EA8, you gotta really love AAs

[lightliker]

Correct!!
This was ment to be a reaction on Vortus , clickrd too fast on the reply without quote button.
i just ordered a EA4 NW at fasttech wich should arrive around my birthday somewhere....
Still asking myself if I should buy the Ea8 too, with a lot of duracells on low mode only, this light will be useful in power outages.
on travel a set of eneloops with a quick travel charger and I'm ready to goo :wave:

At home there are my good old SR90 and my just purchased swm T60CS, buth running on li-ions and not ment to be used by the family.
so everybody happy and safe.

 

[Dr.444]

Correct!!

what is Correct!! ??

 

[Danielsan]

Okay. This quote pretty much illustrates my point.

Well i buy AA or AAA lights because i can use the eneloops in any other household device as well, thats one and number two is i buy Eneloops because i feel save, i dont want to walk around with a pipe bomb in my pants or attached to my head because i need my head and i need the thing in my pants! I dont care about arguments like it rarely happens, one case of exploding batteries is enough for me as a proof.

But 8 AAs is too much for me, but on the other hand i dont like any large flashlights, i always hated the large maglites, im happy with the EA4.

 

[Patriot]

i just wanted to ask you AA battery people if this light is getting a little to much when it comes to batteries, or is it not even close to what you would accept as getting too ridiculous. ​

A reasonable question...

I think it would be ridiculous to change to a cell format that isn't readily available or one that doesn't fit into a particular user's war chest of standards. Perhaps it's not so much a question of "cell love" but the fact that nearly every portable piece of equipment they own runs on AA's, which is probably a good percentage of American households. The sheer popularity of lights like the TK40/41 and EA8 are a clear demonstration that people are willing to sacrifice a little bit of convenience for the sake of sticking to what they know/have. These lights just happen to be examples of the top end of throw, brightness and run-time possible from the AA format.

 

[Samy]

I think the EA8 looks like a great light!

I have a TK41, i also have a few 18650 and 14500 lights. The TK41 is a power failure favorite because it gets extraordinary runtimes and if the batteries go flat my wife or another family member can change the batteries, i wouldn't let them get near my 18650 lights - too dangerous for those unfamiliar with them. They are familiar with my stash of spare Eneloops and it's easy for them to just go and get some more eneloops. After all, they're just AA's to them.

We had a severe storm come through yesterday afternoon. We didn't lose power but 30,000 people in surrounding areas lost power for over 12 hours. There are more severe storms forecast for tonight when i will be at work, so half an hour ago i pulled the 8 eneloops from my TK41 and they're in the 8 bay charger getting topped off in case i need to light up a room for a long time tonight. I am also charging my 18650's and 14500's for tonight but they take much longer to charge than the eneloops. The 8x eneloops will be done in 2-3 hours but the single 18650 will take 4-5hrs. I can often charge 16 eneloops in the time it takes to charge a single 18650, and i'm not cooking those batteries with fast chargers either!

I have not purchased alkalines in about 2.5 years, though i still have a few sitting in packets from years past. I use these old alkalines in cheap disposable lights which i 'lend out'.

I have made the initial (reasonably expensive) purchase of a decent smart charger (NC8700) for my eneloops and now whenever i need some more AA's i just pickup or order another pack of eneloops. I'm getting quite a collection but it's been over a few years and my eneloops from 2006 are still kicking along fine. I like to keep about 16 or so eneloops as spares in my battery/flashlight drawer so when a device is flat i can just swap out the batteries straight away without having to wait for them to be charged. This is also a good backup for power failures/storms. When you've been dealing with eneloops for a few years and build up a little collection, things like flashlights that need 8 batteries aren't an issue.

