Flashlights and Batteries

[robert k]

I'm going to call this a hobby as I have more flashlights than I can use after giving many away as gifts. I generally make my hobbies serve a purpose and I've experienced some brownouts lately.

To get to it. My present favorite light for general use is a Nitenumen x1. I think they are discontinued so if you look them  up and want one, I wouldn't wait a year to buy it. It takes a button top 18650 lithium ion battery. It has onboard charging by micro USB, 850, 360, 80 lumens settings along with strobe that is seizure fast and a slow "bike strobe". The light lasts more than 4 hours with the cheap (for now) LG Choco batteries I'm using at the very useful 360 lumen setting. It's only 100 mm long and the body diameter is the same as a 1 peso coin in diameter everywhere except the charging port which makes a slight bulge. If I recall correctly, it's waterproof to 2 meters depth.

About the batteries I'm using. I'm not perfectly certain that the "LG Choco 3000mah" batteries I'm using are legitimate, but I'm certain that they are much better than the run of the mill. Possibly they are old stock being clearanced, maybe they were substandard and dumped on the Philippines market but they provide an honest 2500 mAh and can be found for less than p200 for a pair on Lazada (I suggest you choose among sellers by shipping costs vs. advertised price if you want to stock up too) They are roughly twice the weight and 3 to 4 times the capacity of the locally sourced "UltrOfire". I stocked up like I was building a tesla powerwall. They fit most of my flashlights but not the Nitenumen which requires a button top battery. I have a work around for this. I bought 100 (didn't need that many but that's how they sell them) cheap neodymium 6mm x 2mm round magnets and center them on the positive end of the battery. I then make absolutely certain they can't move with a drop of Cord brand Bulldog shoe glue.

Batteries have been and are a stumbling block to this hobby while in the Philippines. The (AA size) 14500 Li ion batteries I have gotten from Lazada are poor. They sell better ones, but they cost more than the flashlight half the time. I have some (AAA size) 10440  Li ion batteries that I had Galleon sales ship from the US because I couldn't find them anywhere else and I paid way more than they were worth, but hobbies aren't necessarily sane.

On the subject of AA and AAA size batteries, I had someone suggest that the best Eneloop rechargeable battery is not the largest capacity Pro variant but the lower capacity standard variant ( not the "light" variant). While all of the eneloops are low self discharge, the Pro variety give up some shelf life to gain a little more capacity so, if it's not something you are using all the time, the standard battery may have more retained energy when you need it than the Pro battery. Something to ponder for the rarely used keychain light.

I have a ThruNight Catapult V6 which I suppose should take pride of place in my collection, it throws a beam a kilometer. I can't see that far anymore so it was an extravagance, but if I ever need to signal for help, it should fill the purpose. Hard to believe how compact it is. It's like a car headlight, but with better focus.

I have a Budget Light Forum special edition Astrolux S2 1600 lumens. It's crazy bright. It takes a quality 18650 battery to even reach the highest setting (it defaults to a lower setting with a cheap or nearly dead battery). It gets hot on high but automatically dims after a minute, or it would imolate itself. I was ordering an LED and the power control board that would fit it, they sent the whole light.

I have a Lumintop EDC05 800 lumens in a tiny package. It takes a AA size battery or 14500 Li ion, it just won't be near as bright with the AA. The EDC05's minimal size would make it a top choice for everyday carry in slacks. Excellent quality, reflected in the price but I can't fault it, except it's 3/4 the size of the Nitenumen, produces 1/4 the light (brightness vs  time) on single battery and costs 50% more.

I have a number of ThorFire flashlights that I care less for. They are supposed to be Natural or warm white light but it's a little too reddish for my taste. I have gotten a defective one also, but considering the budget price, I won't damn them for one slip. I have the VG15S, TK15S, TK15, TK05. Of the group, if you can stand the reddish light, I would recommend the TK15S as most interesting as it has a tail switch And a side switch. Less likely to turn itself on in your pocket but still the convenience of not having to hold it at an awkward position to be able to switch modes conveniently.

Possibly the best bargain in a larger than pocket size flashlight is the Convoy C8+ with it's XPL-HI LED 1100 lumens, larger head and the ability to throw a beam 300 meters. Battery life is good due to using recent technology LEDs and they can be had for around p1200. Excellent workmanship. If you only have one light for everything, I would probably choose this one. I can at least see 300 meters!

Interesting looking cheap flashlights? Too many to mention. Some are really quite good in function although they may be rough around the edges.

I would have yet more flashlights save that Shopee won't let me order anything because I don't have a street and house number address. I found a seller who sells upgraded versions of the cheap lights. Maybe I can ask a friend to take delivery for me.

I hope at least that the battery discussion is helpful to someone. Those LG Choco batteries will power my small 100mm desktop fan on highest setting for 5 hours while the batteries that come with the fan, the ones that work at all are at most good for 2 hours.

I didn't include pictures as most stock photos would have advertising. 

[Mike J]

A very enlightening post. 

[JDDavao II]

Nice, robert k!

I have my trusty 4/7's Quark Pro (sadly the company was bought out and their lights discontinued by the new owners). I also have an EagleTac T100C2 that's been tried and true. My last big light is a Klarus XT11. 

For everyday carry/bag use, I have a Fenix E05 that takes a AAA. I keep an Eneloop in it and a spare one in the bag.

I like a light with a simple UI. No ramping, no programming. Just turn it on.

My Quark Pro is the second Quark I've owned. As a building maintenance guy, I was determined to have two things on me at all times: a good light and a sharp knife.

