WHAT THE AA?

Err...just gonna have a whinge coz it bugs me to no end.

What? I hear you say.

People who go "I only pack a AA light in case I need batteries in an emergency."

HELLLLOOOOOOO!!!!!

You're a FLASHAHOLIC!!!

By that very definition you oughta have at least six months supply of power on hand.

Here's how it goes:

You pack a AA light, throw a pack of lithiums in the glove box, your murse (manbag), backpack, bedside draw, up your nose, I don't care. They take up all of deck of cards worth of space and are there when you need them.

You pack a CR123 light, see above.

You pack an 18650 light, have another one charged ALWAYS!!!

You have a maglite, sorry, D's are a bit big for your murse. Keep some alkalines in a cool, dark place. Better still, get some D-AA adaptors and keep some lithiums in stock.

This is not rocket science folks. My mother knows you needs spares on hand.

If you think the power will go out for a week, HAVE SOME BACK UP!!!

Yes, everybody is going to beat you to the corner store when the crap hits the fan and buy every last battery, so be, I repeat BE ready.







Disclaimer: This opinion is in no way sponsored by any manufacturer of batteries or related parties.

+1 !!!

I have always felt that this particular justification for choosing AA battery formats to be pretty weak.

The only (contrived) justification I could come up for to choose AA batteries based upon availability would be if I decided to hike the Appalachian trail. Here I would have a weight limitation on how many batteries I could carry and I'd be required to restock at those little supplies stores at towns the trail crosses. Pretty sure my only choice would be AA alkalines.

Now, having staid this, I do understand that in some countries lithium batteries are extremely hard to get and/or tremendously expensive.

while i agree we should always have a stock of spares on hand (regardless of our preferred battery type), there have been times when i admittedly have let my supply dwindle down to very little before taking the initiative to replenish.

Jash said:

If you think the power will go out for a week, HAVE SOME BACK UP!!!

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well put, but there are instances (earthquakes for example) where you may have no idea an emergency is imminent (unlike say a hurricane), and if an earthquake were to knock out power during those times when i had let my supply run down, i'd be in a pretty sad position.

However, in a disaster situation like that, my thinking is that most people would be clearing the shelves of all the common AA, AAA, C, D batteries and fewer people swiping the CR123's and other less common batteries. So either way, i like to have as many different types of lights at home to suit my needs (and just as a way to justify more lights ). So aside from your common battery types and CR123's, a CR2 light might be handy to have, and also the standard glo-toobs run off a 23A. Odd batteries that fewer people would be likely to grab, but which most drug stores/walmarts/targets etc stock :shrug:

The way things are going with Australia Post restrctions on lithium batteries it won't surprise me if in a year or two we Down Underites won't be able to internet order cheap bulk CR123's from overseas which would then mean we would have to buy them at shops here at five to ten bucks each. That's reason enough for me to be thinking that the choosers of the AA format have their heads screwed on just right.

can you scavange cr123's from cameras, toys, and remote controls? do cr123's power your other emergency devices such as weather radios and handheld gps units?

besides, the AA size has MORE energy than the cr123 size anyhow, lithium primaries have a LONGER shelf life, and your stockpile can power more than just flashlights (see above).

personal preference, I think single cell lights are much more comfortable to hold, being long enough to not be swallowed up in your hand, and are skinnier.

also, on a number of occasions, some OTHER non-flashlight device has ran out of power, and the batteries in my flashlight have saved the day to power it. batteries in your camera are dead and you are about to miss pictures from your child's birthday? 18650 camera? i think not.

Jash said:

Yes, everybody is going to beat you to the corner store when the crap hits the fan and buy every last battery, so be, I repeat BE ready.

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Yes, but !!!

