Uploaded November 2025 | Updated September 2026, 21 minutes ago
Today I’m answering a viewer question: How hard is it to replace the 18650 battery inside the Harbor Freight Braun 500 Lumen Work Light vs the new Icon 800 Lumen Work Light?
After tearing both down, the results surprised me:
🔧 Braun super simple. Unscrew the bottom, drop in a new 18650 cell, done. DIY friendly.
⚡ ICON not so simple. The 18650 uses a proprietary connector (similar to a JST-PH but not an exact match) with a large retention clamp. After researching options, the closest replacement I could find was the ICR18650-2200 with JST-PHR-2P from Digikey but it would still need modification to fit.
Both lights are amazing when on sale for nearly the same price, but battery replacement may be the deciding factor for some buyers.
This is why I tear things apart so YOU don’t have to.
Let me know what tool teardown I should do next! 🔥🔧
@DaleLucid @harborfreight
#HarborFreight #ToolReview #BraunLight #IconTools #18650 #BatteryReplacement
#ToolTok #DIYFix #RechargeableTools #Teardown #RightToRepair
#ToolCommunity #BudgetTools #MechanicLife #ElectricianLife #TechDIY
Today I’m answering a viewer question: How hard is it to replace the 18650 battery inside the Harbor Freight Braun 500 Lumen Work Light vs the new Icon 800 Lumen Work Light?
After tearing both down, the results surprised me:
🔧 Braun super simple. Unscrew the bottom, drop in a new 18650 cell, done. DIY friendly.
⚡ ICON not so simple. The 18650 uses a proprietary connector (similar to a JST-PH but not an exact match) with a large retention clamp. After researching options, the closest replacement I could find was the ICR18650-2200 with JST-PHR-2P from Digikey but it would still need modification to fit.
Both lights are amazing when on sale for nearly the same price, but battery replacement may be the deciding factor for some buyers.
This is why I tear things apart so YOU don’t have to.
Let me know what tool teardown I should do next! 🔥🔧
@DaleLucid @harborfreight
#HarborFreight #ToolReview #BraunLight #IconTools #18650 #BatteryReplacement
#ToolTok #DIYFix #RechargeableTools #Teardown #RightToRepair
#ToolCommunity #BudgetTools #MechanicLife #ElectricianLife #TechDIY
