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17 years on the job and had my first gear failure when I actually needed it

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https://sigforum.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/230601935/m/1410008794

January 12, 2023, 06:46 PM
Black92LX
17 years on the job and had my first gear failure when I actually needed it
Been using a Surefire Fury DFT for about 2 years now. I have been rotating 2 of the Surefire brand SF18650 USB rechargeable batteries.
Keep one in the light and one in the truck that is charged. I work days so I get 2-3 months out of a charge.
Was clearing a house on an actual burglary and my light quits. Luckily we were almost done and not working nights.
Finished clearing the house and swapped to my spare battery and still nothing.

Put the battery on the charging cord and had a green light, which means it is charged. I left it on there while we finished things up.
I put that battery back in and I’d push the tail cap and about 5 seconds later the late would come on sometimes. Other times it would come on if I shook the light, or click the tail cap a bunch of times really fast.
Kind of leaning towards a battery issue than light issue.
So I will charge both batteries overnight and see what we get.
It will run CR123s which I don’t currently have any (blasphemy I know) at the moment.
So guess I will get some of those and keep those in the truck too.
I can’t find anywhere that Surefire says what their storage shelf life for these batteries are.
Their rechargeable CR123s say they stay good for 2 years.


————————————————
The world's not perfect, but it's not that bad.
If we got each other, and that's all we have.
I will be your brother, and I'll hold your hand.
You should know I'll be there for you!
January 12, 2023, 06:50 PM
Orguss
Title scared me, man. At least it was only a flashlight.



"I'm yet another resource-consuming kid in an overpopulated planet raised to an alarming extent by Hollywood and Madison Avenue, poised with my cynical and alienated peers to take over the world when you're old and weak!" - Calvin, "Calvin & Hobbes"
January 12, 2023, 06:50 PM
bald1
Fresh CR123's have a shelf life of 10 years.



Certifiable member of the gun toting, septuagenarian, bucket list workin', crazed retiree, bald is beautiful club!
USN (RET), COTEP #192
January 12, 2023, 06:54 PM
Mustang-PaPa
Just re-upped my Surefire 123A battery supply and the boxes have "10 year shelf life" printed on them.
January 12, 2023, 07:12 PM
Black92LX
quote:
Originally posted by Mustang-PaPa:
Just re-upped my Surefire 123A battery supply and the boxes have "10 year shelf life" printed on them.


Those would be the standard CR123s.
Rechargeable CR123s say 2 years in their FAQ

No mention of the SF16850s on their site.


————————————————
The world's not perfect, but it's not that bad.
If we got each other, and that's all we have.
I will be your brother, and I'll hold your hand.
You should know I'll be there for you!
January 12, 2023, 07:17 PM
Mustang-PaPa
Sorry, I was confused, I thought your were asking about std non rechargeable batteries. I read your post to fast.
No idea on the rechargeable.
January 12, 2023, 08:01 PM
chongosuerte
Two is one, one is none.

Glad you managed though.

Night shifts I carry two real lights and a gun light. Day shift I carry one baby light and my gun light. Real lights in the car.

I also learned the hard way Big Grin




Knowing what one is talking about is widely admired but not strictly required here.

Although sometimes distracting, there is often a certain entertainment value to this easy standard.
-JALLEN

"All I need is a WAR ON DRUGS reference and I got myself a police thread BINGO." -jljones
January 12, 2023, 08:10 PM
YooperSigs
Two for me also. I modified my portable radio case so it would carry a SureFire as backup to my main light.


End of Earth: 2 Miles
Upper Peninsula: 4 Miles
January 12, 2023, 08:43 PM
RogueJSK
Yep, two plus WML when in uniform.

A larger light on my vest. A smaller light in my pocket. And a WML on my gun.
January 13, 2023, 12:05 AM
arfmel
Sounds like a switch problem with your light, to me.
January 13, 2023, 05:40 AM
Blume9mm
Shit breaks and more often than not when you need it the most... glad this was not the case.

Personally, I'd get a new light and work on the old one.


My Native American Name:
"Runs with Scissors"
January 13, 2023, 02:49 PM
Scooter123
I suspect your problem is with your switch, something that gets punched a lot of times. I carry a Streamlight Stylus Pro for a walkaround light and have to replace the switch on my rather ancient primary light twice. Fortunately is part or the tailcap which is a replaceable item on the Streamlight web site so it's a very easy low cost fix.


I've stopped counting.
January 14, 2023, 12:47 AM
vulrath
quote:
Originally posted by arfmel:
Sounds like a switch problem with your light, to me.


Me too. I used to carry a cheap Coast light for fixing ATMs and it would do that all the time. Easy way to test is to turn it on and when it doesn't work take the tail cap and give it a sharp whack in against your other palm. If it turns on it's the switch.

Honestly I think it's your switch and I'd be willing to bet Surefire will hook you up.


"In order to understand recursion, you must first learn the principle of recursion."
January 14, 2023, 07:34 AM
92fstech
That sucks. I'm sure even if it turns out to be a problem with the light rather than the battery, Surefire will take care of it, but that's not very helpful in the moment.

I'm on days now, too...and even since I rarely do "real" work like we did on nights, I still carry 2 handhelds plus my WML (often used to hand one off to some other dayshifter who doesn't even have one, or who's batteries are dead lol). It's still dark in the morning when I come on, and in the evening before I go home...plus old habits die hard.
January 14, 2023, 11:46 AM
cslinger
Money is on the switch. Clean the contacts/threads, make sure actual switch mechanism is still screwed in tight. Try again.

Also I am a 2 is 1 guy. You might want to carry something small as a backup even something like a Microstream USB would likely drag you across the proverbial finish line if necessary at the cost of basically no extra weight or space.


"Guns are tools. The only weapon ever created was man."
January 14, 2023, 07:15 PM
Black92LX
I always carried 2 when I worked nights. Guess I will start again.


————————————————
The world's not perfect, but it's not that bad.
If we got each other, and that's all we have.
I will be your brother, and I'll hold your hand.
You should know I'll be there for you!
January 14, 2023, 07:20 PM
RogueJSK
Yeah, I still carry 2, even without working nights. There are plenty of dark spaces you can encounter when working during the day.

With the quality and high output of compact lights these days, there's little reason not to keep one on your belt/vest and another in your pocket at all times, even in addition to (or in place of) your full-sized duty light.
January 14, 2023, 08:20 PM
4MUL8R
We just received Streamlight Stinger 2020 lights. Hope these last longer than the last. Retail $250 and someone already dropped one.


-------
Trying to simplify my life...
January 16, 2023, 07:30 PM
Black92LX
So both batteries fully charged and no issues. I am guessing that spare battery discharged for some reason.
I am going to send Surefire a quick note asking what their standby storage time should be for this particular battery.
We had a week of temps where we did not break 20 degrees but still feel it should hold a charge longer than 2 months.


————————————————
The world's not perfect, but it's not that bad.
If we got each other, and that's all we have.
I will be your brother, and I'll hold your hand.
You should know I'll be there for you!