When my AA goes flat and the stores run out I'll just take two out of my TV remote, when they are flat I'll take four out of my electric stapler, when those are flat I'll take six out of my son's Elmo toy, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc. I recon that without opening a new packet or leaving the house I could put my hands on at least 40+ AA batteries. Most in pretty good condition. Personal preferences aside, having a light that takes the most common battery type in the world has something going for it.

currently sitting on aa bat types:

Alkline AA

48 gp alkline
14 energizer alklines
22 kodac alklines
64 energizer L91 lithium

Rechargables AA

12 duraloop 2000mah
12 gp powerbank 2600mah
12 uniross 1300mah
4 energizer 2450mah
4 duracell 2650 mah
2 yusa delta 1600mah
2 uniross 2000mah

Alkline AAA

24 kodak
5 energizer
13 energizer lithium

Rechargable AAA

4 energizer 1000mah
6 sony cycle energy 900mah
4 sony cycle energy 800mah
2 gp powerbank 600mah
2 energizer 900mah


8 duracell d cells
8 duracell c cells

good amounts in case of any type of problem and withe 150 hours approx on 2 aa (nightcore d20 r2)approx 10,000 hours eek!

re testing has given the d20r2 on energizer alklines 227 hours on minimum

+1 !!!

Not forgetting the office too. Looking into our office supply cabinet, I see just AA & AAA batteries.

Jay R said:

Yes, but !!!

When my AA goes flat and the stores run out I'll just take two out of my TV remote, when they are flat I'll take four out of my electric stapler, when those are flat I'll take six out of my son's Elmo toy, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc. I recon that without opening a new packet or leaving the house I could put my hands on at least 40+ AA batteries. Most in pretty good condition. Personal preferences aside, having a light that takes the most common battery type in the world has something going for it.

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I remember going to the store in an ice-storm and a big power outage and AA's and D's were the hardest thing to find (and generators). C's aren't used as much so I did have some luck finding those. When I see large packs on sale I stock up as it's always handy to have the common battery types for when the remote or fire detector battery goes dead.

I take all my used 123 cells and wrap tape around them and throw them in a plastic bin (I keep singles and pairs taped separately). I have some direct-drive battery vampires that will suck the rest of the life out of them. I'm thinking I could go for weeks without using a new cell if all I cared about was low-level light. I usually order 123's in batches of 50 which would power my dual-level E2L for a really long time if I was worried about runtime. I'll definitely keep some AA flashlights around but I'm a big fan of 123's. The light that gets the most runtime is my G3 and I've converted that to rechargeables so I'm not plowing through 123's like I used to.

In my neck of the woods CR123As are 2 for $19.99 + tax. There are problems with importing them from US online sources due to shipping restrictions. A 4 pack of Duraloop AAs is the same at full price, usually I can get them at 1/2 price.

I am already using AAs in my portable radio, walkman, CD player, pencil sharpener, calculator, illuminated magnifier, digital camera etc. There are no CR123A versions of those things and I like to keep my battery types to a minimum.

Less than a decade ago the 1AA flashlights were pathetic producing 3 lumens or less. The Nuwai QIII produced 30 lumens with a CR123A which needs a 3D Mag to equal. With a RCR123A the QIII produces 75 lumens. But the EZAA I got last year outputs 130 lumens on high. the Current Nitecore EZAA is rated 145 lumens. The 123A Nitecore EX10SP is also rated 145 lumens. The output of 1AA lights has reached the point where the slightly brighter CR123A lights are not significantly brighter in practical terms.

It used to be most AA lights were 2AA making them 65 mm longer than a CR123A light. Since the Fenix L1P introduced the bright 1AA light the length difference is only 15 mm.

A number of CR123A lights do not support RCR123A (Fenix being the prime example). So converting to the 123A format means keeping track of which light can take which battery.

CR123A do not have the power to support SSC-P7, MC-E, SST-50, ST-90 so are now being passed over in favour of 18650.

-

"in an emergency" usually means "in an emergency AWAY FROM HOME". I found out the hard way it is no fun feeling my way up 7 flights of stairs during a blackout. And I was in the building I live in. Just 70 feet down from my front door!

Where can I find a solar charger for the RCR123s?

My reasons for usually only EDC'ing an AA light are about availability.

I'm not talking about MY supply of batteries; I'm talking about what I can find in local stores.

Here is a scenerio:
I'm out having dinner and I'm on the way to a show or movie. I'd used my 1xAA flashlight quite a bit earlier in the day and the battery has just about run out. I'm driving a rental vehicle instead of my own so my normal supply of backup batteries aren't available. It is getting late and the only "store" I can find is a gas station quicky-mart.

