Battery Slaughterhouse

[Shur]

I've recently started a new job as an HVAC tech an I'm using my flashlights far more than I ever expected.

My favourite flashlights right now are iTP. I've got a C8 and C9 (C9 very new) on my belt, a Fenix LD01 around my neck and a Fenix LD30 in my tool bag as back up.

My go-to lights are the C8 and the LD01. The C8 goes in a Lee-Valley magnetic clip and acts as my trouble light while the LD01 is usually in my mouth when I need to get in close and work on something. The LD30 doesnt fit in the clip and isnt comfortable as a mouth light, so it really is a last resort.

The C8 (and C7 before it) are fed with tenergy rechargeable batteries while the LD01 has been getting Energizer Lithiums but will be getting tenergy rechargeables as well.

My problem is that the ever-growing weight of my tool bag has been increasing due to the number of batteries I need to carry. I feel like I should be able to make it through one day (3-4 hours use) on a topped-up set of batteries.
A day ago I managed to burn through 2 sets of batteries, yes it was a 12 hour shift (5-7 hours use), but I ended up in the dark with my C8 out of commission.


My question is have I got the wrong lights or the wrong batteries?
P.S. please keep in mind that I cant afford to burn though primaries at this rate.
P.P.S if anyone knows of a good 'trouble light' that throws a significant amount more light than your standard one, please let me know.

 

[vali]

the LD01 is usually in my mouth when I need to get in close and work on something.

Why not a headlamp?

If you think you are carrying too many batteries, try to standarize around a cell-type. AFAIK you already have a NiHM charger and some AA cells, but I suggest getting some eneloops since you can abuse them more than the typical AA NiMH ones. As long as your charger is a decent one you are safe with eneloops. They tend to be very "even" between cells and problems derived from mismatched batteries in your multicell flashlights shouldnt be an issue unless you dry them pretty hard. ITP C8 + Zebralight H501w could be great.

OTOH you can use CR123 powered flashlights. Lighter, smaller and with a bit more "punch" than AA batteries. The most recommended in CPF are the AW ones. If you dont have a charger yet, get one, but be aware of the "dangers" of the li-ion chemistry. You can use the ITP C9 + Zebralight H30 with this type of cell.

 

[angelofwar]

:welcome:

+1 on a headlamp...maybe a Princeton Tec or Petzl...as far as handheld, go with the SureFire (SF) E2L with an F04 diffuser...48 hours on low, 7 hours on high, or an E1L. Yeah, they're expensive, but they're warranted for life, best C.S. in the business (i.e. no cost replacement...and usually no questions asked...really), and can take anything you throw at them.

Or, once you get "comfortable here", an SF 3 cell light with a malkoff drop-in, long runtime version (M60LL???), and start using rechargeables. Hope this helps!

Oh, and once you get the light yer looking for, NEVER come back to this site again...or you'll become a "flashaholic" and be broke for the rest of your life...:laughing:

 

[Painful Chafe]

Hey fellow HVAC Tech.:wave:

I think I've got a good one for you if you are looking for something small on your belt. The MG L-Mini II. There is a review here
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=232143

It is small, light and bright like a Fenix PD30, but you will get almost an additional hour and a half of run time on high with the 18650 battery versus the Fenix using RCR123.:thumbsup:
It runs for two hours and seventeen minutes on high, then it will switch to low for an additional six hours. Of course low mode will only give you about 15 or so lumens, but it will get you out of that dark mechanical room to get another battery. Keep two charged spare batteries on your truck and I don't think you could run out of light if you tried. I use a Fenix P3D as my only light(some others on my truck, though). I love the Fenix, but if I had to choose again, I would probably go with the Mini because of the runtime.

 

[d1337]

I think that your batteries could be the issue. I had all kinds of problems with my energizer rechargeables going dead even when the were hardly used. You may want to try some low self discharge batteries like eneloops or Duracell "pre-charged" batteries. Standardizing on a battery type is a good idea as well.

 

[matrixshaman]

18650 - rechargeable Li-Ion will make a huge difference in your runtimes. Get a couple of these and a charger and you won't be running out of power or money buying primaries. They have a big capacity difference over most common batteries and you will find there are some very affordable and small lights that have become available fairly recently in this battery size. Look at the L-mini from shiningbeam.com for starters. Jetbeam IBS lights can also use this battery and are fully adjustable (full ramping) brightness. And yes a headlamp would be nice too - Zebralight now makes one that also uses the 18650 battery.

