CRC - there has been a lot of useful info in this thread for you, but my 2 cents as someone who was VERY new and uneducated about this hobby only last year -
Overall - the way i learned and see others learning here is to follow this process (when in doubt):
find a light you want (i.e. KR4)
start a thread on BLF asking any info about it you dont understand (batteries, function, reputation, etc)
mention you're new and just want some info
wait for responses
I think this process works best because you are only learning what you NEED TO KNOW. and after awhile, your cumulative knowledge will be much more than you ever expected. I see members all the time starting threads just to ask a question, I don't know how its taken by the community - but i think its smart. if you cannot find your answer by searching, and feel overwhelmed by searching, just cut right to the chase and ask in a new thread.
Noctigon KR4
-I have a KR4, its one of my most carried lights, i drop it ALL THE TIME, no problems in my experience. it sits next to my head on my nightstand too.
-they're cheap, and reputable, and can handle the KR4. I use them both.
-Buy your batteries here : https://www.18650batterystore.com/or here:https://liionwholesale.com/ and i think many of us could agree you will never get a junk battery. feel safe about that. thats half the problem, buying junk batteries. and if either of these places started to sell junk, you would here about it on BLF first. (There are other places to buy them, but i'm trying to make it straight forward).
It should only vent when there is pressure built up inside the sealed cell. That of course comes from heat, one way or another, or crushing physical force. Most cells and any that are approved for import into the US have a current interrupting device (CID) built into the top end of the cell...it's basically like a foil cover that ruptures (hopefully) when it should to prevent further heat/pressure/current flow. It's hard to see it and not so obvious if you don't know it's in there, but with most cells you can peer into the cutouts in the positive cap and see it down there. This is also why you shouldn't poke things into those cutouts or attempt to pry up/repair a positive end that has been dented. We aren't getting overly toxic fumes here like with those primaries or cells that are super heated, etc., but if a cell ever vents from an accidental short or damage, you may hear a little "poof" if you're close to it and listening, maybe catch a little odor. Again, don't huff it, but it's not the same as that other thread and not a huge concern. By the way, this kind of thing is why it's always a bad idea to carry extra cells in a pocket with keys or other conductive things, or pokey things, even if the cell is in one of those little silicone stretchy covers (which are otherwise handy but less protective than a plastic box or something).
This is the "unseen" protective device in a cell...and I guess, still, some ultra cheap suspect crappy cells don't incorporate it, but most do, and all the big makers do. Just a standard part of their construction. When you buy a "protected" battery, that's different - that is additional stuff added on to the outside of the cell (beneath the wrapper) with teeny electronics that cut the circuit based on voltage levels or heat.
You're welcome...don't give up, you're halfway there already. :)
you're welcome, and if you have additional questions about anything at all with batteries, lights or reputable places to get them just shoot me a pm anytime.
So I am not very knowledgeable about how drivers work, but basically the 5amp constant current means that the driver in the kr4 will regulate the output up to 5 amps, and after that it is run in a direct drive mode (meaning that whatever battery power you have, minus the resistance of things like wires,etc. Will go straight to the leds).
the best way I can describe the 5amp constant currrnt part is - the driver is made with resistors in it that limit the power that is allowed to go from your battery through the driver to your leds, in the amount of 5 amps.
also, from what I understand is that a "constant current driver" (like the kr4) is not as sophisticated or well engineered as a buck driver or a boost driver, because those also have other capabilities to preserve battery life and give the light better "efficiency". Like I said, I am understanding this more as time goes on but this is the extent of my layman's knowledge, I know that the constant current driver Hank offers isn't the most efficient and best driver out there, but it is a balance of his design, intent (high output, some driver regulation), options (awesome leds and body material like titanium) that makes Noctigon and Emsiar so appealing. It's the every persons light. A great combo of components for an affordable price.
so yes, some people will completely bash any driver that is not a buck driver or boost driver made with boutique parts and massaged into existence by an electrical engineer and pixie dust, but when it's all said and done it's about balancing your expectations, what you truly want and need, and if you care about changing batteries lol. That's an understatement but how I feel about it sometimes. I own lights with buck drivers, boost driver, direct drivers (the cheaper ones) and I love them all.
over time you will find what you like, and what you dislike. I'd say try different things first. Signing off now be black later for more!
I just saw I didn't answer your second question - 6 amps is not necessarily very powerful, but it's all in perspective. A lot of convoys drivers are 6amp max drivers because for single emitter flashlights it is a good general max output to be safe for the emitter. But for a multimemitter light like the kr4 (5amps) is a good everyday max out out, basically covers you up to turbo. Your marker being a 10amp max power sounds high? Iirc that is a single emitter osram led light, so 10amps sounds like it would be high, for a single emitter light with an osram led. Because most osram leds are more comfortable around 5amps, with only the CULPM1 (the largest white flat they make) being able to maintain about 8amps comfortably.
Don't worry, someone who understands it much more than I do would have probably explained it much better. You will see many examples people on here explaining things very well and it will be easier to understand than my ramblings.
one thing I wanted to clarify too- when I was describing the buck and boost drivers some are so passionate about - there is another positive aspect to those drivers I left out, probably the most important one- it is that they are much more efficient & consistent in their output. I only mentioned them being more efficient in battery life, but their efficiency in output and consistent output is what I assume is the biggest reason many people like those drivers so much. And it is important. I kindve taking a dig at it, but there are clear benefits to buck/boost drivers. But they are not the end all be all for all of us. That's all. :)
abaolutley not! I don't even know if I REALLY understand it lol!. You are good my friend. Just go over Anduril and it's basic operations and you will be fine! Like literally just the operations to ramp up/down, turn on /off, and turbo!
all is good. I would wager that more than half the people that own a kr4 don't understand the constant current aspect of the driver, thoroughly. I could be wrong, but you are not alone!
