r/tacticalgear

https://reddit.com/link/1sdxp1e/video/7chumpzndktg1/player

Hi everyone

I can see this is a very common problem, but there isn’t much information about it available, so here goes, my brothers.

The problem probably started when I first charged my SL-B9 (a Streamlight-branded Li-ion battery specific to their lights), or maybe it was there right out of the box — I honestly can’t tell.

I spent hours looking for answers and found many people with the same issue. Most responses were like: “it’s just coil whine” or “it will go away after some use when the circuits wear in.” I didn’t accept that because I wanted my light to be quiet, and the noise was really annoying.

The next day, I went to my local gun shop to talk about it and look for a solution. By coincidence, the guy I spoke with had a concealed Glock with a TLR-7A running on a CR123A battery. We tried swapping the SL-B9 (3.6V) for a standard lithium CR123A (3.0V) — and the noise disappeared completely.

So it’s probably related to voltage or a faulty SL-B9 battery.

Since I like the idea of rechargeable batteries, I kept searching. I ordered a good-quality 3.6V RCR123A (basically the same as SL-B9) and a SureFire rechargeable 123A 3.2V LiFePO4.

• With the 3.6V RCR123A — the noise was the same as before
• With the SureFire 3.2V — the noise was much quieter, but still noticeable

Then I contacted an authorized service in Poland. They sait noise is not in acceptable range and handled it under warranty by replacing the SL-B9, saying it was fixed.

I got the light back — nothing really changed. On top of that, it came back slightly damaged (as you can see in the video, one switch wasn’t working properly and felt mushy).

I contacted them the next day and explained everything. It wasn’t an aggressive call — I know mistakes happen, and it’s fine as long as they take responsibility. They told me to send it back again and said they would replace it with a new unit.

So I did.

I got it back again. They stated in the warranty documentation that the device was replaced with a new one. Yeah… a “new” one with a tiny scratch that was made on range day week ago, but it came with new stickers, a manual, and that red sticker around the head. The switch was working properly this time, so I didn’t really care. Maybe they only replaced the circuit — I’m not judging.

However, the noise problem didn’t change at all.

I’m now 99% sure it’s related to voltage, because when the battery is low, the noise becomes less noticeable.

The closest thing to a “middle ground” so far is the SureFire rechargeable 123A — the sound is barely noticeable, and it’s still rechargeable. The light is great and i love it.

If you’ve found a solution, please let me know. I’m begging 😅

Hi,

I am trying to make a decently sized medical bag for personal and volunteer use. I really like the design of the 18l medical bag, but I really dislike the amount of PALS webbing all over the bag.

So the Niukka seems perfect, as it is - at least as far as I can see - just a slightly larger main compartment part of the medic pack. The only issue I see is trying to use the med organizers as there is no velcro attachment point. How hard would it be to make a velcro panel and somehow attach it to the inside?

Thanks for the help.