Battery to Light Ratio

[Danman8520]

I am planning on picking up a few more 18650s and was trying to figure out how many rechargables I should have per light.

What do you think the ideal ratio is?

 

[SilverFox]

Hello Danman8520,

Welcome to CPF.

It all depends on how you use your lights. In many cases, assuming a 1 cell light, you can do well by having 3 cells for 2 lights. However, if you run your light many hours a day, you will need more.

Tom

 

[NotBright]

Like most people on here, I have many lights which all use the same battery so one per flashlight is the way to go. When one battery is low, I pull one from another flashlight while the dead one charges or I'll just use another flashlight. That being said, if I only had one single cell flashlight(yeah right!) I would have three batteries. One in the light, one spare, and one in the charger.

 

[Larbo]

I try a carry at least two spare batteries, but I also have 4 to 6 lights on me, sometimes more.:shakehead
I found that magic marker tubes that are cut to size and modded make great ways to carry spares.

 

[Danman8520]

Silverfox, Thanks for the welcome

I was assuming lights that contain only one battery. I have 2x 17670 batteries and 5x 18650 batteries with 2 single 17670 lights and 2 single 18650 lights. I also have a Quark Mini AA. I do however plan to buy more 18650 lights.

For EDC or Backpacking I will carry in the orange matchstick case containing my one spare. But the rest stay at home. My average light consumption is very mild maybe up to 10-15 minutes at a time, a few times a day. For backpacking, the light could stay on 1-2 hours a night. I posted this out of curiosity, to see what other CPF members have on hand.

I can see EDC V. On hand at home spare amounts getting confusing so please state weather the amount is for EDC or at home.

This is my current battery supply minus what is actually in the lights. (The one duraloop missing is in the Quark)

 

[Billy Ram]

I don't go anywhere with only one light so I don't need back up batterys. When one goes dim I grab another light. My wife on the other hand doesn't like carrying more than one light and prefers carrying a spare battery.
Billy

 

[psychbeat]

Ive got 2 18650 lights (c2 n l2p)
and 4 AW2600s + SLOW DSD charger

the drop-ins I use go for about an hour (linger special 2.8a)
so its nice to bring an extra batt or even two for longer
hikes n mtn bike rides. 18650s are pretty light n easy to carry
I usually wrap em in saran wrap or just carry em raw dog

 

[KiwiMark]

I pretty much always have a minimum of 2 sets of rechargeable batteries - I can put one on the charger and still power my light with the spare or have a battery in the light and a spare on hand. I EDC 3 lights so I don't need to carry spare batteries for normal day to day activities, but when camping I'll take multiple lights and spare cells too.

I would have enough spares for 2 to 4 sets per light, so I voted for 3. In reality I can use the spares from other lights that take the same size battery as addition spares for a light I want to take with me and use a lot over several days. For a 1 x AA light that means I can take over a dozen spare cells with me (I have at least 2 AA batteries for each 1 x AA light I own and I own a few + at least 4 AA batteries per 2 x AA light I own). For a 1 x 18650 light I think I would have at least 8 spares. If I actually removed the battery from each other light using that type of batteries then I would have even more batteries of that type for spares. Even 32650 Li-ion cells are plentiful in my collection - I could take a Mag 2D ROP light and have over 6 spare sets of Li-ion cells.

I've actually lost track of how many cells I have of each of the following types:
AAA Eneloops
AA Eneloops
14500
16340
18650
32650

I have less of other types so I can easily remember how many I have (Like only 2 of 10440 cells - one in my LF2XT and one spare).

 

[VidPro]

have too many lights, and always have some pocket module, so i dont want to carry a spare battery, I MIGHT for an emergency pack or for hiking. but for that i have solar, both solar lights and solar charge ability.

so even though i rarely carry a spare, i still voted for 1 Light 1 Spare, because i DO have a spare always , to charge & to change to at HOME, for every light or at least every light type.
and i think having TOO many spares , is just letting a battery die on the vine. although i have way too many spares acumulated, and too many lights, but by default not by choice.
Choice would be One perfect set in the light, one Perfect set to change to available. I got a lot of imperfect spares, and imperfect lights for no usefull reason.

to carry a spare is to carry it properly, which means to keep it from shorting, by the time i CASE the battery so it doesnt get damaged or shorted or wet , i have lights that are mere MM bigger than that, and few grams more than a container. so why not carry the spare in the light and have a spare light too?

also when given the capability, it is great to be running rechargables, then have a "spare" that is a Primary throwaway, The rechargable can be primary and the throwaway can be secondary
the primary will hold more capacity, at a lower weight , but its one and done, so if your going to haul it around , but actually need it rarely, it makes a good secondary.
wheras the regargable will always get used first , can be "Re-loaded" fresh prior to departure, doesnt have to be thrown out to be new again.
when lights properly allow for both, you can carry around a reserve tank that is bigger than the refillable main tank, but preserve the costly unfillable reserves for when the "gas" station is to far away.

 

[don.gwapo]

All my lights are single cell. Each light have at least 2 spare batteries put on their own case. And do carry spare when going out at night.

 

[Kestrel]

I voted for 1 in the light plus one spare for an all-around answer, although I don't have spares for a fair number of my lights as I carry a number of lights at any one time. I'd rather just switch to a different light instead of worrying about protecting/packing/handling spares.