User Panel
Posted: 10/30/2014 11:18:21 PM EDT
This would be a great match for my Brunton 5 watt solar panel. I haven't bought a light in over a year.
Fenix UC 35 |
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[#2]
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This would be a great match for my Brunton 5 watt solar panel. I haven't bought a light in over a year. Fenix UC 35 View Quote I'm a battery guy, so I stay away from lights that recharge cells/batteries internally. Just another point of failure and their charging schemes 'might not' be as robust as those found in well rendered dedicated charges. Plus, I'm wondering what base cell they might be using? They claim that it's good for high drain applications, but we don't have any 3200mAh IMR cells, or even even hybrids. LG makes their E1 3200mAh cells, but they're a 4.35v li-cobalt chemistry and while they can hold a higher voltage for a longer period of time, they're not the greatest for high-drain devices, which the PD35 is NOT, but just an observation. If you already have a decent li-ion charger, get the base PD35 and buy a bare Pannie 3400mAh NCR-B and save a few bucks. Chris |
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[#3]
Quoted:
I'm a battery guy, so I stay away from lights that recharge cells/batteries internally. Just another point of failure and their charging schemes 'might not' be as robust as those found in well rendered dedicated charges. Plus, I'm wondering what base cell they might be using? They claim that it's good for high drain applications, but we don't have any 3200mAh IMR cells, or even even hybrids. LG makes their E1 3200mAh cells, but they're a 4.35v li-cobalt chemistry and while they can hold a higher voltage for a longer period of time, they're not the greatest for high-drain devices, which the PD35 is NOT, but just an observation. If you already have a decent li-ion charger, get the base PD35 and buy a bare Pannie 3400mAh NCR-B and save a few bucks. Chris View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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This would be a great match for my Brunton 5 watt solar panel. I haven't bought a light in over a year. Fenix UC 35 I'm a battery guy, so I stay away from lights that recharge cells/batteries internally. Just another point of failure and their charging schemes 'might not' be as robust as those found in well rendered dedicated charges. Plus, I'm wondering what base cell they might be using? They claim that it's good for high drain applications, but we don't have any 3200mAh IMR cells, or even even hybrids. LG makes their E1 3200mAh cells, but they're a 4.35v li-cobalt chemistry and while they can hold a higher voltage for a longer period of time, they're not the greatest for high-drain devices, which the PD35 is NOT, but just an observation. If you already have a decent li-ion charger, get the base PD35 and buy a bare Pannie 3400mAh NCR-B and save a few bucks. Chris ^^^ This. I dont like self charging lights. |
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[#4]
Quoted:
I'm a battery guy, so I stay away from lights that recharge cells/batteries internally. Just another point of failure and their charging schemes 'might not' be as robust as those found in well rendered dedicated charges. Plus, I'm wondering what base cell they might be using? They claim that it's good for high drain applications, but we don't have any 3200mAh IMR cells, or even even hybrids. LG makes their E1 3200mAh cells, but they're a 4.35v li-cobalt chemistry and while they can hold a higher voltage for a longer period of time, they're not the greatest for high-drain devices, which the PD35 is NOT, but just an observation. If you already have a decent li-ion charger, get the base PD35 and buy a bare Pannie 3400mAh NCR-B and save a few bucks. Chris View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
Quoted:
This would be a great match for my Brunton 5 watt solar panel. I haven't bought a light in over a year. Fenix UC 35 I'm a battery guy, so I stay away from lights that recharge cells/batteries internally. Just another point of failure and their charging schemes 'might not' be as robust as those found in well rendered dedicated charges. Plus, I'm wondering what base cell they might be using? They claim that it's good for high drain applications, but we don't have any 3200mAh IMR cells, or even even hybrids. LG makes their E1 3200mAh cells, but they're a 4.35v li-cobalt chemistry and while they can hold a higher voltage for a longer period of time, they're not the greatest for high-drain devices, which the PD35 is NOT, but just an observation. If you already have a decent li-ion charger, get the base PD35 and buy a bare Pannie 3400mAh NCR-B and save a few bucks. Chris This light can take any lithium ion rechargeable or 123 primaries. It also makes a great travel light for me because I can charge it up on my phone charger. I can easily charge it with my fold up solar panel. This light has a lot going for it. Fenix has a long history with me and making great lights. I'm not going to walk away from a light because you say it "might" not have a robust charging circuit. If you have actual information to that effect please enlighten me. I'll let you know if it disappoints me. Don't hold your breath. |
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[#5]
