Store batteries properly

It’s super important that you don’t leave batteries in flashlights that you don’t use frequently. I keep a small flashlight in the glove box of my car for emergencies, but I rarely use it. In fact, when I’m having car problems, it’s normally at a time when I can wait until daylight to look at what’s going on, so it’s very rare that I actually use that flashlight.

One day I actually needed to use my flashlight to look under the hood of my car at night, and as you might guess, my flashlight wouldn’t turn on. I was really surprised that my LED wouldn’t turn on because I had only used the flashlight once or twice before, so it didn’t make any sense for it to not be working.

When we opened up my flashlight to see what was going on, we found out that the batteries had leaked and corroded inside the flashlight (joy of joys).

To avoid a super frustrating experience like this, don’t leave your batteries inside your flashlight if you use the flashlight only for emergencies or infrequently at all. At the very least, it’s a good idea to check your flashlights every 6 months or so to make sure the batteries haven’t leaked and that no corrosion has taken place.

If you’re storing your batteries outside of your flashlight, make sure to store them in a cool, dry place. But, don’t store them in a fridge or freezer!

Avoid water

This should be obvious, but you don’t want to intentionally bring your LED flashlight into the water unless you have a special dive light or other light that is designed for water use. Many flashlights are waterproof up to certain depths. This symbol on a flashlight package indicates how waterproof the LED is:

This symbol will show you how deep a flashlight can be submerged and still function. The test requirements for a waterproof rating are that the light must be submerged one meter minimum for half an hour, and the light must work normally directly after the test and also 30 minutes after the test has been completed.

Don’t abuse your LED

Don’t use your flashlight like it’s another tool. You have hammers for pounding, so don’t use your flashlight for that.

Dissembling

Dissembling your LED flashlight will void any warranty associated with it. If you know that and you want to take your flashlight apart anyway to do maintenance, go for it, but just know that your flashlight will no longer have a valid warranty. Also, I’d only take your flashlight apart if you know what you’re doing. Many a person has taken apart a bike, instrument, or tool only to find out that putting it back together isn’t as easy as they thought.

So those are some of the things you shouldn’t do with your flashlight. I looked online for general care and maintenance that you should be doing with your flashlight, but it seems like only the super hardcore flash-aholics do much at all to maintain their LEDS. Generally speaking, it’s a good idea to keep the contacts clean, and some people put lubricant on certain parts inside the light.

As you can see, flashlight maintenance is pretty easy. What other things do you do to care for and maintain your LED flashlights?

If you’re in the market for a new LED, Blade HQ is a great place to look!

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This Maratac flashlight is one of our best-selling LEDs over at Blade HQ. It’s super compact, and it looks pretty sweet, too. I mean, how many copper flashlights have you seen before? It’s definitely a less-common material for flashlights, and it looks really nice.

The overall length on this LED is 3.05 inches and it weighs just 1.60 ounces. The convenient size makes this light great for keeping in your pocket, purse, bag—pretty much anywhere. It has two output modes; on low, the light puts out 1.8 lumens and can run for 100 hours, and on high, it puts out 125 lumens and can run for 100 minutes.

It also has a Cree R3 emitter and orange peel reflector. The lens has also been treated with an “anti-reflective coating,” and the circuit is reverse polarity protected. It runs on just one AA battery. Do not use high voltage rechargeable batteries with this LED flashlight.

These Maratac lights are made in the USA, and they have a twist-head for easy control. Get your Maratac Extreme Copper LED Flashlight at Blade HQ!

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Red: Red is probably the most common color of LED that you’ll see. I have a headlamp that I take with me camping and backpacking, and it has a few different settings including one with a red LED. At first I didn’t know what the red light was for, so I avoided using it altogether. It turns out, though, that red lights help you preserve your night vision, so they’re great to bring camping, hiking, backpacking, hunting, or anywhere for that matter. Some people say they’re great in smoky environments, too.

Blue: Blue lights are typically used by hunters when following blood trails from injured animals. Blood can be difficult to spot in white light (and obviously red light), but it’s easier to see in blue light. Blue light is also better to use in the fog than white light.

Green: Green lights are said to be great for hunters and fishers because they aren’t as likely to spook game. Some people say that is because it’s harder for some animals to see green light than white light or other colors of light.

Ultraviolet: Ultraviolet light (when used in flashlights) is typically used for recharging items that emit light, like compass needles or watch faces.

If you want as many colors as you can get in one product, check out this headlamp:

This LED has four LEDs: white, red, green, and blue. Talk about an all-inclusive product. This headlamp would be great to bring on your outdoor excursions, but there are lots more LEDs to choose from at Blade HQ. Check out a great selection of LED flashlights at Blade HQ today!

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