 

[Linger]

Why not a headlamp?
ITP C8 + Zebralight H501w could be great.

+1 on that.
I've got an iTP c9 too, awesome quality.

1)I presume from your post you're using 3.7v lithium rechargables? well done.

2)Take a charger with you. Do you have an outlet or vehicle you can plug a charger into while you're at work?

3) I'm feel strongly that you could use lower settings / less output with a floodier beam. The zebra is a 'task light' and is %100 incredible for anything you are working on, pure flood is amazing illuminating your project. A diffuser on your hand lights may be very helpful (or try taking the reflector out of the light-head). With-out the strong spot / spill difference you may find lower outputs very functional.

-Linger

 

[Shur]

I might give the Petzl Ultra a look but any headband I've tried has always managed to work its way up and off even when I'm standing, never mind when I'm lying down inside a furnace.

My charger is a Maha 9000 and I'll get any batteries I can stuff into it if it means longer run times.

Fenix P3D - I bought a bunch of trustfire 123As a while ago and I'm just reaching the last of them now. I don't currently have batteries to use after they are gone. This light is used infrequently, usually used on high.

Fenix LD01 - I bought a bunch of energizer lithiums a while ago and I'm just reaching the last of them now. I have Tenergy AAAs that I'm carrying around as back ups. This light is used frequently on medium.

iTP C8 - I've got a lot of Tenergy AAs that I'm using but I'm not liking the run times. I normally use the light at its brightest in a combination of short bursts and long runs. This one goes into http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=62640&cat=1,43456,43349 that clip and can be on for a full hour. The PD30 is too thin to fit in the large jaw and too big to go in the small jaw of that clip. With use like that it shouldn't surprise me that I can go though 6-8 batteries in a day but charging these things is turning into a second job.

iTP C7/C9 (I've got both bodies) - I bought this one to have another nice light to keep at home but after running out of light last week I've put this one on my belt (C9) as a backup.


What other batteries can I use in my current lights? Will I get that much longer run times out of them? It seems like LSD would only benefit me if I were to buy a supply of batteries that would last me a couple months, or do eneloops provide longer run / shorter charge times?

 

[vali]

Eneloops hold their charge better and are more robust than "normal" batteries. Just charge them in the 0.5C - 1.0C range (1000 mA-2000mA for the AA) and you will be fine. I bet they will have more runtime than the tenergy ones. Since you already have a great charger and were using NiMH rechargeables, get a couple of them and do some tests. It will be easier than changing everything.

BTW, what is the real cappacity of that tenergy nowadays?

 

[mikekoz]

If you charge them every day and want better runtimes, I would get some high capacity AA NIMH's. I use Duracell AA rechargeables, and they are rated at 2650 Mah. This is the highest I have seen, at least without ordering online. They will give you more light then the Eneloops (which are around 2100 Mah) or other pre-charged NIMH AA's, but will not stay charged nearly as long over time. Again, if you are using the cells heavily, and recharging them every day, that would not be an issue.

 

[thedeske]

Shur

On a cabinet install yesterday, I had an LD01 & a PD30.
At one point I had very little light in the room and a need for critical drilling (pulls) so the LD01 was in the mouth over and over. I kept thinking how nice a headlamp would be or a headband with an adjustable clip for an LD10 or the 30.

Eneloop AA/AAAs are the way to go for the small stuff.
After switching over to a Maha and Eneloops, I consider most primaries antiques. The Maha also uses a 12 volt cord for the truck, so topping off on site is easy if there's no 110 available. Of course, a plastic case with 4 to 8 charged will get you through the day just as well
There are times when the PD30 makes sense with a diffuser to light up an area - just lay it down close or inside the work. I could use the LD10 with the same diffuser, but there are times when I need the extra power of the PD30.
If I were burning a 123 primary every day, I'd go for a charger and few AW RCRs. If I were on site for a living, a DC option on the charger would be a 'Must Have'

 

[Linger]

My charger is a Maha 9000
What other batteries can I use in my current lights? Will I get that much longer run times out of them?

