Battery question...

[oldvultureface]

My LED Minimag specifies only alkaline (no rechargeable or lithium) batteries. Is Maglite in bed with Duracell or is there a legitimate electronic reason for this? Also, I read in a review that lithium disposables were OK in the Fenix E1 but the wrapper it came in says only alkaline or NiMH. Lithium OK or avoid?

Thanks.

 

[coppertrail]

I've been using NiMH cells in my MagLites with no problems. Lithium primaries have a slightly higher voltage than Alkalines, so if the light accepts a voltage of 1.8V, you can safely use Lithium primaries. Not sure about the input voltages of the E1.

 

[elgarak]

The main problem of NiMH and Lithiums as opposed to Alkalines is NOT the different voltage. A lot of people write this here, and while they are not really wrong, that is NOT the reason why those batteries shouldn't be used.

The main problem is the lower internal resistance of NiMH/Lithiums, that is, their ability to provide a higher current. In simple circuits, like a directly driven bulb/LED, it is this higher current that kills the bulb/LED.

That said, since the MagLEDs have a regulating circuit that limits the current by itself, and is not dependent on the internal resistance of the batteries to limit the current (within the voltage range of NiMH/Alkalines/Lithium AAs -- excluding rechargeable Li batteries in AA form, their voltage is way to high), they should work fine, as most people have observed.

My guess is that Mag simply copy'n'paste the warning from their incan lights, for which the switch was not as risk free as with the regulated MagLEDs.

 

[oldvultureface]

Thank you for the detailed explanation! That the current for the LED is electronically regulated is what I needed to know. Very clear now.