In my experience during extended power failures (days) the D, C and big 6 volt style flashlights and batteries are first to dissappear from supermarket shelves. I see many people during these outages who don't have flashlight or can't remember where it is so they race out and buy the biggest, baddest flashlight and batteries they can buy. Panic buying is interesting to watch

hope this info helps

cheers

 

[Freely]

 

[Curious_character]

Same output as the EA4
Just alot more AA's.. I don't get it
If you need more run time go with one with 18650's
Just my 2 cent

Same total output, but 60,000 vs 20,000 candela beam intensity.

That of course is solely because of the EA8's bigger reflector and has nothing to do with the battery. But since the reflector is bigger they might as well make the flashlight longer, too, and get more run time. I do get it.

c_c

 

[lightliker]

what is Correct!! ??

Sorry, see above

 

[PocketBeam]

I think if the EA8 was a lot brighter than the EA4 then the inconvenience would be worth it. I bought a 8xAA light years ago. It was much, much brighter than any AA light by far. It was also brighter than single 18650 lights, and still is brighter than 95% of them.

A long time ago I had a lithium ion battery blow up, burned a hole in my kitchen too. I stayed away from them for a long time. And multiple lithium ion batteries in one light tend to be even more dangerous...

So the 8xAA super bright light was really cool and very powerful.

A few years later... technology has finally caught up to it. I have on order a single 18650 that will be as bright, at least for the first five minutes. Also li-on chargers are better now. But still for most people getting a charger and some batteries is as much as the flashlight it self. And a lot of people have extra rechargeable AAs laying around.

But yes, the 8xAA is too big for me now, even if it was a single battery. And charging 8 is a hassle.

So, anyone want to buy a Fenix TK40, barely used?

 

[fyrstormer]

I mentioned in another thread that 8 cells is becoming a bit much for me...on to something using 18650 Li-Ions. But if someone already has a Maha MH-C801D, this would be a nice setup with Eneloops. I'm not saying a beginner should go buy $200+ worth of gear though.

$200 would buy a lot of Surefire CR123s.

 

[fyrstormer]

Well i buy AA or AAA lights because i can use the eneloops in any other household device as well, thats one and number two is i buy Eneloops because i feel save, i dont want to walk around with a pipe bomb in my pants or attached to my head because i need my head and i need the thing in my pants! I dont care about arguments like it rarely happens, one case of exploding batteries is enough for me as a proof.

But 8 AAs is too much for me, but on the other hand i dont like any large flashlights, i always hated the large maglites, im happy with the EA4.

Do you drive a car? It contains 50 liters of flammable liquid, and a lead-acid battery that can explode if discharged too quickly. When I owned a Volkswagen, I was a member on a VW forum, and at least one person a month reported their battery exploding when they tried to start their car in cold weather. It was also common to have fuel leaks from the supply hose that ran directly over the exhaust pipe.

You have nothing to fear from lithium batteries in your flashlight.

 

[herosemblem]

Nothing to fear? Excellent...now I can use my mixed-voltage CR123 cells with my newer, higher-voltage CR123 cells. Should be fine, right fry?
Or, is it that with lithium batteries, we should make some effort to ensure the cells are very similar voltage?

 

[markr6]

$200 would buy a lot of Surefire CR123s.

It sure would! I always prefer rechargeables though. With CR123s I always feel reluctant to use the light much or even enjoy using it knowing that the battery has that much less capacity and in turn that much closer to the trash can. I like leaving the house knowing I have 100% capacity. But I do use CR123's in my PD32UE car light - finding out Li-Ion 18650 sucks in the cold.

 

[Slazmo]

I know that they will leak before or later, and I have actually seen example of leaked unused alkalines in unopen box, and with the best-before date not passed. So I understand I should be even more careful with alkalines...

Yep - been there and done that. The worst offenders are the Duracell Ultra's!!! Have destroyed some of my most prized things over the years... Certainly downsizing my stocks of Alkalines and moving towards the good quality NiMh Eneloops.

