......i don't look at the battery forum that often......
You might consider changing that habit A.O.W., for two reasons.
1. It stands to reason that those who frequent this Forum are most likely to have the brightest, longest running, and most dependable flashlights/torches of any members here on CPF.
There are four important components which the lights we use consist of. Something that emits light, something to control the emission in a favorable way, and something which contains these components, along with a cell or battery to power it. Without the later, you might have good reading when looking through the specifications and the light may "look cool", but for the first three components to work as they were designed, a properly performing power source is very important.
For example, I have no doubt that there are countless CPF members with 500 lumen capable lights, that don't put out half that. This could be because they're running AA alkaline cells in series to power a light that draws high current, or because they're running "dead" NiMh cells, oblivious to the fact that the cells are "dead", simply because "they show voltage" after being charged. There are many other possibilities of improper matching of the power source to the application, as well.
2. And probably the most important. My light collection is smaller than yours, just the same, I've lost count for some time now, but I believe it's at about 40, or so. I've found that by hanging out in the electronics and batteries included Forum, that the temptation is a bit less to "buy both" etc. This has helped the wallet to some degree, but it's "cheaper", not necessarily "cheap".
With about a dozen battery chargers (really only about 5 in use anymore), over a hundred Li-Ion cells in 11 (I think?) sizes and/or flavors, 70 AA, a dozen or so AAA, and 4 "D" NiMh cells (yes that's four!) I imagine I have close to a $1000 worth of just batteries and chargers! While that pales compared to my flashlight collection, frequenting this Forum is still only "cheaper", not "cheap"!
OK, babbling "OFF" and back on topic. I should have mentioned in my (now old) first post, every cell I have is marked with a Sharpie. I don't keep spread sheets or anything (except temporarily, when periodically analyzing cells before they get remarked), but have good knowledge as to all the cells ages etc. All cells are marked from 1-xx, or A-x, and ranked by their performance. This allows use singly, or in relatively matched sets for series applications, using this method. When all chemistry of cells reach 80% of their original capacity, they are recycled, usually in groups, eg. sets of 20, or 4 or whatever. These "sets" are purchased at the same time.
All Li-Ion cells that are not in use are stored in a ~40% state of charge in the Fridge at 35-40F. This isn't really as inconvenient as it sounds, as there are usually a half dozen to a dozen charged cells out at a time, either installed in lights, or as backups. I store all NiMh cells at room temperature in a basically discharged state, eg. 1.20-1.25 Volt. Again, a few of the NiMh cells are either charged and installed in lights, or charged and ready as backups. Of course, all cells are rotated with the "stored" cells, when discharged.
I'll also note that with the exception of a few primary lithium AA, and Cr123A cells, I don't use primary cells much, with the exception of button cells. I think I only have about 5 or 6 alkaline AA and AAA cells. These came with various products when purchased, and I'll likely never use them. If I remember, I usually give these away. As I see it, for the most part, the "alkaline era" ended about 10 years ago, more like 25 years ago, for me.
Dave