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^^^ This. I dont like self charging lights. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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This would be a great match for my Brunton 5 watt solar panel. I haven't bought a light in over a year. Fenix UC 35 I'm a battery guy, so I stay away from lights that recharge cells/batteries internally. Just another point of failure and their charging schemes 'might not' be as robust as those found in well rendered dedicated charges. Plus, I'm wondering what base cell they might be using? They claim that it's good for high drain applications, but we don't have any 3200mAh IMR cells, or even even hybrids. LG makes their E1 3200mAh cells, but they're a 4.35v li-cobalt chemistry and while they can hold a higher voltage for a longer period of time, they're not the greatest for high-drain devices, which the PD35 is NOT, but just an observation. If you already have a decent li-ion charger, get the base PD35 and buy a bare Pannie 3400mAh NCR-B and save a few bucks. Chris ^^^ This. I dont like self charging lights. A light that self charges but uses non proprietary batteries is a new twist. I haven't been light shopping in a while but I can't think of any others in this class. |
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[#6]
damn. Just what I need. ANOTHER flashlight.
This one looks pretty dang good. I believe it will make a great stocking stuffer for Christmas. MY stocking, that is. |
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[#7]
Quoted: A light that self charges but uses non proprietary batteries is a new twist. I haven't been light shopping in a while but I can't think of any others in this class. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: This would be a great match for my Brunton 5 watt solar panel. I haven't bought a light in over a year. Fenix UC 35 I'm a battery guy, so I stay away from lights that recharge cells/batteries internally. Just another point of failure and their charging schemes 'might not' be as robust as those found in well rendered dedicated charges. Plus, I'm wondering what base cell they might be using? They claim that it's good for high drain applications, but we don't have any 3200mAh IMR cells, or even even hybrids. LG makes their E1 3200mAh cells, but they're a 4.35v li-cobalt chemistry and while they can hold a higher voltage for a longer period of time, they're not the greatest for high-drain devices, which the PD35 is NOT, but just an observation. If you already have a decent li-ion charger, get the base PD35 and buy a bare Pannie 3400mAh NCR-B and save a few bucks. Chris ^^^ This. I dont like self charging lights. A light that self charges but uses non proprietary batteries is a new twist. I haven't been light shopping in a while but I can't think of any others in this class. Ya did they even read about the light? |
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[#8]
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Ya did they even read about the light? View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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This would be a great match for my Brunton 5 watt solar panel. I haven't bought a light in over a year. Fenix UC 35 I'm a battery guy, so I stay away from lights that recharge cells/batteries internally. Just another point of failure and their charging schemes 'might not' be as robust as those found in well rendered dedicated charges. Plus, I'm wondering what base cell they might be using? They claim that it's good for high drain applications, but we don't have any 3200mAh IMR cells, or even even hybrids. LG makes their E1 3200mAh cells, but they're a 4.35v li-cobalt chemistry and while they can hold a higher voltage for a longer period of time, they're not the greatest for high-drain devices, which the PD35 is NOT, but just an observation. If you already have a decent li-ion charger, get the base PD35 and buy a bare Pannie 3400mAh NCR-B and save a few bucks. Chris ^^^ This. I dont like self charging lights. A light that self charges but uses non proprietary batteries is a new twist. I haven't been light shopping in a while but I can't think of any others in this class. Ya did they even read about the light? Not sure. I can charge in the light or use my stand alone charger. What's not to like? I'll have to buy a couple more 18650 |
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[#9]
Quoted:
Not sure. I can charge in the light or use my stand alone charger. What's not to like? I'll have to buy a couple more 18650 View Quote Why not just buy an Xtar USB charger and the standard Fenix PD35 light? You can use the charger with a laptop, car adapter, or your Brunton solar panel. Here's the question I would want to know: At what rate does the UC35 charge a cell up at? It's probably 500mA (or maybe less,) so that's a pretty low charging current for an 18650 li-ion and it will take hours to charge a fully depleted cell. On your solar charger, 4+ hours might be problematic. Also, how well does it charge up that 18650 cell? For people who are 'plug and play' oriented, that light might be a viable option. For those who are a bit more 'tech savvy,' it might be superfluous. We're all different. For the record, I own three Fenix lights: a P1D, a PD32 and an HL-30, so I'm a fan Chris |
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[#11]
USB adapted, 18650 powered lights will soon be the new standard.
