Flashlights - Replacement battery vs rechargeable
- Thread starter Toothpick
- Start date
I use flashlights that mainly take replaceable rechargeable 18650 batteries.... The cool thing ( for me) is that I have access to old laptop battery packs and by " breaking open " "dead and of no use" packs usually almost all the batteries are still good And the batteries in them are 18650 so I get free batteries for the flashlights and the lights themselves can usually be gotten for less than 5 dollars and I was able to buy the charger for the batteries for about the same ( the charger is basically a one time investment). The lights are very bright and work well....
Everyone has gotten a rechargeable pen light from me for Christmas from harbor freight. 14 bucks.
The camping /walking headlight is rechargeable petzl it's an acktik core?. My favorite headlight was a Tikka XP core It was both rechargeable battery AND AAA battery In there at the same time enough storage space for both. Stolen from car. If someone has a working one I will trade them my most expensive razor for that exact model. The new headlamps allow you to switch out the AAAs for the rechargeable battery which is nice this one just allowed you to do both.
I agree with @luvmysuper on the Duracell hand flashlight. We have them in our rooms in case of emergency.
I've been switching most alkaline batteries to rechargeable lithium. I think that's something that most of us would get behind here, Just solely based around razors. Why should I pay for something that I'm going to use maybe three to five times and then have to throw away instead of paying a little bit more and then I get to reuse it forever.
I've been switching my rechargeables from enloop to tenergy. Enloop battery spacers for C and D size batteries. Higher capacity than alkaline and enloop and lithium ion so they don't lose much energy as the previous rechargeable batteries, niMH or niCd, when they aren't being used.
My favorite flashlight is some cheap job that my mother gave to me from State farm branded tchotchke. It is No bigger than the first two knuckles on my index finger, 3 small coin cells probably lr44. You click on it it's a tiny pen light, you slide it out to double the size and you turn it into a mini lantern.
The camping /walking headlight is rechargeable petzl it's an acktik core?. My favorite headlight was a Tikka XP core It was both rechargeable battery AND AAA battery In there at the same time enough storage space for both. Stolen from car. If someone has a working one I will trade them my most expensive razor for that exact model. The new headlamps allow you to switch out the AAAs for the rechargeable battery which is nice this one just allowed you to do both.
I agree with @luvmysuper on the Duracell hand flashlight. We have them in our rooms in case of emergency.
I've been switching most alkaline batteries to rechargeable lithium. I think that's something that most of us would get behind here, Just solely based around razors. Why should I pay for something that I'm going to use maybe three to five times and then have to throw away instead of paying a little bit more and then I get to reuse it forever.
I've been switching my rechargeables from enloop to tenergy. Enloop battery spacers for C and D size batteries. Higher capacity than alkaline and enloop and lithium ion so they don't lose much energy as the previous rechargeable batteries, niMH or niCd, when they aren't being used.
My favorite flashlight is some cheap job that my mother gave to me from State farm branded tchotchke. It is No bigger than the first two knuckles on my index finger, 3 small coin cells probably lr44. You click on it it's a tiny pen light, you slide it out to double the size and you turn it into a mini lantern.
I carry one of my rechargeable 18650 ones in my pocket at all times because you never know when you will need it. It's has been very handy ...
I like that none of my rechargeables have ever leaked even if they have sat for years in some little used device. That is worth a lot as well.
It was probably a decade or more ago when I bought them, but I found that my Tenergy AA/AAA did not last nearly as long as my Eneloop batteries. Maybe they were sitting longer or draining faster, I cannot say for sure how their usage pattern was different but after 5 years or so I started noticing that some would not recharge. I would trash one dead battery, then another, until now all almost gone. They were the ones in the white package, now I see they have some black and gray ones.
I bought a pack of Harbor Freight AA rechargeables (thunderbolt magnum) ~ 1-2 years ago it seems. They are holding up pretty well in some electric toothbrushes, lasting a decent about of time between recharging without noticeably fading. It is too soon to judge them, but I suspect they will last longer than my older model tenergy batteries.
@StillShaving It's awesome to hear that somebody else also likes rechargeable batteries. I should note that all of my tenergies are their newer lithium ion line. I was switching my enloop NiMH batteries to tenergy lithium ion. So time will tell with that. I have always liked enloops with NiMH battery as rechargeables go.
Pale blue lithium ion with a micro USB charger are hot trash.
I cannot speak to the pale blue with the USBC revamp that are out there. I think I saw them at Lowe's
Pale blue lithium ion with a micro USB charger are hot trash.
I cannot speak to the pale blue with the USBC revamp that are out there. I think I saw them at Lowe's
Good feedback. I am using NiMH rechargeables but should check out the newer chemistry Tenergy and others when I order replacements. I have been running low on rechargeables the past couple of years, even resorting to buying some disposables, but I would like to get back to having enough on hand to run rechargeables in all my devices plus having a spare set on hand for quick swap outs.