 

[fyrstormer]

Nothing to fear? Excellent...now I can use my mixed-voltage CR123 cells with my newer, higher-voltage CR123 cells. Should be fine, right fry?
Or, is it that with lithium batteries, we should make some effort to ensure the cells are very similar voltage?

You shouldn't be mixing half-dead batteries with new batteries anyway, regardless of chemistry.

 

[fyrstormer]

It sure would! I always prefer rechargeables though. With CR123s I always feel reluctant to use the light much or even enjoy using it knowing that the battery has that much less capacity and in turn that much closer to the trash can. I like leaving the house knowing I have 100% capacity. But I do use CR123's in my PD32UE car light - finding out Li-Ion 18650 sucks in the cold.

I agree. I use RCRs for all my lights that can handle 4.2V, and I have a box of Surefire CR123s sitting in a closet "just in case". For AA batteries, I have a few Eneloops, but I mostly use Energizer Ultimate Lithium AAs, because all of my AA-powered devices are low-drain and the Energizer Ultimate Lithiums last forever.

 

[xevious]

You have to understand that the AA lights are mainly aimed at the neophyte market who are just coming into the advanced flashlight world for the first time, and they tend to stick to the things that they are familiar with, such as AA batteries and side switches.
It's the way that entry level consumers get drawn in.

I don't think they're all aimed specifically at neophytes. Given their specifications and runtimes, AA lights can be very practical and adept at handling lighting tasks accomplished previously with lithium ion cell driven batteries. And manufacturers like Nitecore are producing AA lights that seem well targeted for casual and professional use.

First, lets look at the "readily available" myth.
For the 8 years that I have been a member of this forum, I have NEVER seen ANYONE recommend using ANY alkaline battery in any flashlight for any reason. This is because they are commonly called "alka-leaks" and they destroy your flashlight. So, never use any of them. That pretty much does away with the "readily available" part, because no thinking person would EVER put one of those into his flashlight, if he ever wants to see his light working again. Only beginners would ever contemplate such a thing.

On top of that, alka-leaks are known to have problems delivering current, and are mostly good for low-drain devices like clocks and remote controls. They are not good batteries for flashlights of any decent power output.

Your presumption would lead us to believe that putting a primary alkaline AA battery in quality LED flashlight is utter stupidity. Sure, you can buy cheap ones that will tend to leak, or ones not formulated for high current, but where have you been? Quality alkaline AA batteries that don't leak are readily available (the only exception I cite is Duracell--they've gone down hill recently). There are ones formulated for high current use... and you can get lithium AA primaries as well, which are proving very competent. Only beginners would risk Alkalines in their lights? Well yes, cheap ones known for leaking and used all the time instead of emergencies perhaps...

[..]This is a good case for saying that AA would be the WORST possible choice of any battery type for emergency use.

You apparently don't realize how this sounds... I've never heard such a heavily biased derogatory remark about AA cells before. I think you're letting a bad experience or hearsay from some others to distort your perspective. ANY cheap battery is a terrible choice, no matter the type.

I think if the EA8 was a lot brighter than the EA4 then the inconvenience would be worth it. I bought a 8xAA light years ago. It was much, much brighter than any AA light by far. It was also brighter than single 18650 lights, and still is brighter than 95% of them.

A long time ago I had a lithium ion battery blow up, burned a hole in my kitchen too. I stayed away from them for a long time. And multiple lithium ion batteries in one light tend to be even more dangerous...

I tend to agree with you. I have the EA4 and it's plenty competent for its design. The EA8 throw doesn't look to be dramatically superior to the EA4. While a beefy form factor has its merits, I think if one really wants that they should just go for a C or D cell Maglite. Frankly, I would rather employ multi CR123 or a 18650 instead of 8 AA cells. On the other hand, if I didn't have the EA4 and wanted a larger long running AA light, I would likely consider the EA8. Self-built's review reveals a very respectable product.

 

[xevious]

Yep - been there and done that. The worst offenders are the Duracell Ultra's!!! Have destroyed some of my most prized things over the years... Certainly downsizing my stocks of Alkalines and moving towards the good quality NiMh Eneloops.

