Your EDC Battery

[dmattaponi]

My edc is a single AA cell flashlight. I use Eneloops rechargeables and dont worry about it. I also carry a container with two spare AA with my edc. I like them so much I've since upgraded all my flashlights to AA and use Eneloops in them. Now I use my lights without worrying about conserving the batteries.

 

[bykfixer]

Well excuse me!

You are reading in much more than I wrote, my comment was not framed between 'correct' or 'prefer'. :scowl: :wave:

It just seemed to me that there were some posts with previous quoting by others in some kinda attempt to right there wrong thinking.

Me, I have lights that suck so much fuel so fast from high output cells that protected cells will trip almost instantly.
I have lights that use protected cells.
And I have lights that use primaries.

The ones I rely on for "must work everytime" have primaries. So to answer the original question by 7hns I answered primaries, because they do not fail when I need them.

 

[Tac Gunner]

I edc an Eagletac D25A2 with eneloops and a Solarforce L2 with an XHP50 running on two IMR 18350s. If they have been used much I will toss the cells in my charger when I get home and let them charge while I'm taking a shower and getting ready for bed. Typically that means they get charged once a week but on occasion more often. I always have at least 4, usually 8, spare eneloops in my edc bag along with spare lights.

 

[Repsol600rr]

Depending on light combo for the day I have anything from aaa and aa eneloops, 14500, 16340, 16650, 18650 or 123 primaries (but only if it's my a2). I have plenty of primaries of all sorts on standby but for day to day use recharegables. sc52 has a battery meter to check quickly and I put in a charged spare at 2 blinks. Micro stream has run out on me but key chain light has a fully charged eneloop almost always because it's so rarely used so I can just pop that in. Larger 16650 and 18650 lights get used least but usually when used it's for a good while so they get charged after a longish use or just when I feel like it. Haven't run out on one of those yet.

 

[terjee]

I EDC a D25LC2 with protected 18650 in my backpack, and a Lumintop Tool AAA on keychain with Eneloop. I really dislike alkaline, but like most I still have some of them at home if need be. For backup and emergency, I'm also getting lithium backups for both, using 2xCR123 in place of the 18650.
At times I carry spare rechargeables, at times I don't. I have a charger at work as well, and multiple at home.

I dropped a cancer-stick habit in favor of vaping (at least for now). Getting a Convoy S2+ that'll accept flat top 18650ies, which would let me use the batteries I use for vaping in a pinch. Considering replacing that with something better though, perhaps Armytek. You all see where this is going. ;-)

 

[jdboy]

For me I carry either my HDS or modded Novatac in a Hogo's holster. In either light stays an AW16340 (black cell) but I always have a Surefire primary in the spare cell loop of the holster. This combination seems to work best for me.

 

[PB Wilson]

Because I use rechargeables, I find myself more apt to use a light and not worry about wasting battery life. With primaries, I get all OCD and used them much more sparingly. I hate primaries because of this, the money I waste and the possibility of leaks in my lights. Checking the charge, investing in nice cells and a reliable and safe charger is the price I'm more than willing to make.

I check my Zebralights every couple of days with their built-in battery check function. If they get halfway down I swap the battery. With my other lights that I use less, I try to pay attention to how they are performing. A quick test with a multimeter is all it takes and I make a decision to replace it or not. I don't carry a spare cell since I don't use the lights consistently or for prolonged periods and I've almost always got a backup light somewhere (bag, car, desk...).

 

[ven]

I tend to use rechargeable batteries for everything . EDC wise mainly consists of either 16340 or odd time 18350. My prefered size for edc (call it a happy medium and form factor) is 16340 overall and most are IMR cells(no protection).

To name just a few on edc rotation, D25C,V11r,HDS rotary which all have IMR 16340 cells inside. CR123 I find can be expensive and I don't like the thought of using it a few times and not knowing where I am up to in the mah side of things. Convenience of topping the cell off after uses/s wins for me even if I loose out in run times. I tend to not blast everything in site with a zillion lunens anyway and use on the conservative side of outputs(edc uses).

Along with the fuel, several other very important factors for me, UI type, beam profile and tint along with the form. Smallest is not always best for me because it has to sit comfortable in hand. AAA types do not do this for me as one example, even AA at times are not perfect as I find a little slim(personal preference ). Hence 16340 for me wins for the best all round.

I tend to charge my IMR 16340 at 0.5a rate and soon topped back up. I am yet to see a cell bellow 3.6v and find no need for higher mah(although always a benefit ). So pretty content so far and has been that way for a few years now

If I know I am going to need more output for longer times then I simply use an 18650 light, even multicell if the need/requirements arises .

 

[sidecross]

It just seemed to me that there were some posts with previous quoting by others in some kinda attempt to right there wrong thinking.

I was writing a POV in reference to a quote, and it is exactly what I am doing here.

Your comment "quoting by others in some kinda attempt to right there wrong thinking" is your POV and is not my own.

 

[reppans]

I'm a low-lumen/night-vision battery MacGyver type that likes 0.9-4.2v efficient boost/buck driven lights with swappable battery tubes. I mostly run a single 14500, 16650, 16340, and Eneloop rechargeables, depending upon what I'm doing, or what I'm wearing. I recharge after ~50 hrs of runtime (~150 hrs for the 16650) which is once, maybe twice, a month for me. I'm not worried about running out power any more, my light can be rigged to run on ANY scavenged battery, and I EDC backup keychain AAA, and a couple other small gadgets that will let me charge and/or power bank from/to various sources. Only reason I bother with a bulky 16650 cell, is that it'll do a decent job emergency charging my smartphone while I throw a AAA in for light.