To add more detail to my last post I found a single decade old Tenergy AAA remaining in my stash. It is a "Centura"
with red lettering and white/green background.
This is key, and why every remote here - or anything odd and little-used - gets rechargeables. They don't leak.
Tired of fixing/sanding rusty contacts, acid on fingers etc.
AA
Similar, but different: I only have 1 rechargeable light and I switched to a rechargeable insulin-pump last year. I still have my (no-warranty AA) pump in storage and I picked up 2 emergency solar chargers.
I generally prefer replacement batteries and keep a modest stash on-hand. Rechargeables, in my very limited experience, you should have 3 sets: 1 in-use, 2-on-charger, if you're using an inverter/solar recharge.
I generally prefer replacement batteries and keep a modest stash on-hand. Rechargeables, in my very limited experience, you should have 3 sets: 1 in-use, 2-on-charger, if you're using an inverter/solar recharge.
I've had two Nitecore lights for a while. A P12 18650 that I gave to my mother to use. I got it with two batteries and a charger so its always good to go. That light is around 5 years old now and still perfect, as are the batteries. They recharge to and hold 4.2v. The other Nitecore is an 'New' P30 with a 21700 battery. Got throw, yep. 630m's of it. I recently gave it away to a friend that needed a light for emergency calls when I replaced it with this.
www.olightstore.ca
Its quite a light. 180° 7000 lumen flood and with the flip of a switch, as noticed by the centre of the lens, a tightly focused beam advertised as ~600m throw. Its not quite as good at distance as the P30 but its so close it doesnt matter. Its also a large light with a 6500mAh 32650 lithium ion battery. Run times are crazy and are a hallmark of Olights in general. Replacements are available. Its built like a tank. Between that light and the freebie AAA they give you when you register an account there, I cant think of a scenario where I'd need a different light. That AAA gets used every day. The Marauder Mini comes out when I need daylight at 2am.
You may read, and be a bit turned off by the magnetic charging. I was, but I gotta say, its handy and works very well. The charging cord is USB with a lit charging indicator at the magnetic end.
I have one more Olight on my list.
www.olightstore.ca
That case is actually a power bank that can recharge that light 5 times. It can also be used as a regular power bank.
Well, maybe two...
www.olightstore.ca
Olight has sales every month, as I understand it. I bought the Marauder Mini at ~$80 off over the holidays.
Marauder mini powerful rechargeable dual-beam LED flashlight with a flood, spot, and RGB, ideal for search & rescue, hunters, etc.
Marauder mini powerful rechargeable dual-beam LED flashlight with a flood, spot, and RGB, ideal for search & rescue, hunters, etc.
Its quite a light. 180° 7000 lumen flood and with the flip of a switch, as noticed by the centre of the lens, a tightly focused beam advertised as ~600m throw. Its not quite as good at distance as the P30 but its so close it doesnt matter. Its also a large light with a 6500mAh 32650 lithium ion battery. Run times are crazy and are a hallmark of Olights in general. Replacements are available. Its built like a tank. Between that light and the freebie AAA they give you when you register an account there, I cant think of a scenario where I'd need a different light. That AAA gets used every day. The Marauder Mini comes out when I need daylight at 2am.
You may read, and be a bit turned off by the magnetic charging. I was, but I gotta say, its handy and works very well. The charging cord is USB with a lit charging indicator at the magnetic end.
I have one more Olight on my list.
Baton 4 Powerful EDC Flashlight 1300 Lumens
Baton 4 Powerful EDC Flashlight 1300 Lumens
That case is actually a power bank that can recharge that light 5 times. It can also be used as a regular power bank.
Well, maybe two...
Want to make your weapon more powerful and accurate? The Baldr S with 800 lumens brighter white light is a compact rail mounted light with green and blue beam
Want to make your weapon more powerful and accurate? The Baldr S with 800 lumens brighter white light is a compact rail mounted light with green and blue beam
Olight has sales every month, as I understand it. I bought the Marauder Mini at ~$80 off over the holidays.
Star_Wahl_Clipper_Treker
Likes a fat handle in his hand
Hello @Toothpick What a great discussion, flashlights, one of my favorites!
I've used very basic flashlights before that ran on AAA, AA, or D alkaline batteries, and none of them are impressive to me. Will they do in a pinch? Sure! You can find these batteries sold just about everywhere, so they may be considered universal. But will the alkaline batteries leak over time? Oh yes!
In my experience, lithium rechargeable flashlights offer the most light power output, and for a reasonable runtime, depending on what you get. There are a lot of quality lithium 18650 or 21700 battery lights, that are rechargeable, but the batteries are easily replaceable as well. Many of them offer excellent run times in the medium size or larger.
