OK here we go. I have another thread going about AAA’s but this one will be about D batteries. I own a 6D I just upgraded with the TerraLUX 1000 lumens drop-in kit and I’m very happy with it, but I noticed the light started to dim (I have the batteries for over a year or so) a little and I think they are draining the batteries. I’m using regular Duracell but I wonder if I used some good NiMH rechargeable batteries could get some money saved in a long run (D batteries are not cheap). I hear that Tenergy are not that good.
I’m looking a this ones: https://www.thomasdistributing.com/D-Low-Discharge-Batteries_c_930.html
I have the Imedion (D and AA) and I am not happy with it. They lose capacity fairly easily. The Eneloop AA are far better.
My Centura Ds are still incoming so I still don’t have first-hand experience with them yet but my iCharger is ready for them.
Contact BLF member “Boaz” if you want the regular Tenergy NiMH, he has some for a pretty good deal if you are buying several, basically shipping is the same for 1 or 12 so the more you buy the better the deal. I would have bought from him but he contacted me after I had already bought from another company. I bought the Tenergy Centura because they are Low Self Discharge(LSD), rated at 8000mah vs 10000mah for the regular or premium Tenergy.
One more for Tenergy here. I’m not sure what you’ve heard about them. But I’ve had GREAT luck with Tenergy C and D cells in both the Premium and Centura cells.
I have to disagree with Tatasal, I have Imedion cells and love em! They far outlast Eneloops in the AA form factor in a high drain situation. I also have D size, but don’t have anything to compare them to. All my Imedion’s came from Thomas Distributing. As did both my 8 bay chargers.
I’m a photographer, shooting weddings and miscellaneous anniversary parties and such. I use flash on 2 camera’s pretty hard. Multiple shots, sometimes full blast in a dark reception environment shooting at a distance to get candids. The Eneloops work, but the Imedions work better. They have higher capacity and fire more simultaneous shots than the Eneloops do. I have 20 of the Imedion AA, first and second generation. They’re a life saver! I’ve been using the first generation for several years and don’t notice a capacity decrease. 4 cells in a flash rated at 590’ throw usually last over 700 shots. They come out of the flash unit pretty darn hot most of the time!
Sometimes jobs are spaced out with it being a fair bit of time between weddings. They’re always ready to go, always dependable.
I have and still use my first Eneloops as well (with some 40 AA in my kit) and these first one’s are over 5 years old! Still going strong. When it’s more than a hobby, and your business is on the line, you use what is proven to work. I use Imedion with 16 Eneloop which serve as back-ups. My wife and I typically shoot over 1700 pictures in a single day on weddings. Every shot assisted with flash. We’ve shot weddings that netted over 2500 pictures, 40GB of files, and as I recall I put fresh cells in my wife’s flash twice (she just barely got into the second set) and I changed once.
This is why, when I got a triple XM-L2 Elektrolumens Mag Drop-in that needed 3 “D” NiMh, I went straight to Thomas Distributing for the Imedions, no questions asked.
If you are using the 1900mAh Eneloop, sure, the 2400mAh Imedion AAs should outlast them. They should be compared to the Eneloop XX 2400s.
My point is, using my C9000’s discharge capacity feature, the Eneloop maintains its rated energy (mAh) much nearer to its minimum capacity set by the factory, as compared to the decreasing energy retained by the Imedions as compared to its minimum capacity claimed by the factory. I have also observed this decreasing discharge capacity of my Imedions using my iCharger. Your Maha 800 series charger, while having a deep conditioning feature, does not have an Anaylzer feature wherein you won’t know if your cells’ discharge capacities are maintaining its rating or already declining.
The results are what matters, not the numbers on a device. The Eneloops XX series has a shorter life span of 500 charges, compared to the Imedion’s 1000 charge life cycle. Differences are expected.
I have Generation 1 Imedions at 2100mAh with 2000mAh min, and the newer 2500mAh with 2400mAh min. My Eneloops are 2000mAh with 1900mAh min. It’s not just a longer life in the charge, it’s the higher drain rate….more flashes consecutively. Alkalines and primary Lithium’s give 2 or 3 shots in a row then need some recovery time. The Eneloops can get 4to5 shots while the Imedions can do 7to9 simultaneous 4 frames per second shots. In any chemistry or brand, this is going to fall somewhat as the battery gets depleted, of course. But time after time the Imedion’s have proven themselves, both versions, such that I’m ready for another 16 Imedions and retire the Eneloops to my son’s game pad and my wireless mouse.
I haven’t tried the expensive Sanyo Eneloop XX. The shorter life capacity is a deal breaker for me.
Sometimes it kinda gets like saying my mom’s apple pie is better than your mom’s apple pie! lol
My dad says they best dessert is the one you’re eating now. I think he has a valid point that covers a lot of things. Lights, batteries, cameras, as long as they’re working for you in the moment, they’r doing what you paid for them to do. Maybe we get a little caught up in the budget race and make competition’s out of things unnecessarily.
Didn’t mean to be arguing, was only really trying to relay my own experience and a happiness with a certain brand. I’m a Canon shooter because I like what Canon has done for me. Brand loyalty I guess. lol
Hey guys have any of you tried using a 26650 with a sleeve? I read that in CPF, they even used a PVC sleeve. I would like to have some feedback.
Thanks
Works in a Regular MagLite as well, but you have to provide a spacer. I cut a circular piece of plastic with a hole saw, enlarged the center hole to fit over a 1/2” bar of aluminum that I had on hand, and with 2 of the plastic pieces made an extension for the single Li-ion battery to fit a 3D MagLite. Same or similar voltage, Light looks the same, but it’s lighter with one cell up at the switch and the rest of the tube virtually empty.
You could use a wooden dowel and run a heavy wire through it. You could use plastic bottle caps and cut a hole in em with a knife, put a rod through the middle and fill the cap with JB Weld. The caps, plastic, wood, whatever, would center the rod or wire carrying the current and insulate it from contact with the sides, but that’s not even necessary as the body carries the negative side. In theory you fill the entire tube with a bar of copper, press fit into tube and it wouldn’t matter. Hard to change cells that way, but it proves a point. Anything you can do to provide the negative connection and keep the cell pushed into the positive spring will work.
Edit: 3 NiMh D cells will have more runtime. More than twice the runtime.
^Yeah I think so, I’ll get some Tenergy Premium and a charger. Thanks a lot for your input.
By the way guys, I have a 2D cell that I would like to modify/upgrade. I read & watched some YOUTUBE videos about the 5*Cree R2 Drop-in. All this has been done in a 3C and 4D+ but never saw a 2D. It’s posible to get it done in a 2D with a more powerfull batteries like Li-Ions or so. Just curious. I’ll appreciate you input.