No need for removing batteries, no stand alone chargers, no proprietary piles or connections. A light manufacturer who today does not produce 18650 driven lights will not be with the market much longer. Surefire has even caved in and started building an 18650 based light, now if they reduce the MSRP by about 50% that may be competitive again. |
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[#12]
Quoted:
Why not just buy an Xtar USB charger and the standard Fenix PD35 light? You can use the charger with a laptop, car adapter, or your Brunton solar panel. Here's the question I would want to know: At what rate does the UC35 charge a cell up at? It's probably 500mA (or maybe less,) so that's a pretty low charging current for an 18650 li-ion and it will take hours to charge a fully depleted cell. On your solar charger, 4+ hours might be problematic. Also, how well does it charge up that 18650 cell? For people who are 'plug and play' oriented, that light might be a viable option. For those who are a bit more 'tech savvy,' it might be superfluous. We're all different. For the record, I own three Fenix lights: a P1D, a PD32 and an HL-30, so I'm a fan Chris View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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Not sure. I can charge in the light or use my stand alone charger. What's not to like? I'll have to buy a couple more 18650 Why not just buy an Xtar USB charger and the standard Fenix PD35 light? You can use the charger with a laptop, car adapter, or your Brunton solar panel. Here's the question I would want to know: At what rate does the UC35 charge a cell up at? It's probably 500mA (or maybe less,) so that's a pretty low charging current for an 18650 li-ion and it will take hours to charge a fully depleted cell. On your solar charger, 4+ hours might be problematic. Also, how well does it charge up that 18650 cell? For people who are 'plug and play' oriented, that light might be a viable option. For those who are a bit more 'tech savvy,' it might be superfluous. We're all different. For the record, I own three Fenix lights: a P1D, a PD32 and an HL-30, so I'm a fan Chris I travel for a living. Do I really need more shit to carry? I'm not even going to start carrying my solar panel. I just think it's cool i could charge like that. 5 watts is 1 amp at 5 v. My phone and tablet chargers put out 1 amp. |
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[#13]
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[#14]
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[#15]
I contacted fenix about the charging rate. They will get back to me on Sunday.
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[#16]
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Just looks like the tail cap switch. Not sure. Does it have the micro usb port? View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes According to their website, all the UC series are charged via micro USB. I think I would prefer this light to have the on/off button near the emitter rather than on the tailcap. I might pick up the 40. I've got plenty of tailcap clicky lights, not so much with the traditional location. Might be a nice change. Oh yeah, once again you are making me spend my money on lights Batman! |
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[#17]
Quoted:
Why not just buy an Xtar USB charger and the standard Fenix PD35 light? You can use the charger with a laptop, car adapter, or your Brunton solar panel. Here's the question I would want to know: At what rate does the UC35 charge a cell up at? It's probably 500mA (or maybe less,) so that's a pretty low charging current for an 18650 li-ion and it will take hours to charge a fully depleted cell. On your solar charger, 4+ hours might be problematic. Also, how well does it charge up that 18650 cell? For people who are 'plug and play' oriented, that light might be a viable option. For those who are a bit more 'tech savvy,' it might be superfluous. We're all different. For the record, I own three Fenix lights: a P1D, a PD32 and an HL-30, so I'm a fan Chris View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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Not sure. I can charge in the light or use my stand alone charger. What's not to like? I'll have to buy a couple more 18650 Why not just buy an Xtar USB charger and the standard Fenix PD35 light? You can use the charger with a laptop, car adapter, or your Brunton solar panel. Here's the question I would want to know: At what rate does the UC35 charge a cell up at? It's probably 500mA (or maybe less,) so that's a pretty low charging current for an 18650 li-ion and it will take hours to charge a fully depleted cell. On your solar charger, 4+ hours might be problematic. Also, how well does it charge up that 18650 cell? For people who are 'plug and play' oriented, that light might be a viable option. For those who are a bit more 'tech savvy,' it might be superfluous. We're all different. For the record, I own three Fenix lights: a P1D, a PD32 and an HL-30, so I'm a fan Chris Do you take the batteries out of your phone to charge them? With +/- 12 hours of daylight, and a normal 1000ma charge adaptor I don't see a problem. If it is just drop in a freshh 18650 you have charged and move on. I have a micro USB cord in every vehicle I own and almost every room in the house, I can see it being very convenient, particularly so with typically long run times common in good lights. |
