I was thinking about buying a wurkkos fc11 as my first flashlight but it said they recommend untwisting it in a review to avoid making a connection so it doesn’t discharge while not in use. Do I need to worry about that with all flashlights? I was planning on keeping it in my backpack so I have it whenever.

  • dmenezes@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    11
    ·
    1 year ago

    Mechanical switch lights like the Convoy S2+ do not have any parasitic drain. But be aware that the batteries themselves have some self-discharge, Li-Ions are the worst at something like 5 percent in the first 24 hours and then loses 1–2 percent per month. Protected Li-Ions are even worse at 4-5% per month.

    If you need to keep them stored for long periods, get an AA-compatible or dual-fuel flashlight and use Eneloop batteries for rechargeables, or Lithium primaries if you don’t need/want to recharge.

    • unpunctual_bird@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      6
      ·
      1 year ago

      Li-Ions are the worst at something like 5 percent in the first 24 hours and then loses 1–2 percent per month

      I still remember dealing NiCad’s 10-20% per month, li-ion was some space-aged future tech dream back then

      • dmenezes@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        1 year ago

        Oh man, don’t even get me started on the NiCads. My beloved old Ti58C calculator used a pack of them and it was actually what killed her :-(

    • Adair21@lemmy.worldM
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      5
      ·
      1 year ago

      To add to this, if you are going to store your Li-ion batteries for any period of time then you should charge them to 3.7v instead of a full charge. This will extend the life of the battery

      • dmenezes@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        1 year ago

        Good tip, but the OP should be aware that when at 3.7V they have only ~50% charge in them, so remember to also pack a spare or two (at the same voltage) to have the same total runtime.

        • parrot-party@kbin.social
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          3
          ·
          1 year ago

          Should be closer to 60% but still, it’s not in a long term ready state. Long stored batteries should be recharged before use.

        • SiteRelEnby@lemmy.blahaj.zone
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          edit-2
          1 year ago

          In general, recharging them before use is better - if you’re preserving battery life as much as possible the ideal profile is to charge them to ~4.1V, use until ~3.5, then store at 3.6-3.7 until charged for next use, ideally minimising time sitting at full. Going below 3.4ish takes progressively more out of the battery life.

      • friftar@feddit.de
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        1 year ago

        Worth mentioning that some chargers offer a storage option, charging to exactly 3.7V.

        On a charger that doesnt have this, it can be difficult to monitor it closely enough to get that exact voltage.