High drain is relative, an 18650 would need a higher CDR to be called ‘high drain’ than an 18350 or an 14500. I would need to look at a review to be sure but the MC13 shouldn’t be using more than 5 to 6A in turbo as that’s approximately the current which archives peak output for that LED, using more would just damage the LED for no gain. The driver should be doing the current limiting in that flashlight so you shouldn’t be worried about using a more powerful cell. The number of manufacturers of good 18350 cells is small so there is a high chance they are the same cell underneath.
It would be better if manufacturers used actual CDR requirements but I guess most people dislike numbers so they use imprecise words like ‘high drain’ rather than sounding too technical and losing sales. Also if turbo required 10A but the cell only has 8A CDR it shouldn’t explode, it will perform worse and heat more than expected but an explosion would require a larger difference and the failure of the safety features. As most ratings, the CDR has a safety margin, but that doesn’t mean you should exceed it on purpose.
That Xtar 2 bay charger is definitely a good charger, i particularly like its charging speed (2amp x 1 cell, 1amp x2 cells). I also have come to trust Xtar chargers for reliability. The batteries are certainly good for the KR4, and for the 18350 - it will work for the manker definitely. The 18650 (Molicel, P26a) is great for the KR4, but there are probably better options for the Manker, because you dont need over 20 amps of discharge for the manker that is running an Osram led at around 5 amps. I would say pickup this cell for your Manker https://www.18650batterystore.com/collections/sanyo-18650-batteries/products/sanyo-bl if you will be buying from 18650batterystore.com
Its a reputable cell, and a good price. and its in stock. like the previous post stated, you dont need a high amp cell for the Manker. plus you'd probably want each light to have its own cell, in case you wanted to use them at the same time :)
You could consider getting flashlights with included battery and built-in USB charging. For example the Wurrkos FC11. It comes with everything you need. No need for separate battery or charger purchase.
You are zigging and zagging again.
You seem to get attracted to ‘bright shiny objects’, and want even brighter, shinier objects. Then while checking things out you either get information that scares you, or overloaded with the tech specs of the potential new toy.
Not sure what the answer is for you.
NiMh are inherently safer, easier to come by, and far more widely used in flashlights than Li-on, though lithium is catching up pretty fast. It does have many compelling properties.
You DO have to know SOME stuff. There are good, less good, mediocre, and crap NiMh. You can’t go wrong with Eneloops, as long as you get the real product. There are plenty of reviews by HKJ in the forum to help you.
Same with chargers, so you need at least a viable charger. It doesn’t have to be ‘amazing’, just competent and reliable.
You can get a fairly decent light that will run off NiMh. Not as amazing, but pretty decent. I have both, and the reality is NiMh gets far more use for me.
For the most part yes. My expertise is limited and perhaps someone else will chime in with a better answer.
Most lights and nearly all Eneloops it is very much insert and don’t worry. However, not all lights, batteries, and chargers are created equal. Some cells will be underperforming out of the box. (Eneloops will likely have fewer of these than any other brand.) Usage, heat, chargers that don’t terminate properly will all affect battery performance over time. The type of driver in the flashlight will also make a difference.
As a AAA example I have some E02 II’s and Ti3s along with a number of AAA cells of varying age and condition. The Ti3s take any cell. Most people would not notice that the older cells are not up to the task. The Lights still get plenty bright and the run time is not that bad. However, if you put the lights side by side with a good new cell and an older one you would be able to notice that the lights are not as bright with the lower performing cells. The E02 II’s are a different animal. Those lights need a good cell to function properly. While the Ti3 will chug along just fine on high putting out noticeably more Lumnen than on medium the E02 will trip the regulation and only allow a low or moonlight mode. It simply will not do High and forget about turbo.
Most people don’t care about any of this or even notice. For the most part NiMh cells are trouble free and most people wouldn’t know that their light should be brighter than it is if they happen to have bad cells. Don’t know how many NiMh lights have the kind of drivers that require low IR cells in order to function. Pretty sure that my TN4a has that kind of driver but have never put older AAs in it. Also, my guess is that with 4 AAs there is a bit more room for error. Have not had a problem with any of the cells I use in that light. I do notice that the light stays at much more stable brightness as the cells discharge than something like a C8 with Biscotti so I am assuming that it is a constant current driver.
Bottom line to me is that the charger is probably as important as anything. Bad chargers destroy cells way ahead of their time. On the whole there really isn’t anything to worry about with NiMh. Buy good cells and a good charger and just enjoy. At some point by more batteries when the ones you have used are not performing as well as you would like. You are very unlikely to ever have a leak like alkaline that will destroy your flashlight. You will definitely get lots of light for far less $ than alkaline without the risks!
Look to be. Stupidly expensive. Should be under $4/battery.
Used to be not hard to get re-branded Eneloops for $2-3/battery for AA (Ikea-Ladda, Amazon Basic, Duraloops…). Getting tough to do that now.
I haven’t had to buy NiMh in a good while. Maybe someone else has better price suggestions.
(Note - everyone says go to Ikea for Ladda-Eneloops……Yeah, just try to get a Ladda.)