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[#18]
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According to their website, all the UC series are charged via micro USB. I think I would prefer this light to have the on/off button near the emitter rather than on the tailcap. I might pick up the 40. I've got plenty of tailcap clicky lights, not so much with the traditional location. Might be a nice change. Oh yeah, once again you are making me spend my money on lights Batman! View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
According to their website, all the UC series are charged via micro USB. I think I would prefer this light to have the on/off button near the emitter rather than on the tailcap. I might pick up the 40. I've got plenty of tailcap clicky lights, not so much with the traditional location. Might be a nice change. Oh yeah, once again you are making me spend my money on lights Batman! |
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[#19]
Quoted:
Quoted:
According to their website, all the UC series are charged via micro USB. I think I would prefer this light to have the on/off button near the emitter rather than on the tailcap. I might pick up the 40. I've got plenty of tailcap clicky lights, not so much with the traditional location. Might be a nice change. Oh yeah, once again you are making me spend my money on lights Batman! Just ordered the ultimate edition UC40. $75 bucks shipped after a $10 off coupon that popped up when I was on their site... |
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[#20]
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Do you take the batteries out of your phone to charge them? With +/- 12 hours of daylight, and a normal 1000ma charge adaptor I don't see a problem. If it is just drop in a freshh 18650 you have charged and move on. I have a micro USB cord in every vehicle I own and almost every room in the house, I can see it being very convenient, particularly so with typically long run times common in good lights. View Quote Cell phone and laptop manufacturers spend a lot of time, money and expertise getting their battery management systems correct so that they can charge up li-ion cells correctly. Like I said, rechargeable lights appeal to a segment of the hobby and I have no problem with you buying one and using it with your dozen micro USB chargers. For me, it's just another point of failure to break down and waterproofing might be another. All of my chargers are 12vdc and have car adapters, so I can use them in my car, or with my 60w 12v solar system that I put together in 2012. Chris |
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[#21]
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Cell phone and laptop manufacturers spend a lot of time, money and expertise getting their battery management systems correct so that they can charge up li-ion cells correctly. Like I said, rechargeable lights appeal to a segment of the hobby and I have no problem with you buying one and using it with your dozen micro USB chargers. For me, it's just another point of failure to break down and waterproofing might be another. All of my chargers are 12vdc and have car adapters, so I can use them in my car, or with my 60w 12v solar system that I put together in 2012. Chris View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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Do you take the batteries out of your phone to charge them? With +/- 12 hours of daylight, and a normal 1000ma charge adaptor I don't see a problem. If it is just drop in a freshh 18650 you have charged and move on. I have a micro USB cord in every vehicle I own and almost every room in the house, I can see it being very convenient, particularly so with typically long run times common in good lights. Cell phone and laptop manufacturers spend a lot of time, money and expertise getting their battery management systems correct so that they can charge up li-ion cells correctly. Like I said, rechargeable lights appeal to a segment of the hobby and I have no problem with you buying one and using it with your dozen micro USB chargers. For me, it's just another point of failure to break down and waterproofing might be another. All of my chargers are 12vdc and have car adapters, so I can use them in my car, or with my 60w 12v solar system that I put together in 2012. Chris Follow the link and read. It is not just the on board charging. |
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[#22]