Knowing I was moving here to Davao, I settled on one battery form factor, the 123. I bought a box of lithium ion 123s from a battery website and shipped them here in the middle of a BB box. I'm glad I did. Shipping.com won't ship batteries.

I have a bunch of Eneloop AA and AAA batteries that I sent over in BB boxes before we moved. I use the LaCrosse BC700 to charge them.

I'm not quite a Lumen Head but I like a nice light.

Cheers!

[OnMyWay]

I like flashlights a lot.  In the old days, I would carry a big D battery Mag Light in my car.  The light was nothing compared to today's powerful lights, but it made a darn good heavy club when some heads need to be banged!  

Nowadays, my kids love them too!  So with one exception, they tend to be "low-batt" a lot!

My wife got me a new one for Christmas and it is the most powerful I have ever had!  I think I know where she got it but I don't know what it cost.  It says Challenger  and Police 12000W on the body.  The battery says AX 18650 4800 mah, 3.7 v li-ion.

Made in China of course, but the quality seems decent.  The main lens has a sliding focus with Hi, med and flashing modes, and the side work light is very bright.

Back in October, I ordered a couple of lights from Amazon.  One is a small diving light and the other is fun light that has white, blue, green, flashing green and a red led pointer.  I give the kids exercise with the led pointer.  They are like cats and will chase it all over the house!  Both were only around $10 each and are not rechargeable.  I have not used the dive light yet but it is much brighter than any of my old small dive lights.  The fun light is currently MIA and it will probable turn up in a toy box somewhere.

I have another small LED that my BIL bought for me when we were visiting NZ a few years ago.  It has a nice stainless steel body and what is amazing about it is the batteries last forever.  I don't think I replaced them for 1.5 to two years after I got it, and this is the light I let the kids play with the most.

[JDDavao II]

9 minutes ago, OnMyWay said:

I like flashlights a lot.  In the old days, I would carry a big D battery Mag Light in my car.  The light was nothing compared to today's powerful lights, but it made a darn good heavy club when some heads need to be banged! 

I had one of those I bought a newer LED drop-in for. It wasn't one of the powerful Malkoff Devices drop-ins but it was much brighter and had a tighter beam that threw farther than the old Maglite bulb.

I kept it under my car seat and carried it on those early mornings and late night on-call responses to the Seattle waterfront. I never had to bang a head with it, though.

I left my car unlocked one day, parked behind my pier building, and someone got in and stole that light. 

[Arizona Kid]

6 minutes ago, JDDavao said:

I had one of those I bought a newer LED drop-in for. It wasn't one of the powerful Malkoff Devices drop-ins but it was much brighter and had a tighter beam that threw farther than the old Maglite bulb.

I kept it under my car seat and carried it on those early mornings and late night on-call responses to the Seattle waterfront. I never had to bang a head with it, though.

I left my car unlocked one day, parked behind my pier building, and someone got in and stole that light. 

After I retired from the USN with a few jobs in between I got a job at the largest pest control company in the US. The best tool I had was the Maglite 3 cell black flashlight. That's where I learned how to hold the flashlight at the front of it instead of the back to get the most effective use.

[OnMyWay]

1 hour ago, Arizona Kid said:

That's where I learned how to hold the it flashlight at the front of it instead of the back to get the most effective use.

You Navy guys seem to know all the techniques.  I'm sure that Jake told us that same method!  

[Jake]

21 hours ago, robert k said:

I'm going to call this a hobby as I have more flashlights than I can use......

I hope at least that the battery discussion is helpful to someone. Those LG Choco batteries will power my small 100mm desktop fan on highest setting for 5 hours while the batteries that come with the fan, the ones that work at all are at most good for 2 hours.

I didn't include pictures as most stock photos would have advertising. 

Hey Robert,

I've been accused of Amazon binge shopping for LED flashlights as well.  I'm not a prepper or living off the grid but I gave out those small 500LM LED tactical flashlight to all my family members.  My own personal collection are the 4 C size LED flashlights, only two.  The D size were too big and heavy for my personal taste.  My all time favorite is the old MagLite 4 C size.  Unfortunately, it came with the MagLite standard bulb type so I'm waiting for the LED bulb that will hopefully fit and not rattle about.  

You provided some really good information about today's batteries. If I may Robert, this is what I learned from my own homework.  Unfortunately, some are being sold fraudulently (even on Amazon) under the original manufacturer's name and are of inferior quality.  For example, the ones that boast capacities of 6000mah or more and are sold much cheaper than say, a 4500mah should be avoided.  Often times, you could tell by their weight, if the specs are provided.  The ones that are durable, not prone to leakage, holds the charge longer are the heavier ones (thicker materials, thicker walls).  By the way, the numbers associated with those rechargeable batteries (18650, 14500, etc) are the diameter and length in millimeters -- 18mm X 65mm (not 650).

Respectfully Jake 

[fillipino_wannabe]

hg2s for 200 pesos definitely won't be genuine unless they're clearing them at a loss, I sell all that stuff in the UK and the wife sells it here, vaping business lol.

Better to get some that have authenticity codes- Efest, Golisi, Cylaid are all decent and come with codes, wouldn't take the risk with fake batteries personally.

Edited December 29, 2018 by fillipino_wannabe

[Arizona Kid]

On 12/29/2018 at 5:53 AM, robert k said:

I would have yet more flashlights save that Shopee won't let me order anything because I don't have a street and house number address. I found a seller who sells upgraded versions of the cheap lights. Maybe I can ask a friend to take delivery for me.

Shopee won't C.O.D. to me either. If I want something from them I have to have my bro in law order it for me. Sucks. Lazada CODs me all the time.