I'll bet you that store will have AA batteries.

I'll also bet you they won't have CR123 batteries.

:devil:

I think it's wise to keep a supply of primary batteries on hand and have a variety of lights to cover different battery bases. For this reason, I added a PAL Light (9v) to my collection. If things really get desperate and the CR123s, AAs, AAAs, and Ds are all depleted, I can scrounge 9v's out of the smoke alarms.

I've always thought AA lights were good for travel but inferior to CR123 for daily use. That all changed in the last week--I've become a fanatical AA convert because I got a new, awesome ArcMania Extreme Micro AA.

If you look at the lights that I have you'll find 7 D cell lights (Mags and Fultons), 9 AA lights (more if you count the D to AA adapters that I can use), 2 CR123a lights (1 X CR123a and 2 X CR123a), a few 9V clip on lights, and a few Li-Ion lights. I also have one C cell light and three AAA lights. My MiNi 123 can use CR2 batteries as well, in a pinch. Heck, I even have two N cell lights, though I can convert them to use AAA cells if needed.

I think I have my bases pretty well covered in case "The Big One" hits San Francisco and we lose power for a week. The Loma Prieta earthquake that hit back in 1989 was a 6.9 on the Richter scale and the power was turned off automatically throughout the region for about 24 hours. An earthquake in the 7s or 8s would probably have the power out for a week or more.

I only use AA's and AAA's because they are common and cheaper. More than once, I've taken the batteries out of my light to power something else, and it has been really handy. Interchangeability is always a plus. :thumbsup: Nothing to do with availability in stores, I probably have several dozen spare batteries in many formats.

Another way of looking at this is supply and demand. Stores generally stock items according to consumer demand. Walk into any store and you will quickly see that there is always many more AAs than say CR123 on sale. Why? because there is more demand and more devices out in our households/offices/wherever that use the AA. No doubt it is the world's most popular battery format.

As JAY R has mentioned, AA's are so abundant in his home. AA's are abundant in most homes whether you are a flashaholic home or not.

So in a typical major disaster scenario (I am just imaging - major winter storm, flash flood, earthquake, whatever), because of the chaos (or curfew) out in the streets, you'll probably remain where you are, right? Chances are you won't be shopping for supplies. You'll either be home (than you are ok regardless of what battery type you use since you already have supplies). However, what if you are stuck at the office, the school or maybe a friend's house? You can't get to your car (where your spares are) and what you have on you is your trusty EDC. IF that's my case, I would like my EDC to use an AA.

My previous camera used AA batteries. So did my flashlight, headlamp, GPS, external flash, other flashlight, and fluorescent lamp. It was handy... interchangeability of AA is a product of its universality; which it's likely to keep for several years at least.

holy thread backfire lol
all of the above plus if you are on the go, it's good to consolidate battery types on devices. not only for your own device because someone in your group will be an airhead.

Aye to the A's?

From my point of view — as an LED virgin — I was wondering why so many people on the CPF forums comment about the TK40 as "being a great light, BUT it uses EIGHT AA batteries".

Is their issue with the AAs or the number eight?

And having asked that question (apologies for being a bit OT) why would I choose the TK30 simply because it doesn't use AAs? I'm not confused..... much!

— Jack.

Re: Aye to the A's?

Jack Reacher said:

From my point of view — as an LED virgin — I was wondering why so many people on the CPF forums comment about the TK40 as "being a great light, BUT it uses EIGHT AA batteries".

Is their issue with the AAs or the number eight?

And having asked that question (apologies for being a bit OT) why would I choose the TK30 simply because it doesn't use AAs? I'm not confused..... much!

— Jack.

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The more cells you use the more you have to keep track of them, charge them, maintain them, and weed out any bad ones that crop up. You don't want cells that are years old mixing in with new cells. If you get multiple caddies you can preload cells but swapping 8 loose cells in the dark probably wouldn't be fun. After doing a swap you are lugging around 8 cells in your pocket or pack too. It would be interesting if someone made a large li-ion pack like they do for the Surefire M6.