Final run time: 2 hours 38 minutes from full charge to dead. It does dim over time getting worse as it reaches the tail end. I shot a video of the whole thing so I could time it exactly.
HF Braun light -- how well does yours work?
- Thread starter jacked_72
- Start date
Final run time: 2 hours 38 minutes from full charge to dead. It does dim over time getting worse as it reaches the tail end. I shot a video of the whole thing so I could time it exactly.
Bill Bowman
Well-known member
I've got a couple of them for work. Have knocked them off the frame machine (my fault) a few times and they have taken a 3-4 foot drop without any drama. The magnetic base is very strong, however, sometimes in the heat of the repair, things get knocked around.
The quality (IMHO) is way above the price.
The quality (IMHO) is way above the price.
Motown
Well-known member
I tried tightening, the screws, no luck, still a little wobbly.
Are you sure you tried the right one? It is just one screw centered on the hinge, not the four little ones holding the sabre part on.
Motown
Well-known member
Yes, I tried the one at the pivot point.
bwringer
Well-known member
Mine is showing similar life. You don't really notice any change in brightness until it's just about done -- it just shuts off suddenly below a certain voltage.
It is affected by cold, same as any other battery.
I have some 18650 cells left over from a failed attempt to resurrect another tool and they seem to work fine. They're 2700mAh, and the normal cell is 2200, so they should give better life.
FWIW, the other cells I had were flat top with internal protection. The cell that came with the light is a button top, but if you look at the contacts inside the light, either style will work just fine.
The one nit I will pick is that the little cover over the charging port pops off too easily. That's pretty much it.
This light is a fantastic use of $20. I've wasted a hell of a lot more on tools I use a hell of a lot less.
It is affected by cold, same as any other battery.
I have some 18650 cells left over from a failed attempt to resurrect another tool and they seem to work fine. They're 2700mAh, and the normal cell is 2200, so they should give better life.
FWIW, the other cells I had were flat top with internal protection. The cell that came with the light is a button top, but if you look at the contacts inside the light, either style will work just fine.
The one nit I will pick is that the little cover over the charging port pops off too easily. That's pretty much it.
This light is a fantastic use of $20. I've wasted a hell of a lot more on tools I use a hell of a lot less.
Shouldnt it be never pay full price.
Harbor Freight Rule 2a: Unless an emergency, never buy anything that isnt on sale that a coupon can be applied to.
Harbor Freight Rule 2a: Unless an emergency, never buy anything that isnt on sale that a coupon can be applied to.
emeraldcoupe
Well-known member
if you're worried about it catching fire and burning down your city, take the battery out of it, it is removable , and put it in a charger. problem solved.
i'm going to guess you don't own one, so are you going to add anything useful here or just continue to troll the thread?
Itinerant
Well-known member
Used mine for the first time today and overall very pleased.
I did manage to lose power a couple of times while redirecting the light beam while the light was stuck to a crossmember and folded to 90 degrees. The magnet is strong enough that when I grabbed the light stick and twisted it to reposition it, the tail-cap started to unscrew from the light. I reefed it back tight but did it again a few minutes later. Easy enough fix, I just have to remember to rock the magnet partially free when redirecting the light beam.
I did manage to lose power a couple of times while redirecting the light beam while the light was stuck to a crossmember and folded to 90 degrees. The magnet is strong enough that when I grabbed the light stick and twisted it to reposition it, the tail-cap started to unscrew from the light. I reefed it back tight but did it again a few minutes later. Easy enough fix, I just have to remember to rock the magnet partially free when redirecting the light beam.
xin
Well-known member
bert1913
Well-known member
besides my hf light, i own ultra fire flashlights and headlamps that use the 18650 batteries. so i bought 6 of the samsung batteries: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075YNR6VY/?tag=atomicindus08-20
dkroth
Well-known member
Bagherra
Well-known member
the 2nd light I bought is a bit loose at the pivot....tried to tighten the screw...no luck...
Thedave1164
Member
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2015
- Messages
- 16
390 lumen folding worklight
Bagherra
Well-known member
I have to resist the temptation to get a 4th light...$20 is hard to beat for a decent light like this...
m32825
Well-known member
I have two and like them a lot. Tested battery capacity with a smart charger and they came in at 2400mAh, so the label (2200mAh) is accurate.
They look kind of like "Men In Black" neuralizers... especially when you have it facing the wrong direction when you turn it on!
They look kind of like "Men In Black" neuralizers... especially when you have it facing the wrong direction when you turn it on!
Run time on mine is about 2.5hrs on bright as listed or slightly longer. The light has survived being knocked off of my toolcart 3ft to the concrete floor at least once so far. Super handy light. It has replaced my corded drop light for my main working light. The drop light was one of those with two 13w fluorescent bulbs that has abysmal output. I upgraded the drop light w/ two 6w leds the other day and it appears to have as much, if not a bit more, output than the HF light now. The corded light is my backup should I need it.
thool
Well-known member
Just got this light today for $20. I plan on keeping it in my garage, which sometimes falls to about 25F. Will this damage the battery, or shorten its life?
rlitman
Well-known member
I doubt it will do either, but I've gotten maybe a 15 minute run-time before it cuts off at those temperatures.
JD3020
Well-known member
I love my HF lights, i bought 2 back on Black Friday when i picked up my 56" box. I've got well over 100 hours on each of them and 0 complaints, absolutely awesome lights. Can't really comment on battery life as they are charging when not in use, and i try to switch out lights every couple hours when i am working just so i'm not under a truck banging my head when the battery dies. 
I also take them with me when we're doing snow removal, very handy light to have on the road, and for $20 if something happens to one oh well.