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Follow the link and read. It is not just the on board charging. View Quote I know how the Fenix light works. Fenix isn't the only one who makes a rechargeable light. To their credit, they don't use a proprietary 'single task' battery/pack, like SureFire has used in the past. I also realize that if the charging scheme is rendered inoperable, or the charging cord is lost, you can unscrew the tailcap and insert another 18650 cell, so the light isn't useless, but then you'd possibly need a separate charger to charge up your cells. For people who don't own a regular charger, but rely solely on the light to do the charging, one is going to have to forego using the light when charging up depleted cells, for however long it takes the light to accomplish the task. You and others prefer this method and I'm fine with that. I just tried pointing out some of the potential issues with an 'all-in-one' solution. Jack of all trades... Chris |
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[#23]
Quoted:
I know how the Fenix light works. Fenix isn't the only one who makes a rechargeable light. To their credit, they don't use a proprietary 'single task' battery/pack, like SureFire has used in the past. I also realize that if the charging scheme is rendered inoperable, or the charging cord is lost, you can unscrew the tailcap and insert another 18650 cell, so the light isn't useless, but then you'd possibly need a separate charger to charge up your cells. For people who don't own a regular charger, but rely solely on the light to do the charging, one is going to have to forego using the light when charging up depleted cells, for however long it takes the light to accomplish the task. You and others prefer this method and I'm fine with that. I just tried pointing out some of the potential issues with an 'all-in-one' solution. Jack of all trades... Chris View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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Follow the link and read. It is not just the on board charging. I know how the Fenix light works. Fenix isn't the only one who makes a rechargeable light. To their credit, they don't use a proprietary 'single task' battery/pack, like SureFire has used in the past. I also realize that if the charging scheme is rendered inoperable, or the charging cord is lost, you can unscrew the tailcap and insert another 18650 cell, so the light isn't useless, but then you'd possibly need a separate charger to charge up your cells. For people who don't own a regular charger, but rely solely on the light to do the charging, one is going to have to forego using the light when charging up depleted cells, for however long it takes the light to accomplish the task. You and others prefer this method and I'm fine with that. I just tried pointing out some of the potential issues with an 'all-in-one' solution. Jack of all trades... Chris This is the first on board charging light I've ever been excited about. I usually avoid them like a plague. |
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[#24]
most of my nightcore lights have onboard chargers. they work well but i generally pull the batts occasional and cycle them on a good charger. the only issue i have seen with the onboard chargers is they tend to be very conservative and won't fully top off the battery. generally around 95%.
it has come in very handy on extended uses where i can plug the light into the truck during a break and extend the runtime vs just having a dead light. but i have 2 of each light with the exception of the tm-26. so i always have a good light ready. but i live and die by light out where we work. lots of bad terrain and no much light available. |
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[#25]
Quoted:
most of my nightcore lights have onboard chargers. they work well but i generally pull the batts occasional and cycle them on a good charger. the only issue i have seen with the onboard chargers is they tend to be very conservative and won't fully top off the battery. generally around 95%. it has come in very handy on extended uses where i can plug the light into the truck during a break and extend the runtime vs just having a dead light. but i have 2 of each light with the exception of the tm-26. so i always have a good light ready. but i live and die by light out where we work. lots of bad terrain and no much light available. View Quote If you look at their prices, the PD35 2014 is $70 shipped and the UC35 is $90 shipped, but it comes with a battery of unknown origin, so not quite a wash, but you're getting a good price on a light that charges up ubiquitous cells. Anyhow, I just bought a little DQG Tiny Triple (3 XP-G2 R5 4B NW LEDs) 26650 (has a sleeve for an 18650) li-ion light (my first) to fiddle around with. It's mostly a floodlight, but the 26650s offer a bit more capacity (some) than the 18650s and they're not much fatter. To each his own! Chris |
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[#26]
yea, i don't run questionable batteries, i tend to stick with the nitecore brand in mine due to price and they are decent cells.
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[#27]
USB adapted, 18650 powered lights will soon be the new standard.