 

[Tre_Asay]

I EDC HDS rotary + spare 18650 in a case.
I can run the battery in the light down and know I still have the full spec runtime + what is left in the flashlight cell.

In fact I changed the battery this morning after about a month of use.

 

[bykfixer]

I was writing a POV in reference to a quote, and it is exactly what I am doing here.

Your comment "quoting by others in some kinda attempt to right there wrong thinking" is your POV and is not my own.

My pov is "whatever! move on". I have.

 

[KeepingItLight]

I think it is important to have an EDC light on your person at all times. When the lights go out, your flashlight needs to be within reach. Imagine, for instance, you are in a public restroom, and the power fails!

For this reason, I have been carrying a small AAA twisty in the bottom of my front pants pocket for the last several months. I like the 92-CRI Nichia 219B emitter it has. I keep an Eneloop Pro battery in the flashlight, along with a spare in my daypack. I also have a spare Energizer Ultimate Lithium L92 battery in my pack.

In addition, I usually carry a more powerful, 18650-based flashlight in my daypack. Of late, that has been the one for which I have an orange traffic wand. I also keep a cheap headlamp and flashlight in my vehicle. Both are powered by AA NiMH rechargeable batteries.

In an emergency, I want to have several flashlights with me. That way, I can give a light to a friend.

 

[Wendee]

Because I use rechargeables, I find myself more apt to use a light and not worry about wasting battery life. With primaries, I get all OCD and used them much more sparingly. I hate primaries because of this, the money I waste and the possibility of leaks in my lights. Checking the charge, investing in nice cells and a reliable and safe charger is the price I'm more than willing to make.

Me too! I'm exactly the same and feel the same way, PB Wilson.
----
I carry a AAA and a AA flashlight, both with rechargeable batteries.

Now that I know about Energizer L91 batteries, I'll be putting those in the car flashlight this winter but I wouldn't use them in my other flashlights.
I have primary batteries at home for emergency (and to give away as needed) but most of my batteries are rechargeable.

 

[terjee]

If you don't mind, may I ask if you recall where you got that orange storage tube?

I have no problem finding cheap waterproof boxes for two 18650ies, or silicone "battery condoms" for them, but the latter offers no waterproofing and no impact-resistance. Been looking for something exactly like that orange tube, but no luck yet.

 

[Wendee]

If you don't mind, may I ask if you recall where you got that orange storage tube?

I have no problem finding cheap waterproof boxes for two 18650ies, or silicone "battery condoms" for them, but the latter offers no waterproofing and no impact-resistance. Been looking for something exactly like that orange tube, but no luck yet.

Hi terjee. It looks like a waterproof match container. They sell them in hardware stores and at Walmart (etc) in the camping section. I bought a yellow one from Amazon as an "add on item" from some type of survival store. It was under $2.00. The one I received is a bit big so I don't use it (the battery rattled). Maybe the orange ones are a better fit.

 

[sidecross]

may I ask if you recall where you got that orange storage tube?

It looks like a match storage canister that are sold where camping equipment supplies are sold.

Illumination Supply sells single 18650 battery case. http://www.illumn.com/batteries-cha...-carriers/plastic-1-x-18650-battery-case.html

 

[Wendee]

It looks like a match storage canister that are sold where camping equipment supplies are sold.

Illumination Supply sells single 18650 battery case. http://www.illumn.com/batteries-cha...-carriers/plastic-1-x-18650-battery-case.html

Yay! I've been looking for a single battery case! Nothing I've tried so far has worked so I've been using the standard double case. Thanks sidecross! I'm going to buy one or two. Seems they're on backorder right now though. Do you know if they fit a long protected 18650 battery like Keeppower or Orbtronic?

 

[Tre_Asay]

The case is a little big so I put 2 peices of foam in the ends, the battery does not rattle but there is soe space. I guess that I could put some paper money in there or imformation.
I have also used the $2 dark sucks 18650 cases but they fall appart after a while. I like these match tubes because they are visible and durable. I keep my battery in the same pocket as my knife.
edit:
I think that I got this one at walmart, they are easy to find at army surplus stores as well.

 

[Poppy]

I've been EDCing a light for about three years now.
Initially a 3 button cells Streamlight Nano.
In the year I carried it, I probably used it for no more than ten minutes. It only has a few lumens to begin with ( I think 8) and an eight hour run-time, with most of them being sub-lumen. I carried it on my key chain. Like others already said, being primaries, if I used it I would never know how much capacity I had left. So I always wanted the batteries to be fresh.... just in case! Therefore, the light never got used. If I needed one, I would walk to somewhere I had one and grab a different light.

The next year, I carried a single AAA with duraloops in it. A DQG twisty the smallest AAA on the market and in stainless, and a NW XPG2 emitter. I'd top it off when I thought of it... usually once a week. If I actually used it for any amount of time, I'd top it off later that day. For the most part the battery was always nearly fully charged.

This past year, or so, I have been carrying a CooYoo Quantum, in stainless, gifted to me by a friend on the other side of the pond. It is even smaller than my DQG. It runs on a 10180 LiIon, which charges within the light by way of micro USB. I top it off when I think of it, usually about twice a month. It really only gets used for seconds at a time. I am usually near to other larger lights.

Almost all of my lights have rechargeables in them. I have some give away lights with alkys stored with them, and some 2D cell lights in the car, and 2D cell LED Traffic wands.

I have four 3C cell lights that each have an 18650, and a spacer.