Flashlight for OLD person!

[xxo]

Explain to me electronic switch and parasitic drains

How do i tell electronic switch from normal? For eg, i have a nitecore d10, which drains my batt dry in weeks. My other eagletac d25a doesn't seem to drain my battery as it remains quite bright even after months, seems to be same for manker e11. I'm thinking of getting a klarus mi7 but read it...

www.candlepowerforums.com

Maglite mentions electronic switches in their descriptions of aa minimags.

Might be electric in the sense that it detects the mode change once the light is turned on - there should be no standby current because the switch is mechanical and cuts off current in the off position.

 

[knucklegary]

The AAA Mini Mag LED and the 3C ML25 still has only one mode and the 3 rd cell pretty much doubles the run time, espcially when running alkalines.

None of the twisty Mags should have any parasetic drain and you will never know the low mode is there unless you twist the light on/off/on really quick.

My mom has a couple of ML25's running AA eneloops that she uses all he time (one she keeps set up as a lantern with a 3D printed diffuser), a AAA Mini Mag LED she keeps in her purse and a AA Mini Mag Pro in the kitchen. I would recommend the AAA MIni Mag LED and the 2C ML25 running eneloops or if alkalines are non-negotiable, a 3C ML25.

Same here, mom loves ML25lt. Gave her a silver finish so less likely to misplace, yeah right. I found her lost mini Mag in the linen closet.. She claims loaded 2C batts "packs a better punch" in the case of unwanted intruders

 

[SCEMan]

I am looking for a quality LED flashlight for my 86 year old mother. She likes to walk around outside in bad weather in the dark.

Wow. God bless her!

 

[hsa]

^ That's what I was thinking.

 

[seery]

Have you considered a lantern? We have a 94 year old friend who still farms and takes care of his animals and he prefers lanterns.

 

[tango44]

My parents still use their trusty 2 C cell Maglites with no problems at all, keep it simple!

 

[Hooked on Fenix]

Olight I5T Plus Pebble l.e.d. flashlight. Only two brightness levels.

 

[340pd]

Malkoff MD2

 

[thermal guy]

I recently was on the exact same hunt for my grandpa. There really really needs to be a light like the old Fenix TK20 again. 2xAA, easy to grip, tail switch for on, twist head between high/low. I think there is a market for this kind of light since it is what many casual users want in my opinion.

Anyways, looking at dozens of lights and bumping into many of the same challenges you did, I bought him this Thrunite. It isn't perfect, but pretty good. The tail button turns it on, and the side button changes modes. But there isn't any complicated click patterns; you just tap the side button and it cycles through the modes. If you don't touch the side button, then it will turn on each time in the same mode when you press the tail switch. If your mom uses the same mode most of the time for her walks she may rarely need to use the side button. My grandpa seemed to understand the UI quickly. At 30 bucks I figured if my grandpa didn't like it I hadn't spent a lot and I could shop for something else.

Archer 2A V3

THRUNITE’s high quality LED flashlights are not just bright - they’re tough as nails and designed to be practical for a wide variety of users. Learn more about their variety of product lines and find the perfect gear for your needs right here at the THRUNITE Store.

thrunite.com

Oh! The good old Fenix TK20!! A warm AA light built like a tank. I love mine. Been looking for another one for some time.

 

[thermal guy]

Malkoff MD2

Not under 50 bucks and not AA. But ya

 

[jabe1]

Rayovac indestructible or energizer hardcase are good candidates. Cost efficient, decent runtimes, two modes, 2xAA.

 

[lumen aeternum]

Maglite Mini AA in the incan style. Replace the incan with a drop-in LED, your choice of lumens. If pushbutton is needed, add a tail switch. Litt Industries. If using a tail switch, you can use some loctite to keep the head in the ON position.

 

[Poppy]

The thing I don't like about maglites for old people is that the fine threads on the battery cap are hard to get started, and can easily get cross threaded. This can be particularly challenging with older people who have lost a little of their dexterity.

I therefore like big square threaded lights for them.

My wife bought an off the rack 2D cell light at a supermarket one night, which appalled me, but she got into going for walks at dusk, and taking that light. I have to say that it impressed me in its run time, and the fact that it would gradually dim (alerting you to the fact that you are running out of battery power). My daughter once ran into a situation where her Li-Ion LED light suddenly died, and struggled along an unlit path to get back to her tent.