About the only kind of lithium powered light that I can think of, that uses batteries that are not replaceable, are keychain lights. In my experience however, lithium batteries have a long lifespan, typically 7-years if cared for properly. But keychain lights are so cheap, it really isn't a big deal to just buy a new one, when the battery fails.
I used to rock a 4-D-Cell Maglight back in the day, Xenon bulb. But the problem with those, is they are typically maxing out at like 50-lumens, and your just going through consumable batteries, just to go through them, and I don't think thats particularly good for the environment either. Maglight had their time, but their time is over.
I personally am a big fan of high powered lithium powered flashlights, its IMO, that they are far better then anything we ever had in the past. My first foyay into the Nitecore brand, was back in 2015 I believe it was, when I bought the Nitecore EC4 flashlight. That was, and still is today, and excellent flashlight, uses 2-18650 cells, and puts out 1000 lumens turbo.
After a solid 9-years, it has served me well for both power outages, and for when I need to work on something, and require a little extra light. I knew technology advances quickly however, and I wanted to step into something newer, with more features, and higher light output, and thats when I got into my Nitecore MH25 PRO flashlight.
This light really impresses me! It not only puts out more lumens and candella power then my old EC4 does, but it also produces just as good runtime, but only using 1-21700 5300MAH battery. This light also has serious throw for not being a dedicated search light. This thing can produce 3300 lumens on turbo, up to like 771 yards.
It also uses an easy to use mode button to change the light output, and has a gauge to show battery level, as well as currently selected light output. IMO, lights like this one, or its little brother MH12 PRO, are probably the most user friendly. Both me and another family member are rocking these lights and we love them.
Build quality is very solid, it uses a strong aluminum shell. Threads are CNC'd to tight tolerances, and as such, help to produce a solid fit when removing and reinstalling the battery end cap. They also use a silicone grease, which allow the threading to happen smooth like butta. Everything about the lights speaks quality, and thats what you want.
I most recently got this lovely little keychain light from Nitecore, its called the Tiny 2. It can be purchased in different outer shell configurations, I chose titanium for the balance in weight and durability factors.
This keychain light maxes out at 500 lumens on turbo, but realistically, you don't really need to use it beyond 200 lumens. I am personally typically running it at 65 lumens, as I feel thats all I really need to light up my coffee bar to see the fill levels on things. You shouldn't need more then 65 lumens to find a key hole either. But its nice to have lumens!
When I fully charged the light, the screen told me my runtime for 65 lumens was around 2-hours on the battery, which is plenty good enough! Build quality is pretty solid, just like their full sized lights. I know much of this is because I chose titanium, cause I was after that build quality. Buttons feel good, Oled screen is quite useful.
But where this keychain light differs from the full sized lights, is that its not designed to be a thrower, it produces a floody beam, which is ideally what you want for close range usage. Between my Nitecore MH25 PRO, and my Nitecore Tiny 2, my light needs are well covered. I love that I can charge both lights via USB C as well.
I've used very basic flashlights before that ran on AAA, AA, or D alkaline batteries, and none of them are impressive to me. Will they do in a pinch? Sure! You can find these batteries sold just about everywhere, so they may be considered universal. But will the alkaline batteries leak over time? Oh yes!
In my experience, lithium rechargeable flashlights offer the most light power output, and for a reasonable runtime, depending on what you get. There are a lot of quality lithium 18650 or 21700 battery lights, that are rechargeable, but the batteries are easily replaceable as well. Many of them offer excellent run times in the medium size or larger.
About the only kind of lithium powered light that I can think of, that uses batteries that are not replaceable, are keychain lights. In my experience however, lithium batteries have a long lifespan, typically 7-years if cared for properly. But keychain lights are so cheap, it really isn't a big deal to just buy a new one, when the battery fails.
I used to rock a 4-D-Cell Maglight back in the day, Xenon bulb. But the problem with those, is they are typically maxing out at like 50-lumens, and your just going through consumable batteries, just to go through them, and I don't think thats particularly good for the environment either. Maglight had their time, but their time is over.
I personally am a big fan of high powered lithium powered flashlights, its IMO, that they are far better then anything we ever had in the past. My first foyay into the Nitecore brand, was back in 2015 I believe it was, when I bought the Nitecore EC4 flashlight. That was, and still is today, and excellent flashlight, uses 2-18650 cells, and puts out 1000 lumens turbo.
After a solid 9-years, it has served me well for both power outages, and for when I need to work on something, and require a little extra light. I knew technology advances quickly however, and I wanted to step into something newer, with more features, and higher light output, and thats when I got into my Nitecore MH25 PRO flashlight.
