Hey guys,

Quick newb question for you all regarding torch maintenance. Was reading somewhere that lubricating o-rings within the torch aids in water resistance. Do most compact LED torches come pre-lubed?

I am using the Led Lenser P7 adn noticed that only the front section that houses the push-pull focus assembly has been lubed. The battery cartridge o-ring doesn't appear to be lubed at all.

Does anyone maintain their torches with a little lube every now and again? And if so what do you use?

Note: just because I'm talking about long, hard objects with lube in the same sentence doesn't mean our minds should be kicking about in the gutter

I blame Sara's retro lights post ever time we dive into the gutter

My cheap Romisen lights came lubed, but my cheap Ultrafires did not (from memory, anyway). Anything that cost a bit of money, like the Fenixes and JetBeams, definitely came lubed.

I use a fairly generic silicon lube, nothing too special, which I think I found at somewhere like SuperCheap Auto in the end (Yes, it's really called SuperCheap, for you furreners). Much as I'd like some of the purpose-specific lubes on the market, the high-end ones cost an absolute fortune!

Strange that half the Led Lenser came came lubed and the other half without...

None the less, I think I may have some generic silicon lube floating around in the garage lol. Save me a trip down to Supercheap which always ends up being an expensive venture. So many things you didn't know that you need!!

Generic Silicone lube works better than anything else. Its good enough to make almost any crummy light water resistant.

Any silicone-based lubricant will do. I think Lighthound sells small tubes of what seems to be the standard stuff.

Personally, I have 5 flashlights that have o-rings. I haven't lubed any yet, because I haven't actually seen them get dried up or whatever it is to indicate they'd need lube. The latest I've gotten, I'm going to end up purchasing a tube just to be safe. But so far I've had several of these lights a year or more, and I haven't seen a need. I'm guessing mileage varies, and some people do need more than others. My understanding is the more you screw/unscrew the thread to which the o-ring is attached, the more friction, heat, and wear might cause problems. So this is the purpose of the lubricant, in my opinion.

Ironically, the same purpose of lube in sexual intercourse.

But, yes, eventually it will be a good idea. Especially if you leave a light on all the time and have to change batteries very often. My lights right now, I either do not use very much, or keep them on only a small bit of time each use, so batteries last me a good while longer than some people's.

I was guilty of neglecting one of my lights (one of the Solarforce L2s, actually) to the point where I needed to use multigrips to undo the end cap