My only complaint is that they don't fold a full 180*.
I also take them with me when we're doing snow removal, very handy light to have on the road, and for $20 if something happens to one oh well. My only complaint is that they don't fold a full 180*.
Good idea.
I bought one today and for $20 I am pleased if it holds up.
I work on stainless equipment a lot so I need to rig up a hanger of some sort since the magnet won't stick to stainless.
bwringer
Well-known member
Yep, I stick mine to an old outlet cover, a big washer, or other random scraps of steel nearby when the need arises.
I had my new light sitting on the kitchen counter. My wife discovered tonight that is makes a great grill light. The Weber is made of high carbon stainless and the magnet will stick to it. You can put it on the front near the gas knobs and swivel the light towards the grates
bwringer
Well-known member
m32825
Well-known member
I have been poking around and, admittedly, have no idea what I am looking at with batteries. I see that there are 5000 and 9000 mha batteries, but I don’t know if they are correct. It seems from this thread that a guy wants button too batteries for the “protection” they offer, but what is the baddest *** batteries of this type that a guy can buy to work in this light? It isn’t that cost is no object, but rather that I care more about length of runtime than the price - at least to a point. So, what is the best battery for extended run times that isn’t excessively expensive?
aka Larry
Well-known member
IIRC, the light came with a single 2200mAh battery so I ordered these two 3000mAh ones with charger from Amazon for $14. Mine typically last about 2 hours or so with the light on the brightest setting, but YMMV.
It it is actually not the battery, itself. As has been pointed out, if lithium batteries are allowed to discharge to too low a voltage they sustain permanent damage and will not recharge. To prevent this there is circuitry in the battery or externally that disconnects the battery from the device when the voltage approaches the lower limit. That is why they cut out rather than just get weaker and weaker.
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A
Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
18650 batteries come in two forms, protected and unprotected. Protection limits over charging (fire hazard) and over discharging (permanent damage) to the cell. If it is "protected" , the circuitry is built into the battery and it is physically a little longer. Unprotected cells are generally used in packs and the protective circuitry is usually external to the cells. If you are looking at specs, you need a protected 18650 cell. I think it is the unprotected ones that usuall come in the higher capacities. Check with Battery Junction for a very big selection of both types and call for any tech questions.
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Battery capacity is not related to the presence of a protection circuit. You can generally buy the same high capacity or low capacity cell with or without a protection circuit. Capacity is more a function of max discharge rate, with higher discharge batteries typically having lower capacity.
Also, you can't tell whether a battery is protected by the type of top it has. Unprotected button tops are commonly available (although I'm not sure you'd be able to find a protected flat top).
The largest capacity 18650 I'm aware of is the Sanyo NCR18650GA at 3500mAh. You can buy it in its unprotected form, or with protection added by various third parties. If you see an 18650 advertising a higher capacity than that, they're lying, it's probably a poor quality cell, and you should avoid it.
The good 18650 cells are made by Sony, Panasonic, Sanyo, Samsung, and LG. Try to find protected cells that are built from those.
Also, you can't tell whether a battery is protected by the type of top it has. Unprotected button tops are commonly available (although I'm not sure you'd be able to find a protected flat top).
The largest capacity 18650 I'm aware of is the Sanyo NCR18650GA at 3500mAh. You can buy it in its unprotected form, or with protection added by various third parties. If you see an 18650 advertising a higher capacity than that, they're lying, it's probably a poor quality cell, and you should avoid it.
The good 18650 cells are made by Sony, Panasonic, Sanyo, Samsung, and LG. Try to find protected cells that are built from those.
^
Yeh any claims of capacity over 3500 is pretty much chinese pork-pies.
If buying extra cells 3000mah is most sensible priced of reliable manufacturers.
I use 2 of these lights daily with original cells and 2 3000mah all charged offboard on a universal charger.
I get well over 3hrs run time on better batteries, would of been nice have at least 3 brightness levels but besides that for 20bucks it good and I had them in use almost 6months now .
If the cells don't charge as voltage too low manual jump charge them from usb power for about 30seconds then they generally will charge via the chargers unless have faults .
Yeh any claims of capacity over 3500 is pretty much chinese pork-pies.
If buying extra cells 3000mah is most sensible priced of reliable manufacturers.
I use 2 of these lights daily with original cells and 2 3000mah all charged offboard on a universal charger.
I get well over 3hrs run time on better batteries, would of been nice have at least 3 brightness levels but besides that for 20bucks it good and I had them in use almost 6months now .
If the cells don't charge as voltage too low manual jump charge them from usb power for about 30seconds then they generally will charge via the chargers unless have faults .
Here's one source for the NCR18650GA with good protection circuit, if you're looking for a quality high-capacity cell:
https://www.illumn.com/batteries-ch...ah-sanyo-ncr18650ga-protected-button-top.html
https://www.illumn.com/batteries-ch...ah-sanyo-ncr18650ga-protected-button-top.html
aka Larry
Well-known member
Sadly my light finally bit the dust this past weekend. I dropped it into a pan full of coolant and now the switch doesn't work right. 
I went to HF the very next day, and though they have several other Braun cordless LED lights, this one was out of stock...AGAIN.
It seems to me that if this particular light is always out of stock, maybe it's the best seller and the store should order more?
I went to HF the very next day, and though they have several other Braun cordless LED lights, this one was out of stock...AGAIN.
It seems to me that if this particular light is always out of stock, maybe it's the best seller and the store should order more?
is this the one?
Is this coupon current? I don't want to drive 35 miles to HF to find out the coupon isn't valid.