Seriously, it's a shame with what happened to Duracell. They used to have such a quality reputation.

I was a long time customer of Duracell batteries. Even though Energizers performed as well, I favored Duracell because of brand loyalty. Then... last year... the leaks started. I had *7* separate leak issues. The batteries were housed mostly in remotes, but also in a few other things to include one low end flashlight and an electronic collectible. They were mostly sitting IDLE, not in use and certainly not high drain. *NEVER* had I ever seen this before, except with some cheap no-name alkaline batteries that I was unlucky to use many years ago.

Duracell played dumb with me. I contacted them about this, photographing the batteries and their leaky messes as well as the damaged items. Their reply? "We never heard of such leaking before. Here's a few coupons for your trouble." How ridiculous. Like I'm going to use those coupons to buy MORE Duracell batteries?

OTOH, I've never had a problem with Energizers. Even though I previously favored Duracell, I would buy Energizers from time to time. Anyway, I'm still convinced that it's OK to use high current formulated alkaline batteries from a quality brand, but Duracell is off my trust list for the foreseeable future.

 

[Jash]

Eight cells aren't that hard to deal with, especially if you have an eight bay charger. It's simply loading two cells four times. So long as you're paying attention you won't have a problem. And some lights are only offered in the eight cell configuration (TK45, TK41) with no li-ion counterpart (I really wish there was a 2 x 18650 TK31).

I've had one alkaline battery leak on me my whole life. It was a no name D cell left in a device for years. The device still worked fine after I cleaned it up. Alkalines can and do provide many years of leak free service. How many wall clocks do people around the world own that have alkalines that never leak?

I run several of my emergency lights soley on alkalines for the reason I don't want my eneloops being used in devices that may never get used. Once a month or less I check them, and once every six months or so I check their charge state. I keep dozens of spare AA cells in the linen cupboard and spare D's downstairs.

Recently stocked up on the new AA Duralock cells that are supposed to be good for ten years. They were cheap so I bought a bunch of them. I'd prefer to stock up on lithiums, but they're at least five to ten times the price, and when using your lights on low and medium modes the extra cost is not worth the extra 30% odd runtime.

Again, I have alkalines for emergencies, as I know they will have charge and aren't going to possibly be dead when I want them. I also use them in wall clocks without issue.

YMMV...

 

[501 sea]

I don't think 8 AAs would really be too much for me to handle, although I only have a 6-bay NiMH "Tronic" charger from LIDL. It can handle up to "D" cells, and it's got 2 additional slots for 9 volt batteries).

There's a couple of things I'd like to point out:

1) The EA8 can work on only 4 AA's if necessary, according to Selfbuilt's video review, because the battery configuration is 4S2P; 4 in series 2 parallel.

2) You only have to change the batteries only every 60 hours in the EA8 as opposed to every 22 hours on the EA4, at 50 lumens on the EA8 and at 65 lumens on the EA4 (on the second lowest setting for both). So, yes, you have to change 8 batteries, but maybe less than half as often.

I certainly see the point that the OP is making, it is quite a lot of batteries, but IMHO, it's not *too* many. After all in the 1980's, there were stereo radio-recorders (ghettoblasters) which often used 8 "D" cells.

So, I think, yeah, 8 cells is a lot alright, but it's quite do-able.

I would think that if Nitecore decides to build a more powerful NiMH / Alkaline light than the EA8, it will use "C" or "D" cells.

I'd say there won't be a Nitecore EA12 or EA16, but there might be an EC8, or an ED6 or ED8, if you follow me (where the 2nd letter denotes the battery class).

True "D" NiMH cells with their huge 8,500 (LSD) to 11,000 (straight NiMH) mAh capacity impress me.

And 4 x 1.2 volt "C" or "D" cells will provide 4.8 volts - enough to drive an LED.