights, all were uising cheap no-name off-shore cells, mainly bought off Ebay.
Name brand only: Duracell, Ray-o-Vac. Energizer's aren't that good.
Private label: Streamlight. I've had several DOA SF-123's and don't use them, any more.
Here's a good CPF link:
123-Battery shootout
--dan
There's four North American lithium battery producers: Ballard Battery Systems, Battery Engineering Inc. (BEI), Power Conversion Inc., and SAFT America Inc. (Valdese).
Don't use off shore, Chinese, Taiwanese made cells. They have no internal protections, and their quality control is dubious. Of the few first hand accounts I have w/exploding lights, all were uising cheap no-name off-shore cells, mainly bought off Ebay.
Name brand only: Duracell, Ray-o-Vac. Energizer's aren't that good.
Private label: Streamlight. I've had several DOA SF-123's and don't use them, any more.
Here's a good CPF link:
123-Battery shootout
--dan
with good batts (ie surefire, duracell, energizer) i doubt very seriously if ya would have a problem. i never have and i edc 1 SF or another daily and have for 3-4 yrs now.
was carrying a Z3 in my back pocket driving and it came on and melted the lens, burned the seat, the angle it was at it didnt burn me, SF replaced the lens and i replaced the seat cover lol.never felt it get hot nor smelled anything, ya gotta watch that. thank goodness i wasnt in my vette i woulda had a fit.
also be sure to use the weaponlite batts on weapon light surefires, had an M3 on my colt M4 and after firing about 10 rounds the lite wouldnt work, thought it had blown a bulb, but the batts had "broken up" into small disc like chunks, 3 batts were now about 12-15 chunks, so the weapon lite batts are a must, esp if they do this after only a few rounds on 5.56MM, hate to think what a 12 gauge would do to them, they wouldnt last for sure. i thought SF saying that the weapon batts were neccesary was a marketing ploy, its not lol.
was carrying a Z3 in my back pocket driving and it came on and melted the lens, burned the seat, the angle it was at it didnt burn me, SF replaced the lens and i replaced the seat cover lol.never felt it get hot nor smelled anything, ya gotta watch that. thank goodness i wasnt in my vette i woulda had a fit.
also be sure to use the weaponlite batts on weapon light surefires, had an M3 on my colt M4 and after firing about 10 rounds the lite wouldnt work, thought it had blown a bulb, but the batts had "broken up" into small disc like chunks, 3 batts were now about 12-15 chunks, so the weapon lite batts are a must, esp if they do this after only a few rounds on 5.56MM, hate to think what a 12 gauge would do to them, they wouldnt last for sure. i thought SF saying that the weapon batts were neccesary was a marketing ploy, its not lol.
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RY3 replied in a later post in that same thread that "one of the explored batteries is a SF as you can recognize it from the label". All my regular 123 batts are Surefire. 
Hope this is an isolated and freak incident.
Hope this is an isolated and freak incident.I am a cpf'er .. and the thing is not to run rechargable lithium ion rcr123's in series.. if one is just a tad off on voltage .. the other will reverse charge and pull 10 amps and vent and explode.. so either go with a single cell lke pila that are the same deminsion as 2 cr123's.. or only run single cell lights.. always put 2 or 3 fresh cells in at one time.. do not mix batteries old and new.. hope this helps..
~Jeff
~Jeff
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My spare batteries are in a sealed container, apart from avoiding arriving in the wilderness and finding that all the spares have gone flat, I had one warm up in my pocket amongst my loose change and wont want to repeat that experience. We all take batteries for granted and ignore the warnings on the package.
My youngest chose to use my spare Energiser 2x D cell torch (using Everreadys) in the bath. He didnt bother to tell me and later that evening some of the water closed the circuit and about 1am the head of the torch parted ways with a dull thump next to my bed. I was not impressed having being burgled the week before.
Until both battery and torch manufactures can come up with superconducting equipment that is affordable, the formula is simple. Allow the current to flow and there is a heat build up/wastage from resistance. In the better makes this is too small to worry about or dissipates quickly so that even under high load it only gets warm. The moment you apply an excessively high load to a juiced up battery and there is no way for that heat to dissipate this raises the resistance further in a cumulative feedback pop. Metallic torches have a far lower likely hood of popping than plastic/rubber ones as they shed heat quickly (unless in the back trouser pocket insulated by the car seat and your butt).
I have stuck to Maglite with Duracell for home and whilst travelling by plane and staying in exotic places (places I would only visit when being paid) I use a Mini Maglite 2xAA the Energiser Titanium (expensive). Putting my Solitare on Titanium has made a big improvement. I have got the kids their own waterproof Energiser Torches and they use the plain Grancell rechargeables or I would have a serious financial burden. I check the batteries and torches every week and swap out tired ones from the stock that I pick up on promotions. I can find no viable reason to mix and match batteries (increasing risk) when you usually want performance and old batteries are needed in the kids toys/clocks
PS tell your kids that button cells explode if they try to recharge them using the mains.
PPS tell them it also causes turns the house off.
PPPS tell them it also upsets Dad.
My youngest chose to use my spare Energiser 2x D cell torch (using Everreadys) in the bath. He didnt bother to tell me and later that evening some of the water closed the circuit and about 1am the head of the torch parted ways with a dull thump next to my bed. I was not impressed having being burgled the week before.
Until both battery and torch manufactures can come up with superconducting equipment that is affordable, the formula is simple. Allow the current to flow and there is a heat build up/wastage from resistance. In the better makes this is too small to worry about or dissipates quickly so that even under high load it only gets warm. The moment you apply an excessively high load to a juiced up battery and there is no way for that heat to dissipate this raises the resistance further in a cumulative feedback pop. Metallic torches have a far lower likely hood of popping than plastic/rubber ones as they shed heat quickly (unless in the back trouser pocket insulated by the car seat and your butt).
I have stuck to Maglite with Duracell for home and whilst travelling by plane and staying in exotic places (places I would only visit when being paid) I use a Mini Maglite 2xAA the Energiser Titanium (expensive). Putting my Solitare on Titanium has made a big improvement. I have got the kids their own waterproof Energiser Torches and they use the plain Grancell rechargeables or I would have a serious financial burden. I check the batteries and torches every week and swap out tired ones from the stock that I pick up on promotions. I can find no viable reason to mix and match batteries (increasing risk) when you usually want performance and old batteries are needed in the kids toys/clocks
PS tell your kids that button cells explode if they try to recharge them using the mains.
PPS tell them it also causes turns the house off.
PPPS tell them it also upsets Dad.
That SureFire battery that was meant to have exploded - I don't actually think it was a SureFire battery - the owner is not convinced.
One of the batteries was a SureFire. The other one (that exploded) doesn't appear to be the same based on the more detailed photos I've seen including these two:
It was a case of mixing old/new and different branded batteries - very bad idea.
Al
One of the batteries was a SureFire. The other one (that exploded) doesn't appear to be the same based on the more detailed photos I've seen including these two:
It was a case of mixing old/new and different branded batteries - very bad idea.
Al
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interesting. I have an SF G2, and even though it's a plastic body it can get hot. The tailcap got twisted on in its sheath one day (how, I'll never know) and when I put my arm down to my side I felt an uncomfortable warmth. Just beginning to get really hot but not hot enough to burn me or do any damage to the lense. It did drain the batteries pretty good so it must have been on for some time (I use the 120 lumen P61 lamp). It got hot, but nothing really happened and I doubt it would. This was using Surefire batteries.
Aside from SF batteries, I've used Energizer and Duracell.
Aside from SF batteries, I've used Energizer and Duracell.
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Interesting thread, guys. Thank you.