Just to add a bit to this discussion on batteries, not negating your personal experience or light/battery preferences at all as you bring up some fine points, which is why it's good there are options out there for all different use cases, but: there's a common misconception that Li-Ion batteries just degrade sitting around over time, that after a few years it will be severely diminished, and I think most of this comes from the old days where Ni-Cd rechargeable batteries had a severe "memory" effect, and more recently everyone's experience with cell phones where just about everyone has had their phone battery life diminish significantly over a couple year span, however that comes from two main reasons: constant daily use and Li-Po packs. Generally the Li-Po cells don't handle crazy fast charging that people want with cell phones, and they lose capacity after far fewer cycles than typical Li-Ion cylindrical cells, so 365 full charge cycles per year (possibly more) and you're going to see a reduction in capacity. To your point about bike lights not being used all that frequently for the average consumer, even if you're a heavy user you're likely looking at a fraction of the number of charge cycles, on a cell chemistry that is better for longevity. Basically, under average annual use it should take 10 years to see a ~20% reduction in runtime, or literally using it every day for 3 years straight.
I can tell you that 19 out of 20 warranties we get for batteries are from improper storage, not degradation from cyclic use, where customers use the lights, run them dead, then stick them in a drawer for 6 months. Never happens to cell phones because no one goes more than 24 hours without touching them, haha, but for season night riding it's common, so I'll take this as an opportunity to say to anyone using any rechargeable device: keep them charged, especially if you're not going to use them for months on end. Fully charged our lights can sit for 2 years before they're dead, so seasonal use and storage is no problem at all, but if you leave them dead that is the fastest way to kill any Li-Ion powered device.
This is also why we cover battery replacements (shipping, service, all of it) for all our products, because we know the rate of actual issues is extremely, extremely low, and we just don't want customers to have to be worried about this.
Nov. 19, 2024, 11:02 a.m. - OutboundLighting
Just to add a bit to this discussion on batteries, not negating your personal experience or light/battery preferences at all as you bring up some fine points, which is why it's good there are options out there for all different use cases, but: there's a common misconception that Li-Ion batteries just degrade sitting around over time, that after a few years it will be severely diminished, and I think most of this comes from the old days where Ni-Cd rechargeable batteries had a severe "memory" effect, and more recently everyone's experience with cell phones where just about everyone has had their phone battery life diminish significantly over a couple year span, however that comes from two main reasons: constant daily use and Li-Po packs. Generally the Li-Po cells don't handle crazy fast charging that people want with cell phones, and they lose capacity after far fewer cycles than typical Li-Ion cylindrical cells, so 365 full charge cycles per year (possibly more) and you're going to see a reduction in capacity. To your point about bike lights not being used all that frequently for the average consumer, even if you're a heavy user you're likely looking at a fraction of the number of charge cycles, on a cell chemistry that is better for longevity. Basically, under average annual use it should take 10 years to see a ~20% reduction in runtime, or literally using it every day for 3 years straight. I can tell you that 19 out of 20 warranties we get for batteries are from improper storage, not degradation from cyclic use, where customers use the lights, run them dead, then stick them in a drawer for 6 months. Never happens to cell phones because no one goes more than 24 hours without touching them, haha, but for season night riding it's common, so I'll take this as an opportunity to say to anyone using any rechargeable device: keep them charged, especially if you're not going to use them for months on end. Fully charged our lights can sit for 2 years before they're dead, so seasonal use and storage is no problem at all, but if you leave them dead that is the fastest way to kill any Li-Ion powered device. This is also why we cover battery replacements (shipping, service, all of it) for all our products, because we know the rate of actual issues is extremely, extremely low, and we just don't want customers to have to be worried about this.