alkaline batteries

[alphatarget1]

I bought a 4D maglite LED from Amazon and I need to get batteries for it. Are Duracell Procells any good? Has anyone tried them?

 

[mageslayer]

Is this a serious thread?
You are asking about battery prefrences?

LOL:laugh:LOL:laugh:LOL:laugh:LOL:laugh:LOL:laugh:

 

[bobsmith1492]

Alkaline battery = alkaline battery = alkaline battery = alkaline battery = alkaline battery

 

[alphatarget1]

Originally posted by: bobsmith1492
Alkaline battery = alkaline battery = alkaline battery = alkaline battery = alkaline battery

Well yeah but I'm trying to find the cheapest ones that won't leak.

 

[laurenlex]

NiMH + recharger FTW

 

[bobsmith1492]

Originally posted by: laurenlex
NiMH + recharger FTW

Lower voltage, won't be as bright unless it has a switcher supply which I doubt in a flashlight.

 

[Rubycon]

Just rip apart a car battery - there's like 440 of them in there in they're rechargeable too!

 

[Minjin]

Originally posted by: bobsmith1492

Originally posted by: laurenlex
NiMH + recharger FTW

Lower voltage, won't be as bright unless it has a switcher supply which I doubt in a flashlight.

4x1.2v = 4.8v, which is well above the Vf. Nimh batteries also have much lower internal resistance than alkaline batteries and consequently less voltage sag under load.

And yes, many flashlights have sophisticated driver circuitry.

 

[soydios]

Duracell Procells are all that we use for wireless microphones in the theatre I work at. We buy them in bulk boxes. Despite the supposed added quality control, we still put a new battery in every mic before every show.

Originally posted by: bobsmith1492

Originally posted by: laurenlex
NiMH + recharger FTW

Lower voltage, won't be as bright unless it has a switcher supply which I doubt in a flashlight.

my 2c: NiMH + recharger + LED lamp FTW

 

[Throckmorton]

NiMH D cells are expensive, and so are the chargers

 

[alphatarget1]

I was under the impression that alkaline batteries are more reliable...

 

[duragezic]

I haven't done any testing nor have tried a whole lot of types, but I think overall I've found the best bang for you buck to be the Rayovac Maximum alkaline batteries,. They are the cheapest alkaline ones I believe.

I'm not sure how the whole alkaline for your high-tech devices thing versus regular (i.e. heavy duty) ones for low-tech devices works, but I have put Rayovac Heavy Duty batteries (the real cheap ones) into not very high-tech devices (like a toothbrush) and those things were crap. In that case, I noticed it was definitely worth it to spend much more on the better ones as they lasted so much longer and had more power. Maybe the heavy duty ones would be okay for a flashlight though? I only buy them for real simple stuff like a smoke detector.

 

[Jeff7]

Originally posted by: Throckmorton
NiMH D cells are expensive, and so are the chargers

"AccuPower" Low Discharge D's - $47.94 for four.
Adequate charger - $48.97
Shipping: $9.7
Total: $107.45

Expensive, yes. But the charger can be used for other kinds of cells, too, and can last for years.

4 D cells are what......about a dollar each, so $4 per set. Cycles to payoff: 27.

So use those expensive D cells 27 times, and they've already paid for themselves, the charger, and shipping. They're supposed to give you up to 1000 cycles, too.



I do wish Sanyo would release C and D sizes of their Eneloops. I've had good experiences with Sanyo batteries, as well as electronics that were made in Japan.

 

[Throckmorton]

27 times... I've had the same 2 D cells in my Mag LED 3W for a year. Of course that's because I hardly use a flashlight, and when I do it's my hand crank.

 

[Rubycon]

Originally posted by: Throckmorton
27 times... I've had the same 2 D cells in my Mag LED 3W for a year. Of course that's because I hardly use a flashlight, and when I do it's my hand crank.

Yep - the runtime is ridiculously long on those Mag LED's. Your NiMH self discharge rate will rear its ugly head long before you use up a charge. A big issue for shelf queens. Patroller's will take to NiMH well. The bulb's semi-regulated so little drop in brightness. (other than the big initial drop due to heatup but that's another discussion. )

 

[Jeff7]

Originally posted by: Throckmorton
27 times... I've had the same 2 D cells in my Mag LED 3W for a year. Of course that's because I hardly use a flashlight, and when I do it's my hand crank.

No one says that you only have to use them in that flashlight, either.

Originally posted by: alphatarget1
I was under the impression that alkaline batteries are more reliable...

They're ready when you need them, which hasn't been the case with NiCads and NiMH cells. NiMH cells were especially bad, losing up to 1% of their charge per day.
The new low-discharge cells, at least Sanyo's Eneloops, are specifically rated to lose only 15% of their charge in a year.

 

[Safeway]

Just buy the Duracells you linked. To hell with rechargeables.

 

[Rubycon]

Oh and those really cheap Alk's tend to juice all over the place after sitting for a while. They must coat the seals with spaghetti sauce or something.