No need for removing batteries, no stand alone chargers, no proprietary piles or connections. A light manufacturer who today does not produce 18650 driven lights will not be with the market much longer. Surefire has even caved in and started building an 18650 based light, now if they reduce the MSRP by about 50% that may be competitive again. ETA: I have no idea how this post got duplicated, but it is still true |
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[#28]
the only issue with rechargeable lights is waterproofing. even the best of them only make water resistant IMHO. rubber caps and covers tend to get lost or ripped off during any meaningful use.
for duty carry that is why i went with a non rechargeable srt7 and an external charger. my lights get soaked on a regular basis between weather and fire fighting. for normal use i agree it is damn handy to have. i ordered an hc-90 yesterday that battery junction had on sale. it will stay on my helmet plugged into a usb charger in my truck. |
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[#29]
Quoted:
the only issue with rechargeable lights is waterproofing. even the best of them only make water resistant IMHO. rubber caps and covers tend to get lost or ripped off during any meaningful use. for duty carry that is why i went with a non rechargeable srt7 and an external charger. my lights get soaked on a regular basis between weather and fire fighting. for normal use i agree it is damn handy to have. i ordered an hc-90 yesterday that battery junction had on sale. it will stay on my helmet plugged into a usb charger in my truck. View Quote Site claims ipx8 waterproofing even with the usb dust cover removed |
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[#30]
What would be great is if I could tap off of this flashlight's battery to charge a phone.
Has anyone got one of these Fenix lights yet? If so, I have a measurement question for you. |
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[#31]
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Site claims ipx8 waterproofing even with the usb dust cover removed View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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the only issue with rechargeable lights is waterproofing. even the best of them only make water resistant IMHO. rubber caps and covers tend to get lost or ripped off during any meaningful use. for duty carry that is why i went with a non rechargeable srt7 and an external charger. my lights get soaked on a regular basis between weather and fire fighting. for normal use i agree it is damn handy to have. i ordered an hc-90 yesterday that battery junction had on sale. it will stay on my helmet plugged into a usb charger in my truck. Site claims ipx8 waterproofing even with the usb dust cover removed that is physically impossible with current USB port designs. most are ipx6 with a cover in place. that claim makes me VERY skeptical. |
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[#32]
Beer slayer.
When you get the hang could you tell me what you think of it? I work in a very sandy environment. It gets into everything. Is the chat dust and sand resistant? Is the output slider sealed to keep out grit? I run a surefire minimus and it is a great light. However sand gets into the pivot point and is wearing it out. Give us a review? |
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[#33]
the slider is a plastic bar with a magnet built into it. it activates the actual switch sealed inside the housing. it should be pretty easy to clean it..
grit is bad on anything but i suspect this will be easy to clean if you stay on top of it. water intrusion is my biggest issue. i should have it next week. i will let you know. |
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[#34]
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[#35]
Quoted:
nitecore doesnt make batteries. they buy from the maker or distributor and then put their own wrapper on them. much better cells out there. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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yea, i don't run questionable batteries, i tend to stick with the nitecore brand in mine due to price and they are decent cells. nitecore doesnt make batteries. they buy from the maker or distributor and then put their own wrapper on them. much better cells out there. true but their batts are decent for the cost. i have had no issues with them. they are FAR batter than the budget batteries a few here love to use. |
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[#36]
This was the response from Fenix.
I have confirmed it with our engineer. The charging current of UC35 is 500mA. Hope this helps. Let me know if any other question. Best Regards, Camille Hong Fenixlight Limited |
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[#38]
Quoted:
This was the response from Fenix. I have confirmed it with our engineer. The charging current of UC35 is 500mA. Hope this helps. Let me know if any other question. Best Regards, Camille Hong Fenixlight Limited View Quote Not a 'deal-killer,' but a fairly well depleted cell, say around 3.4v-3.5v, will take hours to charge up. You always lose a little in a charger/charging situation, so it's not as simple as saying 3100mAh/500mA equals 6+ hours. Probably close to 7-8 hours. Chris |
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[#39]
thats why i always carry a spare battery with mine and i generally use an external 12v charger as well. the onboards are nice to keep one hot but they do suck if you need it charged in decent amount of time.