This light really impresses me! It not only puts out more lumens and candella power then my old EC4 does, but it also produces just as good runtime, but only using 1-21700 5300MAH battery. This light also has serious throw for not being a dedicated search light. This thing can produce 3300 lumens on turbo, up to like 771 yards.
It also uses an easy to use mode button to change the light output, and has a gauge to show battery level, as well as currently selected light output. IMO, lights like this one, or its little brother MH12 PRO, are probably the most user friendly. Both me and another family member are rocking these lights and we love them.
Build quality is very solid, it uses a strong aluminum shell. Threads are CNC'd to tight tolerances, and as such, help to produce a solid fit when removing and reinstalling the battery end cap. They also use a silicone grease, which allow the threading to happen smooth like butta. Everything about the lights speaks quality, and thats what you want.
I most recently got this lovely little keychain light from Nitecore, its called the Tiny 2. It can be purchased in different outer shell configurations, I chose titanium for the balance in weight and durability factors.
This keychain light maxes out at 500 lumens on turbo, but realistically, you don't really need to use it beyond 200 lumens. I am personally typically running it at 65 lumens, as I feel thats all I really need to light up my coffee bar to see the fill levels on things. You shouldn't need more then 65 lumens to find a key hole either. But its nice to have lumens!
When I fully charged the light, the screen told me my runtime for 65 lumens was around 2-hours on the battery, which is plenty good enough! Build quality is pretty solid, just like their full sized lights. I know much of this is because I chose titanium, cause I was after that build quality. Buttons feel good, Oled screen is quite useful.
But where this keychain light differs from the full sized lights, is that its not designed to be a thrower, it produces a floody beam, which is ideally what you want for close range usage. Between my Nitecore MH25 PRO, and my Nitecore Tiny 2, my light needs are well covered. I love that I can charge both lights via USB C as well.
Iridian
Cool and slimy
I am a flashaholic, I connect then alongside razors and for modern flashlights no non-rechargeables are used anymore. They would not deliver the wanted Ampere for current LEDs.
Some flashlights even come with 32700 or 42700 high size and capacity cells, these are often used for Teslas and similar cars alongside the 21700 cells they developed.
Some diving lights don't have inbuilt charging via USB C, but otherwise it has become standard.
I recommend Thrunite, Sofirn, Wurkkos, Fenix and Acebeam. They have the full range from EDC to duty and searchlights and lanterns.
Some flashlights even come with 32700 or 42700 high size and capacity cells, these are often used for Teslas and similar cars alongside the 21700 cells they developed.
Some diving lights don't have inbuilt charging via USB C, but otherwise it has become standard.
I recommend Thrunite, Sofirn, Wurkkos, Fenix and Acebeam. They have the full range from EDC to duty and searchlights and lanterns.
I carry and use both, though I am hesitant with the lights that have the rechargeable battery that dont come out as they all die some day. Usually use lights that use 18650's
- Thread starter
- #34
Just pulled the trigger on this. I find myself reaching for my 700 lumen Nitecore headlamp 100% of the time. So I figured I might as well get a legit flashlight finally. Thanks for the suggestions!. Should be easy to keep charged. Basically everything I have is USB-C now.
I changed over to rechargeable flashlights/batteries. Yes, you can run regular batteries in them, but why? In 9 years all my rechargeable batteries are still going. Get dim, pull it out, stick another one in, charge the other overnight.
I got confused by the thread voting options.
I like the 18650, which I can only think of as a
"replaceable rechargeable"
Congrats. I have that same, and it got me through a hurricane very nicely. Fun watching the water rise higher in the dark ...
AA
I carry a Fenix PD35... and bought one for my wife and two sons as well.... I didn't care for the belt holster that came with it so I use the only one Lee Valley carries... It's much more comfortable and easy to use... no flap with which to contend.
Star_Wahl_Clipper_Treker
Likes a fat handle in his hand
Very nice @Toothpick ! As you know, I am a lover of quality flashlights, and I love my Nitecores. I gotta be honest though, I was looking at those Fenix flashlights for 2-days before I finally settled on my Nitecores. That tells you that I was mighty impressed with those Fenix lights, and I almost went with them. I have no doubts that you will enjoy that light for a very long time. Its size should be fairly pockatable too, should you decide to not use the belt holster things. I'm happy for you!
- Thread starter
- #40
I been happy with the Nitecores I have. The headlamp is my go to cause I use it so frequently around the house it’s always sitting out somewhere so I grab it. The head strap is comfy and it’s plenty bright when needed. I keep the SRT 3 in my work bag. I don’t use that as often but very solid. I’m pretty sure I have another one somewhere but IDK where. The Nitecore flashlights are really nice IMO….but their customer service is terrible. I had a bad experience with them once. Which is why I wanted to try a different brand.
