Hi guys so i've bought a few flash lights now but now need something to power them with, i have a mini mag (AA) and a AAA torch. What is the best type of battery to operate these. Alkaline or rechargeable or lithium, and what make capacity. Also i've noticed a lot of you running lights off different forms of battery i saw someone mention a 14500 for a AAA.
Sorry for the noob questions might might be useful as a sticky for the uneducated of us. :-)
Charles
Its 14500 for an AA size cell........Its bassed on the user really. What do you use your lights for, is it an edc where you only use it if needed or an everyday light that gets used often. And as for lithium cells you need to make sure that the light will be able to handle the voltage, because if it cant, then poof....no more light. For me i like to use LSD's -low self discharge- and for long black outs a rechargeable with more mah. If the light can handle the voltage then go lith rechargeable, usually you will gain an increase in brightness but lower runtimes when you compare it too nimh. And just to let you know that there are safety measures when it comes to lithiums, one will need to take care of them, some cells dont like to be overdischarged, overcharged.....then you have cells that are flat tops, ones with a protection circuit and ones that dont.
Thanks for that, that helps a lot
You still havent answered my questions though....what do you intend to use your lights for. My edc lights are a Nitecore D10 and a Romisen RC A4X and both use lith rechargeables...i keep the primaries for back up, i like knowing that every couple of days that the cells are topped off depending on usage of course.
Sorry they are not used all the time mainly for emergencies and work under the car, so i need them to hold their charge but also have a decent run time.
the lights i have so far are a Maglite with the 1w nitize upgrade the cheap AAA i posted about earlier and a 2D Magled
Charles
The Maglite with led drop in would fair well with a set of lsd's and primary lithiums, if going with alkies then i suggest not installing them til you plan to use them- there are cases that alkies leak and you sure as hell dont want to ruin a perfectly working light. An in the AAA light i also suggest using an lsd or just a rechargeable cell.....the voltage will not sag in use like an alkie. Where do you live, if i may ask.
Hi thanks for the heads up, I live in Bristol in the UK
With regards to the LSD's do you have any decent manufactures that you could recommend it would seem looking on the net that all the well know brands ie Duracell are of lower capacity to the ones you've never heard of.
Duracell white tops are rebranded Eneloops which are made in Japan, the blacktop ones are made in China and i hear need a lot of work. Depending on your budget the Titanium Power Enduro's are also good for the price, but need a lot of work to get them to capacity. I really dont know what brands you guys carry there so please let me know. I know DX sells GP Recykos which are also known for its capacity and are well made.
Take a look at http://www.component-shop.co.uk, they have (or had when I bought them) the best prices on Sanyo Eneloops which are the gold standard in low self-discharge NiMH cells. That's where mine came from. They are in Wales somewhere so are pretty close to you.
7dayshop do their own branded ones. Not sure yet how good they are - I bought by mistake more AAA LSD cells from them than I needed (Was getting them for patients) but haven't had them long enough to say yet.
I bought some Vapextech Instant AAs a couple of years ago - they do not hold their charge as well as the Eneloops and one of the cells has gone bad, my charger won't recognise it now. I also have a dozen or so AAAs from them and they give no trouble - mostly get used in a label printer that takes 6 of them.
I bought very recently a set of 6 of Maplin's own brand D LSDs. These are good spec but too soon to say how good or otherwise they are. I've not yet run them down enough to see how well they behave. Their own brand "Hybrid" cells are probably Uniross Hybrios or closely related. Not been on the market long enough to know about durability etc.
High capacity AA NiMH cells are a waste of money - anything over 2200mAh is going to give you trouble sooner rather than later. I have some "2700"mAh cells that are too fat to fit in a lot of lights, have never held more than 2400mAh and self discharge with great speed. Not useful for things that you don't use constantly. I've junked over a dozen 2300mAh cells that just stopped charging after a few years.
GP cells have a reasonable reputation and usually aren't that expensive (Unless you buy them from Currys/PC World). Their Recyko brand are OK cells.
Lots of places seem to be selling Duracell rechargeables - often packaged with a pretty decent charger. It is rare to see the white topped cells in those packages - I have seen them in B&Q but in Sainsburys they were all black tops. And yes, I looked at every single one on the display. The white topped ones are relabelled Sanyo Eneloops. Avoid the high capacity ones. See above. Look out for 2000 or 2100mAh and white tops.
That sucked for me as well....i was planning on getting some more Duraloops but as you said no white tops could be found. I have some Powerex 2700's that have a max capacity of about 2300, i did everything to get the capacity up but to no avail. Its good to pay for high quality cells now and have them for years instead of getting some cheap ones and only have them for months.
I believe that the Powerex cells are among the most highly rated at that capacity - they and the Ansmann cells usually come out best in tests. Basically high capacity NiMH cells have to make too many compromises to be a good idea.
Well the cells are still in use.......might do a break in and R/A to see where the cells stand now.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/4-X-DURACELL-AA-ACTIVE-CHARGE-RECHARGEABLE-BATTERIES_W0QQitemZ180458778449QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_ConsumerElectronics_Batteries_SM?hash=item2a042e6f51#ht_500wt_1182
Could these be the elusive Duraloops !!
They just might be....no pic of the top of the battery though.
http://forums.steves-digicams.com/batteries-power-packs/154174-duracell-pre-charge-duracell-uncharged-rechargeables.html
this looks interesting, there was also a topic on candle power but don't wanna link to there :-)
I'll try to write something at the weekend, but CPF's battery section is friendlier than most sub forums and generally stuffed with useful information - well worth a look. Ignore the charge flame wars. As far as I am concerned most of Maha's chargers are not cheap but very good - their cheap ones (Under $40) aren't well regarded.
Battery University is very well worth a look too. Clearly explained and a lot of info.
These are the lights i have so far that can take lith batts
Ultrafire rl-118
aurora sh-034
iTP A1 eos ss
and also looking at getting one of these Uniquefire L2 lights
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.33547
So far i have been running these lights off AW IMR cells which although are very good are also very expensive, What would be a good alternative my lights aren't used all the time and are not always used for very long when are being used.
Would these be any good?
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.24980
The flame coloured Trustfires seem to be pretty good. I've no complaints about the earlier grey ones that I have. Price is OK, capacity is a flat lie. The actual capacity is a little over half the claimed value.
The AW IMR cells are the only close to honestly rated RCR123/16340 cells I've ever come across. But they will dish out more current than any protected RCR123 will - and will do so safely, hence the recommendation for the RL-118 which draws rather too many amps from its cells for lithium/cobalt cells.
The Uniquefire L2 ia identical to the Ultrafire WF-504B in all but the lettering on the body. I have both, and both are good. the dropin should be nice. R5 dropins usually are. Since you are using RCR123/16340 cells you need the 9V capability. Nice light, and plenty of lumens coming out of it.
Thanks for the Advice Don which of the lights i have mentioned could i safely run on the Trustfire cells ?
Everything but the Ultrafire. My protected cells would let it emit light for less than a second before the protection kicked in.