Right, wrong kind of lithium...
http://www.4sevens.com/index.php?cPath=53&osCsid=c3262d223befff4a8db152bcfeeb0bb3

Have a look at the AW 14500, this is the AA size, and you can use these in your iTP light. If you're using a Maha 9000 you're missing out on huge advances in battery tech. In brief, you can get twice to three times the performance from your iTP using 14500 (3.7v) lithium-ion batteries.
You can also put 16430 (rcr123 size) in the c9 body.
You'll need a higher voltage charger, but performance gains are totally worth it.

Best,
L

 

[old4570]

XP-E R2 pill from DX or KD with a 18650 P60 host ...

 

[Dude Dudeson]

Or, once you get "comfortable here", an SF 3 cell light with a malkoff drop-in, long runtime version (M60LL???), and start using rechargeables. Hope this helps!

If you've got an M60LL and three 123's you've got huge runtime, so huge I'd wonder about using rechargeables.

Unless you'll run it at least 4 hours solid per day...

 

[JBorneu]

If you use your lights every day and recharge every night, there is no advantage in using LSD cells. High capacity NiMH cells will improve the runtime though. A better charger will not improve the runtime, but it might help your cells last longer.

However, the biggest problem is that you do not have the perfect lights for the job. These are EDC lights and not real working lights, so they are not made to have a long runtime on high.

I don't think you need maximum output all the time, so I would advise you to lower the output on your ITP C8. If you reduce the visible output by 33% you will increase the runtime by 100%.

You could also get a light like the Eagletac P100A2. It has two output modes, one 60 lumen general use mode and one 180 lumen turbo mode. The general mode will last about 10 hours on NiMH cells, the high mode about 45 minutes. I think the general mode will suit you fine for most tastks, and switching to high and back to general mode is faster and easier than ramping up and down on the ITP.

Buying a light which runs on Li-ions will increase your runtime (if you choose the right one, some are made to be screaming bright for one hour, others have lower settings also), but it removes the possibility to use alkalines if you haven't been able to recharge your lights, so I would stick with AA's.

If you do buy a light which runs on Li-ions you need to know how to use them. Check the guide in my signature.

 

[MarNav1]

Princeton Tec Eos headlamp. I have a couple, they never move around on my head. Batteries should last ya okay. I've seen a few techs here at the house holding MiniMags in their mouth, I ask em about a headlamp they say yeah I should try one!

 

[MarNav1]

Double post, Database error. Whoops.

 

[Painful Chafe]

. I've seen a few techs here at the house holding MiniMags in their mouth,

I did the mini mag in the mouth thing for years and stopped when my dentist told me I was grinding my four front teeth at night.

 

[tennisplyr3]

Eneloops should work well for you with your LD01. It takes much longer for them to develop any memory effect.

 

[hyperloop]

It might depend on how much light you need and are you doing an overkill? using 100 lumens when 40 will do, i'm personally not too familiar with your job requirements so i can't really tell and i hope you'll forgive me if i make any mistakes.

It looks like (from what i can see) your issue is more with runtime, a possible solution would be to switch to the 18650 form factor, its shorter than 2xAA though a bit thicker (which i dont see as a problem as it makes grip easier).

Then match that with a multimode or programable flashlight so you can use the optimal output for the situation at hand, you wouldnt need 200 lumens for close range when 20 or 30 would do just fine.

I'm thinking of this layout:-

1.) Jetbeam Jet III, you can get the Military option, one mode is MAX (225 lumens), the other is user programable, modes changed by twisting the bezel. Alternatively, the Jet III Pro ST, 3 modes, each individually programable. Runs on 18650 cells.

2.) Zebralight - H60 (choice of 2 tints, warm or white) also runs on 18650. Total of 6 modes i.e 2 levels each of low, med, high

3.) LD01 as your backup light with either 10440 cells (higher output) or primary cells (not so user friendly) or NiMH (best compromise in my opinion)

Jet III in a holster, Zebralight on your forehead, LD01 on a neck lanyard and you're all set. 18650s in the lights, 2 spares and you're set for a day of work.

You'd know best what sort of outputs you need, so program the Jet III accordingly, the Zebralight's output levels are nicely distributed so that's pre-set for you, LD01, well that light speaks for itself I focused on the lights above as i personally own a Jet III and a Zebralight H501 and find them great, but you were sayin how you found carrying loads of spare cells a drag, so now its down to 2x18650s in the lights, 1xAAA in the LD01 and 2 x spare 18650s and however many AAAs you want to carry. I personally think that 18650s have the best combination of capacity and power.