Lights like this typically have big fat threads for replacing the batteries.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001KYFZ5K/?tag=cpf0b6-20

 

[raggie33]

sorry but this made me think of this video

 

[Tim W]

If "using alkaline batteries" You need to buy "cheap no name plastic junk."
Because the batteries will leak.

You know, EVERYONE parrots that line, but just how true is it??

I'm 58, so conservatively have been using batter powered devices for a minimum of 45 years.

I've had ONE battery leak. It just ain't worth worrying about IMO.

 

[Poppy]

I recently threw out a battery powered megaphone due to a leaky alkaline battery. Despite cleaning it up the volume control didn't work. It was a low end Harbor Freight unit that wasn't great even when new. I'm surprised that I put it away with the cells in it. Shame on me. I've had kids toys destroyed, after they have been left unattended for a year or more. Usually damaged contacts can be salvaged with a little use of a cotton swab, and some vinegar.

 

[aginthelaw]

I'm always late to the party but I gave my mom the Olight swivel. She's substantially younger than your mom (she's 82) and the only thing I had to repeat the lesson on was changing from flashlight mode to spotlight. She sticks it on her fridge most of the time. Used the stand on it for a recent outage at her apt. (She used the carabiner on it to hook on her belt). Hooks it in her closet when she needs extra light and she hasn't charged it in the year she's had it. Speaking of, the usb-c charger is the same as her tablet and phone so no switching or using the wrong cable.

 

[aginthelaw]

 

[Stress_Test]

You know, EVERYONE parrots that line, but just how true is it??

I'm 58, so conservatively have been using batter powered devices for a minimum of 45 years.

I've had ONE battery leak. It just ain't worth worrying about IMO.

I get where you're coming from; I'm not quite at your age but for most of my life it was extremely rare to have anything outright ruined by leaking alkalines.

In fairly recent years though, the battery quality seemed to take a real dive. I had almost every alkaline leak sooner or later. I've had unused, never open packs of batteries that were still in date, that sat in a closet indoors, that still resulted in like 80% of the cells leaking.

So yeah, back when I joined CPF, and through the ~2010 timeframe, I kind of pooh-pooh'd the "alkaline paranoia" that was all over the place. But NOW, it's a legit concern (based on my experience anyway).

 

[Galane]

Olight i5T Plus. Currently $39.95 in Black, Blue, Orange, OD Green, choice of Warm White, Cool White, or Neutral White LED. Not all color/LED combinations are currently available.

Olight i5T Plus EDC Flashlight Standard - Olight Store

i5T Plus Standard EDC pocket flashlight delivers a max output of 550 lumens with two widely available AA batteries. it has 3 color temperatures and 4 colors

www.olightstore.com

The pebble texture versions can (supposedly) be bought here https://opticsforce.com/products/olight-i5t-plus-edc-flashlight-pebble They're out of stock at Olight.

They should work with EBL's 1.6V Nickel-Zinc AA cells. EBL has a package deal of 8 Ni-Zn cells and 8 bay charger for $29.99. I can verify these lights work great with EBL's 1.5V Li-Ion AA's, the red ones that don't have the built in USB charge port.

The catch with both of those types of EBL cells is they're *extremely popular* and sell out fast so most of the time one must put in a pre-order and wait for the slow boat from China to bring more.

Olight has the 2xAAA i3T Plus in Black, Blue, OD Green, and Ancient Bamboo. Pricing is a bit odd for these. Black is $29.95, Blue is $32.95, OD Green is $29.99, and Ancient Bamboo is $49.95 because it's copper formed, textured, and patinated to sort of look like a piece of bamboo.

Both of these lights (and their single cell, non-Plus versions) have tail switches and two brightness levels. Click or half press once for low, click or half press again within a short time for full brightness. With just a little practice it's easy to half press, release then click on for high.

If you're not averse to busting the budget just a bit, $58 gets the venerable S1R Baton 2 in black. 1,000 lumens, 145 meter beam distance, magnetic USB charger cord. One nifty feature of the magnetic charging is if you drop the light just dangle the charger cord near it and *snap* then pick it up without having to bend any body parts to get a hand down to the ground or floor.