Surefire Flashlights: Ni-Cad Rechargeable versus Lithium

A

Anthony

New member
Hello Everyone,

I'm in the process of equipping my wife and I's vehicles as well as our home with a set of Surefire tactical lights for general purpose illumination. Currently I own three of their small lithium powered lights for tactical purposes. While looking over Surefire's catalog and their myriad of lights, I began to wonder if I should go with a set of lithium based lights or the nickel-cadmium recharageable units.

FYI...these are going to be used in our famous Texas summers.

How well do the nickel-cadmium rechargeable and lithium batteries hold a charge if left locked in a hot or cold car?

Does anyone have an opinion on a specific rechargeable model from the Surefire line?

Do the Surefire Ni-Cad batteries build up a memory very badly when recharged when only partially depleted?

What is the general shelf life for a charge in one of their Ni-Cad batteries?

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

- Anthony
 
sf makes great lithium lights, but their rechargables are known to be problematic and not put out much light.

go streamlight. their recharghables are cheaper(ebay) and the bulbs are tougher. acc's abound and are cheaper.

i have an sl-20, slightly smaller than a 3D mag and a favorite with the fuzz, i got for $72 with both chargers. i keep it in my truck, i too live in dfw and it holds a charge fine. about every month charge it overnight to keep it above %85. streamlight says their rechargables are designed to stay on a charger. they say no memory damage to the battery unless you "condition" it by charging and discharging. good size for an impact tool as well.;)

they also make a smaller "stinger", about the size of a large sf rechargable.
 
as posted by Anthony:
FYI...these are going to be used in our famous Texas summers.

How well do the nickel-cadmium rechargeable and lithium batteries hold a charge if left locked in a hot or cold car?

Does anyone have an opinion on a specific rechargeable model from the Surefire line?

Do the Surefire Ni-Cad batteries build up a memory very badly when recharged when only partially depleted?
Click to expand...


Don't think a Texas summer would be much different than a Florida summer, except maybe drier, but anyway.

The Ni-Cads seem to hold up well to heat and cold, but will develop a memory eventually. As for the Surefire rechargeables, my Lieutentant had an early 8X that had problems. Mainly the battery had to be charged for exactly 12 hours otherwise it would diminish the battery life. But this was about 6 years ago, so I'm sure that problem has been corrected.

I'd look into the Streamlights like eap suggested. My old department issued the Stingers and no one ever complained about them.
 
The Lithium batteries have a shelf life of about 12 years, so car storage is not a problem. Ni-Cads have problems with battery memory and they reduce the output of the SF lights by a few lumen's or so.

That said, I am buying a charger for my Z2 soon because I like using the 120 lumen lamp, and don't want to buy expensive lithium batteries after every 20 minutes of use. If your keeping yours in the car for emergencies, I would suggest going lithium with a backup set of batteries and you should be set.
 
I have several Streamlights. The SL20X the SL20XP and the Stinger.

The stinger is my primary carry light and burns for about 1 hour and the SL series burn for 90 minutes.

I have never changed a bulb and my SL battery lasted 6 years before having to replace it.

I DO NOT leave the light in the charger constantly, My Dad did, and his battery only lasted 3 years. I would pick rechargeables over the expensive Lithiums any day.

I live on the Gulf Coast and carry them in my boat all the time. These lights have taken a beating and they have great warranties.

If I could only have one of my lights, I would keep the Stinger due to it's small size.

I chose the Streamlights, because the local Cop Shop is an authorized repair center, so I can have free repairs done without sending the light in. Usually a couple of minutes for a new switch (free) and I'm outta there

:D
 
forgot to add, a rechargable plus a cheap lithium like scorpion or g2 would be a could pair to have in the car.
 
Have any of these people who had these bad experiences with Surefire rechargeable lights recharged the Ni-Cads using their "Quick Charger" or "Smart Charger"?

This unit has been out for a few years and at one time was optional to the 12-hour unit. The "Quick Charger" only requires two hours to completely charge a dead battery and supposedly manages how much juice is sent to a partially discharged battery.

- Anthony
 
Anthony,

I believe the charger my LT had was one of the older "slow" chargers. Basically if he left on charge for an significant amount of time over 12 hours, or any time under, it would only burn for about 1/2 hour.

He was issued a full size Streamlight, not sure if it was an SL-20 or 20X but he thought that Streamlight had Surefire beat hands down.
 
SF makes good Lithium powered lights, and that's what I'd recommend in a vehicle. I especially like the G2 or even the new G2Z models.

For rechargeables, Streamlight is the best. I HIGHLY recommend the Ultrastinger model, probably the brightest flashlight in relation to size made.

As for Ni-Cads...The memory effect is a myth, there is no such thing. What most poeple experience when describing a memory effect is nothing more then worn-out cells within the battery, or abused cells that are weakened by abuse, i.e. draining and recharging the battery (a.k.a. cycling). Ni-Cads were not designed to be completely discharged, and this leads to chemical breakdown within the cell structure.

--dan
 
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