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[#40]
Quoted:
thats why i always carry a spare battery with mine and i generally use an external 12v charger as well. the onboards are nice to keep one hot but they do suck if you need it charged in decent amount of time. View Quote It's not a deal killer for me either, but they could have done better than .5 amps. I will be using the light on 180 lumens most of the time. I will only need to charge it once a week unless I need it for other purposes. 8 hours on my 5 watt panel is not terrible either. I have a lot of other options when I am home. |
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[#41]
i suspect they are basing the charging off a standard usb charger which most are 500ma. since they don't include an actual charger i suspect they are quoting that from a typical usb port.
i am betting it would work just fine with a higher output usb wall wart. my nitecore p25 and TM26 included a 2.1a usb charger. 500ma on an 18650 battery will take FOREVER to fully charge. |
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[#42]
Quoted:
i suspect they are basing the charging off a standard usb charger which most are 500ma. since they don't include an actual charger i suspect they are quoting that from a typical usb port. i am betting it would work just fine with a higher output usb wall wart. my nitecore p25 and TM26 included a 2.1a usb charger. 500ma on an 18650 battery will take FOREVER to fully charge. View Quote the internal charger is limited to 500mAh so it doesnt matter if you use a wall wart that puts out 500mAh or 2 amps, the built in charger will still only supply 500mAh to the cell. |
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[#43]
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that is physically impossible with current USB port designs. most are ipx6 with a cover in place. that claim makes me VERY skeptical. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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the only issue with rechargeable lights is waterproofing. even the best of them only make water resistant IMHO. rubber caps and covers tend to get lost or ripped off during any meaningful use. for duty carry that is why i went with a non rechargeable srt7 and an external charger. my lights get soaked on a regular basis between weather and fire fighting. for normal use i agree it is damn handy to have. i ordered an hc-90 yesterday that battery junction had on sale. it will stay on my helmet plugged into a usb charger in my truck. Site claims ipx8 waterproofing even with the usb dust cover removed that is physically impossible with current USB port designs. most are ipx6 with a cover in place. that claim makes me VERY skeptical. What makes it impossible? |
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[#44]
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[#45]
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Just the nature of rubber seals and sealing. They get older and more brittle over time, with ozone and they shrink a bit. I think that IPX-8 is 2m at 30 minutes. It doesn't take much water seepage to ruin a light, is my thought. Chris View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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What makes it impossible? Just the nature of rubber seals and sealing. They get older and more brittle over time, with ozone and they shrink a bit. I think that IPX-8 is 2m at 30 minutes. It doesn't take much water seepage to ruin a light, is my thought. Chris Seems like you could just isolate the charging port so that even if water got in it, it wouldn't affect the rest of the light. |
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[#46]
there claim is even with the port uncovered. the nature of a usb port makes that a VERY tough claim.
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[#47]
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the internal charger is limited to 500mAh so it doesnt matter if you use a wall wart that puts out 500mAh or 2 amps, the built in charger will still only supply 500mAh to the cell. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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i suspect they are basing the charging off a standard usb charger which most are 500ma. since they don't include an actual charger i suspect they are quoting that from a typical usb port. i am betting it would work just fine with a higher output usb wall wart. my nitecore p25 and TM26 included a 2.1a usb charger. 500ma on an 18650 battery will take FOREVER to fully charge. the internal charger is limited to 500mAh so it doesnt matter if you use a wall wart that puts out 500mAh or 2 amps, the built in charger will still only supply 500mAh to the cell. i am surprised they are limiting that at the light level. |
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[#48]
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[#49]
because the electronic are generally exposed through the port. it's not impossible and there are hydrophobic treatments than can be applied to them but it's still a pretty bold claim with no covers in place. that could also be why it's limited to 500ma for charging as things used to seal the electronics also seal in heat.
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[#50]
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That's what I'm confused about. What is it that makes a USB port that is only used for power tough to waterproof? View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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there claim is even with the port uncovered. the nature of a usb port makes that a VERY tough claim. That's what I'm confused about. What is it that makes a USB port that is only used for power tough to waterproof? Have you ever looked closely at a USB port? The housing is tight, but it's not necessarily water proof, at least the ones that I've looked at on my Nikon 2500, LG flip phone and my Gateway PC. If you feel that they are, just take a light with a cell installed, turn it on, put the cover on and dump it in a stock pot filled up with tap water at room temperature and see what you see after 30 minutes, or 15? It's not 2m, or 1m, but it'll do. There's only one way to know and that's being the pioneer. If you're really itching to roll the dice, keep the cover off and do the above. Just make sure that all threads are properly lubricated, including the bezel, head and/